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We must have a proper understanding regarding the making of a plan. Effective plans are based on actual resources. For example, the production of goods is determined by the resources that are available to make them. For example, a farmer does not develop a plan to grow certain crops out of thin air. His plan is based on the amount of farmland he has, his manpower, his time, and his finances. He must base his plan on the actual condition of his land, manpower, time, and finances. Every line of business faces these same considerations; that is, a business must make a reasonable plan based on the availability of actual resources.
The increase of the church does not depend upon organization. Its resources are related to life, not to organizational structure. Nevertheless, without planning, life alone will not produce the maximum results. Although we have emphasized life over the past twenty-eight years, our annual rate of increase has been less than three percent. The issue of our emphasis on life has been limited because we have had no accompanying plan. A farmer who does not know the acreage of his farmland, the level of his manpower, the availability of his time, or the extent of his finances will not reap the same benefit as a farmer who does have a plan. Even a farmer with significant resources will not obtain maximum results without a plan.
A plan for the increase and spread of the church will ensure that we redeem the time. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” The best way to redeem the time is to follow a schedule. If a person desires to obtain the most benefit from his education, he needs to follow a schedule so that time is not wasted. As human history developed, an educational system also was developed, beginning with kindergarten and advancing through elementary school, junior high school, high school, college, and graduate school. Every country in the world, almost without exception, follows such a system, because through experience this system has been proved to be effective.
Private education in China in the past typically involved one person teaching a group of children to recite ancient literature. There was not much educational advancement with this method because the classes consisted primarily of memorization, recitation, and some writing. However, educational methods have changed, and now most countries follow a schedule that goes from kindergarten to graduate school. This system helps to redeem the time. Without this system, a person could be in school for many years and not advance very much.
In the past twenty-eight years we have been speaking of truth and life in a general way, yet even now many people cannot speak some basic truths. This shows that our way needs to be improved. Over three thousand “students” have been meeting several times a week, but when they speak on the essential Spirit, the economical Spirit, the cross, and the breaking of the flesh, it is as if they are like the students who recite ancient literature. After twenty-eight years I am concerned that we do not have many elementary-school graduates, much less university graduates. An elementary-school graduate at least understands some basic arithmetic, but many saints among us cannot speak even a basic word on the truth of justification, sanctification, or redemption. This shows that our time needs to be redeemed by using a schedule.
Some sisters are housewives, and after seeing their children off to school and their husbands off to work, their main responsibilities relate to household matters. If these sisters do not have a schedule to complete the things that need to be done during the day, they can easily waste time and accomplish nothing. Similarly, it is difficult to read the Bible consistently without a schedule. Even though we love the Lord very much, there are only twenty-four hours in a day. If we are busy with other things and do not have a scheduled time to read the Bible, we will not be able to find the time to read the Bible. If we love the Lord, we should live to the Lord by making a schedule; otherwise, our day will pass by in a flash, and before the Lord we will regret our failure to redeem the time.
We must consider our physical condition when we set up a schedule for work and rest. If a person is not healthy, he must care for his body for the Lord’s sake and set aside sufficient time for rest. Then everything else that needs to be done in a day should be included in a schedule, including reading newspapers. In this way we will have time to read the Bible, pray, and serve the Lord. Without a schedule we will read the Bible unceasingly when we are happy and put the Bible aside when we are not happy. It is difficult to work with a person who is controlled by his moods rather than a schedule, and even his completed work is not helpful because it has been done improperly. A person who cannot get things done properly cannot serve the Lord.
When I first began to serve the Lord, I was very busy and I frequently received letters. However, I often had little time to reply because I did not know how to arrange my time. When I was able to reply, I would begin by apologizing for not writing sooner. At first my conscience was not bothered by this, but the more I repeated this excuse, the more my conscience was bothered. One day I asked myself, “Were you really busy, or did you just not arrange your time well? If you were ‘busy’ only because you did not manage your time, you are lying.” After this, whenever I was late in replying to a letter, I could only say, “I am sorry for not replying until now.” Even though this was an honest word, I still was not truly peaceful, because a late reply is never good. This is an example of our need to schedule everything in a proper way.
