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Scripture Reading: Acts 2:46-47; Eph. 4:12; Acts 13:52; 4:31b; John 13:34-35
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your recovery on this earth. Do burden us to pray. Give us the utterance, and save us from ordinary prayers. We desire to pray something living, even to pray Your prayer with Your utterance. Lord, do cleanse us with Your precious blood and anoint us with Your ointment that we may enjoy You. You are the real revival, every day aspiring within us to be revived. Lord, we do beg You to stir up our spirits, and we also want to fan our spirits into flame.
After the time of the apostles the church became abnormal. This is the reason that we must move to form the vital groups. The church today is below the normal level. Brother Nee gave a series of messages that he published in a book entitled The Normal Christian Life. He gave those messages in order to uplift the situation among Christians back to the normal level. If a Christian is uplifted and lives a life at the level portrayed in Brother Nee’s messages, he is no longer abnormal but is a normal Christian. We must admit honestly and with repentance that our church’s situation is below the normal level. Therefore, we must do something to uplift the level of the church life.
The matter of increase has become a bothersome problem among us. For a long period of time the rate of increase among us has been low, especially among the typical American people. The United States was established mainly by Caucasians from northern Europe. These Caucasians may be considered as the typical Americans. When I first came to America, I had no intention of doing a work among the Chinese people. I had been given a commission from the Lord to bring His recovery to this country, and I made a determination not to do a particular work among the Chinese.
Today, however, the situation in the churches has been damaged. When I began the work in the United States, two-thirds of the saints were Caucasians, and one-third were from other races. That situation was very normal. In 1970 approximately three hundred saints migrated out of Los Angeles to several large cities in the United States. Those migrations were a prevailing success. Before the migrations began, people outside the recovery paid little attention to us. But two years later, in 1972, the number among us began to increase. This caused some outside the recovery to be stirred up.
The Lord’s recovery began in the United States in 1962 with about twenty-five saints meeting in a home. Eight years later, in 1970, we met with over one thousand saints in the Embassy Hotel in Los Angeles. This was the year that we had the migration. By 1972 our number went up to about twelve hundred, and we realized that we could no longer meet in the Embassy Hotel, because our number was too large. So we prepared ourselves to meet in the Los Angeles Convention Center, which had a meeting capacity of three thousand. The next year, in 1973, we met in the Convention Center, and our number was over three thousand. In those meetings we had several overflow rooms with television monitors. This was an indication of how the Lord’s move in His recovery had become prevailing.
At that time the outsiders, stirred up by the devil, began to oppose us. At first, some distributed mimeographed leaflets in order to smear us, damage us, and defame us. Eventually, the opposers published two evil books, The Mindbenders and The God-men. After we moved from Los Angeles to Orange County in 1974, two large Christian organizations in Orange County began to oppose us. Although we responded publicly to the accusations made against us and were successful in getting the two defamatory books removed from the bookstores, our name had already been spoiled. To some extent the opposers succeeded in blockading us. For approximately ten years, from 1976 until 1986, it was difficult for us to gain any Caucasians, especially in Orange County. The rate of increase in other parts of the United States has been better, but in Orange County the rate of increase has been very low. In the past forty months, from April 1989 until today, very few Caucasians have been gained, and a number who were gained have been damaged by the opposers.
This situation has caused me to ask myself, “Is there no way?” My answer to this question has been, “I do not believe that there is no way.” There is a way if there is a will. Where there is a will, there is a way. In October 1984 I purposely went to Taipei to study our situation. As I studied with the other brothers, the Lord showed us the biblical way, the God-ordained way. But not until these recent days did I feel burdened to directly practice this way myself. In these days the Lord has led me to make a strong decision to practice the new way directly.
We need to thank the Lord that He has preserved His recovery and strengthened the churches to go on in spite of the turmoil caused by the opposition. Although the churches are going on well, the condition and morale are still not up to the standard. Therefore, I am not content. We need to step out of the blockade. I do not believe that we have to remain here. On the contrary, I believe that through the Lord’s mercy and by His grace and in His power, there is a way for us to leap over the blockade.
Our intention in forming the new groups is to have groups of overcomers. This is the reason that the groups are called the “vital groups.” We do have some groups already, and we honor them, but there is still the need for some vital groups to fulfill the purpose of the groups and to discharge our burden. The groups that are up to the standard should be up to the normal level revealed in the Bible.
The purpose of the vital groups is the increase, perfecting, and building up of the Body of Christ (Acts 2:46-47; Eph. 4:12). The vital groups are to gain the increase, finish the perfecting, and complete the building.
First, we need the increase, not only of Caucasians but of all peoples. Acts 2:46-47 says, “Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, praising God and having grace with all the people. And the Lord added together day by day those who were being saved.” This is the normal standard of the Christian life. In these verses there are a number of important points. The first point is “day by day,” the second is “continuing steadfastly with one accord,” the third is “breaking bread from house to house,” and the fourth is “they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart.” The believers in this verse not only enjoyed their food, but they partook of it with exultation. To exult means to praise by giving a ringing shout. The fifth point is that they praised God and had grace with all the people, and the last point is that the Lord added together those who were being saved. The increase comes from this. If we want the increase, we need to have the few things mentioned in these two verses.
