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Scripture Reading: S. S. 1:8; John 1:40, 42; Acts 10:24; 16:31; John 5:2, 4-5, 8-16; 4:39-42; 21:15-17; Acts 11:25-26; 1 Thes. 5:14; James 5:19-20
Let us sing Hymns, #933:
I have a Savior, He’s pleading in glory,
A dear loving Savior, though earth-friends be few;
And now He is watching in tenderness o’er me,
But oh, that my Savior were your Savior too!
For you I am praying, for you I am praying,
For you I am praying, I’m praying for you.
When you preach the gospel to your relative or classmate, do not argue with him. You may sing a hymn to him. Everyone loves music. Although he may refuse to believe in Jesus, his heart is not made of iron or stone but of flesh. The hymn we just sang says,
For you I am praying, for you I am praying,
For you I am praying, I’m praying for you.
When you sing like this, his heart will be softened.
In order to do anything we need the skill and the technique. When you preach the gospel, do not argue with people. Do not be inflexible. If they will not believe, do not insist that they believe or tell them that if they do not believe, they will go to hell. If you do this, they will say, “I would rather go to hell!” This is useless. You must change your way. If they reject the gospel, you should not say anything to further provoke them. Instead, you may say, “Let me sing a hymn to you.” Then begin to sing to them. If you keep singing, they will be moved. Let us sing another hymn:
You are fallen in sin; you are suffering in pain.
Why don’t you repent right now, and be free from sin?
You’re walking in evil, there are traps everywhere.
You will surely fall if you do not turn!
Jesus wants to save you, He is waiting to heal you.
Why not open your heart today and receive Him?
(Chinese Hymns, #715)
I like this hymn very much. I call this “The Hymn of a Sinner’s History” because it persuades people to believe in the Lord on the one hand, and it tells the history of the sinner on the other hand. Stanza 3 says,
Dying years, increasing yet decreasing,
Life is but a cloud.
Who knows if it will not vanish tomorrow?
All mothers like to see their children celebrating their first birthday. But when a person grows old, he does not enjoy his birthday anymore. If I have ninety dollars in my pocket, and I have spent eighty-one dollars already, I must be careful; I have only nine dollars left. Apparently, our years are increasing; actually, they are decreasing. As your age increases by a year, your life decreases by a year. Our age is like a bank deposit. Our savings are limited, but our spending is continuous. With money there is still the possibility of control, but you have no way to control your age. For this reason, man is somewhat disappointed with his life.
When you come to stanza 3, you can start preaching the gospel: “O friends, you are living in sin. You are in the hand of the devil. Your end is just death. Time is passing by, day by day. All men, rich or poor, noble or humble, are going down the same way. No one can escape. But when the Lord Jesus came, He ‘died to bruise the devil, and bore our sins.’ A person without the Savior is like a man under the hand of a surgeon on the operating table; he is being cut at the surgeon’s will. But the Lord came, and He nullified death and manifested life.” You should tell your friends that although they have grieved the Lord, He is still ready to save. Although they have rejected Him, He is still waiting for them.
You should sing gospel songs to your relatives and friends. You should also help them to sing along with you. Sometimes it is better to sing than to preach. Let us sing together Hymns, #1065:
O how great His salvation! O how great His salvation!
O how great His salvation! Jesus saves me now!
Jesus breaks every fetter! Jesus breaks every fetter!
Jesus breaks every fetter! Jesus sets me free!
Parents like to hear their children sing. When you visit your relatives, you may first give their children some candy and then teach them to sing a simple hymn. Their parents may be unhappy if you persuade them to believe in Jesus. But they will pay much attention to their children’s singing. When they hear the songs, they will be touched.
Let us go on to see a key to the home meetings. Today we want to bring out one key to the home meetings, that is, to bring others to our meetings. If we desire to see our home meetings prosper, everyone must bring others to the meetings. If you would do this, and he would do this, soon the number in the home meetings would increase. This principle is very scriptural. Consider the Shulammite in the Song of Songs. She was thinking only of herself. Her word to the Lord was, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock? / Where do you make it lie down at noon?” (1:7). The Lord replied, “If you yourself do not know, / You fairest among women, / Go forth on the footsteps of the flock, / And pasture your young goats / By the shepherds’ tents” (v. 8). This seeker of the Lord told the Lord that she was tired of seeking. She did not have peace; she needed rest. The Lord told her, “You may follow the footsteps of the flock. As long as you take the way of the flock, you will find Me. But do not forget that there are still the kids. You must bring your kids along as well.”
Where are the “shepherds’ tents” today? They are in the church. And where is the church? It is in the home meetings! Therefore, we all must bring our young, new, and unbelieving “kids” to the “shepherds’ tents.” Do not think that it is only in the world that we have children. As seekers of the Lord, we should also have children. We should have apprentices following us. I have seen many precious brothers and sisters in both the West and the East who are very dear. Yet they have a big problem: they do not have any offspring. Neither do they have any apprentices.
