LESSONS ON THE GOD-ORDAINED WAY

Lesson Twenty-Six

The Education and the Perfecting in the Church Life

Scripture Reading:

Eph. 4:13 Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Heb. 5:13-14 For everyone who partakes of milk is inexperienced in the word of righteousness, for he is an infant; But solid food is for the full-grown, who because of practice have their faculties exercised for discriminating between both good and evil.

Acts 20:20 How I did not withhold any of those things that are profitable by not declaring them to you and by not teaching you publicly and from house to house.

2 Tim. 4:2 Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season; convict, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching.

Eph. 4:11-12 And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.

Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom the master will set over his service to give them their portion of food at the proper time?

I. The need for training and learning in order to practice the God-ordained Way—Rom. 12:1; 1 Tim. 4:6; Eph. 4:11-12:

A. Raising the level of spirituality.

B. Practicing the New Testament economy of God in a trained way—Heb. 5:14.

C. Learning and teaching the truth—2 Tim. 2:2, 3:14-15.

II. The perfecting training of the practice of the new way—Heb. 5:14:

A. The perfecting training for each step of the new way—Eph. 4:13; Acts 20:20.

B. The periodic conferences.

C. The perfecting training for the core members.

D. All kinds of educational classes.

E. Seven annual trainings, conferences, and video trainings, etc.

III. The truth education in each step of the practice of the new way—Eph. 4:11-12:

A. Needing to present the truth in preaching the gospel—Eph. 6:19-20:

1. Showing people that the truth in the Bible is the highest—1 Cor. 2:7-8.

2. Studying the practical applications of biblical points.

B. A home education for feeding—Acts 20:20, 5:42:

1. Feeding mouth-to-mouth and teaching face-to-face.

2. Teaching from home to home—Acts 20:20.

3. Feeding one-on-one.

4. Learning to speak according to the needs and situations—2 Tim. 4:2.

5. The contents of the divine feeding—Eph. 3:8-9:

a. Proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ.

b. Nourishing us with Christ’s divine and mystical teachings.

C. Mutual teaching in the group meetings by mutual asking and mutual answering—1 Cor. 12:25, 14:26; Eph. 4:16.

D. Being perfected in the Lord’s word by learning to prophesy—1 Cor. 14:26, 31.

IV. A school education in the classes of the truth education—Luke 12:42:

A. Needing different levels of education to progress gradually—Heb. 5:13-14.

B. Needing to prepare the proper materials—Heb. 5:12-14.

C. Needing to give food at the appropriate time and according to the need—Luke 12:42; Matt. 24:45.

 

Excerpts from the ministry:

THE NEED FOR TRAINING AND LEARNING IN ORDER
TO PRACTICE THE GOD-ORDAINED WAY

Raising the Level of Spirituality

You who are sitting here can be considered as the cream of the Lord’s recovery in Asia. I would take this opportunity to fellowship with you a word from my heart. According to my observation, during the past few decades, we seem to have stopped advancing in the Lord’s recovery. Our spiritual level has not progressed that much. It seems that we are still at the elementary school age. We know some basic revelations in God’ New Testament economy, we still do not know that much. During the past forty years, although I have borne the responsibility in the release of the truth, there are few among us who can be considered as university graduates spiritually. For this I feel indebted to you.

This time I came with an intention to fellowship this matter with you clearly. At least I should tell you honestly that we are not up to the standard. We have to have the self-realization that we are not up to the standard. Do not talk about the right and wrong things anymore. They are not worth our mentioning at all. What is worth mentioning is our knowledge concerning the truth. We have to realize that at least fifty percent of our work in the church is in education. If this aspect is conducted poorly, we come short and have failed. For this reason, from now on, we must strive and pursue toward this point. (The Mysteries in God’s Economy, pp. 31-32)

After we choose our gospel candidates, we have to consider what book or what verses of the Bible we can use with them. This is why we need to be trained with the appropriate verses from the Scripture. Certain verses are good for one kind of person, and other verses are good for another kind of person. Then we have to be trained how to use these verses. John 3:16 is a good verse, but many do not know how to use it. We also have to be trained in how to take care of the new ones we gain. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, pp. 149-150)

Practicing the New Testament Economy of God in a Trained Way

A piano student must follow his teacher’s instructions to play in the trained way. Likewise, we must practice the New Testament economy in the trained way and not in a way according to our natural disposition. Apparently, it is easy to visit people by knocking on their doors, but in recent years we have found that there is a science to knocking on doors. The Lord’s new way is effective, but it only works in the trained, disciplined way, not in the natural way. Once we take the natural way, knocking on doors becomes ineffectual.

