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In this chapter we will speak concerning the type of testimony the Lord wants us to bear in this age. Regardless of how much we speak, however, we need a vision and revelation concerning these things so that we may have a genuine seeing.
In the beginning of the work in the East, God gave us the feeling that the condition of Christianity was not proper. Ever since then we have had questions and doubts concerning today’s Christianity. These doubts caused us to consider the actual condition of Christianity and to study the Lord’s Word. We saw that quite a number of practices in Christianity were not according to the Bible. We abandoned these practices and in each item endeavored to return to the way it was in the beginning according to the Bible. That period could be called the initial stage of the recovery.
In the beginning we did not experience an instantaneous recovery of many items; instead, it was a recovery of item by item. During the first several years many items were recovered. Although items began to be recovered in 1922, we consider that the recovery officially began in 1924. The initial stage of the recovery was completed in 1934.
When the ground of the church was recovered, the recovery reached the end of the initial stage. By 1925 we were clear that the church should not be divided into sects. The church is one and should be in oneness. It is a sin for the church to be divided into various denominations. We were able to speak a little on the truth concerning sectarianism, but we were not clear concerning the definition of a sect. It was somewhere between 1928 and 1931 that we were able to define sectarianism. We knew that if a church has a particular name, a particular fellowship, and a particular belief, it is a sect. However, we were still not clear concerning the ground of the church.
Even though we were clear that the church is one and should not be divided into sects and we knew the meaning of sectarianism, it was not until 1934 that the light concerning the expression of the church in a locality was clearly and accurately released to all the saints among us. Many of us, however, were clear about the ground of the church in 1932.
In the first edition of the book The Orthodoxy of the Church, Brother Nee clearly stated that during a trip to Europe and America in 1933 he came in contact with a number of good Brethren groups. He also contacted a number of reputable spiritual saints and joined their meetings. This was when he first contacted Brother T. Austin-Sparks.
Brother Nee took that trip because he had received an invitation from a Brethren group in London. But he told them that his fellowshipping with them did not mean that he was joining the Brethren assembly. Therefore, he was not restricted by the Brethren when he was in England. He found others, besides the Brethren, who knew the Lord, and he fellowshipped with them. He referred to this in The Orthodoxy of the Church. During that trip abroad, Brother Nee visited many places. Some places had the condition of Philadelphia; they showed signs of the revival prophesied by the Lord in the seven epistles in Revelation. Other places were like Laodicea. Since some places had fallen into sin, others maintained a revived condition, and still others had divided repeatedly, it was impossible to make a general statement concerning their condition. After observing the various conditions, particularly the divisions, Brother Nee began to question the basis for the divisions among the Brethren.
He studied and examined all the issues related to the church in the Bible. After his study, he saw clearly from the Word of God that there is only one church in the universe, but when the church is expressed, it is expressed locality by locality; in other words, there is only one expression of the church in every locality. The repeated divisions among the Brethren caused Brother Nee to study and see the light in God’s Word. He saw that the church can have the distinction only of locality. The church in Corinth and the church in Ephesus were two separate churches. The church in Ephesus and the church in Jerusalem were also two separate churches. In addition, in Jerusalem there could not be two or more churches. Similarly, in Ephesus there could not be two or more churches. Brother Nee saw this from God’s Word.
Before Brother Nee went overseas in 1933, he was in northern China and stayed in my house for six days. At that time the Lord’s work had begun in northern China, but I was still working, so I fellowshipped with him to know what his feeling was concerning whether I should keep my job or serve full time. He only said, “Brother, when you are not clear, you should wait and see.” He returned from his trip overseas in the fall. That fall I struggled within because the Lord wanted me to leave my job. At about that time I received a letter from Brother Nee. When he sent the letter, he was aboard a ship in the Mediterranean Sea on his way back from Europe. The letter was a great encouragement and a confirmation to me. It read: “Brother Witness, as for your future, I feel that you should serve the Lord with your full time. How do you feel? May the Lord lead you.”
