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Scripture Reading: Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Acts 11:29; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rom. 12:1; 1:14; Matt. 4:19; 1 Tim. 2:1, 4; 1 Cor. 9:16-17; Acts 5:42; 1 Thes. 2:20; John 21:15-16; 4:24; Heb. 10:24-25; 1, 5, 1 Cor. 14:26, 39; Eph. 4:12, 15-16; Acts 6:7; 12:24; 19:20
I. A normal life:
А. Being different from the world — Rom. 12:2:
1. Those in the world belong to the world and are for the world.
2. The believers belong to the Lord and are for the Lord.
B. Being constrained by the Lord to live to the Lord — 2 Cor. 5:14-15.
C. Setting up a schedule of one’s daily life:
1. One that is suitable for living to the Lord and serving Him.
2. Having a budget in time, energy, and finances:
а. Setting aside a fixed time every week and every day for the Lord.
b. There being the need to budget one’s strength for the Lord as well.
c. In budgeting our finances, that which is for the Lord should be increased according to the prosperity bestowed by the Lord — Acts 11:29; 1 Cor. 16:2.
II. A normal service:
А. Offering up our bodies and our time — Rom. 12:1:
1. According to budget.
2. Not owing the Lord — 1:14.
B. Preaching the gospel to gain new ones — Matt. 4:19:
1. Being interested in sinners, and praying for the unbelievers — 1 Tim. 2:1, 4.
2. Not being something of a temporary zeal.
3. But functioning in a normal and regular way — 1 Cor. 9:16-17.
C. Taking care of the home meetings and perfecting the new ones — Acts 5:42:
1. Considering the new ones as one’s joy — 1 Thes. 2:20.
2. Teaching and shepherding patiently — John 21:15-16.
3. Mainly cultivating the spirits of the new ones — 4:24.
D. Helping the meetings and contacting the saints:
1. Considering those being helped as one’s glory.
2. Helping them to mingle with the saints.
3. Directing them to open to the saints for mutual fellowship, concern, love, and care — Heb. 10:24-25.
E. Attending the district meetings to build up the church:
1. Before and after the meetings, contacting the new attendants and the other saints.
2. Exercising to function in the meetings by testifying or prophesying — 1, 5, 1 Cor. 14:26, 39.
3. Practice the voice and the proper use of time.
4. Practice following the flow of the meeting and caring for others’ feelings.
F. Building up the Body of Christ:
1. By-passing arrangements, acting and serving organically.
2. Not emphasizing work but supplying Christ, life, and the Spirit.
3. Leading others to learn to serve and work organically and to grow together with the saints in the life of Christ, being joined together and being knit together for the building up of the Body of Christ — Eph. 4:12, 15-16.
4. Boasting only in the work of gaining, perfecting, leading, and building up people.
5. That the all-inclusive Christ may have an unlimited and unceasing increase and spread — Acts 6:7; 12:24; 19:20.
Prayer: Lord, come and speak again tonight. Prove to us once more that You are one spirit with us. Speak in our speaking. Speak a clear word, a word of revelation. You and we are one spirit. This is not just a story of love but a story of the spirit. Lord, we believe in Your presence. We believe that You are with us here in a rich way. Be gracious to us, and visit us. Touch the depths of our being, and speak to our depths. Grant us a new beginning, so that we would learn to live a life of love and a life of being in the spirit. Lord, You should have the glory in us and should occupy the preeminent place in our lives. May we take this way all the days of our life. When we see You, may we be able to sing the song of victory. Amen.
The subject in this chapter is a normal life and service. Basically speaking, we the Christians are different in our way of life from those in the world. They belong to the world and are for the world. We belong to the Lord and are for the Lord. Every lover of the Lord is, outwardly speaking, somewhat peculiar. Every day we have the Bible in our hands. We often go to the meeting halls. All the time we say Hallelujah and Amen. In the morning we read the Bible. In the evening we read the same Bible. Sometimes we even have to read the Bible before going to bed. I advise those who have insomnia to make all necessary preparations for going to bed. Then when they are ready to go to bed, I advise them to open up the Bible and read for ten minutes. After the reading, there is no need for too long a prayer. They may simply say, “Thank the Lord! Be with me, Lord! Amen,” and then go to sleep. Many times, in this way, they will fall asleep right away. We Christians are uncommon because we belong to the Lord Jesus. We love Him and live for Him.