We need more training to set up home meetings. We may consider that coming together to meet is easy and can be done in a natural way. Anyone can gather a group of people to have a meeting in a natural or religious way, but to have a proper Christian meeting according to God’s ordained way is not easy. (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, pp. 105-106)

Learning and Teaching the Truth

We also have to admit our failure in the teaching of the truth. The Lord has given us many truths, but not many of these truths have been imparted into the saints. We must change our way of teaching the truths. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul told Timothy, “The things which you have heard from me through many witnesses, these commit to faithful men, who will be competent to teach others also.” Some may want to do the teaching by themselves, having no trust in others. We surely have to change. If someone in a local church has a deposit of the Lord’s healthy words, he should train the faithful ones that they too may have a good deposit from the Lord and be competent to teach others. All of the saints should be those who are learning and teaching the truth. (Elders’ Training Book 9, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), p. 13)

THE PERFECTING TRAINING OF THE PRACTICE OF THE NEW WAY

The Perfecting Training for Each Step of the New Way

The first step is to preach the gospel as the priests of the New Testament gospel by visiting people in their homes. This kind of preaching is according to the Bible. The second step is to have home meetings in the new believers’ homes, to nourish them as nourishing mothers, to feed them as Peter was charged by the Lord. The Lord said to Peter, “Feed My lambs” (John 21:15). We need to do this. …After baptizing people, we need to go back to their homes like nursing mothers to nourish these new ones. What babe could live if mothers delivered the children but did not continue to nourish them? Hence, home meetings in the newly-baptized ones’ homes are desperately needed.

The third step is to help the saints be perfected. This is surely a new way, as we have never practiced what is revealed in Ephesians 4:11-12. The fourth step is to pursue to prophesy that the church may be built up by the saints as revealed in 1 Corinthians 14. This prophesying is not by giant speakers but by all of the saints. All of these steps are more than scriptural.

Please believe that this God-ordained Way is fully scriptural. Recently the Baptist Church has practiced door-knocking. Other denominations are reconsidering their way because a number of their leading ones realize they do not have a way to go on. If we do not take this God-ordained Way, we have no way to go on. I am more than clear this is the way.

Furthermore, I realize there is the need of training. Nearly all of the saints who are happy with this God-ordained Way are not clear how to practice it. Therefore, this is where my burden is.

The training will be conducted in a way to not bother or disturb the church life. The classes will be conducted during times in which there are no church meetings and some of the trainees will be sent to several localities to strengthen the church life there and learn something of the church life while they are being trained. (Talks Concerning the Church Services, pp. 11-12)

The Periodic Conferences

In the Lord’s new move in the churches, we need the home meetings, the truth lessons, the Lord’s table, the prayer meeting, and we also need big meetings periodically to gather all the new ones together. We need periodic conferences with all the new converts. For the new ones just to meet in homes to receive nourishment and to learn the truth in the group meetings will not be fully adequate to make them so living and equipped to bear more burden for the Lord. For the long run, they also need to be gathered together for a conference with all of the saints. This kind of gathering stirs up and encourages the saints. This opens the eyes of the seeking ones to see something further. Otherwise, they will remain in their homes, and they will not receive a broader view of the Lord’s move. (Elders’ Training Book 9, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), p. 13)

The Perfecting Training for the Core Members

The beginning of any kind of reform is difficult. In the beginning, we expected that there were some in the groups who would be the “core members” to bear the responsibilities. When such ones failed to fulfill their responsibilities, the small groups fell apart. However, if every saint in a group would put in his shoulder to share the burden, everyone would be the “core members”. In this way, even when a group is split and the number decreases and the group seems to be weak, the situation is just temporary. Eventually, the group would be strong and spread.

