Search
As Christians, we must preach the gospel. Every Christian has to preach the gospel. The primary reason for there being only a few saints in a local church is nearly always the neglect of preaching the gospel. If very few new believers are brought in after a period of time, it must be because the saints have neglected to preach the gospel. We should pray that the Lord would give us the burden to preach the gospel. Preaching the gospel does not depend on a method; it is a matter of burden. Preaching the gospel involves passing out tracts and contacting people. Even if people do not like the fact that we preach the gospel and do not receive us, we still need to find ways to continue preaching the gospel by passing out tracts and contacting people. As long as we preach the gospel steadfastly, people will eventually get saved.
Few people will get saved if we rely on monthly gospel meetings but do not preach the gospel in our daily life. Hence, we should preach the gospel and contact people in our daily life. There is a brother who had a strong burden for his supervisor, who was an unbeliever and also opposed the Lord. Nevertheless, the first thing this brother did every day at work was to put a gospel tract on his supervisor’s desk. When the supervisor saw the gospel tract, he threw it away. But this brother continued to put a gospel tract on his supervisor’s desk daily until his supervisor was eventually saved. When we preach the gospel, we need to speak and persistently bother people. Someone may oppose the gospel for many years but eventually be touched and saved.
Everyone, including the younger and the older saints, should receive the burden to preach the gospel. Whenever there is an opportunity, on any day of the week, we should preach the gospel to a few people. As long as the gospel is preached, people will be saved. Therefore, we must preach the gospel even if we do not have a burden. Having a formal monthly gospel meeting is better than doing nothing, but it is also possible to contact people street by street. When we start a new street, we should pray, “Lord, this land is dry. We commit this land to you. Pour down rain on this land today.” By preaching the gospel, we water the land. If we preach the gospel again on the following day, we water the land some more. If we would only be concerned about regularly watering the land, there will certainly be some fruit in the end. In particular, the young brothers and sisters should receive this burden. Whether or not the church has a gospel meeting, they should always bring their classmates and friends to salvation. This is altogether a matter of burden.
For example, the saints in the church in Los Angeles are very burdened to speak about the ground of the church. They do not care whether people agree; the saints only care to speak to people and help them accept the ground of the church. Their speaking has produced a favorable result. We should not expect to do a great or quick work, nor should we expect to gain a large number of people. Instead, we should do a slow work. Our job is to preach the gospel, and people will be saved. Furthermore, if we have the burden to preach the gospel, the people we bring to salvation will likewise have the burden to preach the gospel, because everything brings forth fruit according to its kind.
We need to have a burden to bring our relatives and friends to salvation by any means. After they are saved, we should help them to have the same burden to contact people. If we would gain a few who would also contact their relatives and friends, the gospel will spread. After one year the number gained will grow from two to twenty. In another year the number will grow to forty. If these forty people have the burden for the gospel, the gospel will be prevalent in that locality. This is altogether a matter of the burden. Apparently, it is not easy to preach the gospel, but actually, it is not hard. The more we think that it is hard to preach the gospel, the harder it becomes. Eventually, no one will be willing to receive a burden when the responsible brothers decide to have a gospel meeting. As a result, the speaker will be unable to give a clear message, and few will hear the gospel. Eventually, the saints will be cold toward the gospel. This is a disservice to the Lord.
Whether in Tsingtao, Shanghai, or Hong Kong, the saints in those places initially said that it was not easy to preach the gospel. However, when the church in Tsingtao rose up to preach the gospel, more than seven hundred people were baptized. Likewise, the church in Shanghai grew in number, and the number of district meetings increased. The church in Hong Kong had to purchase a piece of land and built a large meeting hall in order to accommodate the increase. Our problems related to the gospel originate from a lack of burden. It is impossible for people not to get saved if we would preach the gospel. We must receive the burden to preach until people believe in Jesus.
