Now we come to a very important point-how to help people to be saved. We cannot save people, but we can help people to be saved. Only the Lord Himself can save people, but we can help people to receive the Lord, to accept the Lord and accept salvation. It is needless to say that we must have a real love and concern toward the sinners; if we do not have love and concern for sinners, our work is over. Suppose then, that we do have this love, this concern, and we pray for sinners and exercise our faith to participate in the power from on high, not paying attention to our feeling. Then we have to learn some techniques of how to help people.
First, we should not talk too much to the sinners, the unbelievers. We should speak with them in a very brief way. In addition, we should not try to make them clear. Many times, the more people are clear, the more they will not believe. Many times we are tempted to think that if we can make someone clear, he surely will believe. Rather, the more we make someone clear, the more he will not believe. Keep this principle: Do not try to make people clear. If we try to make people clear, we are doing the work of Satan, as he did in the garden when he said of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, “In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened” (Gen. 3:5). He told Eve that she would be clear and would know many things. Immediately after Eve took that fruit, her eyes were really opened. Before this time Adam and Eve were not clear about their nakedness, but by taking that fruit their eyes were opened, they realized they were naked, and trouble came. Do not believe that if we make people clear, they will believe. Rather, everyone who is saved is a someone who is not clear. We believe “foolishly.”
Someone may ask, “How can people believe without being clear?” This is a secret. They simply have to believe. When someone is favored by the Lord, he has to believe, whether or not he is clear. Many times we are not clear, but we still say, “I do not know why, but I have to believe.” People may say that this is superstitious, but if so, I like to be “superstitious,” the more the better. When I was young, my friends and many people came to tell me that I was just a fool. However, I told them, “I like to be a fool, the more the better. I cannot tell you what it is, but something is within me.” Therefore, do not try and do not be tempted to make people clear. Simply talk with them in a brief way. After talking with them, right away ask them to pray. To pray is to “sign the deal.” A good salesman never talks too much; if he talks too much, he will lose the deal. Simply ask them to pray.
Then after we help people to pray, we need to help them in several matters; otherwise, they will not be properly saved. First, we should help them to know that to believe in Jesus means to receive Him as the living Spirit into them. We must stress this very much. We should tell them that Jesus today is in the Spirit and even is the real, true, and living Spirit. Therefore, we can open our heart and open our spirit, that is, open our whole being to receive Him. We have to stress this point again and again. Then those who are saved will be living Christians. Otherwise, they will be only religious people, not living Christians; we will merely have some religious members. For this purpose we need to read them some verses about Christ as our life and Christ living in us. We must help them to know this. Do not think that we should wait until they have been saved for a long time to tell them that Christ is life. No, from the first day we need to tell them. I was saved in this way. At the time I was saved, I was even told that I have been crucified with Christ. I realized that I was finished; I was dead with Christ and was buried already. Now it is no more I but Christ who lives in me. I heard a complete gospel.
Do not think that this is too deep. This may be too deep for some people in Christianity, but it is not too deep for the sinners. Try this. Do not preach the gospel in the old way. Do not say, “Oh, this is too deep. Half a year later we can let Brother Lee minister to them how Christ is life to the believers.” No, this is wrong. There are many deep things in the Gospel of John, but that book is still called the gospel. The whole book of Romans is also called the gospel. The first chapter of Romans tells us that the whole book is the gospel (vv. 1, 9, 15-16, cf. 16:25). We should even learn to preach the gospel from Romans 12, telling people that they have to be members of the Body. We must tell people definitely and thoroughly that Christ is a living Spirit today, waiting for people to receive Him as life. Stress this matter.
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