This issue of the “core members” indicates that the religious concept is still in our blood. We cannot leave any ground to the flesh of man because if there is even a little bit of compromise, religion will immediately come out. Any thought that the “core member” is a minority is religious. There is the perfecting training for the core members in the church. Who are the trainees? It is all the saints. Every one of us should be the core member.

I really hope that every home of the saints will have a small group. If we would arrive at this point, there will be a great revival of the churches and the genuine gospelizing of Taiwan. (The Vision and Specific Steps for the Practice of the New Way (Chinese), pp. 138-139)

All Kinds of Educational Classes

The problem today is that our knowledge of the truth is not sufficient and that we do not know how to introduce the truth to people. People who have been to Hong Kong know that the merchants selling precious stones there bring out their expensive jewelry to show to the customer, and when the customer’s heart is touched, he naturally pays a high price to buy it. We Christians often are very foolish because we do not know how to bring out the treasures in the Bible to show to people. We have plenty of treasures at home, but we do not know how to bring them out. This is due to our lack in our daily pursuing and being equipped.

For this reason we definitely have to schedule all kinds of educational courses in the church meetings to teach the brothers and sisters so that they may be built up in the truth. Then when they go out to contact people, everyone will have his function. For a country to be strong, it must provide widespread education, and its citizens must be highly educated. In this way the country will naturally be strong. If we have education as a base, it will not be difficult to do anything. We are for the testimony of the Lord, but if we are not strong in the truth, then without that base, whatever we speak to others will be in vain. Conversely, if we have been equipped with the truth, then whatever we speak will benefit others. (Speaking for God, pp. 132-133)

Seven Annual Trainings, Conferences, and Video Trainings, Etc.

After World War II, due to the worldwide economic prosperity, the ease of transportation, and the improvement in communication media, we have been enjoying a greater convenience than before in transmitting information. Formerly, it took half a day to make an overseas phone call, but now through the international long distance telephone, in a short time we can have a thorough discussion of affairs among a number of overseas churches. In the past, when Brother Nee released messages, there were no microphones, nor any tape recordings. The messages were recorded in shorthand, which often was not perfect. Today, we have both audio-tape and video-tape recordings; all the messages can be conveniently preserved. In 1958, I began to visit the western world. Although for the most part I have worked in the United States, through the publications, audio tapes, and video tapes, the messages in the Lord’s recovery have been spread to the six continents of the earth. Many seeking ones in different countries have received supplies of these publications, audio tapes, and video tapes…

The raising up of the church in each place was mainly through the issuing of publications and the distribution of audio and video tapes, not through the co-workers’ going out to work. The video tapes, at present, are the most practical. In Mexico, we have eight or nine video stations. Through the release of the messages station by station, about twenty churches have been raised up. Although the Spanish-speaking saints also emphasize publications, unfortunately the Spanish translation work is still falling behind due to the limitation of time and manpower. …Even in such a vast Christian country as the United States, people are suffering spiritual famine. The Lord’s recovery has been able to spread overseas mainly because of the truth. Besides the churches in the Far East, the raising up of …other churches has been for the most part due to the issuing of publications, audio tapes, and video tapes in the Lord’s recovery…

Today, the Lord’s speaking is clearly in His recovery. The saved ones in every place and many who are hungry for the Lord desire the truth and the understanding of the Bible. Therefore, when our publications went into places such as North and South Africa, and Central and South America, those who pursue the truth were eager to receive them. The greatest need now is for the ministry station to quickly put out the publications, audio tapes, and video tapes. The audio and video tapes are being used extensively, and the results they produce are also very significant. (The Words of Training for the New Way, Vol. 1, pp. 30-32)