It is much easier for us to preach the gospel today than it was for the missionaries who went to China at the end of the Ching Dynasty. It was difficult for the missionaries to go to China to preach the gospel. At that time China was a closed culture. People in the countryside who saw missionaries entering a village would shout that the foreign devils had come. All the doors would be closed, and no one in the entire village would be seen on the street. It was useless for the missionaries to knock on the doors, because no one was willing to open the door. Hunter Corbett was a missionary sent from the United States by the Presbyterian Church. He was a learned and spiritual man who labored in the northeast part of Shangtung Province for fifty-five years until he died at the age of eighty-five. He often traveled on a big horse and was able to preach the gospel in the native tongue of the local people. In those days one hundred Chinese coins strung together were called a diao. Mr. Corbett carried many diaos with him. The adults were embarrassed to ask for money, but the children had no problem begging. Mr. Corbett would distribute the coins as if he was bestowing grace. As long as people asked, he would give until the money he had ran out. The children received him as their god of wealth, but the adults did not like him. They threw stones and dirt at him. Mr. Corbett, however, did not fear, nor did he shun them. He continued walking slowly. Over time the adults were touched because he never hit back. Gradually, the gospel spread. Missionary Corbett preached the gospel during the Boxer Rebellion. However, because he had a loving heart and showed great kindness toward the people, giving everything he had to them, even the Boxers said, “Kill all the foreign devils, except for Missionary Corbett.”
When Mr. Corbett and his co-workers first went to the countryside in Shantung province, as soon as they entered a village, all the doors would close. Eventually, Mr. Corbett and his co-workers learned to hide next to a door. When the people inside a house opened the door, Mr. Corbett and his co-workers would stick their staff into the doorway so that the door could not be closed. If the people cursed them, they would smile. If the people hit them, they would not hit back. Eventually, this softened people’s hearts. The missionaries knew that the people in northern China ground their wheat; nearly every house had a mill room. It was a tiring task to grind at the mill. Therefore, when the missionaries entered into a house, they would run straight to the mill before they could be kicked out. Initially, the people let the missionaries grind. As their hearts softened, the people would bring water for the missionaries. This was an opportunity for the missionaries to speak. Eventually, the people were opened. Although it was difficult, the missionaries continued to preach in such a way, and eventually, the gospel spread.
When the number of believers increased, the missionaries built schools and did not charge tuition. The missionaries even took care of the students’ food, lodging, and clothing, and gave them allowances to take home. Because the students were taught the words in the Bible, local preachers were raised up. After a little more than ten years the first group of local evangelists was produced in China. This is how the door of the gospel was opened in China. It was not easy. Today we should have the same burden and spirit.
Hence, we need to pray for the saints so that they would continue steadfastly in the burden for the gospel and would not fear difficulties. The church in Los Angeles had the burden to preach the ground of the church, which is actually harder than preaching the gospel, among the Chinese Christians and also among the American Christians. Eventually, the people knew that there was a group of Christians from China speaking about the ground of the church. In the same principle, if we have a burden for the gospel, we would each bring one person to salvation every year. The most effective way for the students to preach the gospel to their classmates and to gain them is to befriend them. Do not develop friendships blindly; rather, make friends for the gospel. Young students are pure, but when they are in middle school, they are exposed to all kinds of secular ideologies. Our pure gospel is superior to any secular ideology. If we can make friends with our classmates and preach the gospel to them, it will be easy for them to receive the gospel.
This is how the brothers and sisters in the medical school of Cheeloo University in Jinan preached the gospel. The brothers and sisters loved the Lord in a pure way. However, the environment did not allow them to meet, so they held the table meeting at a graveyard. For the table meeting they put the bread and the cup on a stone table, and fifty or sixty of them sat on the ground. These saints gained more than one hundred medical students by preaching to their classmates. Later, in Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, the largest hospital in Beijing, the gospel was spread through some sisters who were nurses in the hospital. Many doctors were brought to salvation through these nurses. Preaching the gospel requires skill, but first of all we need to receive a burden and to pray. Then we need to ask the Lord to give us a way to contact people. If we would pray and then go out to preach the gospel, the Lord will do something, and people will believe.
