TAKING THE SHEPHERDING WAY
TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND REVIVE THE CHURCH

SERIES THREE
TAKING THE SHEPHERDING WAY
TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND REVIVE THE CHURCH

Message Five
Raising Up the New Ones with the Pure Milk of the Word

Scripture Reading:

Acts 2:46      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.

1 Pet. 2:2     As newborn babes, long for the guileless milk of the word in order that by it you may grow unto salvation.

AFTER A BABY IS BORN,
IT HAVING TO BE CARED FOR CONTINUOUSLY

We will continue to fellowship concerning the second step of the God-ordained way, that is, having home meetings with the newly saved and baptized ones. If you spend some time to consider 1 Peter 2:2, you will realize that it implies more than feeding. It implies the raising up of children, which is to provide whatever they need, including feeding, that they may grow and mature. Human history has proven that the society of a nation is built up through the raising up of children in individual homes by families.

On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were saved (Acts 2:41). I believe that on the same day they began to have home meetings (Acts 2:46). This was not something that was practiced in the Old Testament. This was something totally new, something of the New Testament. On the day the church came into existence, the one hundred twenty plus these three thousand believers began to meet in the homes so that the fruit would remain. It would be very difficult for three thousand newborn believers to remain healthy without being cared for in home meetings. Immediately after the delivery of a baby, the nursing mother must take care of feeding her child. However, only to feed this child is not sufficient; she must also raise this child. To raise a child is not simple or easy. There are many, many items to take care of in order to raise a child properly.

After a baby is born, it must be cared for continuously. If it is not cared for, after a few hours, it may die. Therefore, its being cared for continuously is its salvation. Such a babe must be saved in every way; this is to raise up a child. Merely to feed a babe with milk is not adequate; it must also be kept clean, warm, and comfortable. All of its environment must be arranged so that it will be safe and able to grow properly. We must take this way in raising up the newborn believers.

THE WORK OF RAISING UP THE NEW ONES
HAVING TO BE UNDER YOUR DIRECT CARE

The home meeting is for raising up the newborn believers, not only as your children but also as God’s growing children. This is the unique shortage among us and also among all of Christianity. Wherever there is a group of Christians, and among them there is the proper care for the new ones, that church will become quite large. However, this work cannot be carried out on a large scale by the church as a whole; it must be done through the individual families.

To carry out this kind of work, you must keep certain principles. You should not leave the raising up of your children to others. Do not go out to do other things, leaving your children under others’ care. You must “stay home” and take care of your children directly by yourself. To leave your children in the care of others for even a short time may cause some damage; they may suffer and not grow so well. The work of raising up the new ones must be under your direct care.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOUR CHILDREN
AND BEING WILLING TO SACRIFICE YOURSELVES FOR THEM

Then you should not try to care for too many at one time. As a team of three, you should be able to take care of six to ten new ones. Once you have this many to care for, you should stop going out to baptize more and concentrate your energy, time, and attention on these six to ten. It is best to care for these new ones for about two years. For the first half year, you should render intensive care, visiting them twice each week for two months and then once each week for four months. During this period of time, to leave your children as orphans to be raised by others would cause much damage. Instead, you should fall in love with your children and be willing to sacrifice yourselves for them. Without the sacrifices of its mother, no child could be raised properly.

RAISING UP THE NEW ONES WITH THE WORD OF GOD

The second point regarding the raising up of God’s children is that you have to raise them up with the word of God, not with your own word. You must always keep this principle. Do not speak your own word too much. You must learn to seize, or grasp, the opportunity to inject these new ones with the word of God. Feed them with the milk of the Word of God.

The first thing we should inject into the new ones is that our Savior is the Spirit and that we as saved ones have a regenerated spirit. We need to spend at least three or four home meetings to impart this matter into them.

The second category of things we should impart to them must be the basic practices of the Christian life. As Christians we should read the Bible, the Word of God. We should pray to God, which is to breathe in God. Also, we should have morning watch. Every morning we should rise up early to have a time of morning watch with the Lord. We must also teach them how to practice morning watch by reading some verses and then pray-reading these verses. You have to charge them to attend the Christian meetings. Then you also have to help them to do the same thing that you did for them, that is, to preach the gospel to others. These are the basic practices of the Christian life.

The next matters we should cover with them are all the different items of God’s salvation. God’s salvation is all-inclusive, and within God’s salvation there are many different items. There are the washing away of our sins, the forgiving of our sins, redemption, reconciliation, justification, regeneration, and so forth. All of these matters are covered in the forty-eight lessons in Life Lessons. You have to take care of all these matters, and to do so will require many weeks.

Not Feeding These Little Babes Too Much

The home meeting is the kindergarten, but you were teaching something in graduate school. Do not have home meetings on such a high level. Do not forget that in the home meetings, you are taking care of babes; you are feeding the newborn babes with baby food. You used the Word of God, but you used too many verses. In most cases, three or four verses is enough. When you feed these little babes, you cannot feed them too much. You should always keep them a little hungry. If you overfeed them, they will lose their appetite.

Feeding Babes Something with a Good Flavor
 to Make Them Happy

You must feed babes something with a good flavor, something sweet to make them happy. If the food you offer them is sweet to the taste, they will eat. The first thing you have to learn is how to make people feel pleasant. Do not forget that nourishing must go along with cherishing. You have to cherish them first.

The best way to bring the new ones into calling on the name of the Lord is by singing. You can simply take the lead to sing. Everyone, both young and old, likes singing. Do not explain that much to them; explaining is often sour, not sweet. Singing is very sweet. You must be like a nursing mother, making your little ones feel pleasant by giving them something sweet. It is better if you do not need to use the hymnal. You must learn some short, simple songs and choruses that are easy to sing. You may need to sing a chorus quite a few times. The first time you sing it, the new ones may be surprised. The second time, they may listen and begin to enjoy it. Then the third time you sing it, they may begin to join you.

The principle is this: if you are going to help the newborn babes, you must always try to make them happy, to make them feel good. Then they will take what you give them. (The Exercise and Practice of the God-Ordained Way, msg. 21)