THE TRUTH EDUCATION IN EACH STEP
OF THE PRACTICE OF THE NEW WAY

Needing to Present the Truth in Preaching the Gospel

Do not just tell people, “Believing in Jesus is so good! Everyone is sinful, and he who does not believe in Jesus will go to hell.” If we only speak such things, then people will be disgusted and will have a negative reaction; besides, these things are too low and shallow. Therefore, we have to learn the truth so that we can speak God’s word outside of the meetings to the unbelievers. This depends on whether or not we have the burden and whether or not we have the heart to do it. If we have the heart, then the more we do it, the more we will have the burden. The more burden we have, the more results we will have, and the more results we have, the more we will be encouraged. To preach the gospel and bring people to salvation is not too difficult a matter. This requires us to learn the truth and to learn to speak outside of the meetings to the unbelievers. (Speaking for God, p. 130)

Showing People That the Truth in the Bible is the Highest

The working saints all have many colleagues, so they have many opportunities to speak. Therefore, it is best for them to have in their pockets a small Bible, some gospel tracts, some gospel booklets, or some simple spiritual booklets, so that whenever there is a need, they can be used. We should not simply say that the Lord Jesus is wonderful, and that believing in the Lord Jesus will give people peace. Rather, we must begin with the truth. We should use the truth as the starting point and show people the truth. The truths in the Bible are the highest. No human philosophy can compare with the Bible. However, we have to learn to dig out these treasures from the Bible. Then in our daily living when there are suitable opportunities, perhaps during the noontime break or maybe after office hours, we can speak to one of our colleagues, and we can also open our Bible and read a portion to him. If he is receptive, we can give him a small booklet to read at home. We should not ask him about it the very next day; rather, we should wait for three or five days and then give him a Bible verse, again in a relaxed manner. If we work in this way persistently, people will believe in the Lord. (Speaking for God, pp. 130-131)

Studying the Practical Applications of Biblical Points

You have to consider how to make all the biblical points practical. I have used marriage life as an example in quite a few of my messages. This makes the message more practical.

If you are going to reach certain persons, first of all, you must know their real situation. If you are going to help those in high school or junior high, you must learn their real life situation. Second, you have to consider what portion of the holy Word can be applied to that particular situation. You must have some verses or portions in the Bible as the base of your speaking. The basic thoughts in the Bible are the top ones. No logic can exceed the logic of the Bible. There is no comparison. When your preaching is based on the Bible, your preaching will become powerful, yet it must be practical. You have to speak on the practical situation but with some portions or some verses from the Bible. Therefore, the third point is to learn to speak in a way that is always practical. If you take care of these three points, you will be able to learn a lot. (The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, pp. 107-108)

A Home Education for Feeding

After the saints have grown to a certain measure, there is the need of teaching. A good part of the perfecting at that point will be the teaching. The saints are then like the child who has reached school age. Such a child should go to school to receive his education, but that does not mean that the parents no longer supervise the child. When a child is sent to school to receive a proper education, he must still have a good family to match his training at school. Only then will he be properly perfected. Our problem today is that we talk too much, yet feed too little. The feeding and the education are not well coordinated. I hope that from now on the co-workers in the various places would talk less and feed more. They should do their best to shepherd and care for the saints. As soon as we hear of anyone sick or of anyone encountering problems, we must be concerned for him, pray for him, and go to visit him. The impact that this little bit of concern, prayer, and visiting affords is far more powerful than ten messages. Although the long messages are nice to listen to, they are far inferior to the care we can give to others in their daily lives. Care can touch people’s feeling in a far deeper way than messages can. All parents spend their all for their children. In the end, the children spontaneously love their parents and are full of gratitude. I hope that all the elders would be such people, who give up everything for the saints. Although the brothers and sisters are not your children in the flesh, they are the flock entrusted to you by God as far as their spiritual life is concerned. The elders must have the compassion of a caring mother. They must be desperate to care for the Lord’s lambs. (A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need, pp. 55-56)

Feeding Mouth-to-mouth and Teaching Face-to-face

If the co-workers and elders are such people and if every one of them would feed and perfect others in this way, the ones perfected by them will eventually do the same work. Because the saints are under their care and because they enjoy and experience this work of grace, spontaneously they will give themselves to join in this work of grace which they enjoy. At the same time, the expression of love which flows out from the serving ones will become the example for the ones served. When a mother loves her child, the love expresses itself spontaneously in her living and becomes an example to the child. If the elders and co-workers would love the saints like a mother who loves her child and would render a loving, willing service to them, feeding them mouth-to mouth and teaching them face-to-face, then when the saints are perfected, they will be just like the co-workers and elders; every one of them will be able to do the work that the co-workers and elders do.