I received the letter more than one month after Brother Nee had written it. By then I had already resigned from my job and had been laboring in Manchuria for three weeks. Upon returning from Manchuria, I read the letter from Brother Nee and was greatly encouraged. The letter was a strong confirmation to me. Even though it had been six months since I parted with Brother Nee and he did not usually correspond with me, he sent such a simple, clear, timely word concerning leaving my job and serving full time. The most amazing thing was that Brother Nee wrote the letter at about the same time I was struggling before the Lord whether to leave my job. I felt deeply that this was the Lord’s leading in this matter, so I determined to go to Shanghai to see Brother Nee. In the fall I went to Shanghai. That was my first visit to Shanghai.
It was about that time that Brother Nee said he clearly saw the light concerning the ground of locality. He had just returned from England, and he saw this matter in the Word of God. On the spiritual side, it was also at this time that he saw the central light concerning Christ as God’s centrality and universality. Therefore, he decided to call a national conference in January 1934. While I was in Shanghai, Brother Nee asked me to assist him in replying to some letters concerning spiritual matters. I wrote a long letter on behalf of Brother Nee to Brother Hsieh Tien En from Canton. This letter was later published in Collection of Newsletters (see The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 25, pp. 77-80, 107-117). The letter was mainly regarding denominations. At that time we paid much attention to spiritual matters and denominations. Only Brother Nee was clear regarding the ground; the rest of us had not seen it. We knew only that the church should be one and that denominations were wrong.
The letter I wrote to Brother Hsieh Tien En was my first article published by Brother Nee’s Gospel Book Room. I labored very much in writing this article, and although it was a letter, it was like a booklet in content. Many points in the letter were concerning denominations; it defined a denomination and the meaning of denominationalism. At the time I personally was not clear regarding the ground of the church. I knew what oneness was and what a denomination was, and I could speak concerning them. However, I did not know the ground of the church. The other co-workers were also unclear. Only Brother Nee was clear.
About one hundred twenty brothers and sisters from northern China attended the conference in January. This special gathering was a turning point for the advance of the church. It also influenced me personally. From the fellowship, we saw the sin of sectarianism and the need for the oneness of the church. Therefore, some co-workers were burdened concerning this matter and determined to take this way.
After the conference I returned by boat to northern China. Many brothers who attended the conference remained in Shanghai and requested that Brother Nee hold Bible-study meetings to help them know how to meet. This was because meetings were being raised up with ones who left the denominations and the sects, but they did not know how to meet. Brother Nee agreed, and the manuscripts were later edited and published as the book The Assembly Life.
I was not present during these meetings, having already returned to northern China. When I returned to Shanghai four months later, I heard about the Bible study but did not see any notes. It was only after Brother Nee finished editing the manuscript, that he gave it to me and asked me to write a preface. I carefully read the messages and understood the content of the entire Bible study. Since then I have been deeply impressed that the expression of the church is local. The word expression, however, was not used then. We began to use the word expression in 1950 in Taiwan when we defined the boundary of a local church. It was also about that time in 1934 that we began to fellowship concerning the matter of locality, and the light concerning locality was confirmed. When the light concerning locality was confirmed, the ground of the church was also confirmed among us.
During the January conference Brother Nee released clear messages on Christ as God’s centrality, and he became very clear concerning the ground of the church. As a result, 1934 was a milestone in the Lord’s recovery, and we entered into another stage. We saw that Christ as God’s centrality and universality is the content of the church and that outwardly the church should take the ground of locality. After this, Brother Nee was not the only one who was clear concerning all these matters; we, his co-workers, were also clear.
By 1934 a number of people were leaving the denominations. It was becoming a trend, and almost everywhere there was an enthusiastic response. Every day we received many letters, and most of them were concerning leaving the denominations. All the letters were given to me because I was the acting editor of Collection of Newsletters. From these letters we learned of many stories of ones who left the denominations. We received letters from the northern, southern, and central parts of China. Leaving the denominations even caused problems among the Western missionaries. Some of the missionaries from the China Inland Mission called a special meeting to discuss how to deal with the situation. In the eyes of Christianity it was a revolution. Everywhere many were leaving the denominations.
Those who left the denominations followed a general practice to leave openly, not secretly. In most cases they would write and sign an official letter requesting their denomination to remove their names from the membership registry. It was done rather officially. Although this was not a regulation, the general practice was to write an official letter declaring one’s decision to leave the denomination. Believers were leaving with intense fervor and vigor.
