DILIGENTLY LEARNING IN THE NEW WAY
The Lord has shown us that the church today is walking on an extraordinary, new way. Since it is an extraordinary way as well as a new way, much learning is needed for its practice. It is just like any technology, invention, or product of this modern age which requires serious training with practice before it can be used correctly. Take transportation, for example; it takes about one hundred days to walk from the east coast of America to the west coast. Everyone can walk, so learning is not required. As long as a person walks, he will arrive some day. However, if he wants to arrive more quickly, he must drive a car, and that takes much learning.
Likewise, when we bring up the matter of door-knocking, everybody knows how to do it. However, learning is necessary to do it correctly. Therefore, we will form teams by combining the regular saints and the trainees. In doing this we hope that the saints will learn from those who have already been trained. Door-knocking can be successful only if we are willing to humble ourselves and learn from others. It is a big mistake if we think that because we are older, it is easy for us to learn the new way by simply listening to a little explanation. Door-knocking involves many details; hence, we need to practice with the experienced ones so that by our personal experience we may learn the secret. In this way, we will soon taste the sweetness.
Many saved ones can testify that after they were baptized, they were really joyful. This corresponds with what the Bible says. Acts 8 says that when the Ethiopian eunuch was reading Isaiah 53, Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to approach his chariot and ask him, “Do you really know the things that you are reading?” He said, “How could I unless someone guides me?” Then he invited Philip to come into his chariot and explain it to him (Acts 8:27-31). They had not gone very far, and perhaps because Philip had talked to him about the matter of baptism, when the eunuch saw some water beside the road, he said, “Look, water. What prevents me from being baptized?” (v. 36). Philip did not delay either, and he immediately baptized the eunuch. The Holy Spirit does things in a marvelous way; as soon as the eunuch came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit caught Philip away, not leaving him with the eunuch. Still, the eunuch went on his way rejoicing (v. 39).
According to our old way of doing things, whenever we spoke of preaching the gospel, we first had to go out and invite people to come and hear the gospel. Then when they came, we were busy turning the pages of the Bible for them and helping them to listen to the message. After someone believed, we still did not let him get baptized immediately. First he had to attend four meetings on the truth of the gospel. Then we had to visit him in his home, and finally he had to have an interview for baptism. If the result of the interview was that he was unclear about the gospel truth, then he could not be baptized and had to wait for the next interview. He could be baptized only when he was clear about the gospel truth. Many times people were hindered from being saved because of such a delay.
The examples given to us in the Bible are not at all like this. In Acts 8, Philip preached the gospel to the eunuch, and in a very short time, perhaps only fifteen minutes, he baptized him. When Philip explained the passage in Isaiah, “As a sheep He was led to slaughter,” he preached Jesus as the gospel through it. Immediately, when the eunuch saw some water, he wanted to be baptized. Therefore, Philip said, “If you believe from all your heart, you will be saved.” The eunuch answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (vv. 30-37). Philip baptized him immediately.
(The Furtherance of the New Way for the Lord's Recovery, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
