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Scripture Reading: Acts 14:26-27
This morning, we would like to follow the example of the apostles in a small, insignificant, and humble way to speak about what God's grace has done through us. Therefore, we will not speak about any doctrine today. Instead, we will relate some stories. A few days ago, we read the News Magazine, Issue No. 1517, page 7, which had an article on church news. The title of the article was "Conference of Western and Chinese Believers of the Little Flock." It mentions something concerning myself and the conference we had. The writer of this article was very polite, and he did not seem to have an evil intention towards us. However, what was reported, perhaps collected from interviews, was somewhat inaccurate in some of the facts. From his words we know that the writer is a brother. So within the next week, I will write a letter to him to inform him of some corrections. (At the time of the printing of this magazine, the letter has been sent, but I have not seen it published yet.)
The reason I want to speak about our past is that I hope the brothers and sisters among us today will not be robbed to follow others in calling ourselves the "Little Flock." Those brothers and sisters among us who are somewhat familiar with our history will, of course, not be affected. But because some brothers and sisters have only been with us for a few months and do not know our past history, I am afraid that some of them will be a little confused. This is why I want to take this opportunity to speak to all of you.
Many brothers and sisters are not clear about our background, our work, and everything about us. Many people do not know our history; therefore, I have to say something.
Three years ago I had to go back to Foochow because of my health. Some brothers and sisters at that time wanted me to tell them something concerning the work between 1922 and 1923. They asked how it was at the beginning, how we fought the battles, and what the testimony of the truth was. I will take this opportunity to speak about how the Lord showed us the truth and how He led us on in this way. Hopefully, this will make them (the Foochow brothers) and the brothers and sisters here (in Shanghai) more clear. We have to pay attention to our words and attitude in order to prevent others from calling us the "Little Flock." If we have already considered ourselves the "Little Flock," we cannot, of course, blame others for calling us the "Little Flock." By relating the story of our past, perhaps we can avoid much misunderstanding.
However, it is difficult to speak about the things of the past. First, many battles were fought in many areas at the beginning. If we mention names, it will hurt others. Second, many of the past events have to do with me personally. Third, anytime anyone speaks about the past, there is always the subjective influence of his background. For example, if we ask a brother from Nanking to say something, he will surely speak about God's leading, and how he has been taking this way in Nanking. If we ask a brother from Amoy to speak, he will surely speak about the way he sought after the Lord in Amoy and how he obeyed God to take this way. Therefore, whenever people speak about past events, personal flavors and personal backgrounds unavoidably come in. This is what I would like to avoid. I would like to reduce my personal flavor to a minimum. The name Watchman Nee should be cursed. I have said this before, and I will say it again today. I hope that personal flavor would be reduced to a minimum. At the same time, I would like to tell everyone our history. I will now read to you the article in News Magazine:
The origin of this congregation began with a Fukienese believer called Nee To-sheng. Around 1922 to 1923, he came to Shanghai to establish his congregation and propagate his teaching. He based his principle strictly on the original text of the Bible, but was not well received by the Shanghai community. Because of the political turmoil, he was not able to establish anything, and subsequently returned to Fukien. Later he started The Christian magazine, which became very popular and widely circulated. Later, the magazine changed its name to The Present Testimony, which was also quite appealing and widely circulated. At the same time, he returned to Shanghai and gathered his few affiliates, purportedly to pray, while substantively expounding the Bible. Three years ago, they set up their meeting place in Wen-teh Lane of Hardoon Road in West Shanghai. At the beginning the number was not big, and they called themselves the "Little Flock." They meet about ten times every week. During the past three years, over ten Presbyterian congregations in Kiangsu, another ten or more China Inland Mission congregations in Chekiang, a few independent congregations in Yun- chia and Pingyang in Chekiang, plus a few other congregations in Fukien who were of the same mind were all affected by him. They all overthrew their original denominational names and changed the pastoral system to come under the banner of the "Little Flock." This season, as a result of a visit by six men from Australia, including a Dr. Powell, a missionary Mr. House, businessmen Mr. Joyce and Mr. Phillip, and two female believers who arrived from London, there was a gathering of the affiliates from Kiangsu, Chekiang, Fukien, and Shanghai. The attendance was about two hundred, with Wen-teh Lane hosting. The meetings lasted from November 7th to the evening of the 13th. Every day there were three meetings. I was able to attend the meetings as an observer. Every day Mr. Nee was the main speaker, while the Western and the Chinese believers engaged in discussions. A Mr. Chang and Mr. Chao were the translators. The morale was rich and sweet, and one came away with much help.
