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In the first three Gospels the Lord Jesus charged His disciples to preach the gospel, to teach the nations, and to baptize them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47). In the Gospel of John, however, the Lord Jesus did not charge His disciples in this way. Rather, in John 15 He revealed to His disciples the secret of life. This secret of life is so mysterious and abstract that no human words can adequately utter it. Thus, the Lord Jesus used the vine and its branches as a symbol of this mystery of life.
It seems that the vine with its branches is simple to understand. Everybody knows what a vine is. But in this symbol something mysterious and secret regarding life is indicated. The branches abide in the vine, and as they abide, they bear fruit. This fruit comes from the overflow of the inner life. My burden in this chapter is to point out that to have the proper and genuine spreading of the gospel, we must have the overflow of the inner life. This one, unique life is in three sections: in the vine, in the branches, and in the fruit. The fruit is on the branches, and the branches are on the vine. Although there are three sections, these sections are not different in life or in nature. In life and in nature they are absolutely one. The vine, the branches, and the fruit are different only in form. The vine has one form, the branches have another form, and the fruit has still a different form.
Why did not the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of John charge His disciples to preach the gospel or to teach the nations? It is because the Gospel of John is the Gospel of life, and life does not require preaching or teaching. No one can produce fruit by preaching to a tree. How foolish it would be to go into an orchard and preach to the trees regarding fruit-bearing. No one would be foolish enough to do this, exhorting the trees to be diligent to bring forth fruit. When some read this, they may say, “Does not Matthew 28 tell us to teach the nations? Is there not preaching mentioned in Mark 16 and in Luke 24?” Do not twist my words. I have not said that there is no preaching or teaching in the other Gospels. But do not neglect the final Gospel, the Gospel of John. Everyone realizes that the final word is the decisive word. Although we may speak a great deal, our final word gives our decision. Among the four Gospels, John, the Gospel of life, is the final one. Life is final. You may have many things, but if you do not have life, it all amounts to nothing. In John 15 there is no teaching or preaching.
We need to see the things of God’s mystery in His dispensation. We do not use the word dispensation in the sense of an age but with the meaning of economy, referring to God’s dispensing administration. God’s economy is to dispense Himself into His chosen and predestinated people. Our work must not be on the low level of today’s Christianity. Our preaching of the gospel must be on the highest level, which is to minister life, even Christ, to people. This is the preaching of the gospel on the highest plane.
The Gospel of John reveals that the Son is the declaration of the Father. This matter is found in chapters 1 to 13. In John 14:8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us.” Philip seemed to be saying, “Lord, we desire to see the Father. If You show Him to us, we will be satisfied.” In chapters 1 through 13 the Father was expressed, declared, to the disciples. But the pitiful thing was that although the Lord Jesus had been with them for more than three years, they did not yet realize that He was the declaration and expression of the Father. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Hence, the Father is declared, expressed, in the Son.
After pointing out to the disciples in 14:9-13 that He was the Father expressed, beginning in verse 16, the Lord Jesus told them that He would ask the Father to give them another Comforter, the Spirit of reality (v. 17). The Lord Jesus indicated here that when the Spirit of reality came, He would not only be with the disciples but also in them. The Lord seemed to be saying, “Although I have been among you, I have been unable to get into you and abide in you. Now I shall ask the Father to send another Comforter, the Spirit of reality, that He may abide in you.’’ The worldly people do not know this Spirit because they cannot see Him. But the Lord Jesus said, “You know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you” (v. 17). We cannot know the Spirit by our physical senses or by our mind; we know Him by our inner sense. How do you know that today the Spirit of God is in you? Have you seen or touched the Spirit? No, it is by our inner sense deep within that we know that the Spirit of God is in us. Often our mind will raise questions about this, and our emotion may be contrary, not liking the Holy Spirit. Have you not experienced this? Many times my emotion has said, “I don’t like the Holy Spirit. You should give Him up.” On many other occasions our will has decided not to follow the Spirit. However, no matter what our mind thinks, our emotion says, or our will determines, we simply cannot get rid of the sense deep within us. This sense is deeper than our mind, emotion, and will. We can never convince Him. The more we fight against Him, the more He speaks to us. Did you have this experience before you were saved? Of course not. But since the day you were saved, you have had something within you that would never give you up. How marvelous and wonderful it is that He would never leave us! The world does not know Him, for it cannot see Him, but we know Him because He abides in us. Who can deny that the true believers in Jesus have this abiding Spirit?
