CONCLUSION
In conclusion, if the church is to grow and prosper until it arrives at the condition of the early church in the Bible, in which saved ones were added to the church day by day, then we absolutely must bring the church life into the homes. In the past, because we had a hard time breaking away from the influence of Christianity, we did not pay much attention to the form of our meetings. As a result, we were slow in our multiplication and increase. Today, however, the Lord has shown us a way in the Bible. What we need to do now is to endeavor to go on according to this new way and do our best to bring the church life into the homes. This is very crucial.
In our actual practice we must go out to lead the home meetings every week. After three months we can conclude our taking the lead and try to allow the new ones to take the lead themselves. But during those first three months we must lead and teach them, causing them to learn and practice until they are able to do what we do. Now there are already some new ones who have been through this perfecting and who are going out door-knocking with us. Some even have the heart to attend the full-time training. This is a very good sign. I hope that after these next three months, we will be able to let go of taking the lead in the meetings. This does not mean, however, that we stop going to them. We still must go, but the new ones themselves must take the lead. We will go on this way until we have met with them for a total of six months. Then they can completely “graduate,” and the church life will be entirely in the homes of the new ones, ensuring that the home of every new one has the normal church life and that every new one can practically bear the responsibility of the church life.
Some might wonder how it can go this fast. Yes, this can truly go this fast. We need to turn our concepts. In the past our knowledge was inadequate, but now we are in an age of advancement and the standard of education has been raised. We must believe that the level of the new ones is also higher. In the past we felt that it was too hard to understand certain hymns, but now the new ones understand the hymns as soon as they sing them. Therefore, when we teach the new ones, we should not think that they will not be able to understand and therefore consider waiting until another time to tell them about certain things. We must realize that once we wait, we might end up waiting forever. We should just speak boldly and believe that they certainly are able to understand. Parents all know that the way to teach little children to speak is to constantly speak when you are around them. After you have spoken much, they spontaneously are able to speak too. If you do not teach them to speak, in just three years’ time they become mutes who truly are not able to speak. Leading the home meetings is just like this. Do not be afraid to speak about the deeper truths such as the dispensing of the Triune God, God’s economy, and the great mystery of Christ and the church. You must believe that by your speaking again and again, they will be able not only to understand but also to speak according to your speaking.
This time when I returned to Taiwan, I made a special trip to a barber shop that I used to frequent thirty years ago. I discovered that the barbers have changed their speaking. Their conversations are much higher and better than I had expected. This is because society has made progress. The barbers hear and see this progress every day, so spontaneously, their speaking also changes. Thus, when we go to the home meetings, we must also speak the high, deep truths until these high, deep truths become part of the ordinary conversation among us.
(The Furtherance of the New Way for the Lord's Recovery, Chapter 6, by Witness Lee)