At the beginning of 1935 a few co-workers felt that the trend of leaving the denominations was not correct, because it involved many complicated issues. Therefore, Brother Nee spoke to the co-workers to clarify the matter of our testimony. He said that leaving the denominations is not our testimony; rather, our testimony is Christ: Christ as the Savior, Christ as life, Christ as the conquering King, Christ as the Lord of all things, Christ as God’s centrality, and Christ as God’s universality. He also pointed out that the testimony of Christ is absolutely in the church and that the church is one and the ground of the church is local. All these matters were made very clear. In 1937 Brother Nee spoke further on how to maintain the Lord’s testimony by establishing churches locality by locality. These messages were collected and published in Rethinking the Work, now published with the title The Normal Christian Church Life.
The Lord raised us up in the East to maintain the testimony of Christ being expressed in the church. Such a testimony includes saving people and making them spiritual. It also includes the building up of the saints, locality by locality, to be a corporate dwelling place of God and the Body of Christ so that Christ can be expressed through this corporate vessel. Although the church is expressed in different localities, all the local churches should be one in testimony and have fellowship with one another. This is what the Lord showed us, and this is the testimony He wants us to maintain.
We acknowledge that God has used different ways and many workers to save thousands of people. God has done much related to salvation with others, but not so much with us. In fact, we need to learn from others concerning the many ways to lead people to salvation. God has also done much related to life through others, and their work was quite good. This is true in the Western world and also in China. The Lord has done much in the East and in the West related to helping people to be spiritual, to consecrate themselves, to love Him, to live before Him, to fear Him, and to walk with Him.
However, the Lord has given us a special commission related to one church in one locality, the building, and the expression of the Body. Besides us, no one else has paid attention to these matters. We are the only ones who have paid attention to these matters, and we are even opposed because of this. We have been attacked by many outsiders mainly because of these points. They say that it is sufficient to save others and help them to be spiritual but that there is no need to be concerned about meeting and being built up in every locality in order to be the expression of Christ’s Body. They argue that if we would simply be concerned about salvation and spirituality, there would be no problems concerning denominations, the church, and the ground of the church. They argue that people could be saved in the Catholic Church and in the Presbyterian Church and that they could also be spiritual in the Catholic Church and in the Presbyterian Church.
Some believers feel that they could be spiritual on their own; they also feel that since they were spiritual, they could be united to be one in the spirit. Some of those who have felt this way have included Mr. Chia, the top pastor in the Presbyterian Church, Mr. Kao, the top pastor in the Quaker Church, and Mr. Cheng, a spiritual Christian worker. They were all very spiritual. They thought that since they were in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, they could be united to form a spiritual group that would take care of the work together. So they published a magazine called The Spiritual Light and invited Sister Ruth Lee to be the editor. In 1925, after seeing the oneness of the church and the sin of denominationalism, Sister Ruth Lee was no longer willing to serve as the editor and decided to resign. The pastors, however, did not agree. Later, when the Chinese Nationalist government was engaged in a fight against the warlords, some Communist soldiers in the Nationalist army burned the church buildings in Nanking and arrested the preachers. The office of The Spiritual Light was not spared.
I respected these spiritual people. I can still testify with a pure conscience that they were devout Christians who lived in the Lord’s presence. However, the ground of locality and the building up of the Body of Christ are not simply matters that we minister; they are related to our testimony. I have spoken with both Pastor Chia and Pastor Cheng. I could only humbly receive their spiritual instruction, confessing that they were God-fearing, spiritual, senior brothers who lived in the presence of God. However, they neither knew nor understood that God has commissioned us with the testimony of the local expression of the Body. They even exhorted me not to insist on this point.
