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Beginning with this chapter, we will cover some important matters that serving ones should pay attention to. We first will consider the living and conduct of the Lord’s serving ones. One who serves the Lord should have a vision, which we may call a goal. Our goal can be high or basic. An example of a basic goal is to preach the gospel to save souls, that is, to bring people to the Lord Jesus for the salvation of their souls. Although this is a basic goal, it is nevertheless a goal. We should regard preaching the gospel as an important thing in our life. We should never give it up. Furthermore, our entire being should be captured by it. As those who serve the Lord, we should have a clear goal.
I was called by the Lord on the day that I was saved. At that time I did not understand what it means to be called. Later, I realized that I was called on that day. While I was walking home, I had a feeling within, so I lifted up my head, looked up toward heaven, and said that I no longer wanted anything that the world could offer me, not even to be an emperor; I simply wanted to preach the gospel from village to village. That was the extent of my understanding. I never thought that one day the Lord would open His New Testament economy to me. This is an extremely high goal. However, whether a matter is high or basic, it must serve as a goal.
As the Lord’s serving ones, we each should have a clear goal. This goal will be the compass in our living. This is similar to setting sail in the dark night or in the fog; a person must have a compass to set the direction. A young man in his twenties should have a goal. This is not a matter of blessing or curse; it is not a matter of having a future or not having a future; neither is it a matter of comfort or suffering. We must have a goal in our life, in other words, a purpose in our life.
I have been serving the Lord for almost sixty years, and I have never regretted this. On the contrary, the more I serve, the more I am inwardly assured that this is the best choice. However, this was not up to me; it was the Lord’s choice, His calling, and His leading. Every serving one should have a clear goal. Whether or not we are married, serve full time, are poor or rich, live in a small village or a big city, preach the gospel to fishermen, or preach the truth to scholars, we should have a clear goal. Marriage, occupation, blessings, or sufferings will not change us. The entire revelation in the Bible shows that for the accomplishing of His will, the Lord desires to gain a group of people who know and take His intention as their goal.
A person who serves the Lord must always pursue to make progress. Those who serve the Lord are people of the highest class. They might not be doctors of philosophy or scholars, but they must continuously progress in their learning and pursuit; they must not come to a standstill. Not only should we have general knowledge; we should also understand the tendencies in human life. We do not need to become experts or to obtain an advanced degree, but we need to learn and make progress every day.
Most of our young people in Taiwan are college graduates. They need to improve their Chinese so that they are able to express their ideas orally and in writing. Those who serve the Lord should be very particular about their writing and speech. Those who are Chinese should at least be fluent and skilled in the Chinese language. I also encourage the Chinese students to diligently study English. English has become the world language. Since those who do not serve the Lord are learning English, we, as the Lord’s workers, have a greater need to know English. If we know English, we will be able to go to any place in the world without hindrance.
In addition to learning languages, we need to know the world situation. I began paying attention to the world situation when World War I ended in 1918. At that time the magazine that helped me the most was Eastern Miscellany published in Shanghai by The Commercial Press. This magazine was authoritative and highly regarded internationally. Its discussions on international treaties and the various issues among the nations rendered much knowledge on international affairs. From that time onward I have not stopped the habit of reading the newspapers. My interest, however, is limited to understanding the international situation; I am not interested in other matters.
I was born in Chefoo in northern China and attended an English college; hence, I know English and have common knowledge concerning international matters. In 1958 I went abroad for the first time and had no difficulties visiting many countries in Europe and America. When I ran into problems, I was able to assert my position using English. I was even invited to give messages when I was in London, England. However, many Chinese people are at a disadvantage when they go abroad because they lack language abilities and an international perspective. Do not think that it is superfluous to learn another language, especially English. Not only should we know how to speak Chinese, but we should also learn English; otherwise, we will not be able to travel in many places of the world. Even if we do not go abroad, we can use English to read reference books. Hence, I encourage you to learn English.
Those who desire to serve the Lord full time, especially the brothers, should learn Greek. If asked what the qualifications of a full-time brother should be, I would say that it is best to have a college degree and be conversant in Chinese, English, and Greek. Being conversant in Greek does not mean that one speaks Greek. Rather, the emphasis is on the ability to read Greek and to consult reference books. Learning Greek is not for us to contact new believers; it is for us to study the truth. The Bible was written in two languages: Hebrew and Greek. With the exception of a few verses, the New Testament is entirely in Greek. Hence, it is important for us to learn Greek. A person who studies the truth but does not know Greek can be considered an amateur. If we desire to know the truth, we must get to the source of the truth, that is, into the Greek language.
I never took a Greek class; neither was I taught. However, in 1932, more than fifty years ago, I had the feeling that I needed to learn Greek. A brother purchased a Greek-English interlinear Bible for me in a bookstore in Shanghai, and I began to learn Greek. I first learned the Greek alphabet and then read Greek grammar books. Some of those books were in English and some were Chinese translations. My knowledge of Greek gradually progressed from the alphabet, to the grammar with the language structure, and eventually to the study of different reference books. Although I am not a Greek scholar, my explanation of the New Testament Greek is based on the study of past Greek scholars. The Greek commentaries of the New Testament that I regularly use are the best and the most authoritative. When I look up a word, I get into all the reference books. Many footnotes in the Recovery Version of the New Testament are the extracts of the best reference books. They are not simply my own understanding. Hence, I have the full assurance that the footnotes will withstand any test.