The meetings with only one speaking and all the rest listening do not have the mouth-to-mouth feeding or the face-to-face teaching. This is why these meetings cannot perfect people and do not produce spiritual descendants. Now the new way has replaced the old way. The purpose for this change is that all the saints may be perfected and that they all may become useful persons. At present, in the church in Taipei there are four thousand people attending the weekly bread-breaking meetings. If all these ones were perfected and everyone could do the work of the co-workers and elders, the situation would be marvelous. (A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need, pp. 56-57)

Teaching from Home to Home

The gifted members were given to the Body for the perfecting of the saints. Acts 5:42 says, “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and bringing the good news of Jesus as the Christ.” We need to ask who “they” are. In Acts 2 the three thousand new disciples met from house to house, but in 5:42 “they” refers to the apostles mentioned in verses 40 and 41. The apostles did not cease in two things: teaching and gospel preaching. They did this in two places: in the temple and from house to house. I believe that they were preaching in the temple and teaching in the houses. The first group of apostles taught from house to house to perfect the three thousand new ones who were saved on the day of Pentecost and those who were saved afterwards. On the one hand, the apostles preached the gospel to the public in the temple, and on the other hand, when people were saved, they went to their homes to teach them. To teach is to perfect. This is the great lack among us.

In the past, we may have baptized some new ones, but not many of them remained because we left them as orphans. Who went to their homes again and again to teach them? (The Way to Practice the Lord’s Present Recovery, pp. 27-28)

Feeding One-on-One

We should not drag people to meetings anymore. Instead, we should go to their homes to give injections. They cannot come to the meetings because they do not have time. But if you would go to them every week to give them an injection, in the long run you will undoubtedly see results. Before we go out to practice one-on-one, we must first learn the truth. In the church we must first be supplied with messages of life four or five times a week. Only then can we supply others, and only then can those whom we beget be preserved and nurtured. Formerly, many were baptized among us, but few of them remained. This is because we did not have the proper way to nurture them. Or to put it simply, we did not know how to raise them up. Now we need to mend this hole. Not only do we have to beget, but we must nurture as well. And after the nurturing there is still the need for educating.

Previously, the way of the big meetings was like a big family with three generations together. Every Lord’s Day all three generations came together. Those who had been saved only a short time were invited to the same table as those who had been saved for a long time. Everyone ate the same food. There was no consideration as to whether the food was suitable for the newborn babes, the toddlers, or those who could only take milk. Now we are practicing the one-on-one. What we are doing is to go to the new ones’ homes, to lift them up in our arms, and to feed them with milk. Perhaps after half a year, we will not need to go to them anymore; they will be able to come to the table by themselves. The power of the home meeting lies in its potential to nurture. By the time a new one can come to the meetings by himself, he is also ready for teaching. Every week we will teach him with four or five messages. All the teaching will be centered on these messages of life. Gradually, with these two things, nurturing and teaching, as a cycle, he will grow. (Key Points on the Home Meetings, pp. 76-77)

Learning to Speak According to the Needs and the Situations

For this reason, we cannot look merely at the present condition. We have to believe that our work is a work of life; it has eternal value. What we speak is the truth of the Bible, and life will follow such truth and work on man. We all have to learn to speak in an organic way. We should not preach in a dead way….But if you will take care of peoples’ situation by seizing the opportunity, you will meet the needs of all sorts of people.

