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Prayer: Lord, our heart is filled with praises toward the throne. We worship You for calling and gathering us out of this busy age. We treasure this time — You called and gathered us here to meet in Your name. Lord, we ask You to visit us and bring us into Your heart’s desire so that we may have thorough fellowship in You. Lord, open Yourself to us, open the heavens to us, reveal Your word to us, unveil Your economy to us, and show us what You intend to do today. We also ask You to shine on us that we would not have anything hidden, any covering, or any shadow but that we would be absolutely in the light and under an open sky to have open fellowship with one another through Your open word.
Lord, we ask You again to open Your will to us that we may see the way You want to take today. Give us an open mind and an open spirit; even more, give us an open word. We truly long to have open fellowship. We pray that You would save us. We desire to be delivered from this age, this religious world, and to come forward to live to You. Lord, may You have mercy on us. Amen.
In this chapter we will continue our fellowship concerning the practice of changing the system. I would like to mention again, brothers and sisters, the purpose of changing the system. On the negative side, changing the system will deliver us from traditional religion, and on the positive side, restore the living and organic function of every member of the Body so that Christ and His Body can spread. Although we use the expression change the system, we are not merely changing a method or a system; rather, our purpose is to spread the Lord and His Body in His recovery in the present age. In order to reach this goal, we must first be delivered from the religion that binds us.
Some brothers in America recently gathered some statistics. In the past we always thought that Christianity was the most powerful religion, the most widespread, persuasive, and capable of gaining people. But I was shocked when I saw the statistics. According to the statistics, in the past fifty years Islam had a five hundred percent increase, Hinduism a hundred seventeen percent increase, and Buddhism a sixty-seven percent increase, but Christianity had only a forty-seven percent increase. Christianity has a low rate of increase because it has become a religion that binds people, that kills the organic function of the believers.
The Catholic Church has the largest membership in Christianity; almost one-fourth of the world’s population today are Catholics. Among them, however, it is difficult to find one out of a thousand or even ten thousand who functions organically. Concerning the Protestant churches, we can use Taiwan as an example. The Presbyterian Church came to Taiwan from Scotland about a century ago. Now after more than one hundred years, it has fewer than 100,000 members on the whole island of Taiwan. According to the statistics of Taiwan, which I saw a few years ago, the Presbyterian Church has the largest membership, but still it has only about 80,000 Christians. Next is the Lord’s recovery with about 47,000 members. The third is the True Jesus Church with about 20,000 members, most of whom are aborigines. Today Taiwan has a population of about twenty million, but the number of Christians is fewer than 500,000. The total number of believers from the three biggest groups is only about 150,000. This deserves our consideration.
The reason for such a situation is that, on the one hand, Christianity preaches the gospel and teaches the truth; on the other hand, it binds people with its system. It saves people on the one hand, but it binds them on the other. It enlivens people, but it also kills them. We may say that baptisms in Christianity are truly burials. When people are baptized, their organic function is altogether buried; very few can escape from this. This proves that the practice of Christianity is a dead-end street; it is a terrible way. What about us? We have been in Taiwan for almost forty years. We began our work in Taiwan thirty-seven years ago, but we still have not been able to gospelize the small island of Taiwan.
I have said that when we first came to Taiwan, we tried our best to rid ourselves of the old ways and endeavored to preach the gospel. At that time the population of Taipei was fewer than 500,000. First, we decided to print gospel tracts. We determined that the number of the gospel tracts that we would print would be equal to the number of residents in Taipei because we wanted the gospel to enter every home in the city. Using a map, we divided the city into many small districts and gave the gospel tracts to the saints, asking them to go to every street and alley in each district to put a gospel tract in the mailbox of every house. Within a week, almost every household in Taipei had received a gospel tract from us.
Second, we sent out gospel teams to march on the street to spread the atmosphere of the gospel. We went to every street and alley in all the different districts, not only on the Lord’s Day afternoons but also during the week. We went in large teams and in small teams, holding lanterns, beating drums, and marching on the streets to preach the gospel. Third, we printed many banners, such as, “Believe in Jesus to receive eternal life,” “God loves the world,” “Prepare to meet your God,” and “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” We posted them at train stations, bus stations, intersections, and on the door of every saint’s home so that the banners could be seen everywhere in the city. Fourth, every Lord’s Day afternoon we preached the gospel in the New Park where the amphitheater could hold three thousand people. We would receive at least four to five hundred gospel information cards every Lord’s Day. The following day, on Monday evening, the brothers and sisters would gather together to receive lists of names grouped according to their addresses. Then the saints would go to visit them as soon as possible.
