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Today I thank God for giving me the opportunity to meet all the brothers and sisters here. Today I will give a testimony and some teaching. During the conference in February 1928, three brothers came from Kiangsu. They were Brother Chi Yung-tung, Brother Chiu Re-jian, and myself. During that time no one told me anything specifically about leaving the denominations; I was enlightened and brought to an understanding of the matter through my reading of the books. (Mr. Nee did not mention this subject at all.) At that time I was definitely touched by the truth, and God was working in me in a particular way. Because of that, I have the opportunity today to testify concerning what has happened during the past three years.
What we experienced three years ago was the same as today; we had Mr. Nee preaching to us then. I think you are all very fortunate here. I was a member of a Presbyterian Church. During the conference, someone mentioned to me the matter of baptism and how one should meet according to the teaching of 1 Corinthians 14. When I heard the truth, I was troubled, and after the conference I was baptized. On that day five people were baptized together, including the three of us, another brother from Pingyang and one brother from Anhwei. After the conference I returned home with Brother Chiu, while Brother Chi remained in Shanghai for a few more days. While I was on my way, I wrote a letter of resignation to my denomination. At that time I struggled with two things. First, I was deeply acquainted with the elders in my locality. Second, I was the first one to be saved in my locality. I was afraid that by resigning, I would be misunderstood and slandered. But for the truth's sake, I had to obey. In my prayer, I received James 4:17, which says, "Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." Since I knew it, I should act accordingly. If I did not act, I would be sinning. Subsequently, I did not consider the possible outward consequences and wrote a letter to my elders requesting to be removed from their list and to resign from my post as an elder. I mentioned four things in my letter: (1) one should worship according to the scriptural principles, (2) there should be the breaking of bread meetings, (3) I should be baptized, and (4) there should not be human organizations and denominational names. At the same time, Mr. Chi also wrote a letter from Shanghai requesting to be removed from their list and to resign from his preaching post. When his letter arrived, my letter also arrived. But our denomination did not give us an answer right away because they had to discuss the matter in their convention.
There was great turmoil within the Presbyterian Church because of this. People began to call together a convention to discuss this matter. In the end, they sent five representatives to me to persuade me to stay and told me that they were willing to follow two and a half of the four points I mentioned. The two and a half points were regarding the worship according to the principles of the Scripture. The elders and the preachers were allowed to administer the bread. As for baptism, those who had been sprinkled did not need to be baptized again, but those who had not been sprinkled could be baptized. As to the removing of the name, the convention had discussions about it and concluded that this could not be done. Furthermore, we were told that we should not resign from our post as elders and preachers. At that time the Scriptures that the Lord gave to me were 2 Corinthians 6:17: "Therefore come out from their midst and be separated," and Acts 5:29: "It is necessary to obey God rather than men." When we considered these two verses, we were happy to put aside human relationships and make the decision to leave. When they realized that our minds were set and that they could not stop us, some ill feelings arose and there was some slander, misunderstanding, and criticism. Brother Chi's home is in Su Chia-chui, which is thirty miles from my home, Yi-lin. He returned home. In his locality there was a meeting established by him and his brother already. In my locality another brother, Shu Shou-yue, joined me to leave the denomination. I was afraid that this brother left not for the sake of the truth, but for the sake of our friendship together. However, later I found out that this was not the case, and we began to have the breaking of bread meeting in Brother Shu's home.
At that time I felt very lonely and hoped to receive some help from letters from the brothers and sisters in Shanghai. Later Mr. Nee did send me a letter, but when I opened it, there were only these words: "Press on towards the mark, though lonely, unchanged!" This was a line quoted from a hymn in the Little Flock Hymnal. I was expecting some words of comfort or help. But there were only these words, and my heart sank. At that time I only had human concepts. However, after praying and considering these words, I received much help, and these words became a source of strength to me. We are in the Lord, and He is leading us to press toward the mark. For this reason we are not lonely.
