Concerning the new way, we have a saying with two simple phrases: “The new way produces the new man; the new man walks the new way.” Simply speaking, the new way is to have us carry out what the Lord has commissioned. The Lord’s commission to us can be divided into four main items: the gospel, the truth, life, and the church. In order to carry out these four items, we have found a most scriptural way through our more than sixty years of experience in the Lord’s recovery and the practices of all the different Christian groups in the past two thousand years. This way is ordained by God and confirmed and led by the Holy Spirit, and it is a most effective way.
In the past two thousand years there were some who practiced this way, but regretfully no one took this way as the unique way. This time, in changing the system, we will take this way as the prescribed way.
First, we need to go door-knocking, leading people to salvation. Door-knocking is truly a very feasible way. One person among us even gained and baptized one hundred twenty people in just over two months. This is tremendous.
Second, we need to lead people to know the truth. This truth is not what is generally known—the common, superficial, and shallow truth. This truth concerns God’s eternal economy, which is God in His Divine Trinity dispensing Himself into His chosen people by passing through all the processes that they may be regenerated, sanctified, transformed, conformed, and glorified, and that they may be the members of Christ and become the Body of Christ as God’s corporate expression on the earth. This is the truth we are talking about.
After knocking on doors and preaching the gospel, we must go on to establish meetings in the homes of the newly baptized saints and begin to teach them the truth. This truth is the essence of the Bible, the center of the Bible, and what is according to God’s heart’s desire; yet this truth is mostly neglected among Christians. Some people touch only the surface of the Bible when they read the Scriptures, thus concluding that the Bible is a shallow book and contains nothing of great value. However, I have studied this book from my youth to this day, for over sixty years. The more I study the Bible, the more I have come to know its mysteries and sense deeply its utter preciousness, because this book talks about God’s eternal economy.
The word economy is a great matter. There is in God an economy, which is to dispense Himself, by passing through all the processes, into His chosen and redeemed people, that they may be one with Him and become the Body of Christ, expressing God on the earth. Whether going out door-knocking or going to people’s homes to lead the meetings, we need to learn this truth in a thorough way. Not only should we know and understand it, but we should study it to the point where we can teach others as if our tongue were the pen of a ready writer. Every newly baptized brother or sister, after attending such meetings for six months, can also become one who teaches others. In this way, many people will soon come to know the truth of the Bible. This is only a guide, to lead all the newly saved ones to read the Bible in a good way and understand all the truth in the sixty-six books of the Bible. This is the commission of the truth of which we speak.
Third, we need to lead people to grow in life. Truth brings light, life, power, and spiritual things, comprising all the riches of God. Therefore, when we teach the truth to others, spontaneously they receive the supply of life and grow in life. The life mentioned in the Bible is the uncreated, eternal life of God. This life is neither outside of God nor apart from God; this life is God Himself. In other words, this life is the Spirit, and the Spirit is Christ. Therefore, when we minister life to others, we minister the Spirit to them, and we minister Christ to them.
The eternal life is the Spirit and it is also Christ. Today we have all received this life. Hymn #377 in the Chinese Hymns says, “Glory! Glory! Christ my life to be; / Glory! Glory! The Spirit leadeth me.” However, we cannot stop here. We need to see that the purpose of God’s imparting His life to us is that we may be regenerated, transformed, and conformed to the image of His Son and become His church, His golden lampstands which appear in every place, shining on and enlightening the world.
Fourth, we must raise up the ones who have been baptized, edified in the truth, and have grown in life to be the church. Generally, people see Christianity as a religion. However, in the Bible religion is not a positive term (Acts 26:5); it is a negative term. In other words, the Bible depreciates religion. In that case, is the so-called Christianity a religion or not? This must be viewed from two perspectives. The Christianity that is orthodox and scriptural is not a religion. Although people attach “-anity” to it, in reality the Bible does not reveal a religion; it reveals Christ. According to the Bible, we believe in Christ, not Christianity.
This Christ is a living person. He is the embodiment of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Today He has passed through death and resurrection and has become the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, so we can breathe Him and be filled and occupied with Him. When we meet, He is with us, and He operates in the meeting in various ways, giving grace to every brother and sister. This is the Christ we preach, believe in, worship, and serve. We are not a religion, nor are we the so-called Christianity. We are a group of people who enjoy Christ and serve Christ together.
From another perspective, according to its transmuted condition, Christianity is truly a great religion. The biggest party in Christianity is Catholicism, followed by Protestantism. Within Protestantism are many sects and denominations as well. We do not represent such Christianity; we represent the church of God. This church is the living Body of Christ, constituted of all who have the eternal life of God. In order to carry out these four main items—the gospel, the truth, life, and the church—we have to rely on the Holy Spirit and the words of the Bible, with much prayer and redoubled diligence and labor. Then again, these things are very general. We see that the results of our more than sixty years of experience, in addition to the practices of all the different groups in Christianity in the past two thousand years, are indeed unsatisfactory. In order to carry out these four main items today practically, each one of us must practice door-knocking, visiting people, preaching the gospel, and going to people’s homes to teach the truth and minister life.