Search
The young people with a heart to serve the Lord full time are new blood in the churches in Taiwan, in the Lord’s recovery, and in the Lord’s testimony. The burden of the Lord’s recovery on the island of Taiwan is to work out the small groups. In order to work out the small groups, three things are indispensable. The first thing is our spirit. We must have a strong spirit. If our spirit is not strong or is not living, we will be like a robot. The second thing is the Word. We must have the Word, and the Word must be living. In order to be rich in the Word, we can get the help from the Life-studies. The third thing is the hymns. In order to have a successful small group, we must have these three prerequisites: we must be strong in spirit, rich in the Word, and able to sing the hymns.
There are seven ways to make the words in the Life-study messages living to us. The first way is to read short portions. When we read the Life-studies in the small groups, we should not read non-stop. We must learn to read short portions. Take the following portion as an example: “The Son of God as the embodiment and expression of God the Father (John 1:18; 14:9-11; Heb. 1:3) is life to us (John 10:10; 1 John 5:12; Col. 3:4). The desire of God’s heart is to reveal His Son in us that we may know Him, receive Him as our life (John 17:3; 3:16), and become the sons of God (John 1:12; Gal. 4:5-6)” (Life-study of Galatians, p. 22). We should not read this portion without any stops. One person should read, “The Son of God,” and another person can continue with “as the embodiment and expression of God the Father.” One person should not read more than “the Son of God as the embodiment and expression of God the Father.” Then we should let another person continue. We should practice reading only a phrase or a clause, and immediately another person should continue with the next phrase or clause. If we practice this, the small group will be living.
The second way to make the Life-study messages living is to read with repetition. This means that when we come to an important point, we should repeat it. For instance, the phrase the Son of God as the embodiment and expression of God the Father has three important points: the Son of God, the embodiment, and the expression of God the Father. It is worthwhile to repeat these three points. We should repeat these points until everyone in the small group can say them with ease. Then we can conclude by repeating it once more. This is the way to read with repetition.
The third way is to read with emphasis. We should read the words that need to be stressed with emphasis. From the previous example, the phrases the Son of God, the embodiment, and the expression are quite particular and should be read with emphasis.
The fourth way is to read with vitality. This depends on the person. If we are living, our way of reading will be living. If we are rigid, our way of reading will be rigid. To read a short portion with repetition and emphasis is a matter of skill, but to read with vitality depends on our person, not our skill. In other words, to read in this way is to read spontaneously. It is not a matter of our voice being high or low but of reading with a living spirit. We should never turn a small group meeting into an exercise routine. The more living a small group is, the better. When a small group is living, it breaks away from all religious rituals and ordinances.
The fifth way is to read with explanation. For instance, when we read the phrase the present evil age (Gal. 1:4), we may add a word of explanation and say that the present evil age is the religious world. With the addition of this brief explanation, the meaning of this phrase becomes clear. This also deepens the impression in the mind of the saints. This kind of brief explanation is better than a long, extended message. Reading the Word in the small groups requires reading with explanation to open the deep portions.
The sixth way is to pray-read, that is, to read with a spirit of prayer. When some saints do this, they are almost shouting, not praying. There is no prayer in their reading, no spirit of prayer, or flavor of prayer. Hence, we need to re-learn how to pray-read. After someone adds the explanation, “The present evil age is the religious world,” a second person may pray, “Lord, show us that the present evil age is the religious world and that religion is a world.” Or another person may pray, “Lord, rescue us. Rescue us out of religion.” To read prayerfully in this way is pray-reading. Pray-reading should be short. Often when someone in the group prays, others join in and pray at the same time. We should avoid this, because it turns the meeting into a group exercise. In a small group nothing should be excessive or too long, even though we practice everything in the small group. This can be compared to having a meal. There is much enjoyment when the food is brought to the table one dish at a time and eaten one course at a time.
The seventh way is to read with singing. There are many tunes in our hymnal that are classics from generations of sacred music; they have a particular style and are dignified, weighty, and elegant. The young people should learn to sing the hymns more often until they become familiar to them. This will be a great help to the small groups. When we read John 10, which is concerning leaving the fold and returning to the flock, we can use Hymns, #1068: “In tenderness He sought me, / Weary and sick with sin, / And on His shoulders brought me / Into His flock again... / Oh, the love that sought me! / Oh, the blood that bought me! / Oh, the grace that brought me to the flock!” To read and sing is to emphasize the words by singing.
I would like to say a word about the history of our hymns. Our first hymnal was Hymns for the Little Flock, and it was compiled by Brother Nee. It included one hundred eighty-four hymns. In 1950 he edited the hymns and published a hymnal with one thousand fifty-two hymns. This hymnal included gospel hymns that I compiled, and the second volume of the Chinese hymnal was completed in Taiwan. In 1961 I spent about two months to write eighty-five hymns because we lacked hymns concerning Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. In 1962 I went to America to continue the ministry, and I edited and compiled hymns in English. This work was completed in 1966. From 1966 to 1967 I returned to Taiwan and, together with the brothers, rearranged the hymns in Chinese. We compiled a new hymnal with select hymns from past hymnals, new hymns, and various hymns in English that were translated into Chinese. This compiling and editing work was finished in 1968. This hymnal, with seven hundred eighty hymns, is what the churches are using. This hymnal includes all the best hymns in Christianity. When we sing these hymns, we should sing ourselves into them. Then we will realize the value of the hymns.
I hope that the young ones will all learn to sing the hymns well. They should also learn the Chinese language. We must be living and fresh, and we must be able to write and to compose in Chinese. Human beings are living. Furthermore, God created a spirit within us and also regenerated us. Moreover, the Spirit of God dwells in our spirit, and we and the Triune God have become one spirit. Therefore, we should not be stale or in poverty. Those with a desire to serve should be open to learn as much as they can. According to a Chinese proverb, there is no limit to our learning. Hence, we should not only know how to sing hymns but also how to write hymns. Gradually, we will learn to compose more hymns.
The practice of the small group is the crucial leading that we have received from the Lord. It is a great opportunity and a blessing for a young person to serve the Lord full time at this juncture of our history. We must not be rigid and think that a small group meeting must be held only on Saturday. If an older sister is free Monday mornings, she can invite some neighbors to her home to sing hymns. This can be considered a small group gathering. Our spirit should be living. We should work until there are small groups meeting everywhere and at any time.