Once in 1937 I happened to be on the same train with Pastor Cheng. Though I cannot remember the details of our conversation, I do remember that he exhorted me not to be so insistent. He said that it is good enough for us to preach the gospel diligently to save souls and to speak the truth of God for others to be nurtured and perfected. He said that this is the highest point of a Christian. His attitude was sincere, and he truly treasured and admired us. From our manner of speaking and our attitude, he knew that we were clear concerning the truth and had a firm foundation. Therefore, Pastor Cheng and even Pastor Chia treasured us. We also respected them greatly before the Lord, as we would respect our seniors. We also had fellowship with a Pastor Ting, and we respected him. Pastor Ting was in his seventies when I was in my thirties. He was an elderly person living in the Lord’s presence. We respected him and loved him, and he also loved and treasured us.
These elderly brothers felt that it was precious that young people like us were willing to forsake our future and live for the Lord. They highly regarded us. However, they always felt that we were too much. They once indicated that we were the top group among the Chinese Christians and that if we would change and take the middle road, we would become the center of the churches in China, and the future of the churches in China would depend on us. According to their view, we were extreme in our attitude.
However, we saw that the Lord’s testimony is dispensational. These elderly believers saw something in their generation, but it was not the Lord’s intention for us to keep the testimony of their generation. The Lord is moving, and He desires to advance. For this reason, although we respected their portion, we knew that God desired to take another step in China. The Lord desires more than personal salvation and spirituality; He desires to work out the testimony of His Body, the testimony of the church, in locality after locality so that He can gain a corporate vessel for His expression. This is what the Lord showed us more than twenty years ago.
Over the past twenty years, we have had many experiences and have suffered many blows. Even though we were somewhat affected by them, we have not given up the testimony entrusted to us. There have been spiritual persons and evangelical giants who have influenced us. We were inferior to them in the power of the gospel and also concerning certain spiritual matters. Nevertheless, we felt that we had a testimony to maintain. Sometimes we wondered whether we were extreme. We wondered why those who had power in the gospel and those who were spiritual would not pay attention to the testimony of the church. We were often tested in this matter. However, we can testify that we became clearer every time we were tested. Today the Lord’s intention on earth is not merely to gain souls or spiritual persons; rather, His desire is to build up His corporate testimony in every locality. We are very clear concerning this.
We studied how to deal with the difficulties brought to us by those who were powerful in the gospel and were spiritual but who did not bear this testimony. We sought the Lord, asking what type of attitude we should have toward them. Indeed, there were some who were powerful in the gospel. For example, Dr. John Sung was an evangelist when we became clear concerning this testimony in 1935. He went everywhere preaching the gospel. Whether his jumping, kicking, shouting, and weeping were in the flesh or had an element of the Spirit, wherever he went, thousands of people repented when he preached. He was powerful in the gospel, but he always rebuked us. We did not know what attitude we should have toward him, and the co-workers among us considered this to be a serious problem.
There was also Pastor Chia, who was weighty in the truth and held a high position among theologians. Although he treasured us, he opposed us for taking this way. A distinguished theological school, the Chinese Women’s Seminary in River Bay, Shanghai, also opposed us and forbade its students from attending our meetings in Shanghai. It was difficult for us to know what our attitude should be when we were opposed by those who were powerful in the gospel or had spiritual weight.
In the spring of 1934 Brother Nee and I went to River Bay by car. It was a long journey during which he expressed his feelings in our conversation. He asked me what I felt we should do since so many were against us. We could not deny that some preached the gospel with much power. We also could not deny that others were truly spiritual; they led others to love the Lord, spoke concerning the way of the cross, and edified others in the truth. However, they rejected us. We were tested in this matter and did not know what attitude we should have.
After much consideration, study, fellowship, and seeking of the Lord, eventually all the co-workers felt that we could not give up our testimony, and we could not leave the ground on which we stood. We could accept the gospel preached in power, and we could accept the spiritual matters, including the perfecting in truth and life, but we absolutely could not waver concerning the ground and the testimony. We could fellowship with other believers on spiritual matters, receiving and sharing spiritual things with them. We should fellowship mutually in the gospel, in spiritual matters, and in the truth, but we could not compromise the church ground. We decided that this should be our attitude.
We tried to receive spiritual things from others; we accepted things related to the gospel and the truth. However, this attitude gave Brother Yu Cheng-hwa the boldness to accept all the things of Madame Guyon, including some things of Catholicism. He did this because the co-workers had adopted an attitude of receiving anything related to the gospel, spirituality, or the truth that a person had, regardless of their denomination or sect, without sacrificing our ground.
