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When we began changing the system, we spoke of our goals. We said that we are changing the system to eliminate the traditional Christian way of meeting, to give the brothers and sisters the opportunity to exercise their organic function in the meetings, to support the brothers and sisters who meet regularly, to recover the ones who have not met for a long time, and to bring in new ones. By doing this, the church can multiply and increase, and the Lord’s recovery will have a future. Furthermore, we will be able to gospelize Taiwan within the next few years. We cannot say that we have been successful in these matters, but we are seeing the initial signs of success. Instead of going backward, we are making progress, and we are increasing, not decreasing.
Since changing the system involves eliminating old habits and developing new habits, everyone is affected. Human beings are accustomed to old things and old ways. We are subconsciously accustomed to and prefer old things. Hence, it is difficult and inconvenient for us to begin something new. For example, when I first wore Western suits, I felt that they were not as comfortable as Chinese gowns. Western suits have a shirt with buttons on the collars and the sleeves, they need a necktie, and the trousers need to be worn with a belt. However, I made the change, and I have been wearing Western suits for approximately forty years. Now I do not feel that the Chinese gowns are comfortable. I am no longer accustomed to wearing them. This shows that we can become accustomed to new things.
It is very difficult for older people to change their ways. In some families each member has a designated seat at the dinner table. It is difficult for an elderly person to sit in a different chair because he is accustomed to sitting in a particular chair, even though the chairs are the same. He must also sit at a particular distance from the table; otherwise, he is unable to eat his meal.
This example shows that it is not easy to change our habits. Therefore, we must sympathize with the older brothers and sisters because it is difficult for them to become accustomed to new things. It is especially difficult for the older saints, because in changing the system we no longer emphasize the big meetings, and the small group meetings may not seem to be conducted in an orderly way. In spite of these changes, we are still in the process; we have not arrived at the goal. Even though our progress is not ideal, we are moving forward, not backward, and our numbers have increased, not decreased. We are making progress in the new way.
Even though we have changed the system and set new goals, we are not ignoring our actual situation. In every country, whether it is Christian or non-Christian, most people do not work, and they do not go to school on the Lord’s Day; they are free on the Lord’s Day. Therefore, the Lord’s Day is the best day for us to hold a meeting.
Over the past two centuries Christianity has been a part of the Western influence that spread in the East. The influence of Christianity has even affected all the countries in the world. Hence, going to “church” to worship on the Lord’s Day is a common practice, and Christmas, which is not according to the truth, is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians around the globe. These are common practices. Everyone is accustomed to Christians worshipping on the Lord’s Day; hence, we do not need to be an exception.
When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He went to the synagogues to preach the gospel on the Sabbath (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:16). However, He had no intention of keeping the Sabbath. He clearly said that with His coming, the Sabbath is over (Matt. 12:8). He also had no intention of worshipping God in the synagogues, but He went to the synagogues on the Sabbath to teach, to preach the gospel, to perform miracles, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. The apostles did the same thing. The apostle Paul went to the synagogues in Gentile lands when he was on his ministry journeys. In those days the Jews were not the only ones meeting in the synagogues. Many God-seeking Gentiles also met in the synagogues because of the Jewish influence. For this reason, when Paul went to a city, he would first go to the synagogue if there were no believers in that city (Acts 9:20; 13:5, 14; 14:1). Paul even went on the Sabbath (17:1-2), but he had no intention of keeping the Sabbath. He used the time, place, and environment to preach the gospel to people.
Even though we changed the system, we still consider the Lord’s Day morning meetings to be important. We hope that all the churches will have a general meeting on the Lord’s Day. In this general meeting a particular and weighty message should be given for the benefit of all and to attract people. We emphasize this matter because some of the older brothers and sisters, who have been meeting with us for a long time, cannot get used to the district meetings or even to the small groups, and we cannot force them to like these meetings. For the sake of these brothers and sisters we need a meeting on the Lord’s Day. However, this meeting must not become a routine; it must be proper and weighty. We should look to the Lord concerning how to conduct this meeting. Even though the carrying out of this meeting will depend on the situation and capacity of each locality, we should continue to hold it on the Lord’s Day. We cannot stop the general big meeting on the Lord’s Day simply because we changed the system.