I believe that many saints have had similar experiences. For example, if we decide to read a certain number of chapters in the Bible every day but do not set a schedule, we will soon stop reading the Bible. Although we can excuse ourselves by saying that we have been busy, the real reason is that we have not set a schedule to manage our time. When we have a schedule, there will always be time to read the Bible.
Often we see sisters running to the meeting in a rush because they love the Lord and do not want to be late. But since they love the Lord, they should not waste time, and then there would be no need to rush. They rush to a meeting because they have no schedule, and then they linger long after a meeting because they have no schedule. This shows our need to redeem the time according to Ephesians 5:16. Redeeming the time involves scheduling our time. We need to consider our use of time and make a schedule; otherwise, we will lose many opportunities to redeem the time. A schedule enables us to seize our time and redeem it.
Schools set a schedule and have a system so that students will not waste time. A school schedule involves the number of days in a week, semester, and year; the number of hours per day and the length of time for each course, which is usually fifty minutes with a ten minute break between classes for each course; and the number of hours required for study at home. All students are given this schedule and are expected to follow it. They cannot come to school late simply because they had only a few hours of sleep; they must get up at six o’clock every morning, arrive at school by seven-thirty, and begin classes exactly at eight o’clock. By following this schedule day after day, week after week, they gradually learn. Thus, they learn to redeem the time.
Many young people can follow a schedule when they are in school, but once they graduate, they become loose. I know of a young sister who kept a schedule quite diligently when she was in school, but after graduation she was unable to get out of bed to go to the meetings. During winter and summer breaks many students do not rest according to a schedule; as a result, time flies away. If we truly love the Lord, we must have a plan and a schedule for our time.
God’s creation is based on a schedule. The phrase there was evening and there was morning is used repeatedly in the record of God’s creation (Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). This refers to a schedule in God’s creation. God did not use His almighty power as an excuse to not keep a schedule. God did not create the heavens and the earth and then relax and wait for a good mood to create the animals. If God’s creation had occurred in such a casual manner, how many days would it have taken Him to create all things?
If we read the Bible carefully, we will acknowledge that the first One who kept a schedule was our God. He is the almighty One, but He is not loose or careless in regard to time. He created according to a precise schedule of six days; moreover, these days were evenly divided into evening and morning. Every evening includes twelve hours, and every morning includes twelve hours. God’s work of creation was done according to a schedule.
Our efforts to keep a schedule cannot match God’s ability, because He is able to “redeem” every second. One of the primary requirements of the training is that people would be in their seats five minutes prior to the scheduled time of a meeting. This speaks of our need to keep a scheduled time. Some people think that it is easy to arrive on time, but this is not the case. Although we desire to arrive five minutes early for the meeting on the Lord’s Day, we often arrive late. The training surely has helped because often fewer than twenty, and sometimes no one, arrive late to a meeting now. The trainees are not late because they must follow the training’s schedule, not their own schedule. If a trainee was able to set his own schedule, he would change the meeting time from nine o’clock in the morning to ten o’clock in the morning so that he could sleep longer. The training also set a rule that whoever arrives late three times will be dismissed automatically. Therefore, all the participants in the training dare not arrive late; they come to meetings in fear and trembling. Even traffic conditions are not an excuse for arriving late. Even though it takes thirty minutes to get to the meeting under normal traffic conditions, there is always the possibility of encountering a traffic jam. Thus, the trainees learn to leave their homes earlier in case they encounter a traffic jam. There is a need for guidelines and limitations because our human nature is so degraded. A schedule provides us with some of these needed guidelines.
God relied upon a schedule in His creation, and even the things He created follow a schedule. For example, human beings are born after nine months of pregnancy according to a schedule, and the harvesting of fruit is according to a schedule. These schedules are set by God. He does not allow freedom to produce chaos. The universe exists because God’s creation operates according to a schedule. If the earth did not orbit the sun according to a set schedule, it would be impossible to sustain life on earth. The universe has order because God has set a schedule. We are God’s children, and as imitators of God (Eph. 5:1), we should have a schedule related to all matters. Without a schedule, time slips away. In order to redeem the time, we must have a schedule.