Through these four practices we gained tens of thousands of people. At that time we also determined not to contact those who were in Christianity. In the practice of our church life we would not reject any of them who would come to us, but we would not take the initiative to contact them. Instead, we went only to the unbelievers. This was the reason for our success. Later, under the influence of the traditions of Christianity, we slowed down and made little advance. Hence, our changing the system today is primarily a change of concept and practice.
The Lord highly regarded and blessed our early practice. In fewer than six years the number of saints in Taiwan increased from 400 to 40,000. This was a hundredfold increase. Islam had a fivefold increase in fifty years, but we had a hundredfold increase in fewer than six years. This was truly the Lord’s blessing. When I went to America in 1961, there were 22,000 information cards of the saints in the church in Taipei. If this rate of increase had continued until today, Taiwan would have been gospelized twice already. However, instead of practicing this way faithfully, we went backward to adopt the custom of the nations, and we took the old way of Christianity; hence, we ended up in the awkward situation we are in today.
I am not forcing you all to follow me to change the system, but I would like to reason with you. If I do not present both sides of this matter, it will be difficult for us to change our concept. Today I am crying out, Do we want to live in religion? If we do not want to live in religion, we need to indicate it plainly and not stay in a neutral position. To put it bluntly, it seems as if I have been a “mean” person for one and a half years, rebuking and making demands. But if we understand the history of the Lord’s recovery, we will realize that when we first arrived in Taiwan, the atmosphere and practice among us were not like what we see today. The saints at that time were all burning in spirit, functioning, and spreading the gospel in one accord. This is the reason that our numbers increased from 400 to 40,000. Many of us here were saved at that time. Among the ones saved in those days, quite a number later became elders in different localities.
When people in the denominations saw this situation, they started a rumor out of jealousy, saying, “They simply drag people in and hastily baptize them.” I replied that if this were the case, they should try to drag in forty thousand people and baptize them in a period of six years. Sadly, these good circumstances did not last long. We turned unknowingly from being living fish to dead wood that simply drifts in a slow stream. Eventually, we drifted into Christianity and became the same as Christianity. We completely lost the “family tradition” we had brought to Taiwan in the beginning and turned instead to take the custom of the nations. This causes my heart to ache.
I hope we all can see that the religious way of Christianity buries the new ones and kills their organic function. As for us, over the past twenty years, beginning from 1962, we have been gradually going downhill. Even though the slope may not be steep, if we are off by a fraction of an inch we may end up missing the mark by a thousand miles. Today we are already seeing the consequences.
It has been a year and a half since I came back to push our changing the system, but not many of us have been moved yet. Apparently, we have a number of activities, but actually, the new way does not depend on how many activities we have but on whether or not we have cleared away everything that is old and picked up what is new. We were active for more than twenty years, going to meetings not only once a week but three or four times a week. Yet in the end we went downhill. Thank the Lord that in this year and a half we have all agreed and are willing to change the system. In terms of action, however, only a few of us have discarded the old things and have made a turn to practice the new way.
Perhaps it seems that I am speaking too much and that I am demanding perfection. Let us speak about some specific practices as a way of examining the change of system. First, we have clearly said that no matter how much we change the system, we still should keep the big meeting on the Lord’s Day morning to take care of those who like only to listen to messages and do not want to attend small group meetings.
The Lord Jesus kept the same principle while He was ministering on earth. Every Sabbath He went into the synagogue and preached there. He did not go there to keep the Sabbath, nor did He have the intention to worship God there. Rather, He took advantage of the custom in those days to preach the word of God. Not only did the Lord Jesus do this, but the apostles also did this. When Paul preached the gospel in the Gentile lands, wherever he went, the first place he visited was the synagogue; moreover, it was always on the Sabbath. If the apostles were asked to return on the following Sabbath, they would go again (Acts 13:42-44). Surely Paul did not go to keep the Sabbath, but he utilized the custom practiced by the Jews who were scattered among the Gentiles. Thus, when the Jews were gathered in the synagogues to study the Scriptures on the Sabbath, Paul went to preach to them the New Testament gospel.