The church is the pillar and base of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15); hence, every believer should pursue the truth. Every believer should also know the truth because God desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth (2:4). According to the teaching of the Bible, we are obligated to teach the truth to the brothers and sisters. In the Gospel of Matthew the Lord charged us, saying, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age” (28:19-20). Therefore, teaching the truth is a crucial matter. We must confess that in the past we did not teach the truth sufficiently. Even though we paid attention to this matter, we were not detailed or focused in our emphasis. After many years of experience, we confess that we have lost much grace and blessing in this matter.
In order to aid the change in the system, we have published Truth Lessons. These lessons should not be spoken as ordinary messages; rather, they should be presented in the way of education, because they contain biblical truths. These lessons should be taught to the saints in sequence. After a few lessons the saints will get a taste for the lessons. The special feature of Truth Lessons is that they do not touch one topic here and then mention another topic. Rather, they are like an educational course compiled in a systematic way to be taught to the saints step by step.
When we read Truth Lessons, there are some matters concerning the revelation of the truth that we must know. When the Roman emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, only twenty books of the New Testament had been recognized as authoritative. The remaining seven books—Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation—were recognized seventy-two years later at the Council of Carthage in A.D. 397. In this council the leaders of the churches gathered together and recognized these books as being authoritative. Hence, we have the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Many people have been Christians for many years, but they still do not know that the New Testament has twenty-seven books.
Christians, including those in the Catholic Church and in major Protestant denominations, believe in a creed as well as the Bible. A creed is a set of religious beliefs. The use of the word creed was determined at the Council of Nicaea. Constantine the Great wanted to use Christianity to unite the Roman Empire because it was difficult for him to exercise his authority over his vast empire in which the people held many different concepts. However, even the Bible expositors and theologians were not united because of their opinions. Hence, Constantine used his position as emperor to make a decree ordering all the great theologians and Bible teachers to hold a council in Nicaea in A.D. 325. Constantine himself was the moderator of this council in which the theologians and Bible teachers researched and debated the truth. As a result, under the authority of the Roman Empire all the theologians and Bible teachers came to an agreement in their beliefs. This agreement was written down and became the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed was written before the entire New Testament was recognized in A.D. 397.
Catholics, Anglicans, and other Christian groups recite the Nicene Creed every Lord’s Day. This creed, however, does not speak of the seven Spirits. The most important part of any book is its conclusion, regardless of what the book expounds or reveals. The Bible also has a conclusion. It begins with the book of Genesis and concludes with the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation speaks of the seven Spirits; hence, without the book of Revelation the other sixty-five books of the Bible do not have a conclusion.
Genesis 1 speaks of God’s creation and says that the Spirit of God was brooding upon the surface of the waters (v. 2). Other portions of the Old Testament also refer to the Spirit. They say that the Spirit of Jehovah came upon a person and that the Spirit of Jehovah caused people to prophesy (Judg. 3:10; 1 Sam. 10:6). The New Testament speaks of the Holy Spirit before the birth of the Lord Jesus, saying that the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:20). The New Testament also speaks of the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7), that is, the Spirit of the incarnated and crucified Savior, and it speaks of the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9), the Spirit of the resurrected Lord. There is also the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19), the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2), and the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). These titles are according to the divine revelation concerning the Holy Spirit.
All theologians agree that the divine revelation did not develop in a quick way; rather, it developed gradually. The development of the truth can be compared to the sun rising at dawn and shining brighter and brighter until it reaches its zenith. The revelation concerning the Holy Spirit reaches its zenith in the book of Revelation. Genesis is the dawning of the divine revelation, after which the divine revelation gradually shines brighter until it reaches its zenith in Revelation. We can say that in the book of Revelation the divine revelation reaches high noon.
