Now we are setting aside all difficulties to carry out the new way. I feel that sooner or later we have to do this. If we do not pay the price in this generation, we will have to pay the price in the next. But I am very cautious like one walking on thin ice. I have not hastily asked the church in Taipei to close the doors of its halls. Rather, I waited thirty-seven months from October 1984 to October 1987 before we closed down the Lord’s Day morning big meetings. We did this after the festival last November. We did it after we had some assurance that there was a practice that could replace the big meetings. After this I now have a heavier burden. What will happen if the replacement does not turn out well? Over the last ten or so months, while we went through a process of temporary replacements, I discovered that we have to strengthen the prophesying. Without prophesying, the meetings will be empty. Emptiness will mean failure, and the new way will not be successful anymore.
First Corinthians 14:26 was first pointed out by Brother Nee. At that time he was very strong in pointing out that the meetings with one speaking and the rest listening should be annulled. There ought to be the meetings of mutuality where everyone speaks to one another and listens to one another. However, this matter is easy to say. Many have attempted to do this throughout the ages, but none have succeeded. I do not know how many times I have read 1 Corinthians 14. Gradually the light came. Verse 1 says, “Pursue love, and desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy.” To desire is not just an aspiration of the heart but a pursuit in action. This is like desiring to have a doctoral degree. If you have only the aspiration without the action, you will not attain to your goal even if you aspire for a few decades. If you desire to have a doctoral degree, you have to study hard. Studying is a kind of exercise that enables us to pass the examination. Hence, to desire is a motive. It makes us willing to pay the price to study. It is the same with prophesying. Formerly we thought that prophesying, like tongue-speaking, was a kind of gift that falls from heaven. But from our experience we see that prophesying can be learned through practice. Through practice we can supply Christ to others when we open our mouth to speak for the Lord and to speak Him forth.
When we prophesy, we have to exercise our spirit. Only then can we enliven others’ spirits. We must also pay attention to the pitch in our speaking. Those who are too high in pitch should lower it a little. Those who are too fast should slow down a little. And those who are too soft should raise their voice a little. Others have to hear you clearly. Do not love your throat and your face too much. Otherwise, others will not be able to hear you clearly. It would not be a bad idea for a few of you to come together and to take turns speaking while the others criticize. Practice having a proper pitch, tone, and speed in your speaking. At the same time, practice speaking from your spirit every time you open your mouth.
Concerning the content for prophesying, all the meeting halls in Taipei are having the proper response. For example, for every week Hall One has compiled six portions of the text from the Gospel of John, together with the footnotes and the Life-study Messages for its spiritual pursuit. For six days, the brothers and sisters study these portions. On Saturday, they condense these materials into a three-minute script for prophesying. Then in the Lord’s Day meeting, everyone exercises to prophesy a portion. This kind of exercise may not be an instant success at the beginning. But after two months, by the time all of you go out to the villages, your prophesying will be greatly improved.
When you go out for the gospel spread, you must be able to do these four things. The first is to preach the gospel by knocking on doors. This will surely save people and bring them in. After a person is saved, the second thing is to have home meetings with him. The third thing is to have small group meetings. When the number grows to over thirty, there is the possibility of having church meetings. In such meetings, we have to exercise to prophesy together. If there is the gospel preaching by door knocking, the home meetings, the group meetings, and the practice of prophesying, the gospel spread will surely be successful, and the church life will be raised up in different localities. After this, the older and more mature co-workers can go to these places every month and can gather together the four or five churches around the area for a conference. They can do this once a month. In twelve months, there will be twelve conferences. I believe that a church produced through this kind of nourishing will surely be fresh, living, and quick in growth. The key lies in how well you practice these four things when you go out for the spread of the gospel. For this reason, in these days you have to be more aggressive and strict in your exercise.
(The above message was given by Brother Witness Lee in Taipei on November 3, 1988.)
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