Today nearly everywhere in the world people have a day off on the Lord’s Day; they do not go to work, nor do they go to school. Most people have the concept that Christians should attend “Sunday service” every Lord’s Day. Among us there is also a group of saints who are used to this custom; for this reason we must take care of them. We need to use this opportunity and take the time to give them a message. We should help them to have a gradual turn and should never give up on them. However, based on my observation, we have not done enough in this matter. In some meeting halls this matter has not been done properly. As a result, the Lord’s Day morning meeting looks like a big meeting, and it also looks like a class that teaches truth lessons. Whatever we do will be ineffective if it is not done appropriately. If we must do something, we should do it properly and seriously. Since we have a Lord’s Day morning meeting, even if only ten people come, we must be serious and speak a message to them.
When we began changing the system one and a half years ago, we set the basic principle of transferring all the co-workers out of the various meeting halls. Based upon the revelation in the New Testament, we left the church under the management of the elders of the respective meetings halls, not under the management of the co-workers. The management of the church by the co-workers is not a principle revealed in the Bible; it is a traditional practice in religion. However, in order to have a strong speaking of the messages in the Lord’s Day morning meeting, there is a need for a few co-workers who are gifted to go to the various meeting halls to help the meeting. But I am concerned that if the co-workers go back to the meeting halls, they will again be involved with the administration of the church. The elders in a certain meeting hall may also feel that it is good for the co-workers to help in the administration of their meeting hall. Consequently, we may go back to the situation we were in before we began to change the system. Nevertheless, our present arrangement of preparing a message, in order to take care of the saints who come to the big Lord’s Day morning meeting, is very considerate. We must carry this out according to what has been fellowshipped so that we can avoid creating problems.
Apart from the big Lord’s Day morning meetings, there are a few meetings that allow the saints to function organically; one of them is the small group meeting. In a small group the saints have many opportunities to carry out their function organically. Functions such as preaching the gospel, expounding the truth, teaching the Bible, loving others, helping others, taking care of others, and sympathizing with others can be manifested and are necessary. But because we are still accustomed to the old religion, once we see the loose situation in the small groups, we become disheartened. Eventually, we also become loose. Therefore, we do not consider the small groups to be important because we feel that they are not proper meetings. Nevertheless, the life pulse of the church is maintained by the small groups.
Please give me the grace to speak a frank word. We have been practicing the small group meetings for eighteen months. How do the co-workers and elders feel about this matter? Perhaps we would say that we do not have time to pay attention to these groups because we are very busy. Speaking of being busy, I do not believe any of you could be busier than I am. I have put out so many books, and I also review almost every one of them. Now in Taipei, I have been going here and there to observe the situation of various meeting halls. For the sake of the Lord’s work and the changing of the system, I have visited many places. To say that we are so busy that we do not have time to go to the small group meeting proves that we have not seen the importance of changing the system.
The small group meeting is the life pulse of the Lord’s recovery and the key to the survival of our “family.” If we are willing to sacrifice our future and consecrate everything to the Lord, and if we see that this is the way the Lord’s recovery should take, we would give ourselves even to the point of neglecting our sleep and meals and put all our effort into taking this way and making it a success. In this year and a half, I have said at least four to five times that we should have the spirit of devoting ourselves to the task until our death. I am translating the Recovery Version of the New Testament into Chinese with such a spirit. I work at least eight to nine hours a day, revising the drafts to the extent that my eyes become blurry. I know that it is risky for me to labor in this way. As a man more than eighty years old, I am risking my life by doing this, but I have the burden.
Brothers, we owe not only the Lord and the brothers and sisters; we even have an obligation to our consecration. If we do not have such a spirit, we are wasting our time here. We must make our consecration worthwhile. We have consecrated our future and spent our everything for the Lord in order to do something for Him. Now the matter of having small groups has been set before us. If we would not take them seriously and endeavor to work them out, we are being unfaithful to the Lord’s commission and to our own consecration.
My most intimate brothers and sisters, the saints serving in the bookroom, can testify concerning the way I lead them. In the past when I was not here, they were muddling along. At this time I have not pushed them, but I have taken the lead to work with them. Now they are almost neglecting their sleep and meals, and as a result their translation work has greatly improved and has undergone a big change. In our translation of the Recovery Version of the New Testament into Chinese, beginning with the first word of the first verse of the first chapter of Matthew, we have considered every word carefully according to the Greek. When we first began our work, the progress was very slow. But now, to a certain degree, the serving ones have all learned how to carefully consider the words. In the past they had the ability, but they were not willing to learn or make the effort.
