THE FOURTH PART: THE PATHWAY OF THE LORD’S RECOVERY

God-Ordained Way
Message Fifteen—The Small Group is the Life Pulse of
the Present Practice of the Church Life

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:42, 46-47; 5:42; Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:12; 1 Thes. 2:11; Col. 1:28-29

I. The small group is the life pulse of the present practice of the church life; the age has changed, the home meetings is the lord’s way today; if our small groups are strong, we will surely have a great increase in number; the small group meetings being the foundation of the building of church—Acts 2: 46-47; 5:42; Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:12:

A. The small group meeting is the life pulse of the Lord’s recovery and the key to the survival of our “family”; the small groups is our life pulse; we must work it out—Heb. 10:24-25.

B. The Small Groups is the Life Pulse; it will create “job opportunities” for the saints and bring out their organic function.

C. New faces are the life Pulse of a small group; as long as there are new ones, there will be burden, feeling, and utterance.

D. The content of the church life is based mainly on small group meetings and not on big meetings; then in our daily life the small groups can function in mutuality to care for and visit the saints—Heb. 10:24-25.

II. The small group is the way to build up the church, the way to gain people, the way to shepherd others, and the way for mutual care; the third step in the practice of the God-ordained way is to establish group meetings—Acts 2:42, 5:42; Eph. 4:12:

A. If every one of us preaches the gospel according to the new way, bringing people to salvation and feeding the lambs, in a few months we will be able to gain two or three persons; a few of us can then bring our lambs together to form a group and establish a group meeting.

B. The conclusion of the new way in our understanding is that we must build up the group meetings; through this kind of exercise—from preaching the gospel by knocking on doors to home meetings with the new ones to group meetings, we all learn how to build up a group meeting; this is for the perfecting of the saints—Eph. 4:12:

1. The need to build up the group meetings is very urgent; the crucial point of the God-ordained way is the group meetings; how much success we will realize depends upon how much attention and labor we are able to put on the group meetings; therefore, we must endeavor to build up the group meetings.

2. The group meeting is a miniature of the church life; the real and practical church life is in the group meetings; whether the church life is strong or weak depends upon the strength of the group meetings.

III. The base for the increase and spread of the church—Establish small group meetings, vital group meetings—Acts 2:46-47:

A. The small group meetings in the homes be able to support people; the Lord is for His spreading, and His spreading is in the homes—Acts 5:42:

1. The group meetings should constitute eighty percent of our church life.

2. Our barrenness is due mainly to the lack of the group meetings.

B. Small groups being in the nature of home nurturing, whereas joint meetings being in the nature of school education; in order for a church to go on in a good way, we must have small group meetings for home nurturing, and we must also have joint meetings to educate in the truth—cf. 1 Cor. 14:26; Acts 19:9, footnote 2; 20:7-9; 28:30-31:

1. We need to be balanced, because a large meeting hall can help us gain better results; even though we continually beget those who can be nurtured in the homes, there must be a large meetings hall as a university to teach and perfect them.

2. The principle of houses still applies today, but this does not mean that the church will always mean that the church will always meet separately; in fact, it is important and of great profit for all the believers to gather quite regularly in one place.

3. If a local church is to be strong, the number of people attending the groups must be high; it is better that the number of people attending the group meetings exceed the number attending the Lord’s day meeting; if this is the case, our church life will not merely be worship services, but a practical church life.

C. The “defensive” function of small groups—upholding and restoring the saints; the “offensive” function of small groups—every home preaching the gospel.

D. The crucial point of the God-ordained way is the group meetings; when the group meetings are built up strongly, the church will also be very strong—1 Cor. 14:26; Acts 2:46-47.

IV. Meeting with the saints in small group meetings that are full of mutuality; this is also the third step for the New Testament saints to minister as the priests of the gospel, this is the major part of the practice of the church life—Heb. 10:24-25:

A. Leading and cultivating the saints:

1. To open up and fellowship with one another.

2. To pray for one another.

3. To care for and shepherd one another.

4. To mutually ask questions for learning and teaching the truth.

5. To mutually ask questions for the pursuit and instruction in the growth in life.

B. Exhorting and consoling the saints as a father—1 Thes. 2:11:

1. Teaching the saints all the counsel of God—Acts 20:20, 27, 31.

2. Presenting the saints full-grown to God in all wisdom—Col. 1:28-29.

3. Equipping and supplying the saints that they may do the work of the New Testament ministry, which is to build up the organic Body of Christ—Eph. 4:11-12.