Concerning our focus and the direction that we should take in the future, I have a heavy feeling within that we should not spend too much time and energy on the saints in the denominations. Rather, we should spend our time and energy on the Gentiles, that is, the unbelievers and those who are not clear about salvation. There are three benefits to doing so: First, if we bring one person to salvation, there will be one more citizen in the Lord’s kingdom. This is an increase in His kingdom and the propagation of the work of His salvation. Second, it is easier to bring an unbeliever to salvation than it is to change a Christian. Third, our purpose in coming to the United States is to maintain the Lord’s testimony by standing on the proper ground. If we want believers to deny the ground on which they meet, we might come into conflict with other groups.
It is not easy to change a Christian. This can be compared to remodeling a house instead of rebuilding it. This was our experience when we began the work in Taiwan. Because of the change in the political situation in China, many Christians went to Taiwan. These Christians had no choice but to come to our meetings, because they could not find their former denominations. On the one hand, they appreciated the spiritual help that we rendered, but on the other hand, they could not change their old practices. Every day we prayed for these Christians, hoping that they would change, but they did not change. They usually argued when we spoke with them. The new ones whom we gained, however, made much progress in one year. To lead Christians yields little result with twice the effort, but to lead new believers yields much result with half the effort. Therefore, it is more prudent for us to spend our time gaining new ones.
The Lord called us to come to the United States for the testimony of the ground. When a Christian comes in and sees that we have no other grounds, there might be conflict. There is always this danger when we bring someone in. If his eyes are not opened, he will argue with us about the work because he has different views, and such debates do not have clear conclusions. Our desire to lead him onward will be to no avail, and our effort will be of no effect. Instead, we should focus on preaching the gospel. Of course, we will not reject the Christians who come to us. Fishing involves taking the hook. We have the testimony of the church, so whoever wants to come may come. In relation to the unbelievers, we cannot hope that those who want to come will come; rather, we need to spend time to gain and lead new ones. The more new ones we save, the stronger our testimony will be. This constant addition of new ones will prove to the Christians that our practice of the ground is right. Eventually, the Christians will have a good impression of the ground of the church. Facts speak louder than words. By such a practice, we will double the result with half the effort. Therefore, we should focus our energy on actively gaining new believers, especially the local people.
The United States needs the gospel. If we cannot each bring one person to salvation every year, then we at least need to bring one person to salvation every three to four years. It is not acceptable for us not to bring someone to salvation in three to four years. Our neighbors, relatives, and friends are before our eyes; they are schools of fish. The students can make friends with their classmates and invite them to listen to the gospel. Some of us have been living in the United States for many years, but we have not brought anyone to salvation. There must be something wrong. If we would bring one person to salvation every four years, we could double our number every four years. The number of saints in the United States has increased over the past few years, but this increase has been primarily among Asians instead of among the local people.
If we do not preach the gospel, no one will be saved. If we do not increase, within a decade there will only be old people in the church. If no children are born in a family, that family has no hope, because it is without a next generation. Furthermore, if the members in a family are all fifty or sixty years old, everyone will be grumpy and peculiar. The atmosphere will be lifeless, and there will be no appetite or interest in anything. Our salvation is to receive the Lord’s burden to preach the gospel and save souls. When we strive together with one mind to preach the gospel and save people, praying for people and taking care of new ones, those who did not have this mind will be of one mind, and those who were dead will be living. When we spend our time and energy to preach the gospel, the church will be of one mind.
This is Paul’s word in Philippians regarding the blessed situation that the church should have in the furtherance of the gospel. Paul says, “I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, always in my every petition on behalf of you all, making my petition with joy, for your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun in you a good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” (1:3-6). And in verse 27 Paul says, “Only, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I may hear of the things concerning you, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel.”