Later more came to our meeting, and those who used to oppose us began to join us. We felt that we needed a place for meeting, and the Lord prepared a place for us which was a house I had prepared for myself during that period of time. We began to have the breaking of bread meeting there. We were not the only ones to do that. Mr. Chi and Mr. Chiu began to have the same kind of meeting in their localities. There was a Mr. Ding Yi-yuen from Dah-chiao, who was a preacher in Dah-chiao. He also left the denominations and began to meet with them. In this way, the four of us began to work together for the Lord in one accord. The Lord gave us different gifts to serve Him. Sinners were saved, and some also left the denominations to meet with us. But at the same time, there was much talk about us.
Once the Presbyterians had a conference in Salt City. One pastor quoted the words of Gamaliel in Acts 5, saying that if this move was of man, it would be overthrown, but that if it was from God, no one could overthrow it; instead, it would prosper. The words of this pastor opened a way for us. Not only were we not persecuted or slandered anymore, but the words actually testified for us. And not only did they testify for us, they opened a way for us to work in Salt City and other places. Soon, in five different places, there was the breaking of bread meeting with the number exceeding two hundred. The Lord raised up responsible ones from each locality who carried out the work God assigned to them, according to the gifts they received from Him. This is the condition and news of Kiangsu during the past three years. I have now finished my testimony. I am merely testifying for the Lord's truth. If any brother or sister here has heard the truth, they should obey. Now we have about two hundred people meeting. We dare not boast about ourselves; we are merely thanking God for His grace.
March 22nd of this year was a Lord's Day. On that day, we had our storm disaster. A few days before that, Mr. Chi and I had the intention to visit the brothers and sisters in Shanghai. The reason for our visit was that we were co-workers in the Lord and we felt this was something we should do. On the afternoon of March 22nd, Mr. Chi's eldest son came to Yi-lin from Su Chia-chui and told me that Mr. Chi would come that day, or at the latest by the next day, to join me to travel to Shanghai. But the same afternoon at 6 p.m., the temperature suddenly rose and a great storm with rain came. Thunder, lightning, and hail appeared. It was like a great earthquake. I wondered if the Lord was coming and began to pray with my family, saying, "Lord, are You coming? If You are coming, will we be raptured?" Later, when I realized that it was not the Lord's coming, I began to be concerned if the brothers and sisters would suffer from the storm.
Within a short time, men from my shop came and told me that four of the houses on my street had blown down. My shop was outside the city, while my house was on a street inside the city. I could not take care of much. I knew that the storm would go away the next day. But the next morning, some people came again from my shop and said that many more houses had collapsed and insisted that I should go and take a look. I had to go. At the same time, I was afraid that the houses of Brother Chi and Brother Chiu had suffered from the same disaster. Soon, some came with the report that the houses of these two brothers had completely collapsed, and that the three-year-old son of Brother Chi had been killed in the collapse. I wanted to visit them and take a look at the area after the disaster, but the wind was still strong. I still could not travel there with my bicycle, so I waited until the next day. On the morning of the 24th, I arrived in Su Chia-chui and saw the terrible condition, and I comforted them a little.
Had we left for Shanghai during this storm, it would have been more unbearable for the others. Fortunately we remained at home. At that time we prayed together to seek God's will and consider what to do concerning the damaged houses. Those who prayed with me were Brother Ding Yi-yuen and Brother Hsu Shou-yue. At the end of our prayer, we became clear that these houses could be repaired and did not need to be torn down. I moved the wives and children of Brother Chi and Brother Chiu to my home, for they all had some minor injuries. Brother Chi can give you details of the storm disaster because he went through it himself.
Why do I have to mention the condition in our area today? There are three reasons: (1) we are brothers and sisters in the Lord together, (2) we have the same faith, and (3) we want to express our gratitude for the help of love you have rendered to us. Hence, we would like to give you a report.
The storm has passed. Why then do we have to mention it again? It is to thank the Lord and consider the lessons He has taught us in the past. Although what we experienced was the attack of the devil, it also was something that God permitted. The story of Job is our example.
Personally, I felt two things concerning this episode. First, I inquired before God as to what mistakes I have made and what sins I have committed. If I had some mistakes or sins, it was God's chastisement of me. It is better to suffer God's chastisement now than to be judged by Him later. Second, this episode relates to the message we preach. We have to preach the coming of the Lord more. In the future we should preach this message even more.