This report is well-intentioned. But as far as the facts are concerned, it is mostly inaccurate. This is why I have to relate to you the real facts so that you will know God's leading among us.
I was saved in the spring of 1920. During the first year following my conversion, I was unclear regarding the truths of the church, except that the sister who led me to the Lord had told me that unfortunately there were too many nominal Christians in the church today. Also, I felt the character of the pastors I knew was too poor, for one did not ordinarily see them except when they came to ask for donations. Before my family was revived we frequently had several mahjong games going on at home. When the pastor would come for donations, we conveniently handed him money from the mahjong table. Although he knew quite well where the money came from, he still accepted it. From this observation, I felt the character of the pastors was very poor, for as long as they had money all was well. Besides this, it seemed that so many members in the church were merely nominal.
In March 1921 the Lord showed me the truth of baptism. I saw that baptism by sprinkling as practiced by the denominations was not scriptural. As I studied the Bible in those weeks, I found that when the Lord Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, He came up out of the water. In the denominations, however, when a person was baptized, a small bowl was used to contain the water. How then could one come up out of the water? When I was young, I was baptized by a bishop of the Methodist Church. He sprinkled cold water on my head and pressed it down with his two big hands. I became impatient and cried, wishing he would get it over with quickly. After being sprinkled, I received a certificate of baptism, which bore my name and the bishop's signature. This certificate I considered absolutely meaningless. If I had not come to believe in the Lord, even though I had that certificate, I would still dare to do anything. Fortunately, I was later saved and my life was changed. My mother had arranged for me to be sprinkled before I had believed in the Lord. About a year after I was saved, I realized that the baptism I had received was wrong and that according to the Scriptures baptism should be by immersion.
On the morning of March 28, 1921, my mother asked, "If I were to be baptized by immersion, how would you feel?" I replied, "That is just what I have been waiting for." She asked, "Where can we go to be baptized by immersion?" I answered, "I inquired about it quite some time ago. We can go to Mawei (which is two hours away from Foochow by small steamer) and find out from Miss Barber. When Dora Yu came to Fukien, she was baptized by immersion at Miss Barber's place." We felt that rather than choose a date, it was better to do it that same day. So my mother and I decided to depart that very same day. Upon arriving at Miss Barber's, we told her of our intention and she fully agreed. Thus, on the same day we went hurriedly to the countryside of Yangchi and were immersed there.
When I was baptized by immersion, I experienced a great turn in my life. The first thing I did was tell my friend Leland Wang. I came to know him during the first year after my salvation through a Bible study class held in our home. Since most of the attendants were elderly folk, and I was a young kid, I was unable to find anyone my age to talk to. Two or three weeks later, Brother Wang came. Since he was closer to my age, I began to communicate with him. So on the following day after being baptized by immersion, I went and told him, "I went to Yangchi yesterday and was immersed there." He said, "Very good, very good. Formerly, I was also baptized by sprinkling in Nanking, but later in Amoy I met a brother who told me the truth concerning baptism. Due to this further light I was baptized by immersion in Kulangsu." We were quite happy because we had both seen the same light.