In the co-workers’ meeting held in Shanghai in 1937, we fellowshipped concerning the line of Antioch. Brother Nee then suggested that we proceed in two ways. On one hand, we would all go to different places and establish meetings in order to propagate; on the other hand, those of us who were clear concerning the truth would try to labor in the denominations, releasing the truth and giving them a spiritual supply. After this fellowship we began to carry out the work in these aspects.
Shortly after that fellowship, however, the war with Japan began. This caused the propagation work to stop. At that time there were many intellectuals among us; many brothers and sisters were working in the medical or educational fields. During the war many of them moved to provinces that were farther from the war front, and they evacuated from places that were occupied by the Japanese, such as Nanking. It was not until the end of the war that we again began to meet in these places. During the war Satan was working and dealt Brother Nee a heavy blow. As a result, those who moved away from the war did not receive much supply, and the believers in territories occupied by the enemy were weak. Thus, the testimony was weakened in all the places.
In this weakened condition we saw that those in the denominations were more effective in the gospel, they were the same as us in spirituality, and they had produced ones who understood the truth. It seemed as if leaving the denominations was our only accomplishment. Our situation was gloomy and dismal. After the war the leading ones experienced great difficulties with one another because they had gone through a long period of being neglected, tried, and frustrated. The churches suffered various trials. When the saints returned to Shanghai, all the co-workers gathered together and fellowshipped. Based on our feeling and our past experiences, we decided that we must keep the testimony that we saw in the beginning, the testimony of one local church in one locality and that we must build all spiritual things on this ground. We would accept things of the gospel, spirituality, and the truth from other denominations or sects. The only thing we would not relinquish and would insist upon was the ground of the church. We would insist on taking the ground of one locality for one church; we would hold on to the testimony of the Body of Christ.
Our relationship with Brother Austin-Sparks was not based on the ground of the church; rather, it was based on spiritual matters. We were clear concerning the Lord’s desire for us in the East; we also felt that we should receive a supply from other ministries. Even though other ministries might not have a clear ground, position, or background, they do have a portion in the spiritual ministry. This principle applies to those who are alive and to those who have passed away. Madame Guyon, for instance, had a spiritual ministry, but she was a Catholic. The fact that she was in Catholicism should not be a reason for us to reject the spiritual supply from her portion. However, this does not mean that we will receive the things of Catholicism. According to this principle, we should receive the supply from Dr. F. B. Meyer, Andrew Murray, and Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis. We received all the spiritual riches that we could find in the books written over the centuries, whether they were related to the gospel, life, or truth. However, we rejected their stand, that is, the organization they represented, because it did not correspond with our testimony and would even damage our testimony.
Brother Nee fellowshipped with Brother Austin-Sparks concerning this matter. Brother Nee also did his best to receive the spiritual help from Brother Austin-Sparks’s group, but the ground of the church was not a factor in our relationship with Brother Austin-Sparks. For this reason Brother Nee said that Brother Austin-Sparks was not as clear as we were related to the ground of the church, and we did not ask Brother Austin-Sparks his position concerning the ground.
Brother Austin-Sparks’s group in London has left the denominations. Hence, he is clearer in his standing than Andrew Murray and more advanced than Dr. Meyer or Mrs. Penn-Lewis. Therefore, on the positive side, he is nearly irreproachable. On the negative side, however, he is not as definite as we who are in the East. We saw that the ground of the church is unique and that there should be only one church in one locality. We were very clear concerning this point from the beginning. Even though we differ from Brother Austin-Sparks regarding the ground, this did not cause us to reject him or his spiritual supply. Our attitude was to receive the spiritual supply from all the ministries the Lord has given to His church over the centuries, regardless of their standing or background. We would not be affected by their background. This was our attitude.
Since Brother Austin-Sparks’s view differed from ours related to the ground, Brother Nee said that the time had not yet come to invite him. Not only so, Brother Austin-Sparks also has a certain spiritual influence on others; hence, if we had invited him to China, it would have caused a problem. It was not until later that we understood this. I am mentioning this so that we can see our testimony and the proper attitude we should maintain regarding this testimony.