Young people often work unceasingly without rest, but when they are finished with their work, they want to sleep unceasingly. Such a pattern of work will not lead to success. People who are successful schedule their time for working, eating, exercising, and resting. It is the same with spiritual matters. We need to read a set number of chapters or verses in the Bible at a set time in order to maintain this necessary spiritual practice. We should not read a large number of chapters when we are happy but nothing at all when we are unhappy.
Since we love the Lord, we should keep His laws. In the Gospel of John, the Lord likened Himself to a vine and us to branches (15:1, 5). According to God’s law, a vine bears fruit according to a schedule. When I was small, the courtyard of our house contained a small vineyard, and I was able to watch the grapes grow throughout the year. After several years I realized that the vine produced fruit according to a schedule. In spring the vine would sprout, flower, and produce grapes at nearly the same time every year.
Today we are branches in the vine, the Lord. Therefore, our ability to bear fruit is unrelated to our mood. We should bear fruit according to a set time. It is a mistake to rely on mood, and it is not enough to know about truth and life if we do not have a schedule for bearing fruit. We must repent of this and pray.
Real increase is a matter of law. As branches of the Lord, bearing fruit is also a matter of law. The schedule is the law. A vine’s fruit is not an issue of the mood of the vine, and neither is it the product of a spontaneous miracle. A vine bears fruit according to the law of its life, which is fully related to a schedule. For example, an almond tree bears fruit in the spring, whereas grapes ripen in autumn. The law of the almond trees and the law of the grape vine operate according to set times. As members of the Body of Christ, our increase and propagation are also according to the law of the divine life.
I hope that this point will be clear to us. We cannot merely make a vow before the Lord and proclaim that we will bear fruit next year. This is not a reliable way; the most reliable way is for us to live in Christ in reality as His branches. Then the law of His life in us will enable us to bear fruit. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the operation of the law of life in us relieves us of all our responsibility. The effective operation of the law of life requires a certain amount of cooperation (Rom. 8:2, 4).
I have planted some fruit trees and other plants in the front yard of my house. On the one hand, I see that every plant flowers and bears fruit at a set time. On the other hand, these times are affected by loosening the soil, watering, and adding fertilizer at set times. Overwatering can kill a tree, and insufficient watering can hinder the growth of a tree. Life is according to law, but the growth of life requires cooperation. When there is proper cooperation, much fruit can be borne. Thus, we must all learn to responsibly cooperate with the law of fruit-bearing.
Consider a saint who is convinced that zealousness for the Lord involves constant participation in every activity of a local church. From 1936 to 1938 I was living in Tiantsin, but I was also taking care of the church in Beijing. At that time there was a sister in Beijing whose husband was a professor at the university. One day she became quite stirred up for the Lord and began coming to the meeting hall every day. She would leave home in the morning with her Bible bag and not return until eleven o’clock at night. She entrusted her children to a nanny and completely neglected her housework. She justified her behavior by saying that anyone who stayed home did not love the Lord and that anyone who took care of their family and children before the Lord loved the world. This put a great strain on her marriage, and all the saints were concerned for her.
Although life grows, there must also be a proper cooperation related to the outward environment. Some saints do not bear fruit because they do not go to the meetings to receive the supply, and others do not bear fruit because, even though they go to every meeting, they receive no supply. The sister in Beijing went to every meeting, but she did not bear any fruit. Her willingness to ignore the needs of her home, her children, and her husband also created problems for the Lord’s testimony. Her husband was so unhappy that he said to the saints, “If this is what happens when a person believes in Jesus, I will never believe in Him.” Her husband thought that her behavior was the result of our teaching. In response, we voiced our concerns to him and exhorted the sister to stay at home more. Only then was he comforted.
This is a common experience among us. Either we do not do anything, or we become so zealous that we cannot stop. Doing things by fits and starts is not right. It is not necessary to go to every meeting; in fact, some meetings are for certain groups of saints, and other meetings are for a different group of saints.
In the past even though the churches scheduled many meetings during the week with the expectation that every saint would come to every meeting, only those who were “fervent” came to every meeting. Others could not meet this expectation. When one brother, who could not attend every meeting, came to a meeting, he was asked, “Why didn’t you come to the prayer meeting? Why didn’t you attend the mid-week meeting?” Faced with this kind of questioning, he made up excuses in order to not be condemned for loving the world. This damaged his willingness to come to the meetings that he could attend by causing him to feel as if he was inadequate as a Christian. Many saints in this situation eventually stop coming to the meetings and do indeed become backslidden.
