A Letter to Pastor Thomas Wang (Part II)
Part II Suggestions Regarding the Spread of Gospel
A. Mobilize Every Christian to Pray for the Spread of Gospel
Among the many we have met in several churches, we found out that the scope of their prayers were very narrow. Therefore, let’s exalt the truth: “I urge, then first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-the kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”(1 Timothy 2: 1-4) Let the prayer of each seeking his personal gain be changed into the prayer with one heart for one goal-the worldwide preaching or the gospel and the salvation of all men-the very prayer that is after God’s own heart. In the time of Acts, the disciples joined together constantly in prayer, so that the Holy Spirit would pour out and the gospel would spread widely. If we focus our prayers on the great commission, God will certainly give us an even greater revival all over the world today.
B. Awaken the Believers to Pray for the Destruction of the Deadly Scheme of the Devil
Since most of the believers neither read the Bible attentively nor pray watchfully, their spirits are in such a daze that they cannot see the enemy’s tricks. Little do they know that this dazzling human world with its myriad temptations are mere tools of the Devil to lure us down to the grave, referred to chapter 18 of Revelation. Evil spirits come out of the mouth of the false prophets and teachers. By the performance of great miraculous signs, they lead numerous brothers and sisters astray. Moreover, according to the book of Revelation and history, the false prophet and the Anti-Christ act in collusion with each other, as in chapter 13 of Revelation, which will cause more confusion and harm to God’s children.
C. Urge Every Christian to Witness Jesus
Make every effort to urge every Christian to witness, so that the gospel will be penetrated and spread from relatives to friends, and from near to far. First of all, to achieve this effect, every believer needs to pray for all men; and at the same time, keep it firmly in mind, everyday, that only one thing is needed-sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to what he says in the Bible. (Luke 10: 41-42) No branch can bear fruit by itself, we can only bear fruit by remaining in Jesus.
D. Set Up Worldwide Antiochs in Accordance With the Holy Spirit
Just as Paul and Barnabas used Antoich as a base to preach the gospel in the time of Acts, we should set up locations functioned as Antiochs. Those who are called to dedicate themselves to the Lord can join together in a nearby Antioch to study the Bible, advance in the truth, and pray, regardless of age, education, race, gender or status. On one hand, the quantity of God’s servants will be increased greatly in result. On the other hand, the quality of God’s servants can be raised by studying the Bible and praying in the spirit when they join together in the Antiochs. Furthermore, when the Holy Spirit sends God’s servants to fight the spiritual war, those who stay in an Antioch will pray for them, as an ambush. If those who work in the mission filed grow tired, they can be replaced withthose who are in an Antioch and retreat to the Antioch to renew their strength in the Lord.
It is urgent to spread the gospel to the ends of the world before the coming of Christ, we pray that the Holy Spirit will assemble us in ranks, lest one should stumble and there is no one to help him up. Let us advance together in ranks, just as locusts, sent by the Holy Spirit and giving ourselves fully and with one heart to the work of the Lord.
E. Set Up the Itinerant Antioch
The purpose of the itinerant Antioch is to start a temporary training program for Bible studying and praying to equip the local new believers with the basic truth in order to preach the gospel to the locals. (It is just as what has been done in the East Europe by Pastor Thomas Wang.) Itinerant Antioch can be set up in accordance with the spiritual needs, when the work comes to the end of a stage in one place, it can be moved on to the next mission field. As a result, the new believers can take root in the truth and become the first fruits of that region and join the ranks of gospel preaching.
F. Call the Attention of God’s Children to Store up Grain for the Prevention of the Famine
According to the prophecies in the Prophets, especially the book of Daniel and Revelation, and the Lord’s own words in the Gospel, we foresee that God’s children will face a great tribulation, a great deceiving, and a great test. (Matthew 24: 14-22) Never should we take God’s word lightly, but we should follow the examples of four extremely wise yet little creatures on earth mentioned in the Bible: Ants sore up their food in summer for the prevention of winter. It reminds us that one is doomed to stumble in the dark if one does not have the word of God. Coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags. It is an example of whoever hears God’s word and puts them into practice. It is like a wise man building his house on the rock. The rain comes down, the streams rise, and the winds blow and beat against that house, yet it does not fall. Locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks. It shows that workers are sent on in ranks by the Holy Spirit, and not by man. A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet is found in king’s palaces. It teaches us to uphold the word of God and dwell in Him.
For years, we have been praying that the Holy Spirit will work in the heart of every Christian to imprint God’s word in one’s heart more and more, following the examples of these four small yet wise creatures so as not to stumble in the days of darkness. We pray that no matter what distress or persecution happens, Christians will face it without fear and would rather die than worship the image of the beast. Pray that God’s children will never be greedy for a tiny bit no matter how tempting the bribe is. No matter how long and hard the suffering is, God’s children will endure patiently to the end by relying on the Lord, and firmly believe that God’s promises will be fulfilled in His time. No matter how great the miraculous signs are, God’s children will not be deceived or turned from the Word. Even though many of the wise will stumble, our determination to hold on to the Word will not be shattered. For it is said in the Bible that some of the wise will stumble, so that we may be refined, purified and made spotless.
May the church leaders who attend this meeting proclaim the following message to God’s children all over the world: Store up grain at once for the prevention of famine. We truly believe that the word of God will be fulfilled in His time. Every one of us should be prepared. The Lord wants no one to perish. May all of us be blessed, loved and kept in Him.