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"Jesus is Lord!" (1 Cor. 12:3).
We have previously held two conferences of the same nature, one in February of 1928 and one in October of 1931. The conference held in November of last year was of a different nature, and for that reason we consider the upcoming conference to be the third overcomer conference.
I want all the brothers to understand the nature of this type of conference; no attention will be paid to the less significant matters of the Bible. What we want to see in the Holy Spirit is Christ and Him crucified. Matters such as prophecy, church organization, Scripture exposition, types, baptism, laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, miracles, and a hundred other questions have their proper place. As Christians we should not deny them their proper place. However, these are neither the center of the Scriptures nor the center of the life of the Holy Spirit. God has only one center, which is Christ — Christ and Him crucified. Our annual conferences of this nature are to bring us back to this center. Therefore, we are reluctant to mention any minor matters in these conferences. Rather, we would emphasize only the central point which God Himself stressed.
Many people often ask us why The Present Testimony does not print some of the articles similar to those in the previous magazine, The Christian. However, they do not realize that The Present Testimony only delivers the central message of God. Many of the gospel messages, interpretations of prophecy, Bible expositions, and answers to questions are not God's center. It is a pity that many believers treasure our writings on these side issues, but neglect the central message. We are not saying that the other subjects are useless; they do have their place. However, they are not the center. If a person has not laid hold of God's center, all these truths will only be doctrines to him and will not give him any help. Knowing God in His center, and living in the center is victory, holiness, and glory. Everything else follows afterward.
In our conference this time, as before, we wish to lay stress on the central message. After much prayer I feel the theme which the Lord has given me for this conference is "God's Overcomers." Everything in the conference will focus on this center. Since the dates are now set, I ask all the brothers to pray more for this conference. Unlike the conference in 1928, our conferences in 1931 and 1932 were both lacking in prayer. Consequently, we saw no obvious blessing in those meetings. We should, therefore, ask God for a burden to pray and for a spirit of prayer. We need to pray and pray fervently. Perhaps we even have to fast and pray. However, we must pray in the Holy Spirit! Whether or not God will bless us depends upon our prayer.
Finally, in this conference, our hope is to meet Christ, to receive light and revelation from heaven, and to be filled with the life that is unknown to ordinary people. We do not intend to pay attention to the many minor, outward matters. "To know Him" (Phil. 3:10) — this is what we seek.
Your brother,Watchman NeeDecember 13, 1933