We must make some proper adjustments to our schedule. Saints who have a limited amount of time do not need to go to every meeting. At the same time, we should adjust our concept to realize that it is not abnormal if a saint can attend only one or two meetings a week. Even if a saint can come only once every two weeks or once every month, this is not bad.
Over the last sixty years, it has been our practice for the Lord’s table to be a joint meeting on the Lord’s Day. Now we must study how to conduct the Lord’s table meeting in order to keep the new ones. The Lord’s table meeting is the most important meeting of the church, and it is highly regarded by all believers. Some saints truly feel sorry when they cannot attend the table meeting. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study how we should meet in order to break the bread.
Consider a sister who has not been to a meeting for a long time but still longs for the church. Every time she passes the meeting hall, she feels comforted, but she is hesitant to go in because of time constraints, the condition of her health, or responsibilities related to her children or job. We must empathize with her situation. Breaking bread once a week on the Lord’s Day in a joint meeting at the meeting hall is not required by the Bible. In fact, Acts 2:46 shows that the believers in the early days broke bread “day by day...from house to house.” According to the grammar of this verse, the breaking of bread was not in the temple but rather in the homes. Going to the temple was like going to a big meeting, and gathering in homes was like a small group meeting. A big joint meeting is not possible in homes, because no home can accommodate all the saints. In the early church the believers broke bread in small group gatherings, and they broke bread daily.
In other words, the bread-breaking meeting does not necessarily have to be held jointly at a meeting hall on the Lord’s Day. It would probably not be easy to change immediately, but we can gradually make a change by meeting every other week at the meeting hall and in the homes. Some saints will gain more supply when the breaking of bread is in the homes and at other times, especially if they are unable to come to a meeting on the Lord’s Day.
This kind of fellowship is a suggestion, not a decision. There is a need for more fellowship and study, but we should not be inflexible, confining ourselves to an old way. Over twenty-eight years ago, there were three thousand people meeting regularly in the church life. We must study why forty thousand people have been baptized over the past twenty-eight years, but only five thousand meet regularly today. This cannot be justified. Even if all forty thousand believers were still with us, our current situation would still be lacking. A twenty percent annual increase from a starting number of three thousand should have produced four hundred ninety thousand believers, but we have baptized only forty thousand, less than one-tenth of the number based on a twenty percent increase. Therefore, we must consider our statistics and study how to improve.
Even though we are branches in the vine and there is the law of life within us, we must cooperate in our living and in our environment; otherwise, it will be very difficult to bear fruit. Without cooperation, the law of life will be hindered. We all know that if a tree is planted in a place where water flows and the sun shines, it will grow. However, if the same tree or plant is moved to a place where there is little water and insufficient sunshine, it will not grow well. Even though the tree has life, it will not grow if the outward environment does not match its needs.
There are some plants that do not grow well in direct sunlight, and they must be planted in cool, shady places. Some Christians are like these special plants; that is, if there is too much sun, they will die easily. We must help these ones by starting their growth in the shade. Other Christians are like plants that easily die from being overwatered. When they get less water and less sunshine, they grow well and bloom beautifully. We must be sensitive to the needs of the brothers and sisters. We have to supply them, or else they will die. But if we supply them too much, they will die as well. Therefore, we must supply them according to a proper measure. If we do not visit them, they will not be enlivened, but if we visit them every day, they will die as well. Some may need to be visited once every two or three months, but each time we should give them a tasty supply. We do not need to force them to come to the meetings, because our constant urgings may damage their desire to follow the Lord. We must give them the liberty to come as the Lord leads and take no offense if they do not come. Eventually, we will see the growth of life in them, and we will be encouraged.
I believe that many of us have had this kind of experience. In the past we were fervent, and we tried to drag people to every meeting. Our dragging was like pulling on a plant to help it grow. Outwardly, it seemed that this was helpful, but actually, we inhibited their growth, and they eventually died because of our overzealousness. We must change our concept. We do not have to drag people to meetings or regard them as anything less for not coming to meetings. We must allow these “special plants” to grow slowly. We should not forget them but visit them from time to time to give them a supply. In this way they will grow.