In Christianity today there are at least four versions of the Bible in Chinese. If our version were the same as the others, it would be unnecessary. Since we want to put out a new translation, we must produce a work of the highest standard. Even if it is not exactly according to the Greek, in comparison with the other versions, it should at least be commended and appraised as the best.
Today we have all rejected the earthly bribes. The world is a busy place; especially in Taiwan, everyone is under stress, and many hold more than one job. Yet all of us are here not for money or entertainment but for the Lord. We all know that as human beings, we must believe in the Lord; as believers in the Lord, we must love the Lord; and as lovers of the Lord, we must take the way of the Lord’s recovery. There is no other way. Matthew 24 and 25 tell us that one day we will stand before the Lord and give Him an account. I am not speaking this word merely to all the saints; I am speaking to myself as well. Day by day I hold this kind of attitude: “O Lord, I hope that one day when You come back, I will be able to give You an acceptable account.” The Lord will come back, and we will need to give an account before Him. Since this is the case, we should not have a slothful attitude. If we believe that one day we will stand before the judgment seat of the Lord, we should be very serious today. For example, if the brothers and sisters serving in the bookroom are serious, they will do at least eighty percent of the work, and I will not need to labor over every single word.
The co-workers and elders have a great responsibility for the improvement of the situation of the small groups. We must try our best to promote the small groups. I still remember the meeting in which I first mentioned the matter of the small groups; it was as if we were in heaven, and the atmosphere was very positive. But what has happened since? It seems as if we have all gone back to where we began, without taking any action. I do not mean to make things difficult, but I hope that we all will be awakened. I am not threatening anyone with the matter of reward and punishment, but I am speaking the truth. I hope that everyone will be serious to carry out the small groups and see that this is our life pulse; we must work it out.
Now we will fellowship further on how to seriously carry out the change of system. The way of religion is to have a Sunday service that is mainly a façade, but our way is to have all the saints functioning organically. Once there is a façade, the organic function of the believers is put aside, and the believers are killed. We must drop the concept of putting on a show. We do not care for the façade; we care only for the fulfilling of our organic function. In the spiritual service, any kind of façade kills people. This is true even in our daily life. A normal living should be without any façade. For example, in a family the husband wipes the windows, the wife cooks the three meals, the daughters wash the dishes, one of the sons sweeps the floor and dusts the furniture, another one cleans the restroom, and the youngest one mops the floor. Is there any façade? No, rather, every one of them is functioning. It is when they invite guests that a façade is put on for people to see. Once they have a façade, no one has to do anything, nor can anyone do anything. Therefore, no family can put on a façade every day. If a family puts on a façade every day, it would no longer be a family but a restaurant, and all the members would be “choked to death.”
Today our changing the system is to remove the façade and recover the true condition of our daily life. I implore the co-workers and elders to have a change in concept. We should never think that our meeting hall is so big that there is therefore the need for a façade. If an elder in hall one puts on a façade, hall one will be killed. Therefore, never put on a façade.
This does not mean that we ignore the need of the actual situation. We truly understand the ideas of the people in our society. The majority of people who want to join Christianity desire to attend Sunday services and hear good sermons. This is the reason that I stress that we need to have a meeting on the Lord’s Day where a proper message can be given. Besides this, we need to have a “home life,” which is our small group meeting, with no façade. Hence, do not be bothered by the “dragging” situation in the small group; rather, welcome it, because it shows that we care for all the members.
Whether or not we can have a successful small group hinges on the co-workers and elders. If we are not willing to labor on this matter, the small groups will eventually be “dragged” into Hades and will become nothing. Hence, I beseech the elders and co-workers to labor diligently. We must have the determination to labor on this and to be persistent to the end. In this way the “dragging” of the small group will be the “singing of the songs of ascents”; the more it is “dragged,” the higher it goes.
At present there are four hundred small groups in Taipei. If every small group can bring in a new one each week, we will bring in 1,600 in a month and almost 20,000 in a year. This could never be achieved through the big meetings. Moreover, the new ones are not strangers invited off the street; rather, they are all related to the members of the small groups. Because they are their friends, relatives, and neighbors, it is more likely that they will remain. Furthermore, since all the members function organically, they spontaneously will have a love for the new ones. For example, a sister may not know how to love and take care of children when she is single, but after she is married and has children, she spontaneously loves and takes care of her children.
