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In this chapter I would like to give some brief fellowship to help us see the need of the vital groups from a particular angle. Probably none of us has ever picked up this angle to look into the need of the vital groups. Why were we burdened to have such groups, and why did we pick up the word vital? I would like us to consider the reason for this from one particular angle, and this angle is the situation we have gradually come to in the United States.
The Lord’s recovery came to this country in 1961, and we started our ministry in 1962. That was sixteen years after the end of the Second World War. Due to the war, the American psychology was changed quite much. At that time among the Christians, there was a remnant of seeking ones raised up by the Lord. By that time the United States had become the biggest country with Christianity as its main religion. This country had millions of Christians, both Catholics and Protestants. Mainly among the Protestants, the Lord gained a remnant, the real seeking ones. Sixteen years after the war the recovery came, and the recovery was greatly welcomed by this remnant of seeking ones. I traveled across the United States in the early years of my ministry, and many were caught by the Lord. That was the first stage of the recovery in the United States, and it lasted for about nine years, from 1962 to 1971. In those years much of the increase came from my visits to many places and people throughout the United States. Wherever I went, seeking people were caught for the Lord’s recovery.
By 1970 we had over six hundred saints meeting in the church in Los Angeles. In that year we decided to migrate. This migration of the saints to other localities in the United States was victorious. In 1973 we had our summer conference in Los Angeles in the convention center. There were over three thousand there. We had to open up four overflow rooms, and that still could not meet the need. This was the first stage of the Lord’s recovery to bring in the increase.
In that increase, however, some came in with a heart that was not so pure. They saw the booming work among us, and they came in to try their best to get this work. When they realized that they could not get it, they rebelled. That period of time lasted from 1973 to 1978.
During the time that we were booming, our young people were really on fire. Eighty college students set aside half a year just for the purpose of building our meeting hall in Anaheim. Meanwhile, another group of people in Berkeley saw our situation and did not agree with us, so they formed a group to write something against us. They produced a manuscript full of false and defamatory things about us. Later, they were split into two groups. One used this manuscript to write the book called The Mindbenders, and the other group used the same manuscript to write another book called The God-men. These evil writings against us came out in 1977. That began the opposition in the United States. Also in 1977 another group hired someone to come to Anaheim to oppose us. In order to deal with this opposition and proclaim the truth, we put an article in the newspaper every Saturday for three and a half months. We also repeatedly tried to contact the writers and publishers of the two evil, defamatory books against us, but they rejected us.
In 1980 we had a conference in Albuquerque. When the leading brothers met there, one of the co-workers said that if we did not deal with these two books, our work, especially on the campuses, could not be carried on. This was because whenever we contacted a new one, regardless of whether he was a Christian or not, he would receive a copy of these evil books soon afterward. It was in Albuquerque that we made the decision to appeal to our “Caesar,” just as Paul did to preserve his ministry (Acts 25:11). Our “Caesar” is the law of the United States. Because of our appeal, both of these evil books were exposed, withdrawn, and put down. However, our good name was damaged and our reputation was smeared throughout the whole country. We took five years in litigation to put down those two books and gained the victory in both cases. If we had not taken this action, those two books would have continued to damage us to the uttermost.
In addition to this, we need to realize that the United States is a very worldly country due to its riches. Americans are living in worldliness without any consciousness of it. The whole world follows the worldliness of the United States. Because we are not worldly, others may think we are out of date. Many Americans think that they are the most modern people on this earth. But we do not want to be in this worldly way. In order to dress well, have the best house, and have the best car, many try to get a high education so that they can get a high position to make the most money. This is all worldliness.
Of course, the Lord brought His recovery to the United States. My coming here was not up to me. Then when I met all the seeking ones in this country, that surprised me. The Lord collected eight hundred to one thousand real seeking ones for His recovery within just a few years. In those early years nearly everyone among us was a real seeking one who would pay any price to follow the Lord absolutely for His interest. But we have to realize that worldliness is a big obstacle in the United States.
Furthermore, the truth that we practice concerning the ground of the church — one church for one city, one city with only one church — annuls all the standings of the denominations. Thus, what denomination would have anything good to say about us? Under the teaching of the ground of the church, all the divisions, the denominations, are condemned.
