Weekly Pursuit—Week of July 28, 2024

[SOME PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTACTING PEOPLE]. First, we must pick up the burden and make a definite resolution to contact people. We must build ourselves up with a new habit to contact people. In the bank, in the supermarket, on the street, and everywhere we need to practice contacting people until it becomes our habit. Probably a number of us have found out that we are not used to contacting people. When we see people approaching us on the street, we may turn away from them. Instead, we should always grasp the opportunity to talk to people. We should always keep gospel tracts in our pocket so that we can give them to the ones whom we contact. When we go to visit people, we must learn to behave ourselves properly…. We should not be loose in anything. Contacting people properly is not an easy thing.

Always wait until your contact opens up. It is always a help to listen to him. Eventually, you can let him know that you are a Christian, not a preacher, and that you love the Lord Jesus. Always wait to see how he would respond to you. You may find out that it would be appropriate to read a few paragraphs from the booklet The Mystery of Human Life with him. Or you may feel it is better to give him the tract entitled God. You should get yourself acquainted with the contents of these gospel tracts so that you can impart them into the new ones. We need to learn much in order to be effective in taking care of people.

Also, you should learn never to argue or debate with people. Argument and debate never work out anything. On the other hand, you should not agree with people too quickly, nor should you agree with whatever they say. Otherwise, they may think that you are a “yes man.” You have to show people your carefulness. When you are not loose and careless, this will add weight to your speaking. Otherwise, the other party may consider that your speaking is a light word with no gravity, no weight.  

You may approach one man who is in a hurry to do something. If you realize this, you should not sit down and occupy his time. Take the opportunity to say a quick word and give him a tract. Then you can say, “This will help you to know the Savior, Jesus Christ. Have a good day. Bye.” This is good enough. He will appreciate this because he is hurrying to leave. If you try to sit down at this time, you will bother and even offend him. At another time you may realize that a certain person wants to have some time with you. That is the time for you to sit down to talk to him slowly and gradually for fifteen minutes or maybe half an hour. (Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and Practice of the Vital Groups”, ch. 7,  pp. 320-322)