GENERAL SUBJECT:
CRUCIAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

Message Thirteen
The Key to the Increase of the Church—the Vital Group

Scripture Reading: S.S. 1:2-4; Acts 2:46-47; Rom. 15:16

I. The vital group is the life line of the God-ordained way; as long as we have not touched the group meetings, we have hardly begun to practice the God-ordained way—Acts 2:46-47:

II. The three particular enemies today—deadness, lukewarm, and bareness—Rev. 3:1-2, 14-16; John 15:2:

A. The deadness of Sardis—Rev. 3:1-2.

B. The lukewarm of Laodicea—vv. 14-16.

C. The bareness of the degenerating believers—John 15:2a.

D. We all have to hate deadness, lukewarm, and bareness; we must seek to be vitalized in desperation, considering this to be a matter of life or death; we must carry out the practice of the vital groups in desperation.

III. The start of the vital groups—S.S. 1:2-4; John 15:2-5:

A. The vital groups cannot be formed in an organizational way.

B. The vital groups are produced only by a saint who dedicates everything in desperation, and is absolutely for the increase of the Lord’s Recovery:

1. The vital groups begin with a vitalized saint; we need to pray to the Lord, “Oh, Lord, make me vitalized! Make me active to move! I want to be the factor for the increase of the Lord’s Recovery.”

2. To be vitalized—Rev. 2:4-5; 1 John 1:9; Rev. 3:2-3:

a. We first must to have a thorough fellowship with the Lord.

b. Being stirred up in the first love for the Lord through repenting prayers—Rev. 2:4-5; 2 Cor. 5:14-15.

c. Making a thorough confession to the Lord—1 John 1:9; 3:2-3.

C. Such a saint in desperation can organically seek the vital companions by the Lord’s leading to produce a vital group:

1. You have to pray, “Lord, give me someone as a companion, or send someone to me. O, Lord, You lead me, and bring me into contact with the one whom You choose.”

2. An intimate and thorough fellowship cause us to be blended together.

D. They should pick up the burden and take actions to contact people, sinners or Christians:

1. Caring for two or three persons regularly.

2. They should not expect to bear fruits quickly, but should set definite goal to determine to gain at least one remaining fruit every year.

IV. The practice of the vital groups—Rom. 15:16; 1 Thes. 2:7; John 21:15-17:

A. As a laboring priest of the gospel of God—Rom. 15:16.

B. Learning to cherish people in the humanity of Jesus—Luke 4:18-19; 1 Thes. 2:7:

1. This is the first thing to contact people in the vital groups.

2. To cherish people is to make them happy, to comfort them, to make them feel that you are pleasant to them, easy to be contacted in everything and in every way, as Jesus did—Eph. 5:29.

C. Learning to nourish people in the divinity of Christ—Eph. 5:29; John 21:15-17:

1. Feeding people with the unsearchable riches of Christ in His full ministry in three stages.

2. Nourishing people not only by speaking with mouth, but also by promoting the ministry books.

D. Love is the most excellent way—1 Cor. 12:31b:

2. Love prevails; without love, all shall be in vain no matter how much we have shepherded and taught.

2. Love is the most excellent way for us to be anything and to do anything for the building up of the Body of Christ.

V. The increase of the vital groups—Acts 2:47; Eph. 4:12-13:

The purpose of the vital groups is for the increase, perfecting, and building up of the church—John 15:16; Acts 2:46-47; Eph. 4:12.

A vital group can be divided into two vital groups as there are ten members in one vital group; you need to teach each of the two groups the same things as you have done to them.

Thus, the vital groups can live the normal church life, overcoming the degradation of the church to constitute the Body of Christ for the consummation of the New Jerusalem—Eph. 4:12-13, 16.