In this move of the vital groups, there is no room for anyone to have his own concept or idea. We all need to pray until we drop all our concepts and opinions. In the move of the vital groups, there is no concept or idea; there is only one accord. This accord is not my accord or your accord; it is the Lord’s accord. We have only one Lord. Therefore, we should not have different opinions. In the Body there are millions of members but only one Head. There is not only one Head but also one Body. It is impossible for one Body with one Head to have different opinions.
The proper way to be a Christian is not to have opinions and divisions but to continue steadfastly with one accord in meeting in the homes, having the Lord’s table, and eating with exultation, with rejoicing and shouting. We all need to be beside ourselves. Brother Nee once said that if a Christian has never been beside himself, he is not qualified to be a Christian. As Christians, we must be outside of ourselves, praising God and having grace with all the people. These are the conditions for the proper increase. In such a condition the Lord can add to the church day by day.
Ephesians 4:12 speaks of the perfecting of the saints that each one may do the unique work of the ministry, that is, to build up the Body of Christ. This is the purpose of the vital move to have the groups.
The nature of the vital groups is spiritual (Acts 13:52; 4:31b). To be spiritual means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, within and without. We need to practice to be filled every day, every morning, and even every evening. We need to pray, “Lord, fill me with Yourself.” Every morning my regular prayer is: “Lord, thank You for a good night’s rest with good sleep. Thank You for my safety, and thank You for peace. Thank You for Your forgiveness through Your grace and Your cleansing with Your precious blood. Thank You, Lord, that this cleansing brings me into Your presence, and that You are now anointing me with Yourself as the all-inclusive Spirit, who is the compound ointment. Lord, fill me now.” Such a regular prayer is not vain repetition. I eat three meals every day, and every meal is a regular meal. In the same way, I pray every day that the Lord will fill and saturate me thoroughly. We all, young and old, need to pray in such a way. This will cause us to be active, fresh, and new.
I cannot rest without seeing the saints stirred up by the Spirit and having their spirits fanned into flame. We should all be stirred up by the Lord, and we also need to fan our spirits into flame (2 Tim. 1:6). A proper Christian is one who is filled with the Spirit. We should not be “flat tires.” We should be those who are filled with the Spirit, within and without, essentially and economically. The Bible tells us that whenever the people of God come together, they should make not merely a joyful voice but a joyful noise (Psa. 100:1). Whenever they speak, certain saints speak very solemnly. However, if they would speak exultantly, they would be normal. For this we need to be filled inwardly with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:52 says that the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Spirit within. Then Acts 4:31b indicates that they were also filled with the Spirit without. At that time a number of them prayed together in one accord. Eventually, they were all filled outwardly. They experienced the outpoured Spirit again. In Acts the disciples experienced the outpoured Spirit again and again (2:1-4; 4:31; 9:17; 10:44; 13:9; 19:6).
The condition of the vital groups is that of loving one another in oneness and with one accord (John 13:34-35). To love one another may seem very common. However, we must admit that although we do love one another, we may not love one another very much. Because we meet together day after day and year after year, we surely have human affection for one another, but the condition of loving one another in the vital groups should be more than this. We need to love one another, meeting together in a mutual love.
We not only love one another, but we love one another in oneness and with one accord. In John 17 the Lord Jesus said that when His disciples are one in the Triune God, the whole world will believe that He was sent by the Father (vv. 21, 23). This is the way to gain people. Often when we go out to visit people by twos and threes, the people whom we visit may realize that there is no oneness among us. The result is a lack of impact. But if two or three of us go out as one man, the people whom we visit will realize that there is a dynamic power among us. There will be the impact, and they will be convinced.
In John 13:34-35 the Lord Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” By our loving one another, the whole world will know that we are the Lord’s disciples. This is the real impact. Without our speaking anything, people will be convinced because they see us loving one another in oneness and with one accord. On the whole earth, in every society everyone knows that whenever people group together, there is struggling and fighting. Wherever there are groups of people, there will be debates, arguments, and strife. But when people are among us and we are really one, they will wonder what has made us one. The Lord Jesus is the living person who has made us one. Our being one is the strongest testimony that we are the people of Jesus. We are disciples of the One who has made us one.
These are the terms and conditions for us to gain people. Regardless of how much others oppose us, if we are such people, nothing can prevent us from gaining the proper increase.
In forming the groups, each group should not have more than seven to eight members. Also, I do not like the matter of leadership, but after many years I have discovered by experience and with the confirmation of the Bible that without leadership no one can be properly grouped together. Leadership is necessary. Because of the need for leadership, the Lord Jesus appointed the twelve apostles (Matt. 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16). After the Lord’s ascension, the twelve apostles remained on the earth. The only way that they could remain on the earth to be the Lord’s testimony was by being grouped together.