Furthermore, in a small group the conversation is more intimate. The small group lends itself to the mutual shepherding and caring. No one puts on a façade. The small group has so many advantages. There is no façade but much supply. Without a façade and without rituals, religion is knocked down, and the functions of the members are manifested.
The elders must promote the small groups in every meeting hall. Ask the saints to set a time and place to have small group meetings and to let their friends, relatives, and neighbors know about the meetings. The meeting time should be flexible. It can be from 7:00 P.M. to midnight. Everyone needs to be in a meeting once a week. We want the saints to function organically to take care of people and shepherd them. Even if some people work late and come home at 10:00 or 11:00 P.M., they should still be able to come to eat, drink tea, and meet. Some may have something to do late at night, but they should still be able to meet with the group and then go and take care of their business. We do not even need to be so legal in the matter of having snacks. We do not need to begin with singing hymns and reading the Bible and then serve snacks after the meeting is over. It does not need to be this way. We must simply make sure that every week we have a small group meeting. Even though this kind of meeting requires more work, it helps all the members to develop their organic function, to take care of one another, and to incite one another to love.
There is no façade in the group meeting, and there is no opportunity for people to show off. Instead, there are many advantages. This is the life pulse in the Lord’s recovery. The best way to gain people for the Lord is to open all our homes to contact, nourish, and cherish people. Do not rely on the way of holding big gospel meetings. That way does not work. Once we have a podium, there is the appearance of a law court, the putting on of a façade; this is religion, and it kills people. We do not trust in the big gospel campaigns but in the homes of the brothers and sisters.
In 1965 I visited Brazil for the first time to see the situation of Christianity there. The brothers told me that Catholicism is the principal religion in Brazil, yet it is altogether dead, empty, without content, and full of superstitions. As for Protestantism, it was mainly the Pentecostal movement that was there. It was “booming” for a time, but eventually it withered like flowers and vanished like the lightning. The only Christian group that lasted is called Congregaçaon in Portuguese, equivalent to congregation in English. This group spread to Brazil in 1915. After more than fifty years in Brazil, at the time of my visit in 1965, it had more than three hundred thousand saints. In São Paulo alone there were thirty thousand saints, and more than one hundred small meeting places. They did not have any speakers or preachers, and they required the believers to read the Bible.
For this reason I went to visit them, meet with them, and fellowship with their leading ones. They showed me everything. I found out that many of their practices are scriptural. Later, the brothers asked me if we should meet with them. I told them that there was a certain matter with which we could not get through in our fellowship; they do not receive all genuinely saved believers but only those who were baptized in their way. This is the practice of a sect. In other matters many of their practices are scriptural. For example, they do not have preachers and ministers; instead, all the brothers and sisters function in the meetings. In their big meetings they put two microphones out, one for the brothers and one for the sisters, for testimonies. They meet from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 or 3:00 P.M. From their practice we drew the conclusion that the most effective way to meet is to forsake the religious rituals and meet in small groups in the believers’ homes. The small group meeting should be held once a week, either in the morning or in the evening, and we should make it known to our friends, relatives, and neighbors.
If we all practice with diligence, what do you think the result will be? It will create “job opportunities” for the saints and bring out their organic function. If we have only big meetings, who will dare to function? All the one-talented ones will be buried because they dare not, cannot, and do not have the opportunity to function. But once we practice the small groups, we create opportunities for the saints. Moreover, is there another way that is more effective in spreading the testimony of the Lord’s recovery? A great evangelist in America attracted one million people to his gospel campaigns, of which three hundred thousand people committed to Christ. But from 1948 until today, where is the result of his work of thirty-eight years? If he had begun to work on the home meetings and small group meetings thirty-eight years ago, I believe that the society of the United States today would have been turned around. With his great power and influence, he could gain at least a hundred thousand in a year. How many would he have gained in the past thirty-eight years? However, because he took the way of big meetings, there is hardly any result today.
In the past two decades since I came to the United States, the number of Christians has been decreasing steadily. Christians are killed by the religious Sunday service. The evangelist also found out the reason for the decline in the number of Christians. When I first came to the United States, I heard him crying out to the believers, telling them to have small Bible studies and prayer meetings in the homes. He also knew that sending the saved ones to the denominations could be compared to putting them into a freezer; this way only leads to death. Hence, small-scale meetings were the trend in the United States about twenty years ago. There were more than one thousand different small meetings in Southern California alone. Therefore, I hope that the brothers and sisters will change their view. If we want the Lord’s recovery to have a way, you and I must bear the responsibility of changing our views and concepts; we need to begin with ourselves.