C. Appointing the saints to go forth:

1. To preach the gospel by visiting people.

2. To nourish and care for the new believers.

3. To lead the believers to attend the small group meetings.

4. To lead the believers to attend the bigger meetings of the church.

V. “Heaven and earth may pass away, but the small group meetings must never be forsaken. Now we must be awakened to work on the small groups and allow the Lord to have a way. ”（Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way, msg. 5）

 

Ministry Excerpts:

THE BASIS FOR THE INCREASE AND SPREAD
OF THE CHURCH—THE SMALL GROUP GATHERINGS

The way for the increase and spread of the church has been laid out clearly before us. The basis and means for this increase and spread is through the building up of small groups. The preaching of the gospel cannot be carried out by a spiritual “giant” or by a few great spiritual men; rather, it must be carried out through groups of disciples, who gather in the cities where they live and who announce the gospel from house to house. Going from house to house is simply the gatherings of the small groups.

THE “DEFENSIVE” FUNCTION OF SMALL GROUPS—

UPHOLDING AND RESTORING THE SAINTS

The first function of a group gathering is to sustain the brothers and sisters who meet regularly. Although many saints meet regularly, the big meetings cannot uphold their spiritual life. Through the building up of small groups, the saints have more opportunities to fellowship and pray with one another. This makes it easy to sustain their spiritual life.

A small group should also function to restore brothers and sisters who have not met for a long time. In the days to come, many testimonies will confirm this burden as we practice the group meetings. The small group gatherings fill up a lack in the ability of big meetings to restore those who have been absent from the meetings for a long time.

Those who have been absent from the meetings often feel ashamed to come to a big meeting, and they do not know how to function in such a meeting. However, the fellowship in a small group gathering warms and comforts them as if they were at home. Through this warm feeling, they can gradually be restored. The small groups are not an army or a school but a family. In a family there is warmth as well as love. With love and warmth we can restore our dear brothers and sisters one by one. This is the “defensive” function of the small groups.

THE “OFFENSIVE” FUNCTION OF SMALL GROUPS—

EVERY HOME PREACHING THE GOSPEL

Although the small groups can uphold existing saints and restore dormant saints, the increase and spread of the church will not proceed in a full way if we focus only on this “defensive” function. We also must focus on the “offensive” function of preaching the gospel from house to house. Through the supply of life and the teaching of the truth, we can uphold and restore the brothers and sisters. Yet when we look around, we still see many relatives, friends, and neighbors who are unbelievers, and we surely have some feeling for them. The city of Taipei is like a big fishpond. In this fishpond there are many who need the gospel. These “fish” should be the target of our work. We should not only uphold our existing brothers and sisters and restore our lost brothers and sisters; we should also go on the offensive to reach our gospel friends, that is, those who have not yet believed in the Lord, so that they may know the gospel and receive the blessings of the Lord’s salvation.

NEW FACES BEING THE LIFE PULSE OF SMALL GROUPS

In order to be blessed by the Lord, a small group must be fully related to the gospel. Whenever a small group loses its gospel nature, it will come to a standstill. Whenever there are gospel friends in a small group gathering, the gathering is full of freshness. Without gospel friends, the gathering gradually goes downhill. Every new face, regardless of whether it is weak or even opposing, fills the brothers and sisters with a fresh burden. Before a new one comes, the direction of the meeting may be uncertain, but once he arrives, the direction and utterance become clear. New faces are the life pulse of a small group. As long as there are new ones, there will be burden, feeling, and utterance. Hence, the small groups truly need the offensive function of the gospel. (Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 4: The Increase and Spread of the Church, msg. 12)

THE SMALL GROUP MEETING IS THE LIFE PULSE
OF THE LORD’S RECOVERY

The small group meeting is the life pulse of the Lord’s recovery and the key to the survival of our “family.” If we are willing to sacrifice our future and consecrate everything to the Lord, and if we see that this is the way the Lord’s recovery should take, we would give ourselves even to the point of neglecting our sleep and meals and put all our effort into taking this way and making it a success. We should have the spirit of devoting ourselves to the task until our death…If we do not have such a spirit, we are wasting our time here. We must make our consecration worthwhile. We have consecrated our future and spent our everything for the Lord in order to do something for Him. Now the matter of having small groups has been set before us. If we would not take them seriously and endeavor to work them out, we are being unfaithful to the Lord’s commission and to our own consecration. The small groups is our life pulse; we must work it out…I beseech the elders and co-workers to labor diligently. We must have the determination to labor on this and to be persistent to the end.