Brother Austin-Sparks’s first visit to Taiwan was for our spiritual supply. It did not cause any problems because we did not touch the ground of the church. It was a very pleasant time. His second visit, however, caused us much grief. Brother Austin-Sparks should have maintained the attitude of ministering a spiritual supply and should not have touched the ground. If he had done this, there would not have been any problems. However, in his second trip Brother Austin-Sparks overstepped the boundary of his ministry and not only inquired concerning the practice of the church ground but also interfered.
A brother suggested that perhaps I misunderstood Brother Austin-Sparks. I had also hoped that it was a misunderstanding and that Brother Austin-Sparks did not oppose us on this matter. During his visit a number of saints began to waver, considering that it was not necessary to pay attention to the ground but that it was sufficient to be spiritual. This proves that it was not a misunderstanding.
Brother Austin-Sparks reprimanded us openly, not just in private conversations. In a meeting he openly said, “You limit Christ to a locality and thus make Christ a small Christ and the church a small church.” This word proves that he insisted on his view. This was the problem we encountered.
We should be clear concerning the testimony the Lord desires us to keep in His recovery. We thank the Lord for anyone among us who is powerful in the gospel for the salvation of souls. However, we will be troubled if you act or speak in a way that affects the ground and our testimony. As long as what you do does not affect this testimony and the ground, you can exercise your portion, and we will welcome you and regard you as a co-worker, a dear brother or sister. We are not narrow.
For example, there was a sister in Hong Kong who did not see the ground but had spiritual fellowship with us. This sister had a burden to serve the Lord in the East. Because she wanted to be with a group of God’s children whom she considered to be pleasing to God’s will and who were spiritual, she chose us. Her joining us was related to the spiritual supply, not the ground. We, therefore, received her as our co-worker even though she was not clear concerning the ground. This is because, spiritually speaking, she truly was our co-worker. She did not interfere with our practice concerning the ground. She endeavored to exercise her portion so that the brothers and sisters could be edified. We recognized her supply, and we did not compel her to be one with us concerning the ground. She did not have problems with us. However, she needed to be clear that she joined a group of brothers and sisters who were standing on the ground. They were united on the ground. Even if the leading ones among them turned away to love the world, they would still take this way, because this is the way the Lord desires.
Since we have seen the ground, we must keep it steadfastly. There is no room for a middle ground. There is no neutral ground. If the ground of denomination is right, we should not have another ground; we should all worship God in the denominations. If the ground of denomination is wrong, there can be no reconciliation with it. We need to be absolutely clear concerning this point.
Reconciliation will not issue in blessing. On the contrary, it causes both sides to suffer. There have been many cases of compromise among us. Some cases involved individuals, and others involved a group; some took place in southern China and others, in northern China. The result was always damage and loss; neither side was edified, and all our labor turned out to be in vain. Furthermore, most of the ones who attempted to reconcile with the denominations eventually went the way of the denominations. Consequently, they became people without a vision. We should never think that those in the denominations can help us. We must realize that not only can they not help us, but also if we reconcile with them, they will influence us.
In northern China I was jailed and tortured by the Japanese because I was not willing to compromise. If I had compromised with the denominations, I would not have been jailed, and there would not have been so many problems. I was put into prison because I was unwilling to cooperate with the denominations. Our friends in the denominations wanted to pull me to their side, to make me the same as they, but I stood firm. Hence, they spoke unfavorably about me to the Japanese military police, who eventually put me in prison. After three weeks of interrogation, the Japanese military police could not find any evidence against me. They said, “Mr. Lee, we have interrogated you for three and a half weeks, but we cannot find anything wrong with you. Why is it that those in Christianity do not speak well of you?” Their question made me realize that those in the denominations had spoken all kinds of evil words concerning me to the Japanese.
The president of the United Christian Association, who was a classmate and neighbor of a brother among us, heard about my arrest by the Japanese. Before I was imprisoned, a pastor’s wife spoke to a crowd in front of her house, expressing her joy that the Japanese were about to discipline me. Since I never cooperated with the denominations, they wanted the Japanese to discipline me. I was truly under the threat of death when I was in prison, because it was as easy for the Japanese military police to kill a Chinese as it was to kill a chicken. The Lord kept my life during that time.
