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 Three
Opening Our Homes for the Preaching of the Gospel

Scripture Reading:

Acts 5:42      And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and announcing the gospel of Jesus as the Christ.

10:24            And on the next day they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius was awaiting them, having called together his relatives and intimate friends.

PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN EVERY HOME
BEING THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY
TO PREACH THE GOSPEL

Acts 5:42 says, “Every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and announcing the gospel of Jesus as the Christ.”…When the early disciples preached the gospel, they did not preach only in the temple but also in the homes. Every brother and sister opened his or her home for the preaching of the gospel.…We must pay particular attention to opening the homes for the gospel. Opening one’s home to preach the gospel must become a universal practice. Every saint’s home must be open for the gospel. Even a newly baptized saint can open his home for the gospel. The saints who have recently been baptized are fresh, and they have many friends and relatives. If they invite their friends and relatives to their homes, it will be easy to gain them.…We must do whatever we can so that open homes for the gospel is a universal practice. It does not matter whether a person is experienced; as long as he is saved, he should open his home for the preaching of the gospel. We are calling out to the saints, and we want every household to answer this call. Everyone, the old and the young, must preach the gospel. (Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 3: The Future of the Lord’s Recovery and the Building Up of the Organic Service, msg. 11)

The most effective way is to preach the gospel in every home every other week. If everyone preaches in this way, we will realize that everyone truly can preach the gospel. Our preaching of the gospel should be continual. The most effective way to preach the gospel is in every home continually. This kind of gospel preaching will not result in something great in an outward way, but with every member speaking in a continual way throughout the year, there will be an effective move of the Lord in the gospel.

ENCOURAGING EVERY BROTHER AND SISTER
TO OPEN THEIR HOMES
FOR THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL

Preaching the gospel by opening our homes is different from preaching the gospel in the meeting halls because there is no place for show or façade; it only requires everyone to exercise his or her spirit. Preaching in this way attracts people, and it warms and comforts them. We should encourage all the saints in the small groups to open their homes to preach the gospel. Even a weak saint has something precious to offer. Many so-called weak brothers and sisters become strong when they preach the gospel. Brothers and sisters who do not speak much in a big meeting all speak in a small group gathering. When they go to a church meeting and see older saints who have been following the Lord a long time, they often do not speak. However, in a small group gathering when they see that their gospel friends are unclear about the gospel and do not know the Lord Jesus, they become bold and are burdened to preach the gospel.

Sometimes the so-called weak brothers and sisters actually have more gospel friends than we do, because those who have been in the church for a long time may have fewer friends in the world. If these so-called weak brothers and sisters opened their homes to preach the gospel, they could easily invite ten or twenty relatives, friends, and neighbors to come. This is the best way to preach the gospel.

The Best Way to Preach the Gospel in Our Homes
Being to First Give a Personal Testimony
and Then Preach the Gospel

The best way to preach the gospel in our homes is to first give a personal testimony concerning our salvation and then speak a short word about the gospel. Small group gatherings do not need a renowned preacher or a lengthy sermon. There are no preachers in a small group gathering because there is no need for a preacher; rather, everyone can testify. For example, after inviting two gospel friends to our home, there can be brief introductions.

Perhaps the husband may say, “Before I believed in the Lord, my whole being was empty and without peace. There was no harmony in my family, and I was on the verge of divorcing my wife, but now my wife is sitting right next to me. Thank the Lord. He has saved our family and our marriage, and He has given us two lovely babies. These are all God’s blessings.” When people hear such a testimony, they will feel very warm. Then the wife may say something as well, testifying how her husband’s disposition changed completely after he believed in the Lord. This kind of testimony does not require any eloquence. If the children are a little older and are clear about their salvation, we can even ask them to give their testimonies. In this way, before the testimonies are finished, our gospel friends will be completely subdued and open to the Lord.…After giving a testimony, a brief word on the gospel can be given, but it does not have to be a lengthy discourse. We only need to give people a short word concerning the gospel.

Coordinating with Neighboring Saints
to Preach the Gospel

In some homes there are only husbands and wives because all the children have left home. Thus, they may think that there is not enough support for them to preach the gospel in their home. In such a case, they can ask others who are nearby to join them; thus, they can have a gospel meeting with two or three families who live nearby. This will not cause the free nature of preaching the gospel at home to be lost, and at the same time, there will be more impact in preaching the gospel. Sometimes we need to combine our homes together, but we should not do this in a rigid way. We should not have fixed rules about the number of families that come together. We should always be flexible.

Following the Lord’s Leading
to Have Specific Prayers

It is easy for us to neglect to pray for our relatives, friends, and neighbors. We should follow the Lord’s leading to petition specifically for the more hopeful ones to be saved. We all have some experience in praying for people, but many times our prayers are too general. We ask the Lord to gospelize Taiwan, but we have little way to determine whether or not the Lord has heard our prayers. However, if we pray specifically for our relatives and friends one by one, we will pay attention to whether or not the Lord has heard our prayers. Hence, this is a very good opportunity for us to exercise our spirit and faith to see the Lord’s faithfulness. (Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 4: The Increase and Spread of the Church, msg. 12)

The Gospel in the Homes Being Built on the Sisters

At this point we must commend the sisters, because the gospel in the homes is built on the sisters for the following reasons. The brothers are busier during the day because they go out to work; their hearts are not necessarily concerned with the homes. The sisters are the stronger ones in the church in the matter of loving the Lord. The Bible records two instances of sisters anointing the Lord with fragrant ointment; one is in Luke 7:36-39, and the other is in Matthew 26:6-13. The brothers were rational, cold, and calculating, so they thought that the fragrant ointment could be sold for much money, which could be given to the poor. Hence, the gospel in the homes should not be committed to the brothers. We must let the sisters take care of it. We must motivate the sisters. Furthermore, people are more likely to refuse an invitation from the brothers, but they will feel somewhat embarrassed to refuse an invitation from the sisters. Hence, we must emphasize the function of the sisters in promoting the preaching of the gospel in the homes until every home is open for the gospel. (Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 3: The Future of the Lord’s Recovery and the Building Up of the Organic Service, msg. 11)