In the previous messages we have seen that the church service is primarily composed of five main things. The first item is the proper gospel preaching. In addition, we must study the truth and seek after the truth; we must have a thorough knowledge of the Bible. Third, there is the need of the adequate growth in life. Fourth, there must be a strong children’s work built up among us. Fifth, our church service must include the student work. Our work among the young people includes the elementary, junior high, high school, and college-age levels. Our church service, then, must consist of the gospel, the truth, life, the children’s work, and the student work. Among us, not one of these basic aspects of church service has adequately been built up because our church practice was too general and too much in tradition. We have been holding on to our old ways and practices year after year.
We must all pick up a definite burden to be the New Testament priests of the gospel to take the Lord’s new way. When we begin to practice the Lord’s new way, we should not carry it out in a general way. Rather, we must consider that this is a particular matter. In the same way, when we attend school, we enroll in a particular field of study. We cannot study a particular field according to our knowledge, our way, our likes or dislikes, or our habit. Rather, we pursue a course of study according to the school’s regulations and instruction. If so, we will receive the benefit. We may consider the practice of the new way as our enrollment into a new school. We must forget about all the old ways in the church life and not take anything for granted. If we do mean business with the Lord to take the God-ordained new way, we should practice it regularly and consistently. We need to not do too much or too little, but we must have a schedule; we must have a particular schedule. It would be very helpful if we would make a definite decision and pray, “Lord, for Your new way I offer to You three hours of my time per week, either in the afternoon or evening.” To some extent we all should have done this already.
It is not necessary for the older saints among us, particularly the older sisters, to go out too much. They can stay at home to pray for the teams. The sisters should pray, “Lord, I give You three hours every week. I cannot go out that often, but I do have a burden to pray for the new way.” Not only so, the sisters should pray for a particular team. In this way they become co-laborers. While the team labors in going out, the sisters stay at home and labor in prayer. Every week the sisters should keep their vow before the Lord to separate at least two or three hours for the purpose of praying. We must pray particularly, definitely, and regularly.
All of us know that students at school must learn to study in a regular way. No student can successfully finish his schooling by studying one night until midnight and not studying at all for the next few days. He needs to receive the proper instruction. Therefore, he must faithfully do his homework for two hours each day. By studying a few hours a day in a regular way, he will surely be a top student.
Those who go out to visit people should go in a regular way, according to their vow to the Lord. We should make this a kind of habit. As the descendants of Adam, we are all the same. One day our wife may make us very happy. Due to this we are more than excited to go out. We pray and become filled with the Spirit and go out rejoicing. Another day we decide to go out visiting, but a few minutes before we go, our wife does something to make us unhappy. So we decide not to go. Whether we are happy or unhappy, up or down, we must endeavor to keep our vow to the Lord. No appointment, friends, telephone calls, or even the weather should stop us from going out. If we are not consistent in our going out, our labor will never be successful. We must have an attitude that we will not be disappointed. If we do not gain anyone this week, then we will go out next week just the same. A carpenter who does his carpentry work in a regular way will soon produce a coffee table or a chair. However, with many of the dear saints, their good reports and testimonies are like pieces of wood piled up, but where is the furniture?
There is no need to baptize too many. We need to baptize only four or five the whole year. However, every week we must have two or three newly-baptized ones under our care. This should be our practice all year. Then, as in rearing our own children, we can teach them particularly and regularly. Unless we practice the new way regularly, the Lord has no way. Our going out must be in a discerning way. We should discern whether to visit our relatives first, our neighbors, or our classmates. As long as we have some “warm doors,” there is no need to approach the “cold doors.” After we enter their home and have a chance to talk, we should exercise our discernment to determine whether or not to spend more time with them. We should not baptize in a blind way, and we need not baptize too many. Within one month’s time, by going out once a week for three hours, we can baptize two. After baptizing them, we must consider them as our babes because we are the delivering mother. Following this we must cherish them and nourish them by going back to hold regular meetings with them in their homes. In this way surely one or two will be ready to be brought to the church meetings. Although at the beginning they may not understand that much, we should let them taste a little bit of what the church life is. Meanwhile, we should explain things and give them some instructions. By taking care of them in this way all year, two saints will be produced by our work and brought into the church life each year. Then everyone will bring two definite, remaining fruit into the church life. In a church of two hundred forty saints, four hundred will be meeting together after one year. We must take care of the new ones starting with the home meeting, then passing through the group meeting, and perhaps after one year reaching the prophesying meeting. We will train them to do the same thing as we do, that is, to go out to visit people with the gospel to have home meetings. They will just repeat our work. This is to be perfected unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). Then we will see the growth and increase of the church.
We must change our concept and see that we do not need to labor that much. Every morning we should spend a short time with the Lord to be revived. We must practice this every morning regardless of how busy we are. We can spend at least half a minute in the morning with the Lord and say, “Lord Jesus, I love You. Be with me for this whole day, and bless whatever I do for You. I praise You, Lord.” Yes, this is too short. But to say this makes us quite different from when we do not say this. Even in this way we will be revived for that entire day. By living with the Lord, we will enjoy a daily victory. There is no need to worry or be that burdened. By practicing this according to the trained way, we will bear solid, remaining fruit. We must be practical, definite, particular, and regular.
The elders in the church must especially exercise themselves that the Lord may lead them to pick up a particular part in the church service. They should not do things independently of the Body, but in fellowship. For example, concerning the group meetings, one among the elders may pick up a burden to build up a new small group or an existing group. First, the elders must learn how to bring that group particularly into the new way and on the right track by the proper steps. They must render definite help. To labor in a general way is just a waste of time; that will not accomplish anything. It all depends upon our understanding and determination. If we do mean business to serve the Lord with some success, we must learn to labor particularly and regularly. We should not exhaust ourselves one day and then do nothing for three days. We should not be influenced or affected by the environment. Rather, we should be definite, particular, and regular. In doing anything, we must do it in a proper way. We must do things according to what we have learned through training.
We have to take the building up of our group meeting as our goal. We must build up our group meeting, starting from knocking on doors and getting people baptized. Then, we can go on to have home meetings with the newly-saved and baptized ones. Following this, we must build up a group meeting. Maybe one-third of the saints in the church actively participate in the Lord’s new move, leaving two-thirds who are still not involved. Because of this we must endeavor to bring them in one by one in a gradual way. We should not do too much at one time. We may be burdened to contact a certain saint, but we have to discern if this is the best time for us to contact him. We must always do things with the proper discernment. Gradually, after one month’s time we may bring one saint into our group meeting who has not been meeting in one of our small groups before. If we would just be faithful to do this, in one year one person could bring eight to ten dormant saints into the group meetings. If ten of us would do the same thing, then by the end of the next year, everyone would be in a group meeting. Ten of us could bring in eighty. It is not too hard. We may say that it is difficult for us to bring one existing saint into the group meeting every month. However, we can surely bring one saint into a group meeting within three months. So, within one year we could still bring in four. If eighty active saints would each bring in four, then in one year’s time, three hundred twenty saints will be brought into these groups.
In the eldership, everything must be carried out in a particular way; everything must be definite. Among the sisters there may be no particular arrangements made to prepare the Lord’s table. If so, when the Lord’s Day comes, there may be no bread and wine for the saints to partake of. The sisters who prepare the bread and cup must be regular. Whether they have a difficult time with their husband or not, it should not change anything. They must do their duty regularly. If we all hold this kind of attitude with such a proper spirit, we will succeed in our labor and service to the Lord.