Our experience at that time was similar to that of the coming of the Lord. According to our study of the coming of the Lord, there will be a great tribulation on earth, and some believers will be raptured before the tribulation comes. During the tribulation, some believers will have to go through calamities and some will die in them. When I consider my family and the suffering they suffered in this disaster, the picture was similar to the Lord's coming. Our teaching of the Bible and our last experience has all the more confirmed the condition of the Lord's coming.
On that evening, our whole family was eating together happily. After dinner I felt to go and visit someone. Two minutes after I left home, I saw a black cloud in the west. Following this, a black wind mixed with straw and hay blew this way. I knew that a storm disaster was coming, but I went ahead, thinking of my family all the time. When I looked back, the black wind had reached us, and the whole sky was darkened. It was like the picture described in the exodus from Egypt. My ears could only hear the sound of the wind and the rumbling of houses blown under the sand and the hay. I could not touch the ground with my hands. At that time I could only pray, "Lord, save me!" Not only was I praying, even those who usually did not pray began to pray. This is the normal reaction of men in peril. I knew the streets in that area very well, and so I fumbled in darkness on my way home. The houses around where we lived were very shaken.
Later I tried to return home. But just then, the wind blew off the roof of my home and the house where we were meeting. Both my house as well as Mr. Chiu's house collapsed. When I arrived at the front door, I saw that the roof was gone. Upon entering the house, I heard crying everywhere. The house had fallen and was in shambles, and my wife and the children were huddled together. Mrs. Chiu was trapped under the debris. The roof of the meeting hall was gone. At that time, my wife told me that our youngest one was still trapped under the debris in the house. I tried to look for him under the pile with a lamp, and eventually, I found my child dead.
At that time there were over ten people in the house. One was killed. I believe that God's will was in the matter; otherwise, my son would not have died. I asked my wife and children how they had escaped. They said that they did not know. By the time they heard the sound of the wind, the house had already collapsed, and they were all trapped. My youngest son was killed by a beam that fell on him. I consider that two sparrows are worth more than an assarion and not one of them falls to the earth apart from the Father. My son's death was surely of the Father's will. At that time Mr. Chiu was standing by his door. When the wind came, the house fell back and did not crush him; he was only slightly injured. Mrs. Chiu was afraid that the house would be torn down and was jumping out of the bed with the baby in her arms when the house collapsed. She was trapped inside. But the amazing thing was that they were not hurt because there was a pole next to her bed, and the falling beam fell right on the pole. They were trapped under the two poles and were unharmed. Brothers and sisters, this is the real story. The Lord has blessed us. Indeed, He has blessed us. The God whom we serve is a living God. He is with us in everything.
After this incident, we had strong winds coming our way many times. Every night, everyone was afraid of the wind, but Mrs. Chiu had much faith. She said that had she not trusted in God, she would not have been able to sleep for fear of the collapse of the house. Mr. Chiu has a daughter who became very fearful of the wind after this incident. As soon as she hears the wind, she says, "The storm is here, the storm is here." Even now she is still not mentally sound. I was different because I did not experience the damage. Mr. Chiu was also slightly injured. Personally, I was taught and comforted at the thought of the possibility of being raptured before the tribulation! Before I left my house, my whole family was happily together. A few minutes later, I returned home and saw the wreckage. The house was originally quite well built, but after the wind came, it was totally damaged. This was similar to the verses in the Bible that say when men say peace and security, sudden destruction comes upon them. At a time when we are not prepared, the Lord will come. If we are not prepared, we will not be raptured. What good are the things which we love and crave in this world? Others were afraid of the wind, but I was not afraid of it. The reason is that they passed through the damage, but I did not pass through any damage. They did not die in the disaster, but they came through the disaster. I consider the fact that some believers will be saved, though as through the fire. During the tribulation the world will suffer calamities and dangers. When the Lord comes back, there will be believers who will be raptured. Some will go through the tribulation, and some will die in the tribulation. This is a picture of the church of God.