THE SMALL GROUPS BEING THE LIFE PULSE
IN THE PROPAGATION OF THE CHURCH

For If we all practice with diligence, what do you think the result will be? It will create “job opportunities” for the saints and bring out their organic function…Therefore, I hope that the brothers and sisters will change their view. If we want the Lord’s recovery to have a way, you and I must bear the responsibility of changing our views and concepts; we need to begin with ourselves. The elders in every meeting hall must take this matter of the small group seriously and endeavor to carry it out.

THE SMALL GROUPS BEING THE LIFE PULSE OF THE CHURCH LIFE

The small group is the life pulse of the present practice of the church life. In the past year and a half, the number of saints in the church has in fact increased, but the rate of increase is not that encouraging. The reason for this low rate is that the small groups have not yet been worked out and are not strong enough. If our small groups are strong, we will surely have a great increase in number. I hope that the saints will change their concept to see that the content of the church life is based mainly on small group meetings and not on big meetings. Then in our daily life the small groups can function in mutuality to care for and visit the saints. If we mainly have big meetings, we will be unable to take care of the aspect of our daily life. This would be regrettable. I hope that the brothers and sisters will clearly see that only by the small groups can the church life be extended to and realized in our daily living. (Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way, msg. 5)

THE AGE HAS CHANGED—THE HOME MEETINGS
BEING THE LORD’S WAY TODAY

The age has changed. The Lord is going on. Today this is the way that the Lord has taken. Our desire for the home meetings arising from a fresh love towards the lord. If anyone does not love the home meetings. You must have a problem with his love towards the Lord. I am afraid such a one does not really love the Lord. (The Key Points on the Home Meetings, msg. 2)

The small group is the way to build up the church, the way to gain people, the way to shepherd others, and the way for mutual care. Not only so, the small group is also the way to uphold the saints and to equip and perfect the saints in the truth. If we do not go forward on this way, there is no other way that we can take.

THE WHOLE CHURCH EMPHASIZING—THE SMALL GROUPS

The small groups provide a venue for the saints in the church who have a heart to serve. It gives them the opportunity to exercise their organic function. We want the Body of Christ to be expressed on the earth, but it is not easy to arrive at this point. In a big meeting it is not easy for the saints to function according to their portion. However, in a small group everyone has an opportunity to practice. Therefore, in the service of the small groups we must be active, and we must be concerned, burdened, and willing to exercise our portion. (Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 5: Concerning Various Aspects of Church Service, msg. 15)

My heart is in the home meetings. My concern is for the home meetings. My joy is in the home meetings, and my complaints are concerning the home meetings. I do not care for anything else. I just care for the home meetings. If we have the home meetings, we can say Hallelujah. If we do not have the home meetings, even if we say Hallelujah, it will not be for long. Only when we have the home meetings will our Hallelujahs be strong and long-lasting. The success of the lord’s move depending on the home meetings. (The Key Points on the Home Meetings, msg. 7)

THE CHURCH NEEDING TO ADVANCE THE GROUPS

Every serving one, including the elders and co-workers, should be assigned to help and advance a group. In other words, the serving ones should all serve to advance the groups. If there are not enough serving ones, we should ask other saints to help.

Every serving brother and sister should help in leading a group, but this does not mean that they should regard themselves as a person who is “responsible” for the group. Neither should they consider themselves as a “group leader”; they should take the lead only in regard to fanning the gift within the saints into flame. If the fire in a group has not been kindled, the serving ones should bear responsibility to help kindle the fire. If the fire in a group is dying, the serving ones should fan it into flame. The serving ones should fan the gift in the saints into flame.(Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 3: The Future of the Lord’s Recovery and the Building Up of the Organic Service, msg. 19)

We must see the importance of the small groups. If we do not know how to have a small group, we do not know how to do the Lord’s work…It was only in the past three to five months that we began to have a heavy burden for the small groups. I regret that I have not led the brothers in this matter. As the younger saints begin to enter into the Lord’s work, they will learn to serve in the small groups. The older and middle-aged co-workers will focus on helping the saints practice the small groups. This will be ninety percent of our labor. By practicing the small groups, we will double our results with half the labor. (The Vision, Living and Work of the Lord’s Serving Ones, msg. 13)

SMALL GROUPS MEETING EVERYWHERE AND ANY TIME

The practice of the small group is the crucial leading that we have received from the Lord. It is a great opportunity and a blessing for a young person to serve the Lord full time at this juncture of our history. Our spirit should be living. We should work until there are small groups meeting everywhere and at any time. (The Vision, Living and Work of the Lord’s Serving Ones, msg. 17)