5说到这点，我要告诉你们，许多年前我在我的家乡烟台和一位基督徒朋友的谈话。这位朋友是一个灵恩派团体的领头人。我认识这位弟兄多年，这个灵恩派团体的会所非常靠近召会聚会所。有一天这位弟兄来找我，打算说服我采取灵恩派的路。因为我们是朋友，我鼓励他敞开、坦诚的说话。我对他说，『弟兄，你来看我，目的是要说服我实行灵恩派的事。你能不能告诉我，为甚么你这么热中于灵恩派的事?』他说，他热中的原因是相信我们可以藉著说方言得著能力。我说，『弟兄，我们要注意事实。我不赞成灵恩派的事，但是你极力赞成，也实行了多年。我请你比较一下，你们会众的人数和我们会众的人数。你宣称因著说方言有了能力，但是你们仍然只有大约五十个人一同聚会。我们不实行说方言，然而我们有几百人一同聚会。但几百人都是我们传福音带来归主的。这样，你们的能力在那里？你们说方言，但是你们没有能力。我们不说方言，但是我们有真正的能力。你知道这能力是来自那里么？这能力是来自祷告。』我接著向这位弟兄见证，我们在农历新年时传福音的作法。在烟台召会的圣徒没有庆祝农历新年，却豫备传福音给他们的亲戚、邻舍和朋友。除夕夜，按照中国的习俗是吃年夜饭的时候，我们却禁食祷告；然后第二天，年初一，我们与我们的亲戚、朋友和邻舍来在一起，为著传福音。那样的传福音是带著许多祷告而进行的。当我在会所里传福音时，许多圣徒在不同的房间里祷告，直到信息结束。我们传福音所经历的能力来自这样的祷告。我告诉我那位朋友，我们信靠祷告，不信靠说方言。在我和这位弟兄的谈话里，我接著告诉他，使我们有能力的两个进一步原因。我们的能力不仅是藉著祷告，也是在于主的话。我们不传讲任何奇异特殊的事，我们的传讲乃是照著圣经里的话。这话是真理，而真理是得胜的。神的每一句话里都有能力。
5At this point, let me relate to you a conversation I had many years ago with a Christian friend in Chefoo, my hometown. This friend was the leader of a certain Pentecostal group. I had known this brother for years, and the meeting hall for this Pentecostal group was very close to the church meeting hall. One day this brother came to me with the intention of convincing me to take the Pentecostal way. Because we were friends, I encouraged him to speak openly and frankly. I said to him, “Brother, you have come to see me for the purpose of convincing me to practice the Pentecostal things.” When he told me that this was his intention, I indicated to him that I was happy to talk to him concerning this. I asked this brother why he was so enthusiastic about the Pentecostal things. He said that the reason for his enthusiasm was his belief that through speaking in tongues we may have power. Then I said, “Brother, let us pay attention to the facts. I am not in favor of the Pentecostal things, but you are strongly for them and have been practicing them for years. I would ask you to compare the number in your congregation with the number in ours. You claim to be powerful because you speak in tongues, but you still only have about fifty meeting with you. We do not practice tongue-speaking, but we have hundreds meeting with us, hundreds who have been brought to the Lord through our gospel preaching. Where, then, is your power? You speak in tongues, but you do not have power. We do not speak in tongues, but we have genuine power. Do you know where this power comes from? This power comes from prayer.” I went on to testify to this brother regarding our practice of preaching the gospel at the time of the Chinese new year. Instead of celebrating the Chinese new year, the saints in the church in Chefoo made preparations to preach the gospel to their relatives, neighbors, and friends. The last night of the year, which was a time of feasting according to Chinese custom, was for us a time of fasting and prayer. Then the next day, the first day of the year, we came together with our relatives, friends, and neighbors for the preaching of the gospel. That gospel preaching was carried on with much prayer. As I was preaching in the meeting hall, many saints were in different rooms praying until the message was over. The power we experienced in our gospel preaching came from such prayer. I told my friend in Chefoo that we trust in prayer, not in tongue-speaking. In my talk with this brother, I went on to give him two further reasons for our power. I told him that our power is not only through prayer but also in the Word. We do not preach any strange or peculiar things. On the contrary, our preaching is according to the word in the Bible. This word is the truth, and the truth is prevailing. There is power in every word of God.