THE BIBLICAL WAY TO GAIN PEOPLE FOR CHRIST
The best way to gain people for Christ is the biblical way. The biblical way is, first, to pray for people (1 Tim. 2:1-4). Second, it is to get the proper word in the Bible digested into our being so that we can use what we have digested of the Word to cherish and to nourish others (1 Tim. 4:6; 2 Tim. 3:15-17). Third, we ourselves must be persons living on this earth with no other interest but Christ with His Body. Our interest on this earth must be simply to live Christ with His church (Phil. 1:21; 3:8; 2:20-21). Of course, we need to make a living, get married, and have children, but all these are not our main interests. Our main interest is in Christ and the church. This is not just our work or our conduct; this is our life and this is our living. We need to be such a person.
Once we possess these three qualifications, we must know that we need to bear fruit (John 15:1-8, 16); we need to produce some members for Christ. Every day we need to pray for the people around us, including our relatives, our in-laws, our schoolmates, and our neighbors. Then we should digest the Word within us to become a person filled and even constituted with the holy Word. If we are such persons, we will gain the proper persons, and we will bring them directly to Christ. Furthermore, it will be easy for us to bring such people on with the Lord. Those who are seeking for God, yet merely in a natural, human way, and those who like to have a religion will not come to us. In society, among so many people, everyone has his own taste. We should not spend our time on those who are seeking for a religion so that they can have some rest. It is difficult to bring such people to seek after Christ. Something in their natural being prefers to have religion.
It is God who created us. I believe that I was created by God to be what I am. I am a person who desires to sacrifice everything for Christ. I was made that way by God. I love the Bible. In knowing the Bible I have a very good memory. It seems that I could never forget the Bible. Quite often I may forget a name, but it is difficult for me to forget one verse of the Bible. I believe that I was made in such a way by God.
When I was a young man I was very fond of playing soccer. One day after I was saved, all of a sudden I repented, thinking that I should not play soccer any longer. This took place sometime after I heard the gospel. On the day that I heard the gospel, I was caught by the Lord. The gospel message I heard on that day concerned the children of Israel’s being usurped by Pharaoh, who was a type of Satan. I responded to that word, saying to myself that I would not be usurped by Satan. We who have believed in the Lord Jesus did not do so because we ourselves are capable of believing. We were created that way by God. Before we were born, God chose us (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:1-2). God created us in such a way that we feel happy to be what we are today. If you were to give me the entire world, making me a king, I would not take it. This was my prayer that afternoon when I got saved. When I walked out from that meeting, I stopped on the way home and prayed, "Lord, even if I could possess the whole earth and be a king, I would not want this. I want to follow Jesus. I would be willing to carry a Bible and travel through the villages to preach the gospel." Today I am still the same.
(The Practice of the Church Life according to the God-ordained Way, Chapter 13, by Witness Lee)