After that incident, I said to my family and children, not in the way of teaching, that the Lord has kept them on earth because they have grown up and have a will to choose to believe in the Lord Jesus and receive life. If they would not accept the Lord and receive life, they might not have another chance for salvation. The Lord allowed them to pass through the disaster in order that they would become fearful and consider what they would do during the few years of the great tribulation which is coming. This is why they have to hurry and receive the Lord. As for my dead child, he was only three years old and was not able to make his own choice. As such, even though he is dead, he is saved. Was it not God's grace that the children who have the ability to make a choice are not dead?
Although we have left [the denominations], we are only separated from them as far as regulations are concerned. Humanly speaking and as far as our relationship in the Lord is concerned, there is still no distinction between them and us. We have no opinions or prejudice against those in the denominations. In our meetings there are visitors from the denominations, both Chinese and Westerners. Moreover, we left not because of Mr. Nee's words but because we were led by God's Word.
Here, we have much opportunity to hear about the inner leading of the Holy Spirit. But for us, in addition to hearing about it, we have the experience of seeing the Holy Spirit working within us and teaching us directly in our intuition. Sometimes we do not understand such leadings and are weak, but He is within us and teaching us all things. This is the word of 1 John 2:27. I used to think that the Holy Spirit gave us feelings from outside. Since the conference, however, I realize that the Holy Spirit works within us. All we have to do is to go along with the inner leading. If the Holy Spirit has not given us any leading, we should not move rashly. At that time, I only knew that this teaching was right, but today I am allowing the Holy Spirit to work in me day by day. Our leaving the denomination and all the works we did after we left were the works of the Holy Spirit within us. It would be dangerous if we trusted in our own work. Of course, we were not without mistakes during the past few years. If there were any mistakes, we ask for the cleansing and forgiveness of the Lord's blood. Everything that remains is the result of the Lord's work within us. Everything that is initiated by the Holy Spirit will remain until that day.
The help we have received came from the book The Spiritual Man. The book did not teach us some outward teachings; every point in it can be experienced. Some among us had already experienced something similar to what is described in the book. Whatever little work that we can testify for the Lord today is the result of the Holy Spirit's work within us; nothing comes out of our imagination, arrangement, or method.
Spiritual warfare is not a knowledge. During the past few years, the devil has been attacking us directly. We experienced the spiritual warfare. It is not a teaching but a tangible warfare. The teaching concerning the devil is real. Sometimes the devil would attack us directly, and sometimes he would attack us indirectly. Sometimes he would attack the church, and sometimes, individuals. At times we were in darkness, but the book The Spiritual Man helped us. The teaching in that book reminded us that what is inside of us is greater than what is in the world. Every time that we fight with the devil and are about to be defeated, we are reminded of the words of the book that we will win as long as we stand. When we do this, we overcome. I remember Mr. Nee once said that when our works are attacked by the enemy, it proves that the enemy is sensing his defeat. The times when we feel most troubled is the very time when the devil is defeated. Indeed, many times, when we do not have any way to go on, a way is opened; many times when we do not have the light, light comes from somewhere. The Lord has indeed helped us.
We experienced no difficulty within the past few years. The church is not established by man or erected through donations. Formerly, churches were raised up through men's donations; they were established by men, mostly foreigners. Now there is hope with the churches in China. For example, after Brother Wu left his denomination in Yi-lin, he did not leave the Lord; instead, he offered his house to the Lord for the use of meeting. The meeting in Su Chia-chui also experiences no difficulty. In addition, in the rural areas the Lord has raised up responsible ones. For example, in Chan-chia-shue-tse, there is now a meeting raised up. They are much advanced spiritually. Although they have only twenty or more people, there is no difficulty among them. One brother by the name of Chan voluntarily came to me and asked to start the breaking of bread meeting in his home. He said that the Lord convicted them that they should meet together. When I heard the conviction in his voice, I realized that the matter was of the Lord. Chan-chia-shue-tse is fifteen miles away from Su Chia-chui. Some brothers who live in another place seven miles from Chan-chia-shue-tse also wanted to have the Lord's table. The Lord's table at Chan-chia-shue-tse was very suitable because it was centrally located. For that reason, I agreed that they should go ahead and have the meeting.
