THE FOURTH PART: THE PATHWAY OF THE LORD’S RECOVERY
God-ordained Way
Message Eleven—Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life in the Vital Groups
Scripture Reading: John 3:16; Phil. 1:5-6, 19-27; 4:22; Acts 1:8; 1 Thes. 1:3, 5; Acts 5:20; 2 Cor. 12:15
I. Those of us in the vital groups need to have a twofold burden; being burdened with God’s concern for sinners and with converting sinners into members of Christ for the carrying out of God’s economy—John 3:16, 30; 1 Tim. 2:4, 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5:
A. Today in the Lord’s recovery the greatest need, the primary need, is to gain the increase; we need to save sinners through the preaching of the gospel that they may become material for the building up of the church as the house of God—1 Tim. 3:15:
1. In these days I am greatly burdened for the raising up and the going on of the vital groups; we need to get ourselves prepared to go out to gain people for the increase and building up of the church.
2. We should get ourselves prepared by making a list of our relatives and close acquaintances; then we need to pray and ask the Lord which ones we should concentrate on first as candidates for our gospel service.
B. “God desires all men to be saved;” our vital groups should learn how to be burdened with our Father’s loving concern toward the sinners; we have to learn to be burdened with the loving concern of God’s heart toward the perishing sinners—John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4.
C. Paul preached the gospel for the increase and building up of the Body of Christ; he was a priest offering saved ones to God as the living members of the Body of Christ; we need to preach the gospel for the increase of the Body of Christ, not to merely win souls—Rom. 15:16; John 3:30; Hab. 1:8.
II. God’s intention is that a local church would have fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel, not only for one period of time but continually, until the day of Christ Jesus, that is, until He comes back—Phil. 1:5-6:
A. The Christ-experiencing and Christ-enjoying life is a life in the furtherance of the gospel, a gospel-preaching life, not individualistic but corporate; hence, there is the fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel—Phil. 1:5-6.
B. The more fellowship we have in the furtherance of the gospel, the more Christ we experience and enjoy; this kills our self, ambition, preference, and choice.
C. The move of the preaching of the gospel must be a matter in fellowship because it is a matter of the Body:
1. As the branches of Christ, the true vine, we must love one another in order to express the divine life in fruit-bearing; no branch of the vine bears fruit individually—John 15:1-5, 12, 17.
2. When we live by Christ, in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ, Christ is expressed through us as love for one another, and this mutual love becomes a strong testimony to the people of the world that we are the disciples of Christ—13:34-35.
3. Our preaching of the gospel is by the Body life and in the Body life; how fruitful we are in our preaching depends on how much of the reality of the Body of Christ we have.
D. Paul charged the saints to conduct themselves “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” and to “stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel”—Phil. 1:27:
1. When all the members in the church are “in one spirit, with one soul,” this oneness will be convincing, subduing, and attractive to others for their salvation; if there is no harmony among us, this will kill the saving Spirit.
2. The word “together” has the sense of “as one man, shoulder to shoulder in absolute cooperation” and the sense of “contending as a team of athletes do, in perfect co-operation with one another” (Wuest).
E. The phrase striving together indicates that the gospel is a matter of labor and endurance; the vital groups should press on according to Paul’s prayer in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 concerning the work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope.
III. The genuine preaching of the gospel is in the way of life; the gospel is not only the preaching of the word but also a life of enjoying the supply of the Body, the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, to live and magnify Christ—Phil. 1:19-21a; Acts 5:20:
A. The preaching of the gospel is the expression of Christ, and bearing fruit is the outworking of the inner experience of life—John 15:5; Acts 16:23-25.
B. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he was living in prison and not outwardly working; his speaking of “fruit for my work” indicates that his work was actually his living—Phil. 1:22:
1. The fruit for Paul’s work was Christ being lived out, magnified, ministered, and transfused into others through him.
2. Paul’s living work was to minister Christ to others and to transfuse the Christ whom he magnified into them; through Paul’s magnification of Christ, even some in Caesar’s household were saved—4:22.
3. Paul told the Philippians that his imprisonment would also work to the advancement of the gospel—1:12, 18.
C. Paul fed his spiritual children with his own living of Christ; the best way to shepherd people is to give them a proper pattern—1 Thes. 2:1-12:
1. Paul and his co-workers were a pattern of the gospel that they spread—“you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake”—1:5b.
2. The apostle Paul stressed repeatedly their entrance toward the believers; this shows that the apostles’ manner of life played a great role in infusing the gospel into the new converts—vv. 5, 9; 2:1, 11.
D. Acts tells us that the preachers of the gospel are the Lord’s witnesses, His martyrs; this means that we testify to others at a cost, even at the sacrifice of our life—1:8; 2 Cor. 12:15:
1. To live a clean and upright life (1 Thes. 2:3-6, 10) and to love the new converts, even by giving our own souls to them (vv. 7-9, 11), are the prerequisites for infusing them with the salvation conveyed in the gospel that we preach.