In this year and a half, eighty elders have been newly appointed in Taipei to bear the burden of leading and taking care of the twenty-one meeting halls. Now the practice of the new way is clear and definite. The elders in every meeting hall must take this matter of the small group seriously and endeavor to carry it out. In summary, first, there must be a big meeting on the Lord’s Day morning, with a certain brother responsible to release a message in a proper way. If one person cannot bear this burden, two or three can bear it together. These two or three should have fellowship once a week to see who is the appropriate one to release the message. The responsibility should fall on the most suitable one. If we can do this in a proper way, our Lord’s Day morning meeting will be able to bring in people. Since the content of our message is weighty and full of light, the saints will spread the news around. Thus, those who like to listen to messages will come. This is something that is worth doing. However, we should not stop here. The big meeting is but an entrance. Those who are brought in should be given to and taken care of by the small groups. This is the proper practice.
Moreover, the elders of the various meeting halls should check the information cards of the saints and find out who is meeting regularly and who is not. For those who are meeting regularly, we need to find out their present condition, and for those who are not meeting regularly, we need to find out the reason and look into their present condition. We should study every case in detail. Then we should make a copy of each card and distribute the copies to different small groups according to the addresses. The small groups will then be responsible to visit the saints who are not meeting regularly. They may invite them for meals or have some simple fellowship with them. When they go out to visit these ones, they must keep in mind the principle of not being quick to give up after the first visit; rather, they should go in a persistent way. They may need to invite a certain one for a meal once a month for six months before he is willing to come to a meeting. It may seem that the result is too slow, but they need to believe that “fine products come from slow work.” Do not worry about being slow, but be wary of standing still. Those who have not been meeting for a while may fear a big crowd. But if they are invited to join the small group meeting in someone’s home, they will feel more comfortable. Once they come to the small group and have some contact with the saints, their heart will gradually be warmed, their spirit will be supplied, and then they will remain. Hence, whether or not the small groups are successful hinges on whether we have the heart to carry this out.
The elders also need to study how to make the small groups attractive to people. The most important thing is to spend much time in prayer and study. We can then arrange message after message from the ministry publications to lead the small groups in pursuing the truth, fellowshipping, and reading in a living way. Even though the characteristic of the small group is “dragging,” you should have a life message to supply people. If the saints are not fully fed, they should at least be half fed; do not let them go home with an empty stomach. Do not wait until the last minute to prepare such a message. Because some people are lazy in preparing dinner, they merely open a can of food or buy a loaf of bread. But we cannot do this in the small groups. We must plan everything ahead of time. The small group meets only once a week. We should be well prepared. There is not a lack of rich messages among us. Hence, whether a small group has a life supply depends on whether or not the serving ones are enlivened and prepared. Today we have the meeting place, the meeting ones, and the truth. The question is whether or not we are willing to labor. Promoting merely by words does not work. Only when we carry it out earnestly will there be a result.
In order to propagate the small groups, we need to subdivide the groups. Once there are twelve people meeting in a small group, we must prepare to be subdivided into two groups. Some may think that it has taken them a while to reach this number and that once they divide, their group will be finished. For this reason they are not willing to be divided. At the beginning a group may seem weak after dividing, but gradually the group will be enlivened. After a group of twelve is subdivided into two groups of about five to six people, gradually, each group will increase to twelve. We need to remember that the small group is for the Lord’s increase and not merely for our own enjoyment.
The practice of the new way requires our coordination in one accord. Having the same goal, we can study the definite steps to practice. If we merely talk or sit on the fence without any progress, we will waste our time. We will not gain anything, the church will not gain anything, and the Lord will not gain anything. Our goal is to gospelize Taiwan in five years. One and a half years have already passed, and the remaining three and a half years will pass by quickly. I hope that we all can see this goal clearly and share this burden.