The second thing I did was tell the old pastor who led our Bible study. In Foochow he was the most advanced in knowing the Bible. I especially desired to tell him because he had taught us that we should do everything according to the Scriptures. However, though I was quite excited when I told him, his attitude was quite cold. So I asked, "Is baptism by immersion scriptural or not?" He replied, "Yes, it is scriptural, but do not be so legal." I thought this was peculiar. Having taught us the Bible for a year, he continually said that as long as it is the teaching of the Scriptures, it should be followed. Since baptism by immersion was scriptural, why did he say, "Do not be so legal?" I had obeyed the truth, yet he said, "Do not be so legal." I realized then that in his teaching there was compromise. If concerning this matter he would say do not be so legal, it was unlikely he would be bold to say that any other truth concerning the church should be obeyed. From that point on, I began to have doubts regarding the truths of the church which he taught. I also realized that I must put man's authority aside, and I determined that from then on I would carefully study the Bible.
In this same year (1921) I went to the Bible regarding a number of questions. I said to myself, "There are so many nominal Christians in the present day church, yet the Bible says that only the saved ones are in the church. There are so many denominations today, yet there is no Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church, or any other denomination in the Bible. Why then am I a member of the Methodist Church? Since God's Word is not saying it, why am I doing it?" The Methodist bishop was a good friend of our family. Being a personal friend of the bishop was one thing, but the fact that denominations are unscriptural was another thing. I saw that the system of pastors was not scriptural and that meetings should be practiced according to scriptural principles. In the beginning the light I had on these matters was small. I was like the blind man in Mark 8 who, although he could see men, could only see them as trees walking. I had seen a little, but I did not see clearly.
One afternoon in the first half of 1922, I was much troubled concerning the matter of the breaking of bread. I had seen from the Bible that believers should often come together to break bread in remembrance of the Lord. For this reason I said to myself, "Why is it that in the church today the breaking of bread is held only four times a year?" Besides, among the ones who came to break bread, some were regular movie-goers, some were habitual mahjong players, some even questioned whether or not the Lord Jesus could be considered a good man, and some were evidently not even children of God. When I saw such people going to receive Holy Communion, I began to consider whether or not I could go. No! I could not go. Following my salvation, up to 1922, I had never been to receive the so-called Holy Communion. For many days I searched the Bible concerning this matter of breaking bread. Was a pastor required to preside over it? Was it true that only those who had received ordination could break it, while those who had not received ordination could not? I spent much time studying but found nothing like this in the Scriptures. This matter of a pastor presiding over the breaking of bread was not in the Bible. At this point I was very troubled. Though I wished so and though the Bible said that we should often break bread in remembrance of the Lord, I had no such place to break bread.
One Thursday afternoon following the Bible study, I sought out my friend, Leland Wang, for a little talk. I shared my feeling that according to the Bible we should break bread often in remembrance of the Lord, but that I had not done it once since being saved. I also mentioned that there were some in the denominations who are clearly not the children of God and with whom I could not break bread, and that there was the further problem that according to them no one could break bread except the pastor. I told him, "Neither you nor I are pastors; so even if we gathered all the true believers together, we would be considered unqualified to break bread. Isn't this puzzling?" Brother Wang took my hands and said, "God has been leading me exactly the same way. Last night I could not sleep, but was continually praying and searching concerning this very matter of whether or not believers should break bread, and whether or not it is necessary for a pastor to preside over it. I realized from my prayer and searching that in no place does it say that only ordained pastors can break bread." When I heard this, I thanked the Lord because He had been leading us in the same way. Since we had clearly seen the principles of meeting in the Bible, I said, "No day is better to begin than today; let us begin breaking bread on the coming Lord's Day."
Since we were settled on the time to begin, we began to discuss the place. Our house was larger, but I had not told my mother how I felt about this matter lest she think that we young people were rebelling. Leland Wang was living in a house borrowed from a girls' school and was moving soon, so he felt it would not be too convenient. I said, "It does not matter; let us meet at your place." After we had made that decision, I was exceedingly happy on Friday and Saturday, for I was anticipating the happy day which was soon coming. When the evening of the Lord's Day came, I informed my mother that I was going to Leland Wang's home. She asked, "What for?" I replied, "To take care of something very important." That night three of us (Leland Wang, his wife, and I) met in his little house to break bread and drink the cup together. As long as I live, and even into eternity, I will remember that experience. I was never so close to the heavens as on that night! That night the heavens came near to the earth! All three of us could not help but weep! On that day we knew what it meant to break bread in remembrance of the Lord. As a young boy, after being sprinkled, I had partaken of the Holy Communion. My response at that time was, "The bread is rather sour and the grape juice is rather sweet." I understood nothing regarding the significance of breaking bread; I only realized that the bread was sour and the juice was sweet. But when the three of us broke bread that night in Leland Wang's home, I knew that this was a most precious matter to God. On that first occasion we learned what it meant to worship and remember the Lord. We could do nothing but give praise and thanks to Him.