The book of Revelation, however, was not yet recognized when the Council of Nicaea was held. Therefore, in relation to the divine revelation, the Council of Nicaea did not define its creed at noontime but only at about ten o’clock in the morning. This creed lacks the revelation contained in Revelation and in Hebrews. Without these two precious books, the Bible has two large holes. These two books, however, were not recognized at the time of the Council of Nicaea. The creed instituted by this Council was not perfect or complete, because the divine revelation had not arrived at noon, at its zenith.
By the time I went to America more than twenty years ago, I had received much light from the Lord concerning the Spirit. Christianity in America had not seen the light that I had received, and many theologians could not receive it. They were very uncomfortable after they heard me speak. Many people exhorted me in love to not speak these things in America, because the Christians here could not receive what I spoke. They said that even though the Bible contains these matters, the people could not receive them. I responded that if I did not speak these things, I would have nothing to say, and there would be no need for me to be in America. There was no need for me to speak other things, because there are many pastors and theologians in America. The Lord had revealed many things to me; hence, I had a definite burden in coming to America. I must overcome all criticism and do my best to speak what I have seen. I must also print my messages in books.
In the summer of 1969 we held a conference in Ohio. Before the conference I received a burden from the Lord to speak concerning the seven Spirits. This was the first time I released a message on the seven Spirits, and everyone was shocked. After the messages were printed, the word and the light concerning the seven Spirits silenced the Christians in America who formerly disagreed with my speaking on the Spirit. When Christians showed us the Nicene Creed, we explained that the Nicene Creed was incomplete and fell short of the divine revelation because it was written in A.D. 325 before Revelation and Hebrews were recognized. After this explanation the Christians did not have anything more to say.
We need to receive the education in Truth Lessons. Every volume of Truth Lessons contains twelve to twenty detailed lessons. Let us consider lesson 14 in Volume 2 of Level 1. This lesson is on the Old Testament prophets. It presents the five prophets before the age of the prophets—four in Judah and one Gentile—and the prophets that were raised up during the age of the prophets, including the twelve minor prophets. It is not easy to memorize the order of the twelve minor prophets. However, we should study the important points of their prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus. Even if we forget these important points, by carefully studying these books, the riches will be deposited into us.
Therefore, instead of being discouraged, we should persevere with endurance. Our laboring in the truth can be compared to completing a four-year curriculum at a university. The speech, attitude, and expressions of a person who graduates from a university are different from those of a person who never attended a university. We hope the brothers and sisters will labor diligently in the truth.
Here is another example. When we came to Taiwan more than thirty years ago, the outward circumstances were very discouraging because the people were backward in both their speech and dress. The situation now is completely different because the government has worked hard, and there are many college students. Everyone has developed their intellect and potential because they have received a good education. This has made the economy robust and the society wealthy. In the same principle, if the Lord’s testimony is to have a way on earth, we must be educated in the truth.
It is a gradual process to be educated in the truth. Outwardly it seems as if there is no revival, but things are very solid inwardly. We are doing the work of the Lord’s recovery, not a work of excitement. This is a work of life in which we help the saints grow in life, and it is a work of truth in which the saints are cultivated in the truth. The church in Taipei has definitely been doing quite well in these two aspects.
Apart from the general big meetings and the meetings to teach Truth Lessons, we also need a meeting every Lord’s Day to remember the Lord as our source and to fellowship with Him. In this meeting we must learn to fellowship with the Lord and remember Him as our source. Because we belong to the Lord, we must have a meeting to remember Him. The arrangements for this meeting must be very sober. The brothers and sisters have paid much attention to the table meeting, and more people attend this meeting than attend the other meetings. This is a good sign.
We also need the meetings in the homes, the small group meetings. We must practice the small group meetings in order to overturn the traditional Christian way of meeting. There is no form in the small group meetings; everyone can speak and function. It does not matter whether we refer to these meetings as home meetings or small group meetings; there is no need to argue about the name. We simply need to let people know that we have such a meeting once a week. It is best to have this meeting on Saturday. However, because Saturdays may not be convenient for some brothers and sisters, they can hold this meeting on another day. Whether this meeting is on Saturday or another day, all the brothers and sisters should open their homes once a week to have a small group meeting or a home meeting. This is a basic meeting.