The reason we are different from the others is that we have the love of the Lord in us. We are constrained by the Lord’s love (2 Cor. 5:14). The word constrain is difficult to translate. Its original meaning is to be pressed on all sides, holding to one end, forcibly limited and confined to one object within certain bounds, being shut up to one line and purpose as in a narrow, walled road. Since the day you first belonged to the Lord, it seems as if the Lord has put two walls at your two sides. These two walls become a narrow lane that compels you to go forward. You cannot turn or take another way. You are compelled to take this way. By our nature we do not want God. We only want ourselves. In our studying and working we are always the center, the goal, and the focus. But after we were saved, His love began to constrain us, and we began to love Him. When I was young, China was in a period of great reform. I was educated mostly in the Western way. I had quite a bright future. How then did I end up being a “poor preacher”? It is because there is something that has constrained me to take the way of the Lord.
The Lord’s love is too strong. He compels us to accept His love. The more we say that we would not love the Lord, the more He loves us. Wherever we go, the Lord follows us. He will not let us go until we respond to His love. The Lord’s constraining is not mainly a constraining in environments. Rather, it is an inward constraining. It makes us uncomfortable when we do not love Him. All those who belong to the Lord and who love the Lord have been constrained to take this way. Our Lord indeed loves us. Nevertheless, I have never seen another person who bothers us as much as the Lord does. One brother testified that he asked for a leave of absence from the Lord to go to a movie. But the Lord would not let him go. The Lord followed him. When he bought the ticket and entered the theater, the Lord followed him. Even during the most exciting moment, he could not shout. When he went home, he could not sleep the whole night long. In the end he could not help but say to the Lord, “Lord! It is not that I love You. But You have bothered me too much, and there is nothing that I can do. I cannot go to the theater anymore.” This is the meaning of constraining.
Once we submit to the Lord, He stops the constraining, and things become smooth. Formerly, I was all alone, by myself. The Lord was not there, and no one minded my business. Now the Lord is with me, and He minds my business. Thank the Lord! When our concept is changed this way, we will not feel that we are being constrained. The reason the Lord is constraining us this way is to turn us to live to Him (2 Cor. 5:15). The phrase living to Him is difficult to translate. It does not mean to live for the Lord. It means to live unto Him. The meaning of living to the Lord is deeper than to live for Him. To live for Him means that He and we are still two. But to live to Him means that we and the Lord are one. It is like a wife living to her husband in the marriage life. In such a way we live a life of living to the Lord and being one with Him.
You need to set up a proper schedule for your life. Formerly, you were not living to the Lord, and your way of living was like that of those in the world. But now you are living to the Lord; you should set up a new pattern of life. Speaking first of the small things of life, most people like to sleep a little late in the morning. This is especially true with the young people. But now you have to get up at six-thirty in the morning. The first thing after getting up is to call “O Lord Jesus” and to pray. Speaking next of the more important things of life, most people want to seek after an academic degree and to be famous and glamorous in the world. Now that we love the Lord and live to Him, our way of living is changed. In everything we should still fulfill our duties properly. We study properly and work properly, without any special coveting. In an ordinary way we should love the Lord and live for Him. Formerly, our life was a struggle and a striving for success in the world. Now we live a simple life of loving the Lord, living for Him, raising a family, educating our children, and daily testifying and bringing people to Him. Even when we venture into business, we do so with a restraint. We only labor in a measured way. We would not be greedy, nor would we be lazy. Neither would we waste time. In this way we will truly be a person who loves the Lord and lives for Him. Otherwise, even though you may have a strong desire, your outward way of living will eat you up totally and bind you. For this reason our way of living has to be one that matches our desire to love Him, live for Him, and serve Him.
We should have a budget for our time, our energy, and our finances. When people talk about budgeting, most of them consider only finances. But according to my experience, even our energy has to be budgeted. I know how much strength I have. Every day I can use only a certain amount of strength. Every time I have a cold, it is because I have overexerted myself. If I would control my time well, I would not have a cold. This is why I plan ahead how many messages I need to speak and how many people I need to see in a week. Although you are young, you should distribute your strength properly. In this way, you will be able to accomplish the proper tasks.