The “He,” the abiding Spirit, in verse 17 is the “I” in verse 18. Verse 17 says, “He abides with you and shall be in you,” and verse 18 says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.” Here the Lord seemed to be saying, “He will come to abide in you, and I will not leave you as orphans. His coming is just My coming. He is I.” Following this, the Lord said in verse 20, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” Who is in us—the “He” of verse 17 or the “I” of verse 20? The answer is that both are in us as one. The “He” of verse 17 equals the “I” of verses 18 and 20. By all this we see that the Father is expressed in the Son and that the Son is realized as the Spirit.
In John 15:1 the Lord said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman,” and in John 15:5 He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Not many Christians have seen that in the Gospel of John the Father is expressed in the Son, the Son is realized as the Spirit, and the Spirit is expressed through all the branches. The Spirit, who is the reality of the Son, now expresses Himself through all the branches in fruit-bearing. Hence, the fruit brought forth by the branches is the expression of the working and moving of the indwelling Spirit. In John 15:8 the Lord said, “In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit.” Eventually, the Father is glorified in all the fruit because the fruit is the expression of the Spirit, who is the reality of the Son in whom the Father is expressed.
What does it mean to preach the gospel? It is to bring forth fruit. Bearing fruit is not merely a matter of preaching or teaching; it is a matter of imparting life to others. The proper and genuine gospel preaching is not merely a type of preaching or teaching; it is the imparting of the very life that is within you to others. This is a matter of life. Suppose you are a dried-up branch. To be dried up is to lack life. As a branch, you should share the abundant life of the vine. But to be dried up means that you lack the life of the vine and are unable to bear fruit. Because you do not have life, there is no overflow of the life of the vine within you. But if you abide properly in the vine, then the life of the vine will fill you up. The life that has filled you up will then overflow into others. This is fruit-bearing, and this is the genuine and proper gospel preaching. I look to the Lord that we all might see this.
We need to abide in the Lord. To abide in the Lord means that there is no insulation or distance between us and Him. There must be nothing between us and the Lord. When we abide in Him, He as life will flow into our whole being and will fill us up. As a result, life will overflow from within us.
In this chapter the Lord Jesus is serious, saying, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes it away,” and, “If one does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is dried up” (vv. 2, 6). If a branch does not bear fruit, the Father will cut it off. Does this mean that we shall perish? Do not apply this thought to this chapter. In John 15 there is no thought of being saved or lost. Many Christians emphasize only one thing—being saved to go to heaven. According to some of them, if a saved person does not do well, he will lose his salvation and perish in hell. John 15, however, is in another realm, having absolutely nothing to do with going either to heaven or hell. To be dried up and cut off first means to be cut off from the enjoyment of the riches of Christ. When a branch is cut off, it loses the enjoyment of the riches of life. Second, to be cut off means to be severed from the fellowship with all the other branches. When you are on the vine, you not only abide in the vine but also in the fellowship with the other branches. However, if you are cut off from the vine, you will lose this fellowship. Third, to be cut off means to be cut off from your function. When a branch is cut off, it loses its function. Finally, to be cut off means to miss God’s eternal purpose. A branch that has been cut off from the vine cannot possibly fulfill God’s eternal purpose.
It is possible to preach and still be insulated from Christ. I knew of a brother who beat his wife at home and then stood up to tell people that Jesus loved them. It seemed that Jesus loved everyone except his wife. For years, I sat under a great teacher of the Bible. He was a good talker. But when people went to visit him, after speaking with them for a while, he excused himself, picked up his pipe, and smoked. Do you think that as he was smoking his pipe he was abiding in the Lord? His pipe smoking must have been an insulation. Although I sat under his teaching for years, I never received any life supply from him. While some may preach and still be able to smoke or attend the movies, genuine gospel preaching is the overflow of the inner life. In order to have this overflow, we must abide in the Lord. Even a negative thought can insulate us from the flow of life. We know this from our experience. You may preach and teach, but if you do not abide in the Lord, you will never bear fruit by the overflow of the inner life.
