We need to have a proper view of the church life. When we arranged the specific services, we pointed out that the students should attend the meetings at the hall that is closest to their school. Therefore, when a student gets saved, we have to do our best to encourage him to do this. We should introduce him to the hall that is closest to his school. In this way he will become one of the saints belonging to that hall. This will also make it convenient for the students to come together for fellowship after school. Of course this matter will not be very easy to work out because the junior high students and the high school students have very tight study schedules. Most of them also live at home and must go home after school. It is also hard for them to go out during the weekends. Regarding this point, we must be flexible and know how to adjust according to the need of the situation.
For example, first we must bring them to the Lord’s table meeting. It would be best if they could attend the Lord’s table meeting on the Lord’s Day. If they cannot do so (for example, if their parents would not allow them to come), then we can arrange to meet at an appropriate time during the week after school and lead them to break bread at a saint’s home near the school. We have to learn to lead them to remember the Lord properly. Whether we do this or not will make a big difference. We need to lead them to come together to break bread and teach them to understand what the breaking of bread is and what its significance is. This is part of their church life.
When we do this, we need to learn to adapt to others, helping them according to their situation. If I was a parent, I probably would not allow my children to go out on the Lord’s Day because they already go to school six days out of the week, so it is not so suitable for them to go out on their day off. Therefore, in order to adapt to their situations, we could have a meeting to remember the Lord on a weekday in the early evening at a saint’s home near the school and lead ten or twenty of them to break the bread. By doing this, we will bring them into the church life and make that meeting a part of the church. This will give them a deep impression.
Concerning the service with the college students, we should not use the worldly ways too much. Instead, we should try our best to avoid them. I understand that a certain way may appear to be quite good, but in reality it may not necessarily be good. Let us use the recent gospel meetings as an example. On the invitation and tracts someone used the expression gospel speeches.This is improper in two ways. First, the term speeches is too worldly, and second, it is somewhat dishonest to use this term, because in reality we are not giving speeches but preaching the gospel. To say that our gospel meetings are for giving speeches is too much. If we are so accommodating, then as we go on, what seemed like a slight error in the beginning will result in a big mistake in the end. This is what I am concerned about.
Second, I hope that we would focus on the truth in carrying out the gospel work. For instance, consider one of the hymns that someone composed. It says, “Having Jesus, I have a song, I have love, I have the way.” These kinds of words, along with the melody used for this hymn, will surely touch the young people, but the truth is lacking. Always keep in mind that the power of the gospel depends on prayer and the word. For the preaching of the gospel to be powerful, we must pray. In this way when we speak about sin, we will be able to shake people’s hearts and move people to tears. I would love to see many young people shedding tears and repenting after hearing the preaching of the gospel and some speaking about sin for ten minutes. This is the best and most proper way. Paying attention only to outward ways in order to stir up people may not be wrong, but it also may not be very good. These ways cause people to be excited, but there is no truth in them as a foundation. If we depend only on these ways, our work will be like a castle built in the air—something empty, vain, and without a foundation.
We have to be trained in our speaking. If we are speaking about the existence of God, then we need to “hammer” the knowledge of God and the consciousness of God’s existence into people. If we are speaking concerning sin, then we need to prove to people that the nature of sin and the consciousness of sin are within them so that they will be convicted. One time George Whitefield spoke about the lake of fire. His speaking was so intense that a man in the audience grabbed on to the nearest post and said that he feared terribly that he was falling into the lake of fire right at that very moment. Such a person would surely be saved. If we only pay attention to stirring up a person’s emotions, singing that Jesus is our song, our love, and our way, then this person may get excited and even be baptized, but soon his excitement will vanish, and nothing will remain in him.
The work of the Spirit follows the Lord’s word. Without the Lord’s word, there cannot be the work of the Spirit. The Lord has given us the Bible, which is His word. Fifty years ago we had a co-worker who, before he was saved, always despised Christianity. One day, due to a certain matter, he went up to a mountain and entered into a temple. He saw a large Bible lying open on the table of sacrifice. Out of curiosity he walked over to the Bible to see what it said. He saw that the Bible was turned to Psalm 1, and after reading it two or three times, he was captured by the Lord’s word and was moved. No one preached the gospel to him or said anything to him. He was convicted by the Spirit simply by reading the word of the Lord. Ultimately, he rolled on the floor, wept, repented, and was saved. This kind of salvation is genuine. Those who are saved in this way are more trustworthy than those who are brought in through gimmicks.
If we take a shortcut or a cheap way, eventually our work will come to nothing. If we have the assurance that we can still labor on and plant seeds in those whom we have brought in, then perhaps it is all right to use a certain way. Using music that makes people very excited outwardly will not work. Do not say that all young people enjoy music. This should not be our excuse. To use a hymn at the beginning of a meeting and then to sow the seeds of the truth along with it is acceptable. We must by all means sow the truth into people. Otherwise, their salvation will not be solid.
For the preaching of the gospel, we must spend time and energy to get into the truth, to have thorough prayer, and to labor in the Lord’s word. We cannot depend only on the outward things. This does not mean that we cannot use outward things as means or instruments. For example, the hall used for the meetings is something outward, and the microphone that amplifies a person’s voice is also outward. However, using these outward things requires careful consideration. For example, I may use the microphone to preach the truth to you, or I may also use it to sing to you. In both cases I am using the microphone, yet what a difference there is! Consider the gospel camps or outdoor camps as another example. We may use these camps as a way to contact people. However, when we employ these things, we must stay within a limit and not be excessive or go overboard. To illustrate, it is normal to eat rice using a bowl. However, suppose you invite someone over for a meal, and since you are particular about the kind of bowl you use, you put out a bowl with beautiful patterns but with no rice within. How then will the guest be satisfied? You must put rice into the bowl. This is the limit.