Taking care of a church is more difficult than taking care of a garden or a factory. The saints are on different levels and in different conditions. The saints come in all varieties. Therefore, we must coordinate with their environment so that the life within them can grow. Once this life grows, they will bear fruit. This is the law of life. Therefore, we do not need to be too stiff or rigid by insisting on a certain way. We must consider how to nourish the saints and meet the need of every situation so that they can grow. Being rigid cuts the saints off. We should always consider their situation and their convenience so that they can grow gradually. Even though the annual rate of increase of the church in Taipei is not sufficient, we cannot have a uniform method for everything.
The first law of the increase of the church is that Christ and the church are a universal vine as the organism of the Triune God, and the believers, as the branches of this vine, are in an organic union with the Triune God.
Since the believers are branches, we abide in the Son and are one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17), thereby participating in His position and authority. This is not a small matter. We participate in the Lord’s position and authority in His death, resurrection, and ascension because we are one with Him (Eph. 2:5-6). Therefore, we can go out in His name to disciple the people in the world, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18-19).
By abiding in the Son, we receive the Father’s nurturing, because the Father is the husbandman, the cultivator of the vine (John 15:1). By abiding in the Son, we are able to receive the Father’s nurturing and to enjoy the riches of the Father’s divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), that is, to enjoy all the riches of God (Col. 2:9-10).
By abiding in the Son, we experience the Spirit as the realization of the Son in us (John 14:17, 19; 15:26). This Spirit of life also becomes our life essence. Even though we are human, the Spirit becomes our life essence when we abide in the Son.
The increase and spread of the church is related to the law of fruit-bearing.
The law of fruit-bearing does not involve miracles; this can be seen from the fact that fruit is not produced by miracles. It is useless to fast in the hope that a vine would bear grapes. Neither should we think that a small group can bear fruit miraculously. Gaining fruit in this way rarely happens; miracles are not a reliable method. There were miracles in Acts, but these miracles were related to outward confirmation, not to the producing of fruit. In order to gain fruit, we must pay attention to the law of life.
Fruit-bearing is not miraculous in nature; rather, it is according to the law of life. In order to experience the law of life, we must fulfill certain requirements.
We need to abide in the Lord and absorb His supply. Just as the branches of a tree are attached to a tree in order to receive its life supply, we must abide in the Lord continually and absorb the riches of His life.
We also need to abide in the Lord and absorb the supply of God the Father and the supply of the Holy Spirit. When we fellowship with the Lord, we will definitely have a supply from the Father and the Spirit. The supply of the Father is like soil that provides nutrients, and the supply of the Spirit is like rain that waters and refreshes. Trees receive a supply of nutrients from the soil and a supply of water from the rain.
Furthermore, we need to abide in the Lord and absorb God as our light and the Spirit as our air. When we abide in the Lord, we have these two kinds of supply.
Finally, we need to abide in the Lord and live in the church as the garden of God so that we can be nurtured and protected.
When we abide in the Lord, we will surely bear new fruit each month. This is a principle in the Bible (cf. Rev. 22:2).
If we all accept the Lord’s leading and set up a schedule, our number will triple by the end of the year. This is equal to a two hundred percent rate of increase. I am very hopeful because the condition of the church has matured and because the social environment in Taiwan is very receptive to the spread of the gospel. The inward condition of the church is good, and the outward social situation is also good. These two factors will help us gain a twofold reaping.
I also hope that the elders will pay attention to the need related to the purchase of land and the building of a meeting hall. A meeting hall is not a requirement, but a large meeting hall can help us gain better results. A large hall is like a university, a medium-sized hall is like a high school, and a small hall is like an elementary school. The church in Taipei has only small and medium-sized halls but not a large hall; therefore, this is a need. Otherwise, even though we continually beget those who can be nurtured in the homes, there will be no “university” to teach and perfect them. With a large meeting hall, we can gather for many different meetings, either once a week, once a month, once every three months, or even once every five months.
The emphasis of these messages on the increase and spread of the church is not on doctrines or even statistics; rather, the intention is to bring us into the reality of the increase and spread corporately. This is very much related to the Lord’s further advance among us. I hope that we all would pray concerning this.