In the previous chapter I pointed out that the key to teaching Truth Lessons is not to preach. Now I repeat: we should not try to expound Truth Lessons; we should simply teach them. Take mathematics as an example. The principle of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division can only be taught, not explained. One plus one is two; one plus two is three. This can only be taught but not explained. The content of Truth Lessons is very solid, and some lessons may require two sessions. Some lessons may be very difficult. If we try to expound these lessons, we may not be able to finish them in several years. Hence, do not explain. Simply teach the saints to read livingly, to read with repetition, to read with emphasis, and to pray-read. We may not understand what we read at the beginning, but later we will understand. This can be compared to the ancient Chinese teachers teaching the Three-character Classic. At the beginning, the students recited the book, and no explanation was given to them. Later, they gradually received an understanding. In order to enter into the truths of the Bible, we first must recite them. As our growth in life reaches a certain degree, we will spontaneously understand the meaning. Therefore, the purpose of Truth Lessons is to show the saints that there are certain truths in the Bible that we should know. As we reach a certain degree in our growth in life, we will spontaneously receive understanding.
For example, in Taiwan we have intercollegiate entrance examinations. The content of the examination is not what the teachers have explained but what is written in the teaching materials. A good teacher must be able to teach and convey everything that is in the teaching materials to the students. In this way the students will know how to answer the test questions. I hope that the whole church can teach Truth Lessons and impart the truths into the saints. Perhaps we also need an examination with rewards in order to encourage the saints to study diligently. In this way, even if a “famous professor” has his own way of teaching, we still must teach based on the teaching material. This way is worth practicing.
The small group is the life pulse of the present practice of the church life. In the past year and a half, the number of saints in the church has in fact increased, but the rate of increase is not that encouraging. The reason for this low rate is that the small groups have not yet been worked out and are not strong enough. If our small groups are strong, we will surely have a great increase in number. I hope that the saints will change their concept to see that the content of the church life is based mainly on small group meetings and not on big meetings. Then in our daily life the small groups can function in mutuality to care for and visit the saints. If we mainly have big meetings, we will be unable to take care of the aspect of our daily life. This would be regrettable. I hope that the brothers and sisters will clearly see that only by the small groups can the church life be extended to and realized in our daily living.
Question: If there are not enough core members in a small group, but the number of people exceeds twelve, should we still divide into two groups?
Answer: I regret mentioning the term core member. I have already said that there are no “leading” ones, and there should not be any in a small group. Everyone is a leading one. Hence, when we speak of core members, we are referring to every member in the small group. We should not consider that some are core members and others are not; rather, we should all labor together.
A change in system is always difficult. At first we may think that every small group must have some so-called “core members” to bear the responsibility. However, if this is our thought, the small group will collapse once these “core members” are not doing well. On the other hand, if all the saints are willing to bear the responsibility, everyone will be a core member. When we divide the group, making the number smaller, each group will be strong and propagating, even if it is weak temporarily.
To bring up the matter of “core members” shows that this religious concept is still in our blood. We cannot give our flesh any opportunity. Once we give a little ground to our flesh, religion will immediately come forth. Whoever thinks that only a few saints are “core members” is religious. If the church has a “perfecting training for core members,” who would be the candidates? Every saint would be a candidate! We all are core members.
I truly hope that there will be a small group meeting in every saint’s home. If we would do this, there will be a great revival of the church, and Taiwan will be gospelized.
In principle, after a Christian is saved, he should have a home meeting at least once a week. This is a reasonable thing. Based on the patterns shown in the Bible, we see that if anyone is willing to open his home every week and afford his friends, relatives, and neighbors the opportunity to hear the gospel, the gospel will spread into his whole family, saving his household from sin and temper, while at the same time bringing in much of the Lord’s blessing and shining. Husbands and wives are prone to quarrel and argue. But the weekly home meeting will save the couple from quarreling. Sometimes we may be weak, and we may not have read the Bible for the whole week. But we will at least read the Bible once a week in the small group. Reading the Bible fifty-two times a year is a great thing.
I beseech the elders to take this matter seriously. We need to know that in order to make the meeting hall or church where we are prosperous and fruitful, we must labor on the small groups. This is the only way. We must do it successfully. Do not establish small group meetings merely in the homes of strong believers; rather, ask every saint to open his home for the small group meeting. If every home is opened for the Lord once a week, the Lord will pour out His blessing beyond measure.
Our love for the Lord should not be only in word but in deed and faith. To open our homes for the Lord is the greatest expression of our love for the Lord. This will not only bring us the blessing but also a revival from God. We must see this fact clearly. We have this saying among us: “Heaven and earth may pass away, but the small group meetings must never be forsaken.” We have labored on big meetings for more than twenty years, and we have delayed much of the Lord’s work. Now we must be awakened to work on the small groups and allow the Lord to have a way.
