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

SERIES FOUR
SHEPHERDING PEOPLE ACCORDING TO GOD
TO BRING IN A NEW REVIVAL

Message Four
Inviting People to the Love Feasts for the Preaching of the Gospel

Scripture Reading:

Acts 2:46-47     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, praising God and having grace with all the people. And the Lord added together day by day those who were being saved.

OPENING OUR HOMES, INVITING PEOPLE FOR A MEAL,
AND PEACHING GOSPEL

The Homes Being the Channel of the Gospel

What is the channel of the gospel? Human beings are the mouthpiece of the gospel, and the homes are the channel of the gospel. Every saint should open his home to preach the gospel. Acts 2 and 5 show clearly that the early believers first opened their homes for meetings (2:46), and then preached the gospel from house to house (5:42). After Cornelius was instructed by an angel to send for Peter, he invited his relatives and intimate friends to his home (10:22-24). Then Peter spoke to the household of Cornelius and also to his relatives and intimate friends (11:12-14).

When We Invite Someone to Our Home for a Meal,
His Heart Opening,
and the Lord Jesus Being Able to Enter into Him

In order to preach the gospel and gain people, we must open our homes. Every family has relatives, neighbors, friends, classmates, and colleagues. We need to invite them to our homes. We do not need to invite them all at one time, but we can invite three to five people at a time in a consistent way. The saints, who have a burden, should invite their relatives and friends for a “gospel dinner” at least once a week. The mealtime can be used to share the gospel. Just as people in the world have social engagements to do business and solicit clients, we should invite people for meals in order to preach the gospel. Every saint should invite people to his home for the purpose of preaching the gospel. Human beings do not have a heart of iron; they have emotions. When we invite someone to our home for a meal, his heart will open, and the Lord Jesus can enter into him. We can be assured that if we invite two people for a meal, we will gain at least one. (Guidelines for the Propagation of the Lord’s Recovery, msg. 4)

It is more casual and intimate to eat at home than at restaurants. During the love feasts, we can ask the brothers and sisters to give their testimonies. Some may say, “I am very happy to be invited by our host to this dinner. Since he wants me to say something, I guess I have to say something.” Some may say, “Tonight I am very grateful for your love. I highly treasure your warmth and sincerity in inviting me here. It is not right for me to be on the receiving end all the time; I feel that I have to give a testimony.” Others may say, “I came from a small place, and I am not used to such large gatherings. Please bear with me if my fellowship is not too good.” Whatever the guests say, their hearts will be warmed up and everyone will be refreshed.

Having to Conduct Love Feasts Frequently
and Making This Our Habit

It is scriptural for believers to come together often to eat. When they come together to eat, it is easy for their hearts to be kindled and for their spirit to mingle together in fellowship. In Acts 2, at the beginning of the church life, the believers came together often to eat. Eighteen years ago in North China, I experienced this all the time. When the brothers and sisters come together in joy and bask in mutual fellowship, much profit and blessing follow. Therefore, I encourage the brothers and sisters to have love feasts all the time.

Our love feasts should take care of nutrition, not extravagance. If we are too extravagant, we cannot have such feasts often, and some may be too intimidated to come. If our love feast is too sumptuous and extravagant, others will not dare to do the same, and they will be discouraged from coming. Try as much as possible to not spend too much money on love feasts. If we can save a little, we can offer up what we have saved for greater needs elsewhere. We should restrict our spending in everything and should save our money for more important needs in the church. We should not live one day in ease and comfort. We should save as much as we can for the gospel’s sake. We have to conduct love feasts frequently and make this our habit. But we should only serve ordinary food; there should not be any excess. (CWWN, vol. 62, “Matured Leadings in the Lord’s Recovery (2),” msg. 39)

Inviting the Young People to Our Homes

On the one hand, the freshmen in college are eager to leave home; on the other hand, as they live in the dormitories at school, they are often lonely and homesick. This provides an excellent opportunity to invite them into our homes. The young people in the church can invite others to the homes of the middle-aged ones and of the young couples. All these homes need to be open and ready to receive the young people. When they come in, serve them something to eat and drink. This will touch their heart. In preaching the gospel we do not need any gimmicks. We should simply pray, preach the word, and open our homes. It is difficult for the young people both to go to the campuses and to prepare their homes to receive others. We need the youngest ones to go to the campuses, the oldest ones to pray, and the middle-aged ones to prepare their homes. Day and night the homes need to be ready.…If we gain the freshmen, then through them we shall gain some of their parents. (The Spirit and the Body, ch. 11)

Inviting Our Friends, Relatives, and Neighbors

After a person is saved, he should make a list of his friends, relatives, and acquaintances who are not saved and have not heard the gospel. He should then pray for them one by one.…At an appropriate time we should also invite our friends, relatives, and neighbors to a gospel meeting.…We should even invite our gospel friends for a meal.…We should all do this. Without exception, we should preach the gospel to all our friends, relatives, and neighbors. When the church preaches the gospel, the saints have an excellent opportunity to lead their friends and relatives to salvation.

It is worthwhile to spend time and money on our gospel friends. If we do this, the Holy Spirit will be with us. We need to exert some effort for the gospel.

BEARING THE “ARK” OF THE GOSPEL TOGETHER

While people in the world are eating, drinking, and making merry, we will pray and preach the gospel.…We will devote all our time, energy, and strength to prayer and to invite people to gospel meetings, to lead them to salvation, to visit them, and to serve when the church preaches the gospel. All the saints will be mobilized in the gospel.…For the past ten years we have seen the special blessing by God and His presence whenever the church practiced this. This practice is not carried out by depending on a great evangelist; instead, the whole church has the priesthood. The church is a spiritual army in which everyone participates. This is the gospel preaching of the church. It does not depend solely on one person speaking from the podium. It is a matter of the church, not an individual matter. This is what Philippians 1 says. The believers in Philippi had “fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel” (v. 5), and “in one spirit, with one soul” they were “striving together along with the faith of the gospel” (v. 27). As a result, the church in Philippi was prosperous and full of joy. The brothers and sisters who take part in the service need to receive a burden. They should not come merely to listen to the gospel but to preach the gospel. We do not go to a gospel meeting to see how others preach the gospel. We have a burden for the gospel, and we bear the “Ark” of the gospel together with the other saints. We bear the same burden together. This is a matter for the whole church. (The Perfecting of the Saints and the Building Up of the House of God, msg. 13)