After I was freed from prison, our friends in the denominations again asked me to cooperate with them. They did not compel me; instead, I was informed that twelve congregations would participate in a conference and that a speaker from each congregation would deliver a sermon. They also told me on which day I should give a sermon. I told the brothers that even if I should die, I would not give that sermon. Then an elderly brother accompanied me to visit the president of the United Christian Association, because I felt that, by courtesy, I should let him know that I could not accept the assignment.
The president of the United Christian Association felt that I should consider the matter and pray about it. When I said that there was no need to pray, he said, “Mr. Lee, what you are doing is very dangerous.” I solemnly replied, “Since you have said this, I would like to tell you that the most you can do is to have me arrested and put in prison again.” It was difficult to believe that they used the expression dangerous when asking for my cooperation. I believe that this was the enemy’s scheme to force us to be the same as Christianity. At the time those in Christianity detested our being different from them. If we would reconcile with them and be the same as they were, the enemy would applaud loudly because his scheme had succeeded.
What God has shown us is not merely a matter of salvation or of spirituality. He has shown us where a Christian should and should not be. This is the testimony we have borne for over thirty years. Satan, however, has been pulling us away from this testimony, wanting us to reconcile with Christianity. When this happens, Satan has succeeded. Therefore, we should be clear and see our need to maintain this difference.
Brother Austin-Sparks did not know this when he came to Taiwan. He left Taiwan in March and arrived in London in April. In May he wrote an article for his magazine in which he praised us, saying, “For many days I spoke to more than five hundred select Christian workers during the day and to about two thousand believers at night. Furthermore, we visited churches for several days, and everyone we met was zealous. Their faces were shining, waiting to fellowship with us. They devoured every word we spoke.” He gave us a top compliment.
However, I would like to ask Brother Austin-Sparks if he knows the main reason for the success of our work. Perhaps many would think that the main reason is the work of the Holy Spirit. We agree. However, why would the Holy Spirit not bless the work on other grounds? I believe that Brother Austin-Sparks met many Western missionaries and people from other groups when he was in Taiwan. They all labored zealously. They have more resources than we have and are more talented than we are. Some among them are even better educated than we are and have higher reputations. Why did Brother Austin-Sparks not praise their work? Why does the Holy Spirit not do a work among them?
We are clear that if we have any result that is worthy of praise, it is because we have not reconciled with the denominations. If from 1949 we had worked in reconciliation with the denominations, we would not have had the same result. The main reason that our work can be praised is that we have the ground. Regrettably, Brother Austin-Sparks saw the result, but he did not see the reason for the result.
I realize that Brother Austin-Sparks adjusted us because of his care for us. He did not have bad intentions. However, he was like a doctor who gave the wrong diagnosis; what he perceived as a sickness is actually our very life. The local ground is not a sickness. If this item is removed, we cannot live any longer.
This can be compared to a person who drinks tea and then breaks the teapot. He does not realize that the teapot is needed to brew more tea. The tea depends on the teapot for its existence. The blessing we experience is because we stand on the ground of locality. We depend on the ground for our existence; we are being upheld by the ground. Therefore, if we allow others to take away our ground, our “teapot,” not only will the teapot they hate disappear, but the tea they love will also vanish.
Thus, it is not a matter of whether one has a good or a bad intention; we never doubted Brother Austin-Sparks’s intention. He cared for us out of a pure and fervent heart. We treasured this. However, the ground is a matter of light, not of a personal view. This fellowship is so that we may be clear. If we ignore this fellowship, history will be repeated, and there will not be a blessing.
Over the past two thousand years God has raised up many useful ministries. In America there are ministries that are strong in the gospel. God is great, and He has raised up many spiritual persons. Brother Austin-Sparks is an example. Although Brother Austin-Sparks stands on a ground that is close to the local ground, he is not on the local ground. There have been many who have had such a stand in history. Some, who do not stand on the local ground, have received more revelation from the Bible than we have. We are happy to receive the supply from them because these are the riches that God has given to His church. Even some who were in Catholicism, such as Madame Guyon and Brother Lawrence, were people with much spiritual weight and gifts. We should receive the spiritual supply from all of them.