For example, you can say to a sister who is lying on a sick bed, “Sister, 1 Peter 2:24 says that the Lord Jesus bore up our sins in His body on the tree, and by His bruise we are healed. Just call on His name and He will deliver you from your sickness.” We may not have the absolute assurance that she will be healed, but we should believe that she will be comforted by the Lord’s word. After this you can lead her to pray, “Lord, I commit my sickness to You. You know my pains. Have mercy on me.” If you seize the opportunity in this way, you will have done some perfecting work on her. You can then turn around and speak a little to her family. Do not give a message on the so-called “organic functioning of the believers.” Instead, seize the opportunity to say a suitable word. We all must learn this.

Concerning the truth, we all have to be absolute. We cannot dis¬count anything with regard to God’s truth, and we cannot discredit God’s word, but in our practice we have to be flexible and skillful….Towards the truth we have to be absolute, but in practice, we must learn to work as the opportunity arises. (The Ministry Magazine, Volume 3, No. 1, pp. 19-20)

The Contents of the Divine Feeding

Proclaiming the Unsearchable Riches of Christ

We should not present Christ to others in an old or traditional way but in a new way according to the revelation of the rich Christ revealed in the New Testament. We may say to someone: “Christ is the very God who created the universe. One day He was born of a human virgin to be a man by the name of Jesus.” This way of speaking is right and good. Although I appreciate it, I would still say that it is old. Because the United States is an old Christian nation, many people have already heard this kind of presentation of Christ. We have to learn to present Christ in a new way. We want to nourish people with the unsearchable riches of Christ in His full ministry in three stages.

When we go to visit people, we do not want to merely tell them something but to nourish them with Christ as their food. The first time I saw that the believers of Christ should learn how to eat Him was in 1958 in Taiwan. John 6:57 reveals that Jesus is edible: “He who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.” Of course, we live by what we eat. Actually, the Bible begins with the thought of God’s desire for man to eat the tree of life. God created a perfect man, Adam, but God put this man in front of the tree of life. He did not put man in front of a book teaching him many things, including how to live a marriage life. God, after creating a perfect man, brought that man into a garden which included the tree of life. God warned this man not to eat the other tree, the tree of knowledge (Gen. 2:9, 16-17). Man must eat the right tree or he will be poisoned.

Man needs to eat only one thing—the tree of life. This tree signifies Christ. When Christ was incarnated, He said, “I am…the life” (John 14:6); He also said, “I am the vine” (John 15:5a). He is the life and He is the vine tree, so He is the tree of life. Christ is not only our Savior and Redeemer but also our life-tree. He is our food so that we can be nourished with Him. When we contact people, we should always endeavor to present some spiritual food to them, not to teach them with mere knowledge. Then they will be nourished. Ephesians 3:8 says that Christ’s riches are unsearchable, or untraceable. The one new testament age reveals an unsearchably rich Christ in His full ministry in three stages. (The Vital Groups, pp. 113-114)

Nourishing Us with Christ’s Divine and Mystical Teachings

All these divine and mystical teachings of our great Shepherd and Comforter are not only His unveiling and enlightening but also His nourishing to us for our growth and maturity in His divine life that the eternal economy of God may be consummated through us.

Christ came to seek the sinners that they might have His life and have it abundantly, so we should not go out to reach people in a shallow and empty way. We should go out full of the divine life so that people may have Christ’s life through us. We must be filled to the brim with Christ’s life so that His life flows out of us to be dispensed into others. We need to be saturated and soaked with Christ inwardly and outwardly. In this sense, we become Christ and the eternal life because we have drunk of God as the fountain, emerging into the spring, and gushing up into a river of life to flow out of our innermost being.

We also need to teach the divine truths to people to strengthen our shepherding and reach its goal. We may share with a theological professor concerning the four ins in John 14:17-20. Our going out as Christ to give people life and truth will attract and convince them. We need to be discipled to be such a Christ. On the one hand, we should shepherd people by dispensing the divine life into them. On the other hand, we should teach them the divine truths in the divine, mystical realm. This is my burden.