Timewise, every week and every day we should set aside some time for the Lord. If you really love the Lord, at least you have to sanctify the Lord’s Day for Him. The Lord’s Day is the Lord’s. In addition, you should devote at least one evening out of a week for helping others for the Lord’s sake. Either you should go to preach the gospel to gain people, or you should go to others’ homes to have home meetings or small group meetings with them. You do not have to do too much. If you would spend one evening a week, in a year there will be fifty-two evenings. If all the two thousand brothers and sisters sitting here would do this, many people can be cared for. Now we have thirty-eight thousand newly baptized ones. Who is going to care for them? Although it is difficult to deliver a child, that is done in a day. It is more difficult to raise a child. It takes many years to raise a child. Hence, to bring people to salvation, to bring them to a proper spiritual living, and to bring them to live the corporate church life as a testimony require a tremendous amount of manpower. If all of you here will labor and strive, the church in Taipei can very well become the most prosperous and thriving church on the whole earth.
In the world the thing that worries the mothers the most is that their daughters would not know how to cook after they are married. But in the end all the wives know how to cook. There are very few households that hire cooks. Spiritually speaking, to hire a pastor to preach in the meetings is to hire a cook. Today, in changing the system, we are saying that everyone has to cook. Recently, I have been very happy, because both locally and overseas there are reports telling me that the new way is workable and that the meetings in many places have become rich and high. To practice the new way, everyone has to be diligent. The opportunities are there for everyone to take. We all have to live a revived and overcoming life.
Hence, the new way requires that everyone mean business the whole day long. In the morning we have to contact the Lord and read His Word. During the day, we have to walk according to the Spirit. Every Lord’s Day has to be sanctified, and every week we devote one evening for helping others. If we practice this now, when the Lord comes back, we will then be able to give an account. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 16 that if any man does not love the Lord, let him be accursed, and that the Lord will surely come and judge (v. 22). At my age today I am still pleading with all of you. I surely have a burden. I have exhausted my all. I do this because I know that I will have to see my Lord and that I will be judged. I hope that you will also consider this matter seriously before the Lord.
In budgeting your finances, you should offer up what you have in excess according to the prosperity that the Lord has provided you (Acts 11:29; 1 Cor. 16:2). The word prosper in the original language means to advance well or to progress smoothly. It means to be successful and profitable in our business, career, or whatever else. To be prosperous is a gift from God that results in abundance and affluence. Take Taiwan as an example. It has turned from a place of perilous and poor conditions forty years ago to one with peaceful and rich conditions today. The foreigners have considered this to be a miracle. This is the Lord’s work and His provision. Hence, this prosperity is from the Lord. We have to send out our riches and care for the poor according to the prosperity that the Lord has granted us. In budgeting our finances, we should increase our giving according to the prosperity provided by the Lord. For example, this year you may budget to give a tenth of what you have. Next year you may have to adjust to twelve percent. By increasing this way, you will be blessed.
When I was young, I read a word by Benjamin Franklin. He said that it is easy to make money but that it is hard to spend money. At that time I could not understand this. Later, I became clear. He was absolutely right. It is difficult to use the money that we earn in the right way. The money that you earn should first be used to honor the Lord. You should say to the Lord, “Lord, You have given me this. I am offering a tenth of this to you.” As long as you have the heart, surely you can save one-tenth. You should save this money first, either for the preaching of the gospel or to give to the poor. Only then will your money not be wasted. Only then will it be of value. But if you use your money on wasteful, luxurious, or lustful things, you will corrupt the society. Hence, the way of the Lord is a way of blessing. It is a blessing to you, to those that come into contact with you, and to society. If we want to follow the Lord, our financial planning for the Lord should be adjusted upward yearly.
In order to have the proper service, we must first consecrate our bodies and our time. Romans 12 shows us that to practice the Body life, we must first offer up our bodies. We have to say to the Lord, “Lord, my body is purchased by You. It is Your possession. I am consecrating it to You.” To offer up the body, we have to offer up our time, because the body is in the time. If we cannot give our time, the body cannot be presented. Practically speaking, you should consecrate your body and your time according to the way of budgeting we described. Paul says in Romans 1:14 that he is a debtor to everyone. This is a debt to the Lord. If we do not preach the gospel and do not help others to go on, are we not indebted to the Lord? Hence, we have to consecrate our bodies and our time to preach the gospel and to help others. Only then will we not be indebted to the Lord.
The second item of a proper service is to preach the gospel to gain new ones. In order to preach the gospel, first we must be interested in sinners. We must not feel that they are evil or repulsive. If so, our gospel will not go out. Romans 5:8 says, “God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In Matthew 5:44 the Lord also said to love our enemies. Hence, we have to be interested in sinners. When others lie, you have to pity them. If they are saved, they will no longer lie. Man is corrupted by birth. If the Lord had not saved you, you would not be that much better than they are. Moreover, we have to pray for the unbelievers.
