Regarding the matter of taking care of the small groups, I hope that you would exercise comprehensive care for the entire leading of the new way. If for your specific service you are leading the students to break bread, caring for a small group, and having personal contact with others, then you should do only the campus work. This is a part of the church life. However, if you still have energy, then you should also serve the saints who meet at the meeting hall in addition to your specific service, faithfully serving in the small group at the meeting hall and helping the small group to go on. If there is the need, you may also lead the small group to break bread. This is also part of the church life. It all depends on how you do it.
The brothers’ and sisters’ houses may also be used for edification and perfection. Many of the high school and college students are from out of town and need a place to live. The brothers’ and sisters’ houses would not only solve the matter of where to live, they would also serve the purpose of providing a place for mutual edification. You could also use the brothers’ and sisters’ houses as places for the breaking of bread. Everything depends on how you do it.
All those who have become full time have done so in order to learn. If I were to leave you here and not care about you, I would be doing you an injustice. I hope that you would all endeavor individually, especially in studying the truth, learning how to read the Word and how to pray, and pursuing the growth in life. This is something that no one can do for you. You all have studied in school, and you know that regardless of how much your parents love you, they cannot study for you. You yourself must study. Therefore, in reading the Word, praying, and pursuing the growth in life, you have to endeavor on your own.
I truly feel that the Lord has given us an open door in Taiwan. I grew up in Christianity and saw how difficult it was for the Western missionaries who did not have a door opened to them. All over China people simply did not want the gospel. The Western missionaries were called the “big devils,” and the Chinese who received Christianity were called the “second devils.” During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, rioters killed the “big devils” and the “second devils.” My mother tore down all the gospel banners in our house and escaped to the mountains. Those were truly difficult times. Therefore, when one door was opened to a Western missionary, it was considered very precious. Not only so, the majority of those who received the Lord were mostly laborers, unskilled laborers, and the poor. Almost none of them were educated. However, today in Taipei we do not have to spend much effort to get over a hundred people to come and hear the gospel. If we worked harder, we could get dozens of people baptized. Right now the door is open, but the workers are inadequate. It is not the number of workers that is insufficient but the ministry of the word that is inadequate.
I do not like to do anything that excites people. However, now I want to stir up the elders to become full time. What the churches need the most at this time are full-time elders. The church in Taipei has around eighty elders. I hope that at least forty of them would become full time. In this way there would be two full-time elders in every hall. Then if the church in Taipei still does not accomplish anything, there will be no excuse. In order to accomplish something, there needs to be full-timers. The standard of living in Taiwan is going up. If the elders who hold jobs do not work hard and make progress at their jobs, then they will be fired. So you have to sympathize with the elders because they truly do not have much time to serve. If the elders want to have time to serve, then they should become full time. The church definitely needs elders to give themselves to serve full time. Their living should be supported by the church. In this way the church can have a future. Otherwise, nothing will be accomplished. Therefore, we need to pray much for this matter.
We hope that on the whole island of Taiwan five hundred young people would begin to serve full time every year. Thus, in five years there would be 2,500 full-timers to meet the goal of the five-year gospelization of Taiwan. This is a difficult task. We need to pray for this, and everyone in the church must take action and give themselves for this. Not only must the saints give their whole being, but the financial support also has to come in. Only in this way can we go on. Otherwise, no matter how hard we push, nothing will move.
I believe that these matters will not be problems to us. As long as we are faithful to move forward, the Lord will be responsible. I am very experienced in this matter. For the past sixty years I have experienced that our Lord is trustworthy and faithful. He will never fail us. The most difficult thing is to produce those who can speak for the Lord. Therefore, I hope that we would grasp this opportunity and exercise to speak for the Lord, not by giving messages on a platform but by leading the small groups and by contacting the saints individually. As far as the service for the campus work is concerned, we should try our best to lead the students to have the Lord’s table and then lead them to also preach the gospel. In this way the Lord will have a way to go on.