We are the branches, and the Lord is the vine; hence, we should bear fruit (John 15:5). A branch that does not bear fruit should be cut off. Verse 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.” The phrase takes it away does not refer to perishing in the lake of fire but to losing one’s fellowship with the Lord and with the saints. If the branches of the vine remain on the vine, the sap of the vine will flow into the branches, and the branches will have fellowship with the vine and with the other branches. However, once a branch is cut off, the fellowship is interrupted. If we do not preach the gospel properly and do not bring anyone to salvation in eight or ten years, we are like a branch that does not bear fruit, and we will lose our fellowship with the Lord. On the contrary, if we preach the gospel zealously and bring people to salvation every year, we will spontaneously have much fellowship with the Lord and with the saints.
There are a few things we must practice in order to preach the gospel and bear fruit. First, we need to pray, confessing our sins and asking the Lord to forgive our barrenness. Second, we need to make a list of our relatives, classmates, colleagues, neighbors, and acquaintances, and we should fellowship with the saints for the Lord’s leading to either visit the ones on our list, write to them, or invite them for a meal so that they can hear the testimonies of the saints. If we would do this, our number would double quickly. The success of a task depends on how much effort we put into it. If there is no effort, there will be no results. If we do not preach the gospel, God will have no way to do anything. If we preach the gospel, He will work. Third, we need to consecrate ourselves to the Lord again for this matter. After we make a list of names, we will have the burden to contact the ones on our list. If we cannot contact them every day, we can at least contact them once a month. This is the most effective way to preach the gospel. Then it will be easy to invite our relatives and friends to come to a gospel meeting of the church. Fourth, we need to rely on the church. Without the church we cannot preach the gospel. Therefore, we must have the church life; we must love one another and coordinate in service with the saints. This is our testimony.
Acts 2:44-47 says, “All those who believed were together and had all things common; and they sold their properties and possessions and divided them to all, as anyone had need. And 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 indicates that in the early church life the saints lived and coordinated together and loved one another. This is the genuine ground of oneness that allowed the Lord to add new believers. The church life is not attending Sunday service and listening to a message every week and then living a separate life at home. Our church life should be the same as the situation in Acts. Although we cannot repeat what happened in Acts, we should love one another and coordinate with one another. You care for me, and I care for you. You support me, and I support you. The gospel that is most worthy of being spread in today’s society is to care for one another and love one another in the Lord. When our relatives and friends see how we care for the saints and how the saints care for us, their hearts will be easily touched.
John 15:12 says, “This is My commandment, that you love one another even as I have loved you”; 13:35 says, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”; and 17:21 and 23 say, “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me...That they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.” In the genuine church life the saints bear one another’s burdens, help with one another’s problems, and consider one another, thus manifesting a certain kind of testimony. This is a very moving gospel. Our preaching of the gospel is not merely to give a message and then ask people to become members. No, we have the word of the gospel, and we also have a living that testifies to the ground of oneness. If we lack such a church life, it will be hard for our preaching of the gospel to be effective.
In order to preach the gospel, the church must have the one accord and strive together with one mind. The one accord and the striving together with one mind are our church life. I believe that if we can each live the church life, the gospel will spread very quickly. We must continue to preach the gospel. There should not be only old faces in the church; there must be new faces added all the time. We are fishers of men (Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:17), so we need to go fishing. We are also laboring farmers (2 Tim. 2:6), so we need to till the land, sow seeds, and gather the produce. The church will be poor if we do not go fishing or labor on the land. In order for the church to be rich in saints, spiritual gifts, and even material riches, we must preach the gospel. The church will be rich if we bring all kinds of people to salvation by preaching the gospel.
There must be children in a household. Without children, without offspring, a household is doomed no matter how rich or poor it may be. A person with many children may be poor now, but if one child later becomes successful, the household will flourish. Our children are our future and our hope. The more children there are, the more hope there is. If we have only the current brothers and sisters without new ones, we will eventually be like a lonely old man. In order to grow, new ones must be brought in. A growing society must have new blood. A society has no future if there are only old people. Likewise, we must preach the gospel and bring new ones into the church life. As long as new ones are coming in, the church will not become old. If we have both new ones and old ones, the church will be prosperous and full of hope.
