We are in the midst of trying to make a fundamental change in the way we practice the church life. The general pattern of what we had been doing was to have the stronger ones in the church life become the serving ones to care for the weaker and newer ones. The problem has always been that serving adequately in this arrangement demanded a high price. Not many could make it so the majority of the saints did not enter into serving that involved direct spiritual care of others. Some were able to be brought into practical services but their spiritual exercise was usually limited to sharing in the meetings something that they had enjoyed from material prepared for them.
Our burden and endeavor in these days is to establish a new pattern in the church life where all the saints are caring for one another in mutuality. We would like to see even the young, weak and new ones be able to be fruitful and to raise up others in the Lord. An illustration of how we are trying to change the pattern of what we do will give an idea of what that means to us. For instance, we used to try to spend time with others to care for them. Now we encourage those with a heart to care for others to ask the one they are caring for if they have someone that they would like see receive and/or go on with the Lord. Let's go visit the other one together. From then on the time with the one being cared for is focused on prayer, fellowship, and searching the Bible related to caring for others and, of course, going out together to care for them. In actual fact, not many of us are experienced in caring for others who are not yet saved and in the church life so we all need to seek the Lord and learn together. We are on a journey, not at a destination.
Another burden that we are trying to put into practice is blend all the saints in the church life. It seemed to us that having a separate young people's work was not the best arrangement. So, for instance, when we go out in the gospel, a typical team would have 2 young people and 1 older one. When knocking on doors to meet people, the young people take the lead. The young people are helping the older ones to be more exercised. Of course, the putting together of young and old cannot work if everyone is only concerned about their own preferences and enjoyment. It needs the mutual care that I mentioned above. In singing and exercise, the young people take the lead to be released, really released, and the older ones lead in providing something deeper.
When caring for a Bible study with the ones we meet, the young people take the lead in singing and enjoying but the older ones take the lead in setting the direction. We are trying to learn to have Bible studies where it is a mutual exploring and discovery of the Bible rather than someone telling the others everything. The leadership of the meeting is more through asking questions and pointing out verses than in telling or preaching.
In all things we are striving to be fresh, new and living yet godly and weighty. We are burdened to put into practice the things we have been taught, not just speak them to one another. We are very burdened for the propagation of the gospel of the kingdom throughout the earth. We are not qualified but we want to go anyways. That is the reason we began a gospel propagation perfecting (GPP) here. That exercise is bearing fruit, especially in one city where regular meetings are being established. We fully expect that a church will be raised up there shortly.