After the first meeting we asked ourselves, What about the next meeting? Some denominations observed the breaking of bread every three months, but what about us? The Bible tells us to remember the Lord often. We felt from reading Acts 2, that at that time the breaking of bread was probably a daily matter. Acts 20:7 says, "And on the first day of the week, when we gathered together to break bread." This is very clear. On the basis of the word, therefore, we decided to observe the breaking of bread on every Lord's Day. From that time on, except when I was ill, traveling on the road, or prevented by some unexpected event, I always broke bread every Lord's Day. Shortly afterward my mother discovered what we were doing. She did not object; she only commented that we were too bold. Several months later, she also joined us in breaking bread.
Gradually the way the Lord was taking us began to have its outside effects. There was talk that several members of the Nee family were baptized by immersion. The district superintendent of the Methodist Church came to inquire of us concerning this matter. I said, "The only question is whether or not baptism by immersion is scriptural. If it is not scriptural, I am willing to stand before the congregation and confess my error; if it is scriptural, then I must obey." He only said, "Yes, it is scriptural, but you should not be so legal." If there were no need to be legal in one matter, there was no need to be legal in any matter. It surprised me to find that while the Methodists had originally been our good friends, now because of baptism by immersion, they turned quite cold toward us. From that day on I realized what it means to obey the Lord and that there is a price to do it. I also realized that people do not ordinarily consider baptism important; however, after one was baptized in a different way, they did consider it important.
During the latter half of 1922, I uncovered another problem from the Bible — the problem of denominations. Do the Scriptures say that I should be a member of the Methodist Church? In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers not to be divisive by saying, "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ." I began to consider: Was Wesley greater than Paul? If Paul rebuked the Corinthian believers for saying, "I am of Christ," surely for you to say that you are of the Presbyterian Church, while I am of the Methodist Church, and he is of the Baptist Church, is not scriptural.
At this time I was studying in a mission school. The school sent me as a delegate to a spring retreat and required on the application form that I state in what denomination I held membership. I wrote, "I am a Christian and I belong directly to Christ." They said, "Nevertheless, you are still a member of a denomination." I replied, "No, I am simply a Christian. The Bible does not say that I should be a member of any denomination." At that time I was determined not to confess with my mouth that I belonged to the Methodist Church. Whenever I was asked concerning this matter, I always replied, "I am a Christian."
One day while reading the Bible I was pondering this problem: Could I simply leave the denomination? Shortly after this I heard someone say that a certain department store went bankrupt. The conversation went like this: Whenever several people go into a business partnership, regardless of whether or not they are personally involved in the business of the store, once the business goes bankrupt, none can escape the consequences; everyone must share the responsibility of the bankruptcy. I realized from this conversation that as a member of the Methodist Church I was in a sort of partnership. Although in reality I did not take part in the system of the Methodist Church, in name I could not escape the consequences. If I wished to follow the Lord, not only must I refrain from being a member of the Methodist Church in deeds, but also I must have my name removed from the Methodist Church. Having become clear concerning this matter, I felt it necessary to discuss it with my mother, since originally it was she who placed my name there. My mother did not immediately approve of my intention, for she feared that the Western missionaries who were considered our good friends would be offended. My feeling was that we should not be afraid of people being offended with us; rather we should be afraid of the One who is greater than men being offended with us.
One day I went by boat to Mawei to see Margaret Barber. I asked how she felt about my name being in the Methodist Church's book of life (what they called the church register). She replied, "I am afraid that among the names in that book of life many are dead and not a few are perishing." I said, "Should I have my name in a book of life on earth?" She replied, "If your name is recorded in the book of life in heaven, what good will an earthly book of life do you? And if your name is not recorded in the heavenly book of life, what will this earthly book of life profit you?"