The small group meetings are the foundation for building up the church. The three meetings we have discussed are for preparing the materials to build up the church. The general big meetings are for gathering the materials, the meetings for Truth Lessons are for preparing the materials, and the table meetings are for maintaining the freshness of the materials. The actual building takes place in the small group meetings. The small group meetings are the foundation for building up the church.
The fifth meeting that we need is the prayer meeting of the church. We need the saints to pray individually, and we need all the saints to come together and pray at least once a week. This gives us five kinds of meetings that cover different aspects of the church life: the general big meetings, the meetings for Truth Lessons in separate classes, the bread-breaking meetings, the small group or home meetings, and the prayer meetings. In addition to these meetings, there are other meetings, such as co-workers’ meetings, elders’ meetings, training meetings, and service meetings. We cannot make general arrangements for these other meetings. Each locality must make arrangements for these meetings according to their respective situations and needs.
We cannot eliminate any of these five meetings. The big meetings are for gathering people as the materials, and the meetings for Truth Lessons are for preparing the materials. In the bread-breaking meetings our heart is turned to the Lord so that we can be burning toward Him, thus, maintaining the freshness of the materials. The prayer meetings are for the carrying out of the prayer ministry of the church. In addition to these meetings there is the small group meeting. This is the most important meeting for the building up of the church. The function of this meeting is to sustain the brothers and sisters, to recover those who have not been meeting, and to bring in new ones. The ability of the church to increase depends on the condition of the small group meetings, because in the small group meetings there are mutual fellowship, care, shepherding, and exhortation, which constitute the base for the building up of the church.
There are presently three or four thousand brothers and sisters meeting regularly in the church in Taipei. In the past the church in Taipei had only eight to ten elders, and there was no way for them to care for so many people. Presently there are more than eighty elders, but there is still no way for them to adequately care for all the saints. Therefore, all the brothers and sisters must function in the small group meetings and bear the responsibility to feed and care for one another. It is easy for eight to ten people, who meet together once a week in a small group meeting, to know one another. Moreover, even if they do not have any feeling for one another, after meeting together two or three times, they will begin to care for one another, because human beings are social by nature and rich in emotions. They will know one another and care for one another’s condition, health, and job. Instead of feeling as if they are strangers, they will be concerned for one another and cherish one another. There will be a sweet feeling in the meeting.
In a society everyone has social relationships. No person wants to live alone for a long time, regardless of his social status, education, or financial condition. He will always want to return to society in order to continue his existence. The believers in the church life need to know that since the church is the assembly of the called-out ones, the members need to contact and fellowship with one another. We can testify that without the church our existence does not have meaning.
Some elderly people exercise by walking or running every day to maintain mobility. Other elderly people do not exercise their bodies or their minds, and as a result they become less mobile and deteriorate mentally. It is possible for them to forget how to return home if they go out by themselves. This shows that we cannot stop being active or exercising. Our bodies and our minds become stronger and more flexible when we exercise.
For example, even though I speak for one or two hours when I give a message, I do not feel physically tired. If I am not allowed to speak, I will not be able to eat or sleep well. I am more than eighty years old. I will become ill if I do nothing and do not give any messages. After giving a message, I frequently sleep peacefully and soundly through the night. I am presently working at least one and a half times more than I did ten years ago. In order to maintain my health, I force myself to walk at least half an hour every day. Without this exercise I do not have any strength. A person who lives to be eighty but is inactive or has no goal in his life may quickly go to his grave. The human mind and body need to be used. We should not stop using them simply because we are old. We should not retire too early, because early retirement makes people useless. We must continue working. In other words, we need regular and adequate exercise.
Our regular and adequate spiritual exercise is in the small group meetings. We must spend our energy on the small group meetings. The number of people in a small group meeting should not exceed ten. It is best if there are only seven or eight people. If the number in the meeting exceeds twelve people, the meeting should be split into two groups. Because human beings are social, it will not be easy for us to split a meeting after the saints meet together for a period of time. Initially, the members of a group might not know one another, but gradually they will feel that the meetings have flavor because they know one another, care for one another, and fan one another into flame. Gradually, their number may increase to twelve, fifteen, or even twenty. Then they will feel that it is difficult to split the meeting into two groups.