When we abide in the Lord, we become a part of the Triune God. Are not the branches a part of the vine? If we, as branches, abide in the Lord, then we are a part of the Triune God. When some of the critics hear this, they will accuse me of teaching evolution into God. What slander this is, and what blasphemy to the Lord! We do not teach any kind of evolution.
As you contact people on the campuses, you must have the deep sense and the full realization that you are abiding in the Lord. When you talk to people, you must talk to them by abiding in Him. In the previous chapter I said that we must talk from our spirit. Now I am saying that we must talk by abiding in Him. We need to practice this. Tell the Lord, “Lord Jesus, I am going to the campus. Help me to abide in You right now. Lord, You promised that if I abide in You, You would abide in me. My abiding is Your abiding. Lord, I will go abiding in You.” If you abide in the Lord, in your speaking will be the Lord’s speaking. Never contact people without abiding in the Lord. Do not speak a word to anyone without abiding in Him. If, as I am speaking, I do not have the assurance that I am abiding in Him, I should stop speaking, for whatever I would say would not be the truth, the reality, but a falsehood. All human words, even if they are true, are falsehoods because there is no reality in them. But when I abide in the Lord, He speaks in my speaking, and my speaking is His speaking. This is the imparting of life, the overflow of life from within.
With this as a basic concept, let us consider some other matters. We all have some peculiar concepts. If we are not concerned about the preaching of the gospel, we simply do not care for it at all. But when we are stirred up and burning, we take the thought that after a short time we shall bring many to the Lord. If, after a period of time, we have not brought anyone to the Lord, then we are disappointed. Many of us have known this disappointment in the past. But consider the fruit-bearing of a fruit tree. The fruit is not brought forth overnight; it takes time. It takes at least several months for fruit to be borne. Gospel preaching is fruit-bearing through the overflow of life. It cannot be a mushrooming development. Rather, it must be the result of the slow process of life. Do not expect that if you contact people for a short while, you will catch many of them. This is a mistaken concept. Do not suppose that after reading these chapters of the young people’s training, you will know the secret and that you will bring many to the Lord. There will be no mushrooming development. Instead, you will bear fruit in due time.
Most fruit-bearing trees bear fruit once a year. For example, peach trees and apple trees bear fruit once a year. This is according to the natural law. Do not expect that you will be able to bear fruit any faster than this. We all must make a deal with the Lord, saying, “Lord, I don’t want to dream anymore. Grant me the overflow of life that I may bear fruit once a year.” It takes time to bear fruit, but it should not take more than a year. I look to the Lord that next year at this time we shall come together with some produce to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, the feast that comes after the harvest.
You all must go to reach people. Whether you have the overflow of life or not, you must still contact people. If you do not reach people, you will have no way of knowing where you are. But when you contact them, you will be exposed and become desperate, saying, “O Lord Jesus, how can I go on? Lord, I have discovered that I am empty.” If I were to tell you that you are empty, you would probably be offended. You must go and discover this yourself.
More than forty years ago, I learned a principle in the church life. Everyone has an opinion. Usually those who do nothing are the ones who criticize those who do something. For example, someone who does not know how to cook may be the first to criticize the cooking of others. In the church life I have followed this principle: whoever criticizes others for the way they do a certain thing must do it themselves. If a brother or sister comes to me criticizing others, I say, “You are the best one to do it. Since you criticize others, you should do it yourself.” The first time I learned this principle was when a brother came to me, saying, “Brother Lee, those responsible for the cleaning are not doing a very good job.” I replied, “All right, you do it.” When he declined, I said, “You have been caught, and now you must do it. If you are unwilling to clean, then don’t criticize others.” Eventually, the news spread throughout the church not to criticize anything or anyone to Brother Lee. This one principle, which I still practice today, has silenced all the gossip and subdued all the opinions. The point is this: when you do something, you get exposed. If you do nothing, you will think that you can do a great deal. But when you attempt to do something, you discover that you cannot do the slightest thing. Therefore, go to reach people and discover how needy you are.
