In the past several years many messages have been given regarding the new way, which is actually the God-ordained way to meet and to serve. Through all these messages the God-ordained way has been made very clear to us. At first there was a certain amount of opposition and criticism against the new way, but now there is not much opposition. Almost all the leading ones in the churches in the Lord’s recovery are very clear concerning the new way. However, in relation to the practicing of the new way, we can see many “clouds,” but we have not yet seen the “rain.” The new way has been made clear to us, yet our response has not been quick, adequate, and prevailing.
Many dear saints have a heart to take the new way, but they feel that it is not easy to do so. It is wrong to say that the new way does not work. The new way does work. In a sense, however, it is not easy to take the new way. Christianity has made every believer idle. When a person first enters into Christianity, he may be busy for a short while. Certain denominations require that a new member learn a number of doctrines and pass an examination before he can be baptized. However, after being baptized, a believer may become idle for the rest of his life. All that may be required of such a believer is that he come to the Sunday morning service, leave an offering, and behave properly. By the Lord’s mercy and grace, however, there are still a number of seeking ones in Christianity who realize that they are in a situation that is inadequate. This is true especially among those who love to read the Bible. In reading the Bible they discover that they are lacking many spiritual things. They may go to their pastor for help, but many pastors may only quench their seeking, because the pastors themselves have no way to go on.
The situation in the Lord’s recovery is not like this. Since the Lord’s recovery began in the second century, it has not allowed people to be idle and at peace. The recovery always stirs up people to see what is in the Bible and to seek after it. Throughout the past nineteen centuries, seeking ones have been raised up to discover new truths from the Bible. Many of them put their discoveries into writing, and over the past seventy years we have spent much time and money to find and collect these scattered writings. These discoveries are a part of the Lord’s recovery today. As a result, in the Lord’s recovery there is much stirring up, and there are many requirements and demands. The Lord’s recovery does not allow us to be at ease.
In the past five years we have “dug out” more truths. In particular, we have discovered the New Testament priesthood of the gospel (Rom. 15:16). We have found that the preachers of the gospel should be laboring, energizing, ministering priests of the New Testament. In Romans 15:16 the Greek word for priest has a prefix that means energizing, laboring, or ministering. Such a priesthood of the gospel is a new discovery. Once we see this, we can never be at rest.
The priests in the Old Testament had to offer something every day. They could not cease offering the sacrifices. Their main offerings were the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. Besides these there were many minor offerings. We Christians today, the New Testament believers, also are priests; thus, we must offer something. What we offer should not be merely our praises to the Lord, our material things, or our good conduct. These things are minor offerings. In the New Testament the main offering is saved sinners, who will be transformed to be the members of Christ’s Body. In the Old Testament the priests offered the types of the individual Christ; in the New Testament we offer the members of the corporate Christ. For our offering to God we need the saved, sanctified, and transformed members of Christ. The discovery of this truth has changed our understanding of the significance of gospel preaching.
We have also discovered that we must have new ones under our care whom we are feeding. Feeding the new ones is the practice of feeding the lambs (John 21:15) and the practice of a nursing mother feeding her babes (1 Thes. 2:7). Paul said that the apostles were like nursing mothers to the new believers, cherishing and nourishing them that they might grow. Such a practice is absolutely new among us.
I have said that each one of us should have two or three young “lambs” under our care, but we are still short of this kind of feeding. If we do not have at least two or three under our caring hand, then we must “go fishing” to gain some new ones. When I was young, I was desperate to bring new believers to the Lord. If I did not gain some new ones, I could not eat or sleep well. After praying and fasting, I would rise up and go into the streets to speak to people, regardless of what kind of people they were. Where there is a will, there is a way. However, we may not be desperate enough. Consequently, the Lord may be angry with us, because there are still vacant seats at His banquet.
The Lord has also shown us that we must practice the building up of the church through the perfecting of the saints by the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers (Eph. 4:11-12). Without exception, every saint must do the same work that the gifted persons do, which is the work of the New Testament ministry, the building up of the Body of Christ. Moreover, we have discovered that there is no way to perfect the saints in big meetings. The perfecting must be carried out in small groups.
We must go to get people saved; we must “get married” in order to bring forth children. After bringing forth children, we need to feed, nourish, and cherish our babes. Then we must perfect them and build them up to speak the word of Christ, to speak Christ, and speak forth Christ to others, that is, to prophesy. If we have such a practice according to the New Testament teaching, no one among us will be idle. However, I am concerned that many of the saints are idle. We may not realize the seriousness of our situation, but one day we will. The Lord said, “Do business until I come.” If the Lord would return today and ask us to settle our account with Him, we all would be very serious. The Lord is coming, and we will have to meet Him and give an account to Him (Matt. 25:19; 2 Cor. 5:10). However, today many of the saints are at peace. The new way is a troubling way, not a peacemaking way. We must realize that the new way does not give us rest; rather, it causes us to be busy.