HOW TO START YOUR VITAL GROUP–FELLOWSHIPPING WITH YOUR COMPANION THROUGH DESPERATE PRAYER FOR THE LORD’S BLESSING
When we come together, we should have the burden to pray much. If we had the spirit of prayer and the burden of prayer, nothing would be able to stop us. We should pray, “Lord, we hate these three enemies. We hate deadness, lukewarmness, and barrenness.” We may be in the recovery, but we are dead, lukewarm, and barren. I would like to hear us pray, “Lord, give me the burden to bear fruit. Give me the utterance and the boldness in speaking for You.” We need this kind of desperate prayer.
In this chapter we want to fellowship about how to start your vital group. First, you have to fellowship with your companion through desperate prayers for the Lord’s blessing…If you do not have a companion, pray desperately from tomorrow to get one. Without a companion there is no way for you to start the vital group. Then you need to fellowship with your companion through desperate prayers. You should not just talk to one another. Talk means nothing. It is vanity. When you come together, it is better to turn your talk into prayer. If you talk, talk to the Lord.
Furthermore, we should not pray in a routine way. We should pray desperately, “Lord, I’m so barren; I’m not happy about this, Lord; help me get out of this.” This is genuine prayer. I do not want to pray routine prayers. If I pray, I must pray something out of my burden. In order to pray routine prayers, we do not need to exercise our spirit or to shed tears. But when we pray desperately from our spirit to discharge our prayer burden, we will weep. We must have this kind of genuine and vital prayer.
If the Lord has mercy upon us and we receive His mercy, our vital group will do well, and after six to nine months we should split our group to have a new start. This should take place again and again. We must take a way of doing things in every step by having the full assurance that the Lord is satisfied and that we also are satisfied.
We must pray in a desperate way, “Lord, grant us the remaining fruit that we need. We have been barren for many years.” Such a prayer of desperation causes us to have a thorough repentance.
Our being a Christian is not just for escaping from hell and going to heaven. This is too low…We are here meaning business with the Lord to be one with Him for the carrying out of His economy. This is why we need to fellowship with our companion through desperate prayers for the Lord’s blessing. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and Practice of the Vital Groups”, ch. 3, pp. 286-287)
The church in Zamboanga 