Today’s Protestantism depends on organization. In addition, they also depend on preachers produced through theological training. Actually, in organization and in the study of theology, the Protestants are much inferior to the Catholics. The organization in the Catholic church is much tighter than that in Protestantism. To some extent, the study of theology is much deeper in Catholicism than in Protestantism. However, although Catholicism has more fine flour, it also has more heresies which are not found in Protestantism. Although Protestantism does not have as much leaven, neither does it have as much fine flour. Both are lacking. Protestantism survives and propagates by organization and by producing preachers. However, in the Lord’s recovery, the local churches cannot depend on organization or seminary students.
Because of the influence of our environment and the background of Christianity, we have never rid ourselves completely of the ways of Christianity. We do not call it organization; we change the term and call it arrangement. We do not use the seminary students; we have a few “mouthpieces,” a few gifted and eloquent ones. We cannot take this way any longer. We have been doing this for many decades. We cannot go on like this; we have to change. We should no longer pay all our attention to the big meetings where one preaches and everyone else listens. We have to put two thirds of our effort on the small groups. The big meetings should take up only one third of our effort.
I do not expect that your home meetings will be a success right away. If you fail, try again. I expect that I will need to spend two to three years to turn around the situation among the churches. Once the small groups are built up, we will experience the blessing. This is a slow work; it cannot be accomplished by us merely having a so-called experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The Pentecostal movement with its tongue-speaking and miracles is like a tide; it comes and goes away. It can never build up the church. Paul’s work was not a tide. It continued on, because his work was built upon life and truth. Today we will not depend on Pentecostalism, nor tongue-speaking, nor any big meetings. We can use the big meetings, but we cannot depend on them. We can use the big meetings to gather in the people; but those who are gathered in have to be brought into the small groups. In the small group meetings we are determined not to have any leaders; everyone is a leader, and everyone will speak. Although this is difficult, we have to strive for it. Otherwise, we will be degraded and become merely another part of Christianity. If we want to preserve the Lord’s recovery we have to build up the small groups.
I hope that the young people would realize today’s situation. And I hope that the older ones would see the need of today. As to the middle-aged ones, you have to rise up to be the core members. You have to put the burden on your shoulders, and you have to take the lead to pursue a life of living in the spirit. In order that our home meetings be strong, living, and fresh, we all have to strive to grow in life, to be filled in the spirit constantly, and to seek after the truth, so that we can be an expression of the Spirit.
In order for a man to grow in life, to be able to exercise his spirit, and be equipped with truth for his expression and utterance, he needs to open his mouth to speak. Everyone has to learn to speak in the meetings. Even if you cannot speak, you have to learn to speak. We must practice speaking. You may feel that you do not know how to speak, but if you open your mouth you will know how to speak. Many can testify that if you do not speak in a particular meeting, you will go home with little supply. But in the meeting if you open your mouth a little bit, you will get some supply. The more you open your mouth, the more you will enjoy the meetings, and the more you will get the benefit. The more you speak, the more you can speak; the more you speak, the more you have things to speak about. In the meetings we have to speak by the spirit of faith. We have to speak in the Spirit. The minute you open your mouth, your spirit will come out. This is to speak in the Spirit. In this speaking, faith comes out, and there will be much content and power in your speaking.
First Corinthians 12:8 shows us that the first manifestation of the Holy Spirit in a believer is a word of wisdom. The second manifestation is a word of knowledge. Then there are those who can prophesy (v. 10). It does not mean that they prophesy in the sense of foretelling, but in the sense of speaking for and speaking forth God. For this reason Paul said, “Desire earnestly...that you may prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1). Again he said, “For you can all prophesy one by one” (1 Cor. 14:31). Why? Because “he who prophesies builds up the church” (1 Cor. 14:4). After this, Paul goes on to show us that whenever we come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, or has an interpretation, and that all these should be done for the building up (1 Cor. 14:26). The revelation mentioned here is similar to the word of wisdom mentioned in 12:8, and the teaching mentioned here is similar to the word of knowledge.
After you read through all these verses you will see that our meeting is nothing but speaking. If you take away speaking from the meeting, there would not be much left; the meeting will be void of content. It is a pity that we have been so deeply influenced by traditional Christianity. Whenever we come together, everyone is silent. We all wait for one or two to speak. This is wrong; we must change this concept.
Today the Spirit is like the air; He is blowing everywhere. But if you close up the window, the wind can never come in, and you can never get any air. You have to believe that today the Spirit of the Lord in us is like the air; He is also upon us like the wind. The problem is that we would not open our mouth. From my youth, after I was saved I knew that as a Christian I had to open my mouth to testify and speak for the Lord, but I was not used to speaking. Whenever I spoke I would blush. Because of this, I decided to exercise myself. I went often to the seaside and spoke to the waves. I hope that you would all practice to speak in the same way. When you speak, do it by the spirit of faith, and learn to exercise your spirit to push the words out.