FOLLOWING THE TRAINING’S PRESCRIBED RULES, NOT DEPENDING ON THE NATURAL WAYS
You all can testify that the most effective way for door-knocking is to follow the way established by the training. The other ways, the natural ways, may appear to be helpful superficially, but in fact they are damaging to you. For example, when my child was learning to play the piano, I saw the teacher strictly charge her, saying, “You must not play with your fingers according to your convenience. You must play the way I tell you to play. You may feel that it is very effective to play according to your convenience. Eventually, you will discover that it is very damaging to you.” In the same manner, you may feel that to speak with people according to the way established by the training is very foolish and also ineffective, but in reality its effectiveness is invisible to you.
When you go door-knocking, if there are local saints coordinating with you, of course it is a very big help, but you must not rely on them. I hope that you may become experts in the matter of door-knocking. Therefore, in the training you must surely practice strictly, absolutely following the way established by the training. You are allowed to be flexible and make some changes in the details, but you must surely keep the principles.
A WORD OF CHARGE
I also remind you that in door-knocking, the situation of some of the homes may be not good today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but perhaps on the fourth day it will be good. Therefore, if they do not reject you absolutely, you may go back to visit them. However, it takes manpower to do this. Therefore, I already told the elders that I hope they can bring at least one-fourth of the saints to coordinate together, not to knock on doors every day but to do it at least once a week. At present, Taipei has four thousand saints who meet regularly. If one thousand of these saints can go out once a week and knock on at least five doors, then in a month we can knock on and visit twenty thousand homes. The result will be tremendous.
What we are studying here is a long-term, realistic, and serious practice. We do not want merely a momentary practice out of our enthusiasm. Therefore, I hope that everyone will take this matter seriously and do careful research. For example, in playing basketball, as long as someone can dribble, he can play the game and pass the ball around. But if someone wants to play basketball for the long-term and play it effectively, then he must practice seriously according to the instructions of the coach. If, instead of diligently practicing the basic movements, a person cares only for his own convenience, then it may be profitable in the short term, but in the long run it will be of no benefit and will even be harmful. At present when you go out, you are still practicing; in a year or two you should be able to be coaches when you go back. However, you must not be proud to consider yourself an expert and demand that everyone listen to you. When you have finished this training, I will also instruct you on how to face the elders and how to deal with the older saints when you go back so that the churches may go on in one accord.
What you need to learn now with all your effort is to practice and practice again in the training. Those who learn to play the piano told me that they take only one lesson a week, but they have to practice several hours every day. This is what you should do. If you spend a lot of effort to practice diligently every day in confessing your sins, asking to be filled, releasing your spirit, being uplifted in spirit, and going out every day, then you will spontaneously grow in life. Furthermore, you will become proficient through your constant practice. The tone, the gesture, the speed, and the rhythm of your speaking will all be proper. In this way people will naturally want to open the door to hear you speak.
Therefore, I hope that you will do your best to spend time practicing. You may have to give up some of the meetings in the meeting halls. This is because what we hope is not that you assist the meetings in the various meeting halls; rather, we hope that your time will be spent on practicing. When your practice results in proficiency, you will be a tremendous help to the meeting halls or churches when you go back. Therefore, do your very best to practice, and write a report on the results so that we may study them together and make improvements and then continue to practice. In this way the Lord surely will give us a beautiful perspective.
(The Revelation and Vision of God, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