At the same time, however, we should be very clear that the Lord raised us up for the testimony of the one Body so that there will be an expression of a built-up representation in each locality. We are not demanding that all the brothers and sisters have this vision. However, we would ask all the co-workers, whether brothers or sisters, to try their best to minister in the gospel and in the truth and not to touch or destroy the ground of the church. If they are willing to cooperate, there will be no problems; however, if they touch or destroy the ground, they will cause much trouble.
May the Lord grant us grace to become clearer concerning these messages as we go on. We should be clear concerning where we are, and we should be humble to receive what can benefit us in the gospel, the truth, and the spiritual supply. However, we must be absolutely clear related to the testimony the Lord wants us to bear. We should guard this testimony securely. We should not be foolish — guarding the vision yet not standing on the ground; neither should we guard the ground and reject the spiritual riches.
If we are clear concerning this point, we will be able to help those who come in contact with us. We receive the spiritual supply from others, and we also render them the help. We should receive help from others in humility, and we should also know our testimony and our ground. We should always render some help to others when we contact them. We should not speak of things that will not edify them. This is to do all things for the building up. We should not shrink from speaking whatever is beneficial to them. If we can help others in this way without forsaking our stand, the Lord’s testimony will be built up.
We should receive Brother Austin-Sparks’s portion. The problem was that Brother Austin-Sparks overstepped his portion and damaged us. Moreover, the problem was enlarged because some of our brothers were not clear. If Brother Austin-Sparks had not overstepped his portion, there would not have been problems. Likewise, if our brothers were all clear, there would not have been problems even though Brother Austin-Sparks had overstepped. Therefore, the key is for us to be clear concerning the ground. If we are clear, no one can easily sway us. People can say whatever they desire, and we will not waver.
We still have a normal relationship with Brother Austin-Sparks; it has not been damaged. What we are stressing is that it is difficult for us to accept what differs from us in the matter of the ground and in the matter of the light of this truth, because the ground is our very life, and it affects our testimony.
It is a problem that the brothers from the West have an attitude of superiority. However, we should not oppose them because of this, nor should we react negatively or look down on them. The only serious problem is our differing view concerning the ground. Their superior attitude hindered further fellowship. Even though this was unintentional, it was revealed unconsciously in their behavior.
Let me illustrate. Because I am from northern China, I unconsciously speak with a northern accent. I do not intend to speak with a northern accent, but as I speak, the accent comes out. I was born and raised in northern China; I also lived there for many years. I am composed of the elements of northern China. Unless I am transformed, my northern accent will always be with me. As long as I live, I will unconsciously have a Chinese flavor and a northern Chinese accent. Similarly, the various influences of international politics over the past one hundred years and China’s position in international politics has caused the brothers from the West to have an attitude of superiority that is difficult to remove. In addition, our history over the past decades has caused us to have an attitude of inferiority.
This is a problem in the East and in the West. I have been praying concerning this matter for a long time. May the Lord cover me with His blood; I would now like to fight against this matter, endeavoring to get rid of these attitudes of inferiority in the East and superiority in the West. May these attitudes no longer exist in the future when the brothers and sisters from the East and from the West come together to fellowship. Presently, it is not a problem for the believers in the East to receive the spiritual help from those in the West. We are already doing it. However, the believers in the West will need to be humble in order to receive spiritual supply from the believers in the East. When there is this open fellowship, the Lord will reveal what we have seen to the believers in the West. I strongly believe that soon the brothers from the West will come and live in the East for a period of time in order to learn. They will then understand what the Lord is doing on this earth today. They will understand the way the Lord is taking today. Only time can prove this word.
Many of you brothers are in your twenties. If the Lord delays His return, you will probably live longer on this earth than I will. One day perhaps you will recall this word. This is the Lord’s mercy to us, and we should not be proud. We should be clear concerning what the Lord has given to the church over the past two thousand years, and we should understand the significance of the Lord’s raising us up in the East in this age. May we be faithful to learn our lessons and labor in the Lord’s work, and may we refrain from comparing ourselves with others. As long as we are faithful, the result is up to the Lord, not up to us.