I spoke to my mother persistently for two months regarding this matter, but still she would not agree. One day while my whole family was in the garden, I took the opportunity to speak to my parents. I said, "Is it scriptural to leave our name in the denomination?" They answered, "No." Again I said, "Is it our duty to obey the Bible?" "Yes," they replied. Then I pressed on, saying, "Then why do we delay and not obey the Scripture?" They replied, "Very well. Do it, do it." Immediately, I drafted a letter, and my father personally wrote out the letter. After each of us signed it, I dispatched it by registered mail. In essence, the letter said this: "We have seen that sects are unscriptural and that denominationalism is sinful. Therefore, from this day on please remove our names from your book of life. We are doing this not because of any personal animosity, but simply because we wish to obey the teaching of the Scriptures. Our decision is final, and it will not be necessary to bring it up again. We still consider ourselves your friends. Besides our desire to obey the Bible, there is no other reason for our action."
Four days after the letter was mailed, several Western missionaries came to our home. They said, "One only hears of a church excommunicating its members, never of a member excommunicating himself from a church. What is the reason for your action?" We answered, "We have already explained our reason, and there is no need to discuss it further." The following day they asked the principal of a certain school to come speak to us. We said, "We have nothing to say. We are still your friends, but we wish our names to be removed from the record." Later, our pastor, the district superintendent, and the bishop all came asking whether we had taken this action because of baptism by immersion. They explained that if members of the Methodist Church wished to be baptized by immersion, there was no problem. We replied, "The Lord led us to do what we have done. You feel there is no need to be legal; but we feel we must at all cost obey the Lord."
It is not a question of arguing with others about baptism by immersion or about leaving the denominations. The only question is whether or not men are willing to obey the Scriptures. To be baptized by immersion and to leave the denominations are not great things; they are but two items among thousands that require our obedience. The main thing in the Scripture is obedience.
In 1922 I came to Shanghai. At that time, I only gave a little testimony at the Shou-jin Chapel on North Szechuan Road. I did not "establish [a] congregation" or "propagate [my] teaching," nor was I "not well received by the Shanghai community."
By the end of 1922 I had a burden to publish a magazine, because a number had been saved in Foochow, and the number was increasing. At that time, Brother Leland Wang was away in the Yangtze region doing evangelistic work. Only his wife and children were at home. He asked me to move into his house to help take care of the family. Daily, Sister Wang and I prayed for the magazine. I was at that time extremely pressed financially. After praying for more than a month, there was not a single dollar on hand. One morning I arose and said, "There is no need to pray — that would be a lack of faith. What I must do is start writing. God need not put the money into our hands before we begin to write! Henceforth, I will no longer pray for this matter, but will proceed with the preparation of drafts."
When everything was ready and the last word had been written, I said, "Now the money will come." Eventually, I knelt down to pray again, saying, "O God, the draft is ready for printing, but there is still no money." After praying thus, I felt wonderfully confident that God would certainly give the money. We began to praise God.
The amazing thing was that we had no more risen to our feet than there was a knock at the door. I thought someone was coming with the money. That house being Sister Wang's, I let her answer the door. To my surprise, the one who came was a wealthy yet stingy sister. "Oh, since it is she," I thought, "there could be no money." But she said to me, "I have something extremely important to see you about." "Please tell me," I replied. Then she asked, "How should a Christian donate?" I replied that we should not adopt the Old Testament way of paying tithes, but follow the word in 2 Corinthians 9:7, which says that each person should give according to the order of God. He may donate a half, a third, a tenth, or a twentieth of his income. She then asked, "Where should the donation be made?" I answered, "Do not give it to a church which opposes the Lord, nor to those who do not believe the Bible or the redemption of the Lord's shed blood. If no one contributes to them, they will not be able to carry on their preaching. Pray before each donation; then give it either to the poor or to some work, but never to any improper organization." She said, "The Lord has been speaking to me for many days concerning my excessive devotion to money. At first I could not reconcile myself to this, but now I can do so. When I was praying this morning, the Lord said to me, `There is no need for you to pray anymore. Just start giving away your money.' I was rather disconcerted, but now I am here with thirty dollars for you to use for the Lord's work." This money was just sufficient for the printing of fourteen hundred copies of The Present Testimony. Later, another person gave an additional thirty dollars, which was sufficient for the postage and incidental expenses. This is how the first issue of The Present Testimony was published.