Worldliness, the opposition, and the denominations are three layers of obstacles to the Lord’s recovery in the United States. The United States is the strongest country for Christianity. All the denominations are very strongly founded. Yet we were raised up to stand on the ground of the church, the genuine ground of oneness, which is a testimony against all the denominations.
We may think that it will be easy to gain people for the Lord’s recovery, but it is not easy. We are not in an easy situation. These three layers of obstacles, or three blockades, are here to frustrate us. We need to overcome the worldliness in the United States. Worldliness, the opposition, and the denominations are three blockades to gaining the proper increase in the Lord’s recovery. If this were not the Lord’s recovery, with the foundation on the truth and with the condition in life, we would have been brought to nothing already. Despite the blockades, the Lord’s recovery is still solidly standing here.
In the last five years, beginning in 1987, there has been turmoil caused by certain factious ones who have caused divisions. In spite of this turmoil, the churches in Southern California had an increase of close to thirty percent per year over the last five years. At the beginning of 1987, we had only a little over one thousand saints in Southern California. But by October of 1992, we had increased to about three thousand. The only drawback is that we have had very little increase among the Caucasians during this period of time. With all this fellowship as a background, we can see how difficult it is for us to gain the typical, middle-aged Caucasians.
In light of the present situation that we are in, what shall we do? I have studied our situation thoroughly, and I feel that nothing can attract and move the present middle-aged American Caucasians unless they see the vitality among us. To be vital means to be living and active. If a group of people are meeting together and are a real vital group — living and active — whoever comes in and sees this will be convinced. If we are so vital, and some seeking ones come in among us, they will be caught by the Lord. Vitality is the most convincing factor.
If we do not have vital groups, we will have no prevailing way to gain the middle-class Caucasians. If we are vital, sooner or later, in our neighborhood and among our relatives, colleagues, classmates, and friends, we will meet some seeking ones. The seeking ones care for our vitality, for our being living and active.
The truth has an amount of influence with people, but it depends upon who passes on the truth. If you are a vital person, the truth will be effective. If you are not a vital person, others will not be convinced. They will think that you just have some good talk but are really no different than they are. If we bring some new ones to our meeting, and our meeting is dormant, we will not convince them.
This is the reason that we are stressing the vital groups. If we do not have the vital groups, we will still survive as the Lord’s recovery. We will still exist, but there will not be much hope of getting the typical American increase. The only convincing factor we could have is the vital groups. If we are not vital, we are finished.
Since we love the Lord and we are for the Lord’s recovery, what shall we do? We have to be vital at any cost. We have no choice. We must learn diligently and practice absolutely to be vital; then there is much possibility for us to gain a good number of the seeking ones. These seeking ones caught by us will spread the news. They will say, “I am now meeting in a group full of vitality. Come and see.” This kind of news will not be appreciated by the general Christians, but some real seeking ones will be attracted. Through this fellowship I hope that we realize where we are and what we need to be.
Now that we have begun to get into the field of contacting others, there are many lessons for us to learn. We can spend only a certain amount of time to recover the backsliding ones, because we have the sinners and the new ones waiting for our help. When we contact a backsliding one, the first thing we have to learn is how to say something definite and to the point. If a certain brother is backslidden and has been distracted for years, we need to have a thorough fellowship with him to find out where he stands. Then we can give him the appropriate antidote. To give people the proper antidote, we need to learn much. If we talk too much, that would not work. If we talk too little, that is not adequate.
We may spend the next two or three months to contact the other saints among us. Then we need to contact the unbelieving sinners. If we can get a backsliding one recovered, that is wonderful. If we cannot get him recovered, we still should not be disappointed, because we have sown something into him. I want to encourage us to learn something as we endeavor to contact others.
As we contact others, we need to exercise our spirit so that the Spirit may have a way to move on. Quite often, what we speak would not work, but what we express, what we impress people with, is what works. Maybe our words will not influence someone, but what we are will. If we have something real and living of the Lord, this will impress people. Quite often, this impression will not work out something right away. Maybe after six months, someone would be brought back to the Lord through the impression that he received of you. There is no need for us to be disappointed, because we are sowing. With any kind of sowing, there is a reaping.
