Brothers and sisters who have been trained and who hope to serve full-time their entire life still need to have further testing. In other words, even though you may feel to be full-time your entire life, it may not necessarily be so. You can try a few more years and see. Your environment may not allow you, or your folks may not agree. In that case, you could get a job. You should still look to the Lord, because one day He may change the environment and you will be free to be full-time again. On the other hand, if you have been full-time for a while, and it has been manifested that the gift you have received from the Lord does not warrant full-time work for the Lord, it would be proper for you to return to a job and continue to serve the Lord on the side. This is also very good. From this point of view, there is no life-long preacher system, nor does anyone take preaching as a life-time profession.
Let us look at Paul’s example. He says in Acts 20:34, “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my needs and to those who are with me.” This refers to his profession as a tent maker (Acts 18:3). Paul’s reason for making tents was the lack of care from the churches. His making tents with his own two hands provided not only for his own needs, but also for the needs of his companions. Although he had a little job, he did not abandon the ministry which the Lord had committed to him. On the contrary, he was more diligent and more given. If, according to the Lord’s gift, you need to fulfill your ministry in a full-time capacity, you should not take up a job; rather, you should serve full-time, circumstances permitting. However, if the church you are in cannot support you, you would still need to support yourself. But this is not to say that you cannot bear the responsibility of the Lord’s ministry. I say this so that you would be clear that among us there is no such profession as a life-long minister. I hope you would all understand this.
Through my contact with you during the past three or four weeks, I have come to the conclusion that you, as trainees, could be put into four categories. The first category is those who will return to jobs after the training. As I have already said, this category is according to our original intention in conducting the training. When you joined the training, many of you had intended to return to a job after being full-time for one or two years. Hence, when your time is completed, you may leave the training. This is like drafted soldiers being discharged when their service period is fulfilled.
I believe you all have received something, either in truth, life, the gospel, or the church service. You all have made some initial progress. This will affect you for the rest of your Christian lives. An educated person is different from an uneducated one. As long as you have been trained, you are different from those who have not been trained. Nonetheless, you should not be proud of this when you return. You must learn to be humble and to seek the Lord’s leading in a proper way. Regardless of whether you are welcome or not, you should demonstrate your usefulness in a positive way. You should become a pattern to the saints and an indispensable member of the church. Hence, do not forget the calling and the commission the Lord has given you when you return to a job.
The second category consists of those who will return to their own locality to be full-time. This is also very good. Although we hope that in the overall evangelization work of Taiwan the church in Taipei can first reach a certain degree of success, it is alright to return to your locality if they have a need and wish to have you back. When you return to your localities, you should coordinate with the local saints in humility according to your training and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then, what you have gained in the training will spontaneously be passed on to the brothers and sisters, and the church will be affected in a positive way. This will afford the Lord a way to go on.
The third category includes those who are willing to stay in Taipei and to serve full-time. The fourth category consists of those who will continue in the full-time training. We may say that these two groups are of great importance to the church in Taipei. Consequently, you must do your best to go forward and to learn further while you are here in Taipei. I hope you will not neglect the pursuit of truth, the growth in life, the training and learning in the gospel preaching, or the church service.
Do not think that since you have been trained you know everything. It is good that you know how to use The Mystery of Human Life to preach the gospel, but that alone is not enough. When you go out to preach the gospel in the future, you will discover other needs. Therefore, you must continue to learn. It is the same with respect to conducting home meetings, group meetings and district meetings. You need to do your best to learn. I know that you are not very experienced, and that the training center has not provided you the adequate guidance. Even I myself am still researching. There is much to learn here. In a home meeting, you must learn how to supply life, how to open up the truth, and how to help others to touch the spirit, enjoy the Lord, read the Word, and testify for Him. In the group meeting, you must learn how to lead people to share mutually, care mutually, and learn to speak the Lord’s word. In the district meeting, you must learn how to help people to function organically, to prophesy and supply mutually, and to build up one another. All these have their own specific and particular ways. It matters very much whether or not you know these ways. Hence, all of you need to learn properly.
I hope that you will stay in Taipei for at least one or two more years. On the one hand, you can contribute to the evangelization of Taipei. On the other hand, it is a great opportunity for you to learn. If you remain here for two more years, you will be useful whether in this country or in a foreign land.