We all need to devote more time for contacting people. One evening out of the week should be used for your personal affairs, three nights for the church meetings, and the three remaining nights for contacting people. In addition to these three nights, I hope that you will use every lunch hour for this purpose. Make an appointment with people to have lunch or dinner with them.
When we contact people, we must be able to enter into their situation and condition. This is difficult. In his Gospel, John records at least nine cases of the Lord’s contacting people. In each instance, the Lord reached people in a different way. He never used only one way of reaching people. He reached people with God’s unique purpose, but He did not do so according to His disposition. Rather, He contacted them according to their situation and condition. In John 3 the Lord knew that Nicodemus would come to Him. He did not visit Nicodemus at his house, because He knew that this would have been inconvenient for him. He realized that Nicodemus was timid, fearing that others might learn that Jesus had come to see him. Thus, the Lord remained home, waiting for that timid gentleman to come to Him. The case of the Samaritan woman was different. According to John 4, the Lord “had to pass through Samaria” (v. 4). Having arrived at the well of Sychar, He waited there for the Samaritan woman to come to Him. This is a marvelous example of how the Lord Jesus entered into someone’s situation. This is the basic principle of incarnation.
Incarnation means that God comes to man in man’s condition, reaching people by entering into their situation. The Lord did not stay in heaven and command people to contact Him. No, He became a man and entered into our situation. Having become a man, He conducted His outreach by constantly coming into the condition of people. He did not just go to the people themselves, but He entered into their situation. He knew that the Samaritan woman would be thirsty; hence, He waited for her at the well. When He met her, He did not say, “Have you been saved? How long have you been a Christian? What church do you go to?” The Lord did not ask any of these religious questions. Rather, He said, “Give Me something to drink” (v. 7). By this simple word, He touched her heart, for she was wholly occupied with the matter of drinking water, even coming out at noon, an extraordinary time for drawing water. When you go to reach people, do not contact them according to your tradition, background, or disposition. Look to the Lord, that, with His help, you will be able to enter into their condition and situation.
Consider the example of the impotent man in John 5. In chapter 3 Nicodemus came all the way to the Lord, and in chapter 4 the Lord Jesus met the Samaritan woman midway. But in chapter 5 the Lord went all the way to the impotent man. Once again we see that the Lord reached people by getting into their situation. In John 5 the Lord came to a man who had been impotent for thirty-eight years. The Lord did not ask him, “Do you read the Bible?” If He had said this, the sick man would have responded, “Get away from me! I don’t care about the Bible.” Without entering into a person’s situation, you cannot touch his heart and feeling, and he will never respond to you. The Lord said to this man, “Do you want to get well?” (v. 6). The impotent man was, of course, very interested in this.
Often we talk to people without getting a positive response because, according to our tradition or disposition, we ask questions such as, “Do you know the Bible?” or, “How many years have you been saved?” Do not ask these questions until you have contacted them many times. Only after a certain time should you consider asking a question like this. Some have contacted people saying, “How long have you been saved? Where do you go to church? Don’t you know that we have a wonderful church? Come and meet with us.” Many brothers, and especially sisters, are like this. Many sisters have a hot heart. A hot heart always makes people foolish. Whenever people have a high fever, they talk nonsense. To speak to people in such a “hot” manner will not elicit a positive response, for that is the speaking according to your likes, background, disposition, or taste. Learn to reach people by getting into their interests.
Suppose you meet a student who likes mathematics. If you show an interest in this, he will certainly respond to you. Perhaps you will meet someone whose interest is the movies. You should not say, “Don’t go to movies. That is sinful in the eyes of God.” If you do this, you will offend him and cut him off immediately. It is better that you enter into his situation of attending the movies. This does not mean that you should go to the movie with him. No, you must exercise wisdom, perhaps asking him to tell you about a recent movie he has seen. He will certainly respond to this. In such a case, it is wise to take a neutral position. Look to the Lord to give you a good word to speak to him. It may be that at a certain point in your conversation, you will be able to touch his life. But be careful not to touch it too much. This type of wise conversation will attract him and cause him to like you. Perhaps the first one or two times, you will not say a word about Christ or the gospel.