I advise you all to learn to exercise your spirit. Even when some of us share in the meeting, we do not have an impressing spirit. Whenever you speak something in the meetings, you should exercise your spirit. In order to say something concerning the Lord to help people, you need to exercise your spirit. Then the Holy Spirit will move on. If someone is down or discouraged and listens to the speaking of some who are so vital, he will become vitalized.
It is so easy for us to remain in our oldness. What we speak may be good, but it will not be effectual if we do not have our spirit exercised with the Holy Spirit expressed. If we do not exercise our spirit, our sharing cannot be a real spiritual help to others. We must learn to exercise our spirit in everything.
We need to make everything we do definite through our prayer and with our experience of the Spirit. Then we have to match the Spirit with our exercise of our spirit. We need these two things: to experience the Spirit and to match it with the exercise of our spirit. We are all short of this. When we come together in our group meetings, we must exercise our spirit and speak with our spirit.
When you exercise your spirit, you give the Spirit who is indwelling you the way to take action. Then some riches of Christ will come out of you. If you ask certain ones who have a quiet disposition to speak loudly, this will put them on the cross. But if these ones are filled inwardly with the Spirit and experience the outpouring of the Spirit, they will change and become different persons. We should not remain in our oldness and in our old habit. Whenever we function, we must exercise our spirit. The Spirit goes along with our voice. If our voice is not released, the Spirit will not be released. Certain quiet and shy ones need to learn to exercise their spirit and their voice so that the Holy Spirit can be expressed.
I want to see your improvement in this matter. I have been improving for over sixty years, and I am still endeavoring to improve. I am not satisfied. I am not content with what I am. I hope that we will all learn to exercise our spirit to make some real progress in our Christian life.
The Christian life actually is just the life of the Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit, and the only way to get into this Holy Spirit is to pray. Only prayer can usher you into the Spirit. When you pray adequately, spontaneously you will have the infilling of the Spirit and the outpouring of the Spirit. I encourage you all to pray, not lightly but thoroughly.
Each week you need to have a group meeting, and you also need to set aside a day or an evening for the purpose of contacting people. You need these two times weekly. These are additional to the prayer meeting of the church and the Lord’s table meeting. In our group meeting in these days, we have to pray for our work of contacting people. Then we should fellowship about the situation with our contacts, so that we can study their cases, fellowship about them, and receive the mutual help. After your study we should pray again. This kind of practice will be very practical, useful, and vital. Then you can decide whom you should contact and by what way. We have to believe that what we are doing by the vital groups will not be in vain, because this is a very practical sowing. Surely there will be the real reaping.
Below is an outline entitled “How to Classify People for Gospel Preaching.” This is a list of twenty different kinds of people. This was done in 1954 in Taipei when we had a training course for service. In the past I also put out a list of prevailing verses to match the different categories of people. We need to consider the appropriate verses to use when we contact certain people. The twenty categories of people we have classified for gospel preaching are as follows:
The accompanying outline gives basic instructions concerning how to take care of each of these categories of people. I would encourage you to read this, study it, and fellowship with others about it, but do not apply the things in it in a legal way. You have to build up yourself with this kind of practical knowledge. Then when you talk to people, spontaneously you will know how to handle them according to what kind of persons they are.
(Taken from a booklet published in Chinese, How to Lead Different Kinds of People to Receive the Gospel.)
Next, there is an outline entitled “How to Produce and Establish a Vital Group in the Church Life.” I hope that we will read and study this outline prayerfully so that we can be made vital and go to vitalize others.
I. By one saint to be made vital — living and active:
А. Through the absolute, clear, and thorough fellowship with the Lord continuously.
B. Through the thorough confession of sins, transgressions, failures, defects, mistakes, wrongdoings, etc., hidden or manifested, before God and before men.
C. Through the absolute and thorough consecration of oneself with everything to the Lord.
D. Through the unceasing and desperate prayer.
E. Through the soaking of the infilling and outpouring of the Spirit.
II. By contacting another seeking saint:
А. To fellowship with him or her according to the above procedures.
B. To make him or her vital and join with you as a group.
C. Both of you continuing to contact other seeking saints and making them vital to join with you and to increase your group.
D. Until your group reaches about ten, dividing it into two groups, and instructing each of the two groups to do the same thing as you have done with them.