If we practice these things, there will be a real revival in the Lord’s recovery. We must be shepherds with the loving and forgiving heart of our Father God in His divinity and the shepherding and finding spirit of our Savior Christ in His humanity. We also must have the heavenly vision of all the divine and mystical teachings of Christ. Shepherding and teaching are the obligation of the vital groups and the basic way ordained by God to build up the Body of Christ consummating the New Jerusalem. (The Vital Groups, pp. 55 56)

Mutual Teaching in the Group Meetings
by Mutual Asking and Mutual Answering

In this message we will touch the matter of mutual teaching in the group meetings by mutual asking and mutual answering. In the group meetings we do not promote anyone to be a particular teacher; rather, we desire to encourage all the group members to learn how to teach. …We may feel that learning to teach in this way is too difficult. However, let me assure you that it is not difficult. …We all have been led by Christianity to believe that we are not qualified to do anything for the Lord. …However, we must change our concept. We must believe that we can speak for the Lord. Otherwise, we have no way to go on. …We all have the divine life. Within every life there is a capacity. …We also need to exercise this capacity without being afraid of making mistakes. …After a period of time we may improve and become one of the best ones.

The best teaching always implies two things: the highest revelation and the rich experience of life. You may give a word perhaps for just two minutes, yet in your word there may be the highest revelation and also the very rich experience of life. This is the best teaching. …[In our group meetings,] we must learn to teach with the highest revelation and the rich experience of life.

The vital groups can be eighty percent of the church life mainly due to the mutual teaching. Of the eighty percent, sixty percent depends on the mutual perfecting by the mutual teaching. …In our group meetings we need to practice teaching by mutual asking and mutual answering. …We may think that it is too difficult. However, if we do not do our best to teach, the vital groups will have no way to go on. In the group meetings the main thing is to perfect and equip one another by teaching. …We need to make the group meetings very busy, with much traffic. This depends on our asking and on our answering; it depends on our teaching. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, pp. 169-175)

Being Perfected in the Lord’s Word by Learning to Prophesy

To meet according to 1 Corinthians 14:26, we must desire and learn to prophesy. Prophesying is so that others may learn; hence, to prophesy requires learning. If we say something for others to learn, we have to learn first. We learn to prophesy through experiences. We have to live the Lord, love Him, and enjoy Him. We also learn to prophesy by being equipped with the Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We must get into the Word and become saturated with the Word until we are one with the Word. To learn to prophesy we need to pray unceasingly (1 Thes. 5:17-20). We need to pray ourselves into the Spirit. This kind of unceasing prayer will keep us in the Spirit all the time. We must be in the Spirit; otherwise, we cannot have God’s oracle. We must be in the Spirit; otherwise, we cannot speak something divine. We learn to prophesy by living and walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25). We also learn to prophesy by practicing. Our learning to prophesy is for attending the meeting of mutuality to fulfill 1 Corinthians 14:26. (The Excelling Gift for the Building Up of the Church, p. 30)

A SCHOOL EDUCATION IN THE CLASSES OF THE TRUTH EDUCATION

We must, by the Lord’s grace, keep our meetings so living and so full of nourishment. But still, we must carry out the saints’ education in the basic truths. Then all the saints who have been meeting in the Lord’s recovery with us for many years will get the adequate, solid, and basic education of the New Testament economy. Eventually, they will have the New Testament ministry to minister these truths to the unbelievers, to the believers who do not meet with us, and also to minister life to all the people. We need a new start. After three years of meeting with us, the saints should have received some solid education of the New Testament ministry. (Elders’ Training Book 3, The Way to Carry Out the Vision, pp. 98-99)