Do you know what kind of a person Mr. Chan was? He was an illiterate person. He could not read but was quite wealthy. The produce from his fifteen acres of land was enough to support his whole family year round. Yet he stood for the Lord and began to have meetings in his home. Every Lord's Day, he and his wife cleaned up the table and opened up three rooms in his house for the Lord's table meeting. He could not read at first, but during the past two years, he began to read the Bible and sing hymns. On the Lord's Day he even stood up to give messages. He is indeed the messenger of that local church. This really touched us. Although they have not visited other places and although they do not have any organization, the Lord is among them.
Once we had a seven-day conference in Su Chia-chui. After the meeting he told me that he wanted to have a seven-day Bible study in his locality and the dates were set. I said, "If you wanted us to take care of the meeting, you should have waited until we were clear before you set the date." He told us that they were going to meet on their own and were not inviting us to speak. I asked if he had the burden. He said that he felt he did. I was afraid that he would not be able to bear it, yet I was afraid to stop him, so I said, "Since you have the burden, go ahead and do it." By the time the Bible study came, I went to visit them. I saw him standing up to teach the Bible, and those who heard him were helped by him. I was deeply touched. After two days, I had to go to another place for some other business and did not stay until the end of that conference. However, I do feel that as long as something is of the Lord, He will raise up the right people. As long as one or two people are willing to consecrate to the Lord, He will use them. The Lord's church has no difficulty. We do not have to spend money to hire a preacher.
The condition among us is indeed like that of the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3. When I left the denomination, I was afraid of two things:
(1) I was afraid that no one would come to meet with us. But the Lord showed me one verse, "I have put before you an opened door which no one can shut" (Rev. 3:8). Different denominations have invited us to work in their places. When they saw what we were doing, they searched the Scriptures and felt that what we were doing was right. Their conscience could not oppose us. They admitted that their practices were different from the principles in the Bible. They had nothing to say against us.
(2) I was afraid to take the way of faith. I was hired by the denomination to be a preacher, but I had difficulty sustaining myself even when I took up other jobs in addition to my preaching. When I left my denomination, I was five hundred dollars in debt. I thought that when I left the denomination, I would be left penniless. But the Lord was working in me. I had to obey and leave the denomination. Although the future was unclear then, in the end there was the light. Now, not only have I repaid the five hundred dollars, but I have experienced no lack at all.
We do not formulate our own ideas or our own ways concerning the question of the church. Our purpose is not to set up a new denomination. Our only purpose is to meet under the name of Christ and not under the name of a place, person, or method. We are not Presbyterian which is under an office of the presbytery. We are not Congregationalist which is under the name of a method. We are not Wesleyans or Lutherans which are under the names of persons. We are not the China Inland Mission which is under the name of a place. We are not Baptists which is under the name of a ritual. We do not want to put the Lord's name under any person's name. We are jealous that the Lord's name not be put under any other name.
We do not have a denomination, and we do not have a membership list. We do not belong to the "Church of Hardoon Road," and we are not a member of it. We are meeting under the name of Christ, and no one can be separated from Christ.
Many people think that those who preach in Shanghai can live by God, while those who preach in the rural countryside cannot live by God, and that they will die of starvation if they try. I also live by God. Allow me to say an honest word — this is not to shame you — if I had to live by the believers in Shanghai, I would have died long ago. I do not live by the believers in Shanghai, but I live very much by the believers in the countryside whom God has used. The amount the believers in Shanghai have supported me with is only one-tenth of my monthly expenses. Our Sister Wang and Sister Liu came back from Kiangsu and told us that they offered beyond their ability. This is not only true with Kiangsu. The Lord has raised up over thirty meetings that meet under His name in Pingyang and southern Fukien. According to my knowledge, there are now over sixty people in China who are living by God. Brother Chi had a debt of five hundred dollars. He is not only clear of his debt now, but he is not living in any want. God gives the Spirit without measure to those who will obey Him (John 3:34). The Lord has worked through them to help and save many people. Even their enemies are turned into friends. Members of the local denomination in Yi-lin as well as the preacher tried to hand over their chapel to Mr. Wu. The preacher was willing to resign. This shows us the effect of the work. Brother Wu and Brother Chi occupied important positions in the denomination. Brother Wu was an elder there, and Brother Chi was a preacher. But they obeyed God. God will commit His work to those who obey Him. Even I am encouraged by them and stirred up to become zealous.