2. Paul was willing to spend not only what he had but also himself, his very being, on behalf of the saints.
E. Because of Paul the churches could have the growth in life and could be filled with the enjoyment of Christ; this should also be true of us today—Phil. 1:25.
IV. We, the preachers of the gospel are the martyrs of the Lord; but to testifying; not only by word but by our life and living and even the sacrifice of our life; we are living here for this, and our living is our preaching—John 15:5; 2 Cor. 12:15.
Ministry Excerpts:
BEING BURDENED WITH THE LOVING CONCERN
OF GOD’S HEART TOWARD THE PERISHING SINNERS
We have to learn to be burdened with the loving concern of God’s heart toward the perishing sinners. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes into Him would not perish but have eternal life. God does have such a love. Now we as God’s children should be one with our Father in His love for sinners. We need to have a loving concern for the salvation of sinners. The concept of preaching the gospel merely to win souls is too shallow. We need a loving concern for fallen man. According to my feeling, most of the saints among us have lost this concern and care for the sinners.
Our vital groups should learn how to be burdened with our Father’s loving concern toward the sinners. First Timothy 2:4 says that God desires all men to be saved. Before we go out, we must be equipped with this kind of feeling. Otherwise, we are hypocrites performing something. If we do not have a heart for the sinners, why would we go out to visit them? This would be a kind of performance.
BEING BURDENED TO CONVERT SINNERS INTO EMBERS OF CHRIST FOR THE CARRYING OUT OF GOD’S ECONOMY
In Romans 15:16 Paul said, “That I might be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, a laboring priest of the gospel of God, in order that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, having been sanctified in the Holy Spirit.” Paul was a priest of the gospel who offered all the Gentiles to God as sacrifices. Paul was burdened to fulfill his ministry to convert the sinners into members of Christ. In the Old Testament, the priests offered cattle sacrifices as types of Christ. But Paul said that he offered to God the sinners saved by his gospel preaching as spiritual sacrifices, as members of Christ (1 Pet. 2:5). He did this for the building up of the Body of Christ to accomplish God’s economy.
This is not just to have God’s loving concern for sinners, but to pick up the burden to carry out God’s economy. God has an economy, and that economy is centered on Christ with His desire to have a Body. Today it is difficult to see many who have a real burden for the Body of Christ. Today’s evangelical work is just for soul-winning, but who cares for the building up of the Body of Christ? Paul preached the gospel for the increase and building up of the Body of Christ. He was a priest offering saved ones to God as the living members of the Body of Christ. We need to have such a burden.
The ones whom we save are God’s chosen ones. Once they are saved, we need to work on them so that they may have a metabolic change in their being. We need to labor in the Lord so that sinners can be regenerated and then transformed and built up. We need to bring the ones whom we save into the church life, which is for the building up of the Body of Christ.
We need to preach the gospel for the increase of the Body of Christ, not to merely win souls. In John 3:30 John the Baptist declared, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” At that time John the Baptist’s disciples were jealous to see all the people going to Christ. When they reported this to John, he responded by saying that Christ must increase while he must decrease. He was saying, “No one should come to me. Instead, all should go to Him to be His increase.” The increase in this verse is the bride in verse 29, and the bride is the living composition of all the regenerated people. Regeneration makes us the corporate bride for Christ’s increase.
Those of us in the vital groups need to have a twofold burden. One is the loving concern of the Father for sinners, and the other is the real burden for converting sinners into members of Christ. We cannot do these things lightly. We have to be very serious.
We all need to be inwardly touched by the Lord. Then there will be an echo within us to God’s love and to God’s economy. Within God’s heart are His loving concern for the fallen sinners and His desire to carry out His economy. This is a heavy burden for Him. Who today understands God’s heart and is for God’s heart? God’s heart today is for only two things: to save sinners and to accomplish the building up of the Body of Christ. We know that this will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which is God’s ultimate goal. We must pray for these two points which I have mentioned here. If we do not pray and if we do not pick up this burden, it is meaningless for us to participate in the vital groups.
We have to be revolutionized in every way. All the members of the vital groups should not be passive but should be filled with the Spirit inwardly and outwardly and should be exercising their spirit for the release of the spirit. Then we will be equipped, blended together, and ready to go out to gain the increase. (Fellowship concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, msg. 16)
FELLOWSHIPPING IN THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL
The church in Philippi also had fellowship with Paul in the furtherance of the gospel. In 1:5 Paul speaks of “your fellowship unto the gospel from the first day until now.” Fellowship here means “participation, communication.” The same Greek word is translated “contribution” in Romans 15:26 and “sharing” in Hebrews 13:16. The saints in Philippi had fellowship unto the gospel, participating in the furtherance of the gospel through the apostle Paul’s ministry. This participation included their financial contributions to the apostle (4:10, 15-16), which issued in the furtherance of the gospel. This kind of fellowship, which kept them from being individualistic and diversely minded, implies their oneness with the apostle Paul and with one another. This gave them the ground for their experience and enjoyment of Christ, which is the main point of this book. The Christ-experiencing-and-enjoying life is a life in the furtherance of the gospel, a gospel-preaching life, not individualistic but corporate. Hence, there is “the fellowship unto the gospel.” The more fellowship we have in the furtherance of the gospel, the more Christ we experience and enjoy. This kills our self, ambition, preference, and choice.