Our preaching of the gospel should not be with a temporary zeal. Many Christians become hot suddenly and also turn cold suddenly. This is not normal. We should serve in a normal and regular way. Once a week we go out to knock on doors to preach the gospel. First Corinthians 9:16 and 17 says, “If I preach the gospel, I have no boast, for necessity is laid upon me; for woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. If I do this of my own will, I have a reward.” It was Paul’s commission to preach the gospel. If he would not preach, it would be a woe to him. We should see the same thing today.
After a person is baptized, he needs care, shepherding, feeding, and teaching. All these require our labor. During the last few years, we have baptized about thirty-eight thousand people through our door-knocking. All the brothers and sisters have to rise up and pick up the burden to care for them. This training is conducted with the hope that the working brothers and sisters would rise up to visit them week by week, caring for them in the home meetings, perfecting them there, considering them as their joy (1 Thes. 2:20), and teaching and shepherding them patiently (John 21:15-16) with the view mainly to develop their spirit (4:24). If everyone would practice this, the result will be very noticeable.
The fifth point of our service is to attend the district meetings for the building up of the church (1 Cor. 14:26). Before and after the meetings we should contact the new attendants and the other believers. I have noticed this lack among most brothers and sisters in the meetings. The reason for this is that no one has the habit of contacting people before and after meetings. We do not have to sit down that quickly before the meeting. We can wait at the door for the brothers and sisters to come. No matter who we see, we can spend a few minutes talking to them. After the meeting we do not need to leave right away. Find someone to talk to. It is always beneficial for believers to contact each other. Spontaneously, there is the visitation, the shepherding, and the teaching. Next, we have to practice functioning in the meetings by testifying or prophesying. We must also practice our voice and our use of time. When we speak in public, we have to speak aloud. At the same time the speaker should measure his time well. Three to five minutes is good enough. Do not speak too long. Last, learn to follow the flow of a meeting, and learn to take care of others’ feeling. Every meeting has its flow. Do not talk about the north when others are talking about the south. When you speak, you should care for the flow and for the feeling of others.
The last point in our service is the building up of the Body of Christ. This is very important. This matter cannot be realized in the meetings of Christianity. It can be realized only in the practice of the new way. In the new way no one is monopolizing. Everyone has a chance. Nothing is according to arrangement. Everything is by the organic way and follows the leading of the spirit. For example, according to your plan, you may have every Friday set aside for going out. But this Monday, while you are praying and contacting the Lord, He may give you a leading to visit your cousin that very evening. This is to be organic. We should not have dead services that come from arrangements. Rather, we should have living services that come from being organic. We should bypass arrangements and serve and act organically. Christianity talks about organization and arrangements. But the new way requires that we serve organically. All the brothers and sisters should be led by the Lord daily. In this way everyone will be built up organically. We will not be building up an organized congregation, but we will be building up the Body of Christ.
Moreover, we should not emphasize work but should pay attention to supplying Christ, life, and the Spirit. Most activities in Christianity emphasize work. But we have to learn not to emphasize work. Rather, we should emphasize the supplying of Christ, life, and the Spirit. For example, a brother may come to fellowship with you. He may mention to you his family problems, that his wife is giving him a hard time. You should not exhort him to be patient, forbearing, or yielding. This is not Christ. You can share with him a testimony, or help him to read some verses. You may say something like this to him: “Brother, today, the Lord Jesus is in you. He is a living Lord, and He is with you all the time. You need to contact Him in the morning. When you see your wife losing her temper, you should begin to fellowship with the Lord within to receive His supply. We all need the filling of the Spirit. We have no way to overcome our problems. But when the Spirit fills us, nothing else will matter anymore.” When you fellowship with him this way, you are supplying Christ to him. You are also supplying the Spirit to him. By this he will grow in life.
As a further step, in order to help others learn to serve and work in an organic way, we have to grow together with the saints in the life of Christ, being joined together and being knit together to be built up into the Body of Christ. This is based upon the words of Ephesians 4. We are not merely coming together for a meeting or to build up a congregation, but we are growing together into the Body of Christ. This is the building up of His Body. We should boast only in the gaining, perfecting, helping, and building up of people. By this the all-inclusive Christ will have an unlimited and unceasing increase and spread.
