We can now see the two ends of the new way. The new way begins with visiting people for the preaching of the gospel to gain sinners for the increase, and it culminates with building them up through meetings of mutuality in which everyone speaks forth the Lord. This is the way the Body of Christ is built up. In between the preaching and the building up are two “bridges.” The first “bridge” is the home meetings for the nourishment of the newly baptized ones. The newly baptized ones may be likened to newly delivered babies. After being delivered, the little ones need nourishing. The second “bridge” is the small group meetings for teaching. From the small group meetings the new ones may be brought onward to the church meeting for the building up.
The new way comprises begetting, nourishing, teaching, and building. The new way is not merely door-knocking. The new way is first to go to where the people are to bring God, the Lord Jesus, the Bible, the gospel, and salvation with redemption to them in their homes. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:18b-19). Each one of us has to go in order to preach the gospel. This is the biblical way.
After preaching the gospel, the new way is to nourish the new believers as babes, teach them as children, and then build them up in the church meeting through the mutual speaking forth of Christ. We must learn to practice to preach the gospel by visiting people, to have home meetings to nourish the babes, to have group meetings to teach them the truths, and then to have the church meetings to build them up by the mutual speaking forth of Christ. You speak to me, I speak to you, and we all speak to one another. All speak, all listen, and all are built up. By this new way, we will have the organic building up of the organic Body of Christ. Regardless of where we are, we will be built up into the Body of Christ.
Today the Lord demands that we have the recovery of the meeting in mutuality, as unveiled in 1 Corinthians 14:26, by practicing Ephesians 4:11-16. We must have the perfecting of the saints by the gifts that the saints may participate in the work of the unique ministry of the New Testament—the work of the building up of the Body of Christ. The practice of Ephesians 4:11-16 is for the building up of the Body of Christ by the Body itself in the increase of the Body’s growth in the divine life. This is accomplished by the wide spreading of the gospel of Christ by visiting people for the producing of the new believers, by home meetings to nourish the new believers, by group meetings to take care of the saints and teach them the truth for their edification, and by church meetings to exhibit and minister Christ to the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ by the developing and exercising of the saints’ organic functions.