All believers must be like parents, bringing forth children. They must also be like masters taking on apprentices. Everyone must learn to bring in people. We learn many lessons when we bring in people. All parents can learn many lessons from their children. Up to now I have been a parent for three generations. I have not only grandchildren but also great-grandchildren. I am a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather. I have learned the most. What teachers teach us is theoretical, but what our children teach us is practical.
John 15:2 says, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes it away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it that it may bear more fruit.” Every branch in Jesus must bear fruit. Perhaps some may say, “The fruit-bearing in chapter 15 does not necessarily refer to people. In Galatians 5 the fruit of the Spirit refers to love, joy, peace, long-suffering, and so forth.” If you read the context of John 15, you will see that the emphasis there is on people as fruit. If a branch has only one fruit, it is unattractive. But if a branch has no fruit at all, the Lord said that He will take it away. To be taken away means to be deprived of the enjoyment of the riches of the tree.
The fruitless ones are in danger of losing their enjoyment. As a branch, if you want to enjoy the riches of the tree, you must bear much fruit. The more fruit you bear, the more riches you will receive from the Lord. That means the more fruit you bear, the more enjoyment you have. You must go and bear fruit. You must bring in people. In this matter there are too many lessons to learn. I have mentioned this in the past. You must deal with different kinds of people in different ways. To teach gospel songs to your relatives’ children is one way. To sing to your grandfather is another. Of course, you must pray for them. There are many ways. The question is whether or not you have the heart to take care of them.
We who are saved and are the Lord’s are destined to bear fruit. Whether or not you have the desire, you must bear fruit. If you do not bear fruit, you are doing something other than the Lord’s destiny for you, and you will lose the enjoyment of the Lord. Chapter 1 of Song of Songs says that we, the seekers of the Lord, must not give up our “kids.”
John 1 shows us that after Andrew met the Lord, immediately he found his own brother and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (v. 41). He then led him to see Jesus. When Philip met the Lord, he went and found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote” (v. 45). Nathanael had more knowledge than Philip did. He said, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” (v. 46). He was right, for the Old Testament clearly records that Christ would come out of the city of David. After such a word, even Philip became confused. He did not know what to say. Then he came up with a solution: “Come and see.” This is a good way. He took Nathanael to see Jesus. Here we see two pairs: Andrew bringing Peter to the Lord, and Philip bringing Nathanael to Jesus. The two of them each brought one sheep with them.
In Acts 10 Cornelius sent for Peter. Before Peter arrived, Cornelius had called together his relatives and intimate friends, and they were waiting for Peter. This is a pattern for us to follow. When a home meeting is held in your house, the first people you should invite are your relatives and intimate friends. Fill the house with them.
In Acts 16:31 Paul told the jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.” In this verse we do not see any word concerning bringing a sheep. However, as soon as one believes in the Lord, he will immediately think of his household: his parents, wife, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. All these are one’s “household.” The scope of this household is extremely broad. Strictly speaking, this whole household is your “kids.” You must take them along.
The United States immigration law provides that entrance to the United States is based upon two principles: humanitarian considerations and family reunion. It is this principle of family reunion that has caused trouble for the United States. For example, perhaps I may enter the United States first. But I have parents, brothers, and sisters with me. They are my direct relatives. Of course, I have my wife and children as well. When they all enter the United States, my sister-in-law has her parents and, of course, brothers and sisters too. With such connections, the Chinese are all over the United States, and they are giving the Americans a big headache. My point is that a big number may give the United States a big headache, but it will never give the heavenly kingdom any headache.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.” You may extend the scope of the word household as widely as you like. I have seven families connected to me by marriage. And these seven families have more families connected to them by marriage. All these are our close relatives. We cannot see them die. We must bring them to salvation.
Now you will probably tell me, “Brother Lee, I have believed in the Lord for five years, but my wife absolutely refuses to believe.” I have heard this kind of word. My answer to that is, “Go home, and do not talk to her about Jesus anymore; neither pray in her presence. She is tired of hearing about Jesus. You must find out what your wife wants from you. If she is upset about your coming home late at night, you have to learn the lesson. You should sacrifice the meeting a little to get home earlier.” Perhaps you would say, “Do you mean that you want me to go home before the meeting is over?” That is right. You either sacrifice the meeting, or you sacrifice your wife. You have to choose between the two. To save your wife you must sacrifice the meeting. If you do this, after two months your wife’s opposition to Jesus will gradually go away.
