THE NEED IN THE LORD’S RECOVERY TODAY TO BUILD UP THE HABIT OF CONTACTING PEOPLE (5)
In contacting people it is always a help to make appointments. But this does not mean that we should contact people only by making appointments. We should talk to people at any time. The Lord Himself is the factor, the reason, and the purpose for us to go out to contact people.… We should never forget to pass on God, the living God, to people. Even if we just speak with someone for one minute, we should still minister Christ and pass on God to him.
One more critical thing for us to learn is the right time to ask someone to pray with us…. After one big gospel meeting, D. L. Moody contacted a person who was an unbeliever. At the critical moment of time when the person was about to pray, another person came in. It was raining outside, and this person came in with an umbrella. A noise was made with the umbrella, which distracted the other person. After that disturbance the person would not pray to receive the Lord. This shows how important it is to pray with people at the right time.
To touch the Lord may be likened to the installation of electricity. A house may have all the wires, but if the wires are not properly connected, it cannot have any electricity. To contact people is like connecting the wires so that the electricity can come in…. What we need in these days is not more doctrine but practice. We have to learn to contact people, not in a general way but in a practical way.
We may make mistakes as we contact others, but we need to realize that sometimes even our mistakes fulfill the Lord’s purpose. If we do not do anything, we can never fulfill the Lord’s purpose. Although we may be wrong, He may still bless us. Still, we all have to learn to be practical. While we are speaking with someone, we should sense what kind of person he is and what he needs. Then we can respond to him and give him something that meets his particular need. When we contact people, we should always have the goal of contacting them continuously. You also have to learn not to spend your time in vain. When you contact people, you should always discern whether or not you should make this person a constant contact.
Furthermore, you should always pray for your contacts. Do not say that you do not have the time. Even if you are really busy, you can still pray while you are walking out the door, “Lord, help me today to meet the proper person.” As you are driving to work, you can continue to pray. This is the real prayer, not the routine prayer. Surely it is good to have a set time to pray, but praying while you are walking out the door or driving to work in your car may be even more effective. Wherever you are, you can pray. Remember all your contacts before the Lord, and pray for them. (Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and Practice of the Vital Groups”, ch. 7, pp. 322-323)
The church in Zamboanga 