However, a meeting that does not split into two groups will not spread. Therefore, the meeting must split. We hope that every home will have a meeting and that these meetings will flourish and split until the home of every brother and sister has a small group meeting. In one of the large apartment complexes there are five households of saints who live next to each other. Some of these brothers and sisters have manifested their function. Therefore, we hope that there would be five small group meetings in that complex. Then everyone in that complex can be cared for.
We cannot give up the small group meetings. They have a specific function in the practical building up of the church. When we began changing the system, we said that everything we were doing was an experiment, because this was our first time to take the new way. We were in the experimental stage. In our heart we felt as though we were walking on thin ice, and we were trying different things. We have finished the period of research and experimenting, and we feel very good. In particular, we feel good that many brothers and sisters have a meeting in their home. It is not sufficient for the saints to fellowship only with family members; they need the group meetings. There is a need for fellowship among different families. For example, three families can come together to form a small group. There is a need for homes and for small group meetings.
I hope that every meeting hall will have a general big meeting every Lord’s Day morning as well as a meeting for teaching Truth Lessons. I also hope that Truth Lessons will be taught in classes according to the different levels of the saints. It is best for the bread-breaking meetings to be held in the districts. According to our present situation, we cannot have the bread-breaking meeting in every home even though the saints in the initial church life broke bread from house to house (Acts 2:46). The early church broke bread from house to house every day. They probably remembered the Lord before every meal. At that time the believers were very zealous for the Lord. Our practice of having the bread-breaking meetings on the Lord’s Day is also according to the Bible. Even though Acts 2:46 speaks of the saints breaking bread every day in their homes, 20:7 shows that the saints came together to break the bread on the first day of the week. It gradually became a pattern in the early church life to hold the bread-breaking meeting on the first day of the week.
Some of the older responsible brothers may have difficulty getting used to the change in our practice. Previously, a new one could partake of the table only after he had been formally introduced, and we would never allow anyone to casually break bread in his home or even hold a separate bread-breaking meeting. Such matters were practiced only after the elders fellowshipped and prayed and then made a decision. We are making a great turn that is difficult for the older brothers to receive.
On the one hand, we are making a turn; on the other hand, we are not making a turn. The truth cannot be changed, but we can make changes in our practice. For example, we are Chinese, and we used to wear Chinese gowns, but we made a change, and we now wear Western suits. In spite of the change in our clothing, we have not made a change in our person. As another example, in the early days of the Republic of China, children in the countryside wore their hair in long braids. Later, with the change in the environment, they cut off their braids. However, the children were still the same even though their hairstyle changed.
It does not matter whether we have the bread-breaking meeting in the meeting halls or in the homes. We should not make any rules about this matter; instead, the saints in each locality must consider their situation and do what is best. One brother fellowshipped that because the saints in his area live far apart from each other, few saints are able to gather and break bread together. Hence, they have no choice but to have table meetings in small groups according to where the clusters of saints live. When they began meeting in this way, the number of saints in the table meetings actually increased. This is what it means to arrange things according to the local situation. We do not need to have the same practice in every locality.
This also applies to the prayer meeting. On the one hand, if the brothers and sisters gather to pray in many different places, the prayer may not be strong, and there may not be many saints in the meeting. On the other hand, if we all meet together to pray, there will be too many people in the meeting, and not everyone will have the opportunity to function. Therefore, we must examine our situation. We can pray in smaller districts and come together for a large corporate prayer meeting once a month. We should not have any regulations concerning the prayer meeting. For example, the many meeting halls in the church in Taipei do not need to have their meetings at the same time. Each meeting hall should be allowed to set the times for its meetings according to the need of the saints.