I know that some sisters really love the Lord. However, their disposition is too strong. Since the day they were married, their husbands have been under their control. When the sisters were saved, their husbands were hoping that their temper would change. Eventually, their temper did improve a little. But their disposition remained quite strong. They forced their husbands to go their way. They would even force their husbands to believe in Jesus. The husbands would think that this Jesus is too terrible. Before their wives were saved, they were not as forceful. But now they are forcing their husbands even to go to meetings. The more the wives do that, the more the husbands will just refuse to go. Sisters, I advise you to let go. Do not pressure your husbands anymore to believe in the Lord. You have to learn the lessons. You must learn to accommodate them. When you are fully changed, they will easily believe.
I know that many parents learn much in leading their children to believe in the Lord. Some parents have strong personalities. Their children have been taught to be obedient since their youth. But in their hearts they do not necessarily like their parents’ personalities. When they are forced to believe in the Lord one day, they will refuse. Brother Nee’s salvation had much to do with his mother’s change. His mother was a shrewd wife at home. She never admitted mistakes to her husband and children. But one day she was saved. When she went home, the first thing that she did was to admit her mistakes in tears to Brother Nee. Such a change in the shrewd mother’s personality moved the son. Because of that, he went to hear the gospel. When he heard it, he was saved.
Some parents are thoughtless and attend few meetings after they are saved, but their children are very spiritual. This shows us a general tendency: those of us who greatly love the Lord easily alienate our children by our zeal. Some mothers love the Lord very much. They rank first in attending meetings. But they have no way to bring their children to the Lord. The reason for this is that they are too strong. The same principle applies to all of us. We must bring people in, not by our zeal but by our gentleness. Everyone who wants to bring in others should learn to be as yielding as paste. The main characteristic of paste is that it is very accommodating. You can spread paste on anything, be it a flat surface, a sharp corner, or a crooked edge.
Every lover of the Lord must be like paste; he must be able to be spread anywhere. Whoever touches us should get stuck to us. The lovers of the Lord cannot be like steel plates; they cannot have a hard and unyielding personality. If so, they will not bear fruit even if they love the Lord until they die. Every brother and sister who is like paste is able to catch men. Everyone whose personality is like steel can scarcely lead others to Christ. The Lord’s word is clear: believe in the Lord, and your household shall be saved. I have been observing this for sixty years. It is difficult to find one who was saved without his household eventually being saved also.
Many did bring their whole household to the Lord, but not without many frustrations. For example, some husbands do not like their wife’s personality; they think that their wives are too strong. But they can tell that before their wives were saved, there was one kind of hardness. After they were saved, there was another kind of hardness. Before they were saved, they were stubborn senselessly; their hardness would come and go with their temper. After they are saved, they are hard for a specific purpose: they want to bring their husbands to the Lord. But in nine out of ten cases, these husbands will not call on the Lord until they are about to die. When they call on the Lord, the wives would cry Hallelujah! They would say with tears that the Lord has heard their prayers. I have seen too many cases like this. Children of those who love the Lord may refuse the gospel at first; they may strongly oppose their parents. But eventually they also believe, and they regret that they hurt their parents and did not turn to the Lord sooner.
Today, we hope that the number in the church will increase. The only way that this can happen is by the brothers and sisters all bringing in new ones. Who can say today that all his relatives are saved? There are still many relatives and intimate friends whom we must try our best to bring in. Acts 1:8 says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Our unsaved relatives and intimate friends are our “Jerusalem.” We must receive power from the Lord to begin preaching from Jerusalem, that is, from our relatives and close friends. We must labor on them.
There are fifty-two weeks in a year. It is impossible for us not to be able to lead one relative to the Lord within these fifty-two weeks, three hundred and sixty-five days. If our relatives and friends are not saved, it is because we do not preach. If we preach and they are not saved, it is because we preach in the wrong way. It all depends on how we do it. We need to learn. Look at chapter 4 of the Gospel of John. As soon as the Samaritan woman was saved, she left her waterpot and went away into the city and testified to the men. Because of this woman’s testimony, many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus.
In Acts 11, when Barnabas arrived in Antioch and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart. A considerable number was added to the Lord. Barnabas then went away to Tarsus to seek out Saul. When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered in the church and taught a considerable number of people. I do not believe that when Barnabas found Saul, he imagined that this Saul would one day become the foremost apostle to the Gentiles. If Barnabas had not gone to Tarsus to seek for Saul, I doubt whether there would ever have been an apostle Paul. Let us simply go ahead and bring in people. Who knows whether those we bring in will one day have a bright and hopeful future?
First Thessalonians 5:14 says, “Admonish the disorderly, console the fainthearted, sustain the weak.” This tells us that we must bring in people. We must be accommodating toward the disorderly and must identify ourselves with the fainthearted and the weak. None of them can be rejected carelessly.
James 5:19-20 says, “If any one among you is led astray from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” Among the brothers and sisters, there are unavoidably those who sin and are led astray from the truth. It is our responsibility to restore them. All these items are included in the subject of bringing in people. These are all key points on the home meetings.
