Weekly Pursuit—Week of July 21, 2024

Today what is needed in the recovery is for us to rise up to shepherd others. We need to contact people of our own age group. If I tried to contact the teenagers, they might run away from me. But if our young people go to contact other young people, no one will run from them. If we sent older ones to the campuses, it would be difficult for them to contact the young students. I am sharing this to encourage the young people among us. Do not say that you are too young. It is wonderful to be young, because this gives you a way to contact other young people.

Today the church’s need is shepherding. My burden is to stir you up that you may realize that today the Lord’s recovery needs you to rise up to contact people. You have to build up a habit. If you do not contact people, you cannot be satisfied. You should even become addicted to the Lord’s love to take care of His people.

I want to remind you to make a list of all your acquaintances… You should pray over these names, seeking the Lord’s leading as to whom you should contact. Sometimes when you contact someone, you may feel that he is the wrong person. But according to my experience, no contacts are wrong. Do not say that you caught a fish that is the wrong fish. No fish is wrong, as long as it was hooked by you. The only thing that is wrong is for you not to contact people.

We can also see from George Müller’s autobiography that no person would not believe in the Lord Jesus if you keep contacting him continuously for your whole life. George Müller prayed for many gospel candidates. When he went to the Lord, all of them except one was saved. Eventually, even that one was saved. This is why I say that you need the patience.

It is no wonder that the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:58 that our labor for Christ will never be in vain. The Bible also tells us that we may sow and others may harvest; also, others may sow and we may harvest (John 4:37-38). Only the Lord knows to whom the credit should be given. Therefore, we must have a burden and build up a habit to contact people. Every day we should contact people. I told you already not to expect quick fruit. Any fruit produced quickly is artificial. Artificial flowers can be produced overnight, but real flowers take a number of months to grow and blossom.

According to the New Testament teaching, the first burden, the first responsibility, of the believers is to gain people. John is a book on life. In chapter 15 the Lord, who is life, said that we are His branches  (v. 5). The job, the profession, and the responsibility of a branch is to bear fruit. When we abide in Him, we bear fruit. To abide in Him means to enjoy Him. If we do not bear fruit, the Father, who is the Cultivator, will take us away (v. 2). Then we will lose the position to enjoy Christ. Very few Christians are abiding in Christ, because they do not bear fruit. To recover your enjoyment of Christ is to bear fruit. If you have not been revived, go to contact people for one or two weeks, and you can be revived. (Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and Practice of the Vital Groups”, ch. 7,  pp. 318-320)