Later Brother Wang Lian-chun joined us. At that time, there were about twenty people; some had left the denominations and some had been saved. Brother Leland Wang had the intention to invite Sister Ruth Lee to come to Foochow to conduct meetings. At the beginning, I thought it was too much trouble to invite her to come from such a faraway place. Later, she was invited anyway by Mrs. Wang and by my mother.
In January 1923, Miss Lee came to Foochow, and we prepared ourselves for the meetings and gospel preaching. Before that, we were meeting in Brother Wang's sitting room. Now that we needed to hold special meetings, there was no meeting place and no chairs. Moreover, we were afraid that no one would come. As a result, we decided to meet in the pavilion of Brother Wang's house. Stools were collected from various places when needed, and we went about the neighborhood inviting people to come and listen. Because the Lord had started something, it was easy for many people to be saved.
Originally, we considered doing some work at the beginning of the Chinese New Year. But Miss Lee had some other engagements in Nanking and had to leave Foochow. We could only send her away. We also considered asking Miss M.E. Barber from Ma-kiang to come and help us. But she declined on the ground that she did not know what kind of meeting we had. I discussed with Brother Wang about whether or not to continue with our meeting. At that time, Brother Wang had a cold, and I had already sent letters to Brothers Faithful Luke and Simon Meek, who had gone home for vacation, to come back right away. We had no other way but to continue with the meetings.
Our method of inviting people was very effective: each brother wore a white vest bearing words like "You shall die" in the front and "Believe in Jesus to be saved" at the back. There were other similar slogans. With banners in our hands, we paraded everywhere, singing as we marched along the way. Those who saw us marveled. In this way, many people were brought to the meeting. We marched this way every day, and every day people came to listen to the gospel. They filled the sitting room, kitchen, and outside pavilion.
We had rented some stools for the meeting, but the rental period expired after two weeks. When the time was up, we had no money. The stools had to be returned to the owner. Must the meetings be suspended? I announced that anybody who wished to attend the meeting in the future would have to bring his own stool. That afternoon, the whole hill, Tsang Chien Hill, was the scene of people, old and young, boys and girls, carrying stools. Even the police were amazed at the sight. After every meeting, we announced that those who wanted to leave their stools behind could do so and that we would try our best to take care of them. I also mentioned that if there were any loss, we would not be responsible for them, and that those who wanted to carry them back should do so. In this way, we conducted meetings three times a day, and every time, people brought their own chairs.
Thank the Lord, through His special blessing, a few hundred people were saved. On that occasion the foundation of salvation was clearly laid down. Until this time, many believers in China were not clear about salvation. But seven or eight years since, through those meetings and the preaching of our brothers in various places, many have now come to understand it.
After we had been holding meetings for about a month, some young brothers among us felt that we should have a proper place to meet in the future. But since we were short of money, it was beyond our means to do so. I went to school to talk the matter over with several brothers, that is, with brothers Faithful Luke, Simon Meek, and Wang Tze, and we agreed that we should continue our work among the students. Then for the first time I rented some premises, a place owned by a family named Ho, all the members of which had been saved. They agreed to rent the place to me for a monthly amount of only nine dollars. I then prayed with several brothers, asking God to supply the three months' rent which was needed in advance before we could move in.
Every Saturday I went to Ma-kiang, Fukien, to listen to Miss Margaret Barber's preaching. This time when I saw her, she said, "Here is twenty-seven dollars, which a friend asked me to give you for your work." This sum was exactly sufficient for three months' rent at nine dollars per month — not too much and not too little. On my return, