Matthew 18:19 says, “If two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.” Two brothers can have great power when their standing related to the church is proper. If, however, these two brothers have problems with the church, they will not be in harmony when they come together to pray, and even if they agree with one another, they will have no power because their standing related to the church is not proper. The two or three in Matthew have great power because they are connected to the church. Our hands do not have their own power; they have power only because they are connected to our body. When two of us pray, it may seem as if only two are praying, but actually the whole church is praying. In Acts 12 when Peter was imprisoned, prayer was being made fervently by the church to God for him (v. 5). When Peter was released from prison, however, he went to the home of Mary, in which there was a “considerable number assembled together and praying” (v. 12). It is not possible to say that those in Mary’s house were the entire church. Nevertheless, the believers there had great power because the whole church was behind them.
Sometimes the young saints preach the gospel with great zeal. However, in their preaching some tend to become proud, to strive with others, and to look down on older saints. If, as a result of such an attitude, a young saint leaves the church, he may still be able to shout, jump, and preach the gospel. However, in the depth of his being, the supporting strength of the church will be gone. Today, when our young saints go out, they are full of energy and zeal, not because of their youth but because of the supporting strength of the church.
Our service must be in the church. On the surface it may seem as if only two people are going out to preach the gospel, but actually the whole church is going out. This is not a simple thing. We may not have this realization, but the evil spirits know. The evil spirits know whether or not the church is supporting us. Once we lose the church, we will lose the power in our gospel preaching. Hence, when we go out to preach the gospel, we must not only believe that the Lord is with us and be filled with the Holy Spirit, but we must also have the assurance that comes from going in the strength of the church.
When we visit the brothers and sisters, we must also go in the church. Can there be any power in the visitation carried out by those who have left the church? There will not be much power, because those who are visiting have severed themselves from the Body. The visitation carried out by those who are in the church is powerful because there is a source of energy not only from the church in Taipei but also from the New Jerusalem in the third heaven. Thank and praise the Lord! We are truly connected to heaven. We have a heavenly source of energy that does not come from us but from God. I hope that all the brothers and sisters are clear concerning the importance of the church. Our service must be absolutely in the church.
I would like to fellowship concerning one more matter. I hope that the brothers and sisters would receive a burden in the Spirit to intercede for the work among the students. After much fellowship, the co-workers realize that the Lord has truly blessed the island of Taiwan. The Lord has blessed the church and the society here. He has blessed us in many aspects, especially in the area of education. In Taipei there are countless numbers of students. Even if we do not count the number of elementary schools, there are numerous junior high schools, high schools, vocational schools, and universities. This is also true in Taichung and Tainan. There are students everywhere, and before the Lord we have a very deep feeling that our gospel work must go directly to the schools in order to gain students.
I feel that in order to preach the gospel to the Taiwanese-speaking people, the shortest route is to preach the gospel to the students. Presently, I believe that over half of the students in the schools are from Taiwanese-speaking families. If a large number of them believe in the Lord, the next generation of Taiwanese-speaking people will become believers. Furthermore, many Taiwanese-speaking parents will listen to their children if the children finish high school or college, and the parents will follow the footsteps of their children. Therefore, if we gain the next generation, the previous generation also will follow. The Chinese have a saying that there are no considerate children, only considerate parents. In other words, parents listen to their children rather than the other way around. Therefore, when we bring children to salvation, their parents will follow them.
In the churches in every place, but especially in the three cities that are educational centers—Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan—our work must focus on the students. We should begin with junior high students as the base because thirteen- to fifteen-year-olds are at a period in life in which it is easy for the Lord to gain them. Then these ones will enter into high school and become gospel seeds there. They will have an effect and gain more high school students. Then they will enter the universities and be gospel seeds in the universities to gain more students. When they graduate from the universities, they will become gospel seeds in society and in families. I hope that we all see this goal clearly. Presently, the government and the authorities allow us to preach the gospel in the schools. We have an unprecedented opportunity, and we must grasp it and do our best to preach the gospel. Beginning from this year, it should not be surprising if the church in Taipei gains ten thousand students in two years. There are nearly seventy schools in Taipei, including junior high schools, high schools, and universities. If we gain one hundred forty students in each school, the total will reach nearly ten thousand. This number will not be difficult to reach as long as the co-workers put their mind to it, the young saints are willing to cooperate, and the whole church intercedes.
Once the work of the students produces fruit, the young saints can work with the children so that the number of children increases. If there are ten thousand students, there can be thirty thousand children. What a marvelous thing this would be. In three to five years these thirty thousand children will become young brothers and sisters in junior high schools, and in this way, the increase among us will multiply.
Our eyes need to be enlightened; we need to see that it is worthwhile to put all our resources into this matter. All the brothers and sisters should have this view. If we say that we love the Lord, we should share the Lord with the young people so that through these young people, we can share the Lord with many children. We should continue to work in this way until the schools are filled with brothers and sisters. I believe that the Lord will not only bless the churches through this work, but He will also bless this country and this society. May He have mercy on us to receive this burden and to pray for this burden.