We have been laboring for four years, and we all understand that it is not easy to have a district meeting, that is, to have a big meeting of the church. The reason for this is that in the big meetings everyone remains quiet. Even when some do speak, they ramble on aimlessly; there is not much rich content. The difficulty with all of us is that we have not been perfected. We are comparable to a company of untrained soldiers. When battle comes, we are shown to be a loose company. Even with rifles in our hands, we cannot shoot, for none of us have been trained.
Hence, the present need of the church is the perfecting of the brothers and sisters. The word “perfecting” in Ephesians 4:12 is very rich in meaning. It includes equipping, supplying, and preparing. Therefore, today we have to perfect the brothers and sisters. Not only do we have to perfect them, we also have to continually supply them so that they would not only be able to fight, but would also have both the weapons and the supply to fight the proper battle.
Today the perfecting is still greatly lacking among us. This is the reason that the responsible brothers in all the places are held back by difficulties. They dare not demand too much of the brothers and sisters. It is as if the new way cannot be taken, for if they take it, the saints will not follow. As a result, they can only go back to the old way. But if we all return to the old way, when will the Lord’s word in 1 Corinthians 14:26 be fulfilled? If the way of meeting described in this verse, the way in which “each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation,” cannot be realized, then how can the Body of Christ be built up? In a big meeting over a hundred people can gather, but only one speaks. There seems to be some edification of the believers, but in reality there is not much building up of the Body of Christ.
In order to build up the Body of Christ, there must be the perfecting of the saints. And to perfect the saints, there must be the hard labor. The new way that we speak of today is nothing but a way of labor. It will not work if we do not labor. Our preaching of the gospel must bring God into man, that the spirit in man may touch the Spirit of God. When a person’s spirit organically touches the Spirit, that person gets saved. He becomes alive. Following this, we baptize him and meet in his home. In the home meetings there must be the nourishing. This is not to merely read through the Life Lessons with him, but to nourish him and care for him according to his actual needs. In the same way, when he comes to the group meeting, we should not merely teach him with the Truth Lessons; instead, while contacting him, we should render him the proper teaching according to his needs, such as his marriage, his relationship with his parents, his job, or his personal attire. Hence, teaching people with the Truth Lessons is not a mechanical way, but an organic way. We supply them with life. Only when they are enlightened and motivated do we bring them to the larger meetings. In this way, everyone who comes to the meetings will be living and organic. Spontaneously, they will be motivated to rise up to speak, to supply, and to build up others. In order to have this kind of meeting of mutuality, there must be much perfecting.
For the urgent need today, not only the elders and the co-workers, but also all the brothers and sisters in the Lord’s recovery should press on faithfully to recover the meetings of mutuality of 1 Corinthians 14:26. The purpose of this kind of meeting is to develop the spiritual, organic function of the saints. The big meetings with only one person speaking and all the rest listening will never develop the organic function of the saints. Only the meetings with mutuality will develop the function of the saints. This kind of meeting is also for ministering Christ that the saints may grow in the divine life. Ultimately, the saints will build up the Body of Christ by growing in the divine life. This growth is the organic building.
In order to recover the meetings of mutuality of 1 Corinthians 14, all the brothers and sisters need a revival. Furthermore, our revival has to be renewed daily, just as the sun rises anew every morning. It is a law in God’s creation that every twenty-four hours the sun rises anew, bringing with it a new beginning. Every morning is a new beginning for us. We need an initial revival, and thereafter, every morning we need a renewed revival. There needs to be revival after revival. During the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year we need three hundred and sixty-five revivals. Then, during the day we have to live an overcoming life. If we do not have a daily revival and would not live an overcoming life, we cannot hope to have the meetings of 1 Corinthians 14:26. As long as there is a group of people who will be revived and who will live in an overcoming way, there will be the outflow of riches spontaneously when they come together. For this revived and overcoming life, the co-workers and elders have to take the lead by having a breakthrough in being revived before the Lord. I can testify that this is my own practice. Every morning I seek a revival. After the morning revival, I pursue living an overcoming life all day long. Sometimes we may fail. But even when we do, there should still be the desire to live in an overcoming way. As soon as we make a mistake, we confess, ask for the Lord’s forgiveness, and are restored to the overcoming life. In this way, we can experience Christ, enjoy Him, and know Him richly and thoroughly. When all the brothers and sisters come together, there is no need to say other things. All they need to speak about is what they have enjoyed and experienced. This kind of testimony is a sharing that contains both a message as well as a great and rich supply. In this way, 1 Corinthians 14:26 will spontaneously be realized among us. Otherwise, even if we have all the light, all the revelation, and all the teaching in truth, without revival and an overcoming living, everything is but vain talk.