Regrettably, I did not emphasize learning languages in past trainings with the co-workers in Taiwan. Nevertheless, we should have the view to study English. English is a common language that is needed to serve the Lord and also in doing ordinary things. A good knowledge of English and Chinese will help us in the publication work. More than twenty years ago I visited cities all over America. Wherever I went, I had an English-Chinese dictionary. This was a great help to me. We must make progress, and in order to improve, we need to learn. We are not born with knowledge. There is no limit to what we can learn, but we need to learn in order to gain knowledge.
I do not have a Ph.D. in English, but when I speak with theologians, they marvel at the words and expressions that I use. Once while ministering near Boston, I used the word coinherence. A well-known American Greek scholar who was present in the meeting was surprised that I used this word that is rarely used by modern theologians. He later wrote to me and expressed his appreciation of my teaching of the Bible.
Hence, I advise you all to learn and make progress. The Lord’s recovery urgently needs those who are prepared. Never think that the value of your service is not great since you are only on the island of Taiwan. Taiwan may be a small island, but it has a great prospect in the Lord’s work. We do not know when the Lord will take us overseas. Throughout the two thousand years of church history, there has not been a group of Christians who have had the Lord’s testimony and truth and who were able to spread to all the continents. However, this is our situation. In Asia the Lord’s recovery has entered Burma [Myanmar] and India. Except for the Arab world, there is a church in nearly every country. There are at least two hundred twenty churches from North America through Mexico to South America. In Europe there are at least ten churches. In Africa six countries have churches. In South Africa there are at least three churches. In addition, there are also churches in Australia and New Zealand. The churches in these places have fellowship with one another.
In the past two thousand years there has never been a group of Christians who, having the Lord’s testimony and His truth, spread to all the continents and had fellowship with one another. No matter which country we go to for fellowship, the saints in the local churches welcome us warmly. In addition, our literature has been translated into Russian for the spread to Russian-speaking regions in order to make contact with the people there.
The churches in the Lord’s recovery have spread throughout the world, yet they are one. In every place there is a pasture. This is true in South America, and it is also true of North Africa and South Africa. Our problem is that we do not have mature saints who are prepared to go forth for propagation. This is our urgent need. Do not think that the work in Taiwan is for Taiwan. Rather, we are learning to work here. One day we will go to other localities in the Lord’s recovery. Therefore, we must not neglect the basics. Our goal may be high, but we should begin with the most basic steps. We should not be in a hurry to spread to other places; rather, we should learn here in Taiwan and seek to improve. Do not forget that the basic requirement of one who serves the Lord is to be fully equipped with the truth. Paul was able to write fourteen Epistles because he had the full knowledge of the truth.
If the Lord gives us a feeling to go to Africa, we should equip ourselves with the local language. Since English is the common language in Africa, we should be equipped with English. If the Lord wants to send us to Latin America, we must study Spanish. We should be equipped in the truth, in languages, and in general knowledge. We should also know the world situation. Then we will be able to go out and propagate. Today the Lord’s recovery is on all six major continents of the world; the pioneers are already there, cutting the way for us. All we need to do is to send people to strengthen them and help propagate. It would be good if we had two to three hundred saints who can speak Spanish and who are ready to go and propagate in Central and South America. Central and South America are open to us, but we have no one to send.
We should be humble. We know so much truth, and the church is rich in resources; however, in the past decades we have not exceeded one hundred churches in Taiwan. We must learn to make progress. Human history is a history of making progress. Those who are conservative and hold on to old ways will be eliminated. Even the newspapers in Taiwan have improved over the years. They have adopted new terminologies in different areas, including finance, economy, and science. All the business enterprises in the world are constantly improving their methods. China suffered a great loss during the last years of the Ching Dynasty because it was very conservative. Japan, on the contrary, caught up with the Western world and is now a first-class nation. We should learn lessons from the world situation and learn how to improve. If the method of our work remains the same as it was thirty years ago, we will fall behind and be eliminated. We have the complete set of Life-studies in front of us, but not many of us have entered into the riches they contain. This is regrettable.
I hope that the younger generation can change this situation. Otherwise, there will be no future in the Lord’s work. It is imperative that we change. This does not mean that the younger generation should start a revolution; rather, they need a proper spirit. They need to know how to inherit from those who have gone before us and how to inspire those who will follow us. They must inherit the strong points of previous generations and inspire those who will follow to advance. We have many strong points in the work, and we also have many weak points. Our greatest weakness and problem are that we hold on to the old things and are not willing to learn and to change. As a result, the work has come to a standstill. The younger generation needs to receive the good points and continue to develop and move forward.
By the Lord’s mercy, I was seventy years old when I began to write the Life-studies of the New Testament. The Chinese say that it is rare for a man to live to the age of seventy, but it was at that late age that I began writing the Life-studies. Each year I spent an average of five months, limiting myself to a small room, to research reference books. After continually endeavoring for eleven years, I eventually finished this task with the assistance of two helpers. Therefore, I have the position to speak these words. Even while I am conducting this training, I use dictionaries and reference books. I am continually learning. May we all make progress. It is not too late for the older brothers and sisters to make progress. We must have the spirit and attitude to encourage the younger ones to make progress.
A person who serves the Lord should have a clear goal for his life and should make progress and continually learn. He must never stick to old ways. He should begin learning the most basic points and proceed forward step by step. Taiwan is a large field that requires our labor, and we must experience the Lord in our labor. We hope to evangelize Taiwan in five years. This responsibility lies with the younger generation. The young ones should go to the villages to preach the gospel and study the truth. One of these days they will be useful in the Lord’s hand. Furthermore, they should also learn to bring in new ones like schools of fish, one school after another. We look to the Lord to raise up two thousand full-timers in five years. Then the Lord’s recovery will have a way to go on.