Concerning splitting the small group meetings, some small groups have not reached the stage of maturity, so these groups should not be split. However, this should not be taken as an excuse to continue meeting according to our habit. The goal of these meetings is to give all the brothers and sisters the opportunity to speak and function by shepherding one another, recovering the dormant saints, and bringing in new ones. According to this principle, if a group is split before it reaches the desired goal, the saints will scatter. It is best to wait until a group matures before splitting it.
I want to exhort all the brothers and sisters to open their homes for the saints to meet. This is the best way for believers to receive the blessing. We belong to the living Lord. We should, therefore, be for the Lord’s interests on the earth. All the saints in the Lord’s recovery truly love the Lord and want to make Him happy. Hence, we must exhort one another by pointing out that the best way to receive the blessing is to open up our homes. When we open our homes, our families will be blessed, and our relatives, friends, and neighbors will also receive a blessing. This is scriptural.
There are several patterns in the New Testament of believers meeting in homes. On the day of Pentecost the new believers met together in their homes. We believe that they did this to gain the benefit, not just to meet a need. If there had been no need or benefit, they would not have had this practice. On the day of their salvation, they heard Peter’s message, were baptized, and then opened their homes to meet together. They must have met in their homes to receive the blessing.
In Acts 10 there is the example of Cornelius. Even before Cornelius knew the Lord Jesus or heard the gospel from Peter, that is, before he was saved, he had a meeting in his home. Cornelius prayed frequently because he had received the Old Testament Scriptures from the Jews and knew something concerning the things of God. Based on these facts we believe that he probably sat with his family members to discuss God. This was a home meeting. When the angel appeared to Cornelius and told him to invite Peter, Cornelius obeyed the angel (vv. 5-8). He then prepared his home and invited his relatives and intimate friends before Peter arrived (v. 24). Cornelius had a proper group meeting in his home before he was saved. After Peter came and preached the gospel, all the members of the household of Cornelius were immediately saved.
There was no church near the house of Cornelius, but that does not mean that they did not meet together after Peter left. What did they do without any so-called older or leading brothers? We must believe that Cornelius was the leading brother. This means that Cornelius was the elder. Cornelius was also the deacon, he was the one who visited and cared for the others. This is the pattern in the Bible. Every believer should be like Cornelius after his salvation. We believe that the house of Cornelius, his family members, did not stop meeting after they were baptized. In the early days of the church life there was the atmosphere of opening the home.
Another example is Lydia, a seller of purple-dyed goods, whose whole house was saved and baptized (16:14-15). In addition to being saved and baptized, she also opened up her home for meetings. Hence, before leaving Philippi, Paul went to her house and saw the brothers (v. 40). Paul did not remain in Philippi to care for them. This household was saved before there was a church in Philippi; therefore, they must have begun meeting in their own home.
As another example, in Philippi Paul preached the gospel to the jailer and his household. After hearing the gospel, the jailer and his household were baptized on the same day, and they were joyful (vv. 30-34). Paul, however, did not remain with them. I believe that the household of this jailer continued to meet even after Paul left. I also believe that the church in Philippi began in this household. In the New Testament the church in Philippi is a good church. Thus, the small group meetings are very important. Any church that begins with small group meetings will definitely be strong.
Although we are saved, we will still be cold at times. A weekly meeting in our home will help us and restrict us. It will be a preservation and blessing to us. This meeting will help every member of our family. On the day that the meeting is in our home, we will be restrained from arguing freely. This is a preservation because it helps a husband and wife to respect each other. There are many benefits when we open our home for a home meeting.
We have lost many opportunities to receive the blessing. We also owe a huge debt to our friends, neighbors, and relatives. If we open our home for a meeting, after a period of time everyone will know that we have a meeting, and they will come to see what we are doing. If we do not have a meeting in our home, even though we have been saved for three to five years, our friends, neighbors, and relatives will only know that we always go to the meeting hall, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays. They will not know what we do at the meeting hall. However, if we have a meeting in our home, everyone will eventually know that we have a meeting, and they may unexpectedly find us meeting together when they come to visit us. In this way they will hear the word of the gospel and receive salvation. There are only blessings and benefits when we open our homes for meetings. We will not suffer any loss.