As the Philippian believers were sharing in the furtherance of the gospel, in the furtherance of God’s move on earth according to His economy, they were partakers with Paul of grace. Those who partake of grace are those who share and enjoy the processed Triune God as grace. The apostle was such a one in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, and the saints at Philippi were joint-partakers with him in this grace. Grace is the Triune God processed to be our enjoyment. By having fellowship unto the gospel with Paul, the Philippians enjoyed this grace. According to the expression in Greek, they became partakers of Paul’s grace, of the very grace he enjoyed.
The church in Philippi also prayed for Paul (1:19), made his joy full and caused him to rejoice (2:1-2), and supplied his material need. There is no doubt that this church was very good. (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 2)
PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN THE WAY OF LIFE
Matthew 24:14 says, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Verses 19 and 20 of chapter 28 say, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.” Acts 1:8 says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” This verse speaks not of preachers but of witnesses.
We Christians need to realize that preaching the gospel must not be a move or an activity. It must be a part, an aspect, an element, of our Christian living. After we are saved, the Lord leaves us on the earth mainly for the purpose of being His witnesses. However, the word witness in Greek has a deeper meaning than we might understand. The word witness in Greek is “martyr.” It is not related merely to preaching but to testifying, not only by word but by our life and living and even the sacrifice of our life. We need to testify the Lord Jesus to others at a cost, even at the sacrifice of our life.
More or less we have a wrong concept due to our particular background. We may think that to preach is merely a kind of work, move, activity, or movement. Rather, the real preaching and outreach of the gospel must be a part of our daily life, our Christian living. We are living here for this, and our living is preaching. We preach not only by word but by our living. Moreover, we preach not in a light and cheap way but at a cost, even at the cost of our life. We have to sacrifice our life for testifying Christ to others. This is why Acts tells us that the preachers of the gospel are the martyrs of the Lord. We have to be the Lord’s martyrs. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that he was willing to spend and be utterly spent for them, that is, to spend whatever he had and whatever he was (2 Cor. 12:15). This means that he was willing to sacrifice his own life, to pay the price at the cost of his own life. I look to the Lord that our concept would be changed. Do not consider that this is a work, movement, or activity. We have to consider that this is a matter of life, an item of our Christian life. We are living here for this, and our living is our preaching.
THE GOSPEL BEING A LIFELONG MATTER
OF LIVING AND LABORING IN THE LORD
Learn to fellowship with the Lord and to live in, by, and with the Lord. Learn to walk in the presence of the Lord. Then in this way, if we have the desire to cooperate with the Lord, He will open the way. He will pave the way for us to contact our neighbors, schoolmates, classmates, and relatives. It is by this that we will bring people to the Lord; it is by this that we will bear the real fruit. I say again, this is not a work, a movement, or an activity. This is a Christian living, and since it is a living, it must be normal. A living is not miraculous. We must have a living in a normal way. Many times the Lord did some genuine miracles in the church. I have no doubt about this. I saw this kind of thing, but it did not happen most of the time. Most of the time the gospel is normal. We live for Christ, and we walk with Him. We come together, we pray, and we declare and proclaim the Lord’s victory. Then the Lord will pave the way and open the door for us to bring people in.
This is a lifelong matter, a matter for the long run. We must change our idea. We cannot have these things as something in a dream. In Matthew 28:19 the Lord spoke concerning the preaching of the gospel, saying, “Disciple all the nations.” In addition, the apostle Paul said that when he preached the gospel, he travailed (Gal. 4:19). To travail is to bring forth, to deliver, a child. All mothers know how much they are spent in travail for their children. We have to spend, and we have to be spent. We are not only preaching the gospel; we are living here for the gospel. This is our life, and this is our living.
THE GOSPEL REQUIRING A PRACTICAL,
REAL TESTIMONY IN OUR DAILY LIFE
This requires us to be overcomers; it requires a real overcoming life. Our life must be victorious and overcoming. This is especially true in this country. This is not a heathen country. Although there are a good number of unsaved ones, nearly all the people have heard something about the gospel. Therefore, in this country there is an even greater need for a testimony in our daily walk, a testimony in the way we live. We must have a practical, real testimony in our daily life. If someone is a teacher, he must be different from the other teachers. In the office as a co-worker or employee, we have to be different, not in the negative sense but in a very positive sense.
In addition, we have to spend something, and we have to be spent. We cannot do the work of preaching in a light way or in the way of a dream that we will receive special power in order to bring in many people. (Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life, ch. 10)