Needing Different Levels of Education to Progress Gradually

[In the Lord’s recovery], some of you have been listening to my speaking for thirty-seven years until today (1986). At that time you were still young brothers and sisters, and most of you were still unmarried, but now your children have already graduated from college, and many of them are serving as elders. Before they were born, you were already here listening to my speaking, but until today, you have not graduated even from elementary school. What is the reason? Through research mankind has developed a system of education which requires six years of elementary school, six years of high school, and four years of college, with well-planned curriculum for each year. As long as a person studies progressively according to this set of curriculum, he will surely graduate from college sixteen years later and will have absorbed systematically the general knowledge of mankind. However, the messages which we have spoken to you under this roof in these thirty-seven years are mostly according to our feeling at the time, and therefore not very systematic. Hence, even though you have heard so much, today if you were asked to speak about justification by faith, you could not even utter one sentence. This may be likened to the fact that you have been listening to lessons on mathematics for thirty-seven years, and you also know that three plus two equals five, but when you are asked to teach others, you are not able to do it. (Rising Up To Preach the Gospel (Chinese), p. 130)

Needing to Prepare the Proper Materials

Once we gain some new ones, we need to study to find the way to take care of them. I have been considering what materials would be the best to use in the group meetings to teach people. We have both Life Lessons and Truth Lessons. Although these lessons are very well written, I feel that they are not so suitable, because they may be too much for the new ones to digest. Even The Holy Word for Morning Revival may not be suitable for the new ones in the group meetings. It is not good to feed people too much food; we need to give them the proper portions. In Hebrews 5:12-14 Paul mentioned two kinds of food: milk and solid food. We should not attempt to nourish a child with solid food. Hence, we need someone to labor in order to write some suitable materials for the group meetings that will nourish the new ones with milk. In order to have the profitable teaching and fellowship in the group meetings, some materials that can serve as a guideline are needed. I hope that some of the brothers will be raised up by the Lord to compose some proper writings for the group meetings. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, p. 31)

Needing to Give Food at the Appropriate Time and According to the Need

Such a practice involves an effort on the part of the co-workers and the elders. They have to carefully select the proper material for the home meetings. They need to spend an adequate amount of time to pray thoroughly, to observe the condition of the brothers and sisters, and to understand the need of all the homes and the groups. They have to know their conditions, and then they have to search out the suitable material from our publications. A mother, in preparing a meal for the family, has to consider the condition of all the members of the family. Sometimes one member of the family is sick, and she has to prepare special food for that one. Sometimes the season changes, and she has to shop for the proper kind of food. All this takes research as well as common knowledge.

Matthew 24:45 says that the faithful and prudent slave distributes food to God’s children at the appointed time. The meaning of distributing food to God’s children at the appointed time is profound. It does not merely mean to distribute food according to the seasons, but to distribute different kinds of food according to the varying needs. This is something that requires time and research. Suppose you meet a new one, and without any regard for his condition you begin to share with him about the seventy weeks in Daniel. It is true that you are speaking God’s word, but that kind of “distributing of food” does not nourish him. Instead, it kills him. God’s word is life, but if you do not use it in a proper way, it becomes a killing factor to others. It can spoil a person’s appetite; he will be spoiled of the taste to come to the meeting because what he has heard has not benefited him.

I may have exaggerated a little, but I am trying to show you the absolute necessity of preparing the right kind of reading material for different meetings. This is in the principle of distributing food accord¬ing to the appointed time. The advancement of the various kinds of meetings hinges on this very matter. (The Ministry Magazine, Volume 3, No. 4, pp. 7-9)

References: The Mysteries in God’s Economy, Additional Word (1); Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, chs. 4, 15, 18; The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, ch. 12; Elders’ Training Book 9, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), ch. 1; Talks Concerning the Church Services, ch. 1; The Vision and Specific Steps for the Practice of the New Way (Chinese), ch. 5; The Ministry Magazine, Volume 3, No. 1; January 1999, pp. 19-20; Volume 3, No. 4; April 1999, pp. 7-9; Speaking for God, ch. 7; The Words of Training for the New Way, Vol. 1, ch. 3; The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, ch. 12; A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need, ch. 4; The Way to Practice the Lord’s Present Recovery, ch. 2; Key Points on the Home Meetings, ch. 7; The Vital Groups, chs. 6, 12; Elders’ Training Book 3, The Way to Carry Out the Vision, ch. 9; Rising Up to Preach the Gospel (Chinese), ch. 7.