We can also learn to sing hymns in the home meetings. The new brothers and sisters do not know how to sing the hymns. If we also do not know how to sing the hymns, when we have a meeting in their homes, we will only be able to read the hymns, not sing them. Today all the schools in Taiwan teach music using simplified notation. This should make it easy for us to sing. If we are willing to learn, we will eventually be able to sing the hymns.
To meet the need of the home meetings, it is good to have a few extra Bibles in our homes. It is possible that our children will read the Bible while they are playing. They might read the sentence “Let no one despise your youth” (1 Tim. 4:12) and be influenced by it, because they are astonished that the Bible contains such a sentence. They may also read the portion that says, “Allow the little children and do not prevent them from coming to Me” (Matt. 19:14). Even though they are playing, the Lord can use this to impress them with His love for them. Hence, it is good to have extra Bibles in our homes. Even if the meetings in our homes do not seem so good, we will receive the blessing when we open our homes for the meetings.
Some brothers and sisters are very busy with their jobs, but they should still have a meeting. According to the Old Testament principle, God does not want His people to labor seven days a week. God wants His people to labor for six days and have one day of rest. On the day the children of Israel rested, they considered God. Initially, people in the Old Testament considered God only as their Creator. After the children of Israel left Egypt, God commanded them to keep the Sabbath (Exo. 20:8-10). On the Sabbath day the Israelites did not remember God merely as their Creator; they also remembered Him as their Redeemer. They considered how He saved their ancestors out of the land of Egypt by bringing them across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, and into the good land of Canaan to enjoy the riches of the good land. The Israelites considered all these things. This was very profitable.
Today a person can work only ten to twelve hours in a day. If a person works too long, it is not good for his health. We all must have a time of relaxation to alleviate our worries, or to take a walk, and, in the words of the unbelievers, to have some entertainment and recreation. When the unbelievers have entertainment and recreation, they tend to go astray and bring in numerous sinful things. We do not want to see this happen among us. We should go to meetings on the Lord’s Day to enjoy the Lord. This is genuine and proper recreation. In addition, we can open our homes one evening a week to allow the saints to relax and be comfortable. We should not take anything else as our enjoyment. We should read the Bible, discuss the truths of the Bible, speak of the Lord Jesus, and give testimonies, and we can play the piano to accompany our hymn singing. This is the way of blessing.
Whether for the sake of the church or for our proper human living, we should have one evening a week to open our home for the Lord and let our friends and neighbors know that we are Christians who fear God. Every week we should spend one evening at home. Instead of being occupied with business, we should speak about the things of the Lord with those in our family. There is no need for religious rituals. When I was young, there was also a meeting in my home, but the meetings we had were religious and formal. We do not want religious rituals; rather, we want to sing the hymns freely, discuss the Bible, and speak of the Lord to our friends and relatives. This is normal and worthwhile.
We can open our homes from 7:00 to 11:00 P.M. and tell our friends and relatives to come at any time during these four hours. If we will practice this, one home can bring at least one friend or relative to the Lord in a year. Even if the people who come to our meetings do not receive salvation, at least we will no longer be indebted for their salvation. However, if we do not practice this, when we go to meet the Lord, He will ask us whether we preached the gospel to our relatives, and we will not be able to say anything in response. We will not be able to settle accounts with the Lord.
The home meetings are the base for the building up of the church. Initially, there is one household in a home meeting. The home meeting forms a group when the number of households gradually increases to two or three. This is the most profitable way to build the church. People do not receive salvation because we have not shown them the treasure that is within us. If we invite our friends and relatives to visit us in our homes, their hearts will be touched. Even though they might not say anything, they will remember us when they encounter difficulties, or they may even come to us for fellowship. This will give us many opportunities to speak to them.
During the sixty years of my serving the Lord, I have never seen a place as suitable as Taiwan for the Lord’s work. All the conditions in the environment—in communication, education, and the economy—are prepared for His work. We simply need to open our homes and regularly invite people to come so that we can preach the Lord Jesus to them. I believe that if we practice this for one year, our numbers will triple or quadruple, not just double. We must endeavor to advance.