The apostle Paul was a very spiritual person and was organic in all things, yet in his practice he still appointed elders in every city for every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Then in 1 Timothy 3 he taught concerning the raising up of the elders and the deacons. Therefore, according to our learning, there is a need for leaders. We should not have a king, but we do need to have two leaders for each group. Having two leaders will be a help by matching the two together.
We also need the proper practical arrangement. In principle, on the earth, wherever anything is properly arranged, there will be a proper result. We have the highest truths. If we cannot be successful in our practice, what a shame that would be. Of course, we should pray much. We must depend on God, on the Lord, on the Holy Spirit, and on the divine life, yet we should not forget the New Testament principle of incarnation. The New Testament principle of incarnation is that everything for God’s interest should be done by God through man and should be done by man with God. Our grouping ourselves together is to take care of our human responsibility.
We are all for the Lord’s recovery. Therefore, we must find a way to meet the Lord’s need. If we do not, we will owe the Lord something. Our practicing the vital groups does not mean that we are changing our way. We still trust in the Lord, and we still believe in the Spirit, in the Word, and in the divine life. We trust in these three things to build up the church, but there is the need of the human side.
When God created man, He formed man with a body of clay (Gen. 2:7). That body was an organization because at that point there was no life in the body. Then God breathed into this body the breath of life, making the body organic. Then man became a living organism. This organism has a physical and visible aspect. Today the church as an entity has the Triune God within as the organic element, and it also has a proper outward arrangement as its physical and visible aspect. I taught very much concerning the group meetings, but during the past three years, I have not seen much result in our practice. After further study I found out that we are short of the physical side, the side of having a proper practical arrangement.
In grouping the saints together, we do not need to legally follow a certain way. We can group the saints together according to the Spirit and according to the situation. In certain instances it may be more convenient to group the saints by geography. However, in some situations that way may not yield the best result. It may be better to group people according to the situation, taking into account factors such as geography, age, status, character, and spiritual condition. In some situations grouping the young ones together with the old ones may not be a help to the young ones, but in other instances grouping the young ones with certain elderly saints will make the young ones more living. It would not be good to group seven people of weak character together, nor would it be good to group too many people of strong character together. In grouping the saints, the elders need to study the situation of all the saints.
In forming the groups, all preferences should be annulled. According to our past experience, some of the saints have a strong preference to be together. However, we need to realize that a particular group may stay together for only six months. After six months the groups should increase to the point that they need to divide into two groups. Thus, we should forget our personal preferences. In some cases if a husband and wife are put in different groups, they will be made alive and they will be more able to help others. We need to put all these matters into our consideration, and we need to learn. In a certain sense, in the church life the husbands and wives are not couples but are individual members of the Body. We need to be coordinated, not according to the natural relationship but according to the membership in the Body. At home the husbands and wives are couples, but in the church they are individual members, irrespective of their marital status. In our homes we enjoy our married life, but when we come to the church, we are all members of the Body. In the church we enjoy the church life. This should be the principle. Otherwise, the groups will not be prevailing.
It is better if the Caucasians are grouped with other Caucasians. Those of the other races can also be grouped together according to race and language. In addition, we can have a general English-speaking group, including those from different races who can speak English well. As much as possible, it may be better to keep the Caucasians separate and particular to serve the purpose of gaining Caucasians.
We must be clear that the vital group meetings should not interfere with the present church life. We still respect and honor the present church life. If possible, those in the vital groups should attend the church meetings, mainly the Lord’s table and the prophesying meetings on the Lord’s Day morning and the prayer meeting. However, it may not be practical for those in the vital groups to attend the existing group meetings, because they will be meeting at least once a week in the vital groups.
Those who attend the training meetings for the vital groups must be punctual. Furthermore, when they come to the meeting, they must pray audibly. They should not come to the meeting and sit and be silent. We will have much prayer; this is our real need. Nothing in our Christian life can touch our life, open our eyes, and usher us into the reality of what Christ is more than prayer. We need to pray. Among us we are not short of the Word of God. However, the thing that troubles me continually is our shortage of prayer. In the training meetings every member must function to pray. The third requirement on the trainees is that each one must speak in the training meetings.
After four months of training concerning the group meetings, every group will be ready to act. Every group will be a small army. The first thing we need to do is to go out and gain new ones. Without new ones, we have no one to work on. This time we will not get the new ones in a quick way, and we will not baptize them in a quick way. As I mentioned in a previous chapter, every Lord’s Day the groups may come together to have a separate Lord’s Day meeting at a time different from that of the regular church meeting. During those meetings, we can baptize the new ones in the church’s baptistery. This will make the baptism of the new ones somewhat stately and full of spiritual weight. After the baptism, we can have the Lord’s table.
Our success in having a definite beginning in the practice of the vital groups depends on our faithfulness. We need to be faithful to coordinate with the Lord in order to match the Lord. Then the Lord will have a way. If in all the churches a good number of the saints will be trained to take this way and to move in a trained way, surely we will gain the adequate increase.
Concluding prayer: Lord, thank You that we can match You in Your move. Lord, do grant us the rich blessing, and send the rain that we need. We are going to till the ground and sow the seed. Surely, we need Your rain, the early rain and the late rain, at the proper time. Amen.
