Perhaps you think that it is very difficult to be a believer in the local church. We all have responsibilities at home, yet we are not only required to come to the meeting, but also to practice meeting at home. We cannot even relax at home. But I would say that whether you practice or not depends upon you. It depends upon what kind of Christian you want to be.
I will never forget the time in 1953 when, while I was conducting a four-month training in Taipei, I was concerned that the brothers and sisters might not be able to follow along. At that time I remembered an old story. Once there was a king who went to see how the tutor was teaching the prince his lessons. Looking through the window, he saw the tutor being very strict and severe with the prince. When he could bear it no longer, he said from outside the window, “If the prince studies, he will be king. If he does not study, he will still be king.” This tutor, who was not afraid of being beheaded, replied from inside the study, “If he studies, he will be an enlightened king. If he does not study, he will be a foolish king.” This story gave me great encouragement. You asked me to conduct the training, so I will be strict. Whether you will be enlightened or foolish is your choice.
Today the situation is the same. Those who practice and receive the training will be enlightened brothers and sisters. Those who would not practice and would not receive the training will be foolish brothers and sisters. This is entirely up to you. I believe that you all care. What we have spoken in the past few days is not any amazing, deep, or profound doctrine, but all are points that need to be practiced.
We need to study the sixty-six books of the Bible carefully and remember them well. We even need to carefully read through the table of contents of the hymnal. The table of contents of our hymnal is divided into more than 370 categories. There is much for us to learn. Not only do we need to spend time to read the table of contents, but we also need to spend time reading carefully through the hymns. This is surely worthwhile. If you do not read the hymns, you will not know them. If you do not know them, how will you be able to choose the right hymns to match the meetings?
Since many brothers and sisters have come to this meeting from the central and southern regions of Taiwan, I want to say something about the matter of building the meeting hall in Lin-Ko. We hope that every year we will be able to produce 200 full-timers. In order to train the full-timers, there is the need of a training center. There is not only the need for classrooms for training but also for living quarters for hospitality. In addition, we need a large meeting place for our large gathering. Last year we rented a place, but the acoustics were not adequate. It was a real distraction to the meetings. If we had our own large meeting hall, we could design our own sound system, and it would be very convenient.
In addition to using that meeting place for training and conferences, we could also use that site for the campus work. Today the most worthwhile and productive place for the gospel work is the colleges and universities. Because everyone in today’s society emphasizes education, university graduates are able to enter all levels of the society. Those who are gained now in the colleges will soon enter into all levels of society. Therefore, we want to use the property in Lin-Ko as a campground. Every weekend we will be able to bring a group of people to the mountain. There we will have a place for camping, a place for meals, and also a place for hearing the gospel. If you preach the gospel at home or on the campuses and people do not get saved, you can bring them to the mountains for a walk during the holidays. When their hearts are opened, it will be easy for them to receive the Lord.
Chung Li and Sheenchoo, which are south of Lin-Ko, and Taipei and Cheelung, which are north of Lin-Ko, can all use this property. If out of the fifty-two weeks of the year, two groups come to camp every week, then there will be at least 104 camping trips per year. Thus there will be the need to sign up beforehand to arrange the schedule. Young people like to come together for gatherings. If we promote this matter among the young people, then in the future Lin-Ko will be filled with groups of three or five fellowshipping and singing hymns under the trees. This is a matter with great potential. At this time we have only purchased the land. There are still many expenses that need the full support of the brothers and sisters. This matter also requires everyone to pray much.