Some may argue with me over this, saying that I lack the power of the Holy Spirit. But I know what I am talking about. Your concept of the power of the Holy Spirit will only frighten people. Any farmer can tell you that a fruit tree first buds and then blossoms. This budding and blossoming come a long time before the bearing of fruit. There must be several stages before fruit is borne. Do not expect to do a quick work. Rather, you must spend time with people. According to my experience, I do not like to catch people from off the street. The street people are not good subjects for proper fruit-bearing. Instead, you should concentrate on your neighbors, relatives, or classmates. Contact them progressively again and again at least once or twice a week. After every contact with them, you must pray for the ones you have contacted. In your prayer you must pray for their situation. This prayer is easily answered by the Lord. The Lord Jesus said, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you,” and “Ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (15:16, 7). This refers to the prayer for fruit-bearing. According to the context of John 15, the asking here is the prayer for fruit-bearing. We must pray, saying, “Lord, what about that young man and his situation? Lord, I bring him and his situation to You. Lord, You must come into his situation and do something. Open up the way for me to contact him again.” Perhaps the next time you see him, the situation will be exactly as you have prayed.
When Peter preached in Acts 2 and 3, his message suited the situation of his audience. This was also true of Paul when he spoke to the philosophers in Athens. In Acts 17 Paul gave a gospel message to the Greek philosophers. His way also was to get into the condition of those philosophers. We must learn how to reach people by getting into their condition and situation. Although this is difficult, we must learn it by way of practice. We simply have to do it. A basic principle in learning things is to learn by practicing. Practice with a sincere heart, looking to the Lord for His leading. Then you will learn, and you will know what I am talking about.
I was not taught these things by others. More than thirty years ago, the burden was upon me, and I simply began to learn by experience. Out of the seven days of the week, I spent at least four days visiting people. By doing that work, I learned how to reach different kinds of people. The secret is to get into their situation and condition and to speak something that touches their interest. When you do this, they will respond immediately. Because you have entered into their condition and have touched their interest, they will never reject you.
Let us consider the example of Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-9). The Lord Jesus did not wait for him to come; rather, He went purposely to see Zaccheus. As the Lord was walking along the street, Zaccheus climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Him. He was a short man, but he obtained the living support. When the Lord came to him, He looked at him, and Zaccheus invited the Lord to come into his house. When the Lord came there, He did not preach a message. He simply said, “Today salvation has come to this house” (v. 9). By this simple word, Zaccheus, a tax collector, was saved. The Lord did not say to Zaccheus, “Don’t you know that God is triune? As a Jew, you know the Lord. But I must tell you that Jehovah is Jesus. I am here.” This kind of preaching does not touch people; it kills them.
I encourage you to fellowship with one another over this matter of contacting people. In this way, you will learn together and, after a year, some of you will become very experienced in reaching people. This is the best way to know people. Today you are carrying on the work of the gospel, but one day many of you will be elders in the churches. In order to be an elder, you must know people; otherwise, you could never be a proper elder. If you do not know people, you cannot adequately bear the responsibility in the church life. Through many years of practice, I have come to know people. If you know people, you can determine a person’s interest after he has spoken only a few sentences. You can easily tell what kind of person he is. Furthermore, you will know how to do something to arouse his interest. First a person’s interest must be stirred, and then he will open to you. We must learn this.
My burden in these chapters is twofold: to help you to see the Lord’s recovery and to help you to be burdened for bearing fruit so that through your entire life you would continue to bear fruit. Do not say, “What about the day of Pentecost when three thousand were saved? I want that kind of power.” Although we may still need this power, the proper and normal preaching of the gospel is by the overflow of life. We have realized this as a result of studying history and the biographies of many saints.
To bear fruit is to beget children. Every fruit you bear is a child you have begotten. In 1 Corinthians 4:15 Paul says, “Though you have ten thousand guides in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” Paul called Timothy his “genuine child in faith” (1 Tim. 1:2) and Titus his “genuine child according to the common faith” (Titus 1:4). The New Testament does not give the names of the children of the apostles, but the Holy Spirit purposely identifies two of Paul’s children in the faith. Paul had a family of at least two children, Timothy and Titus. God does not care as much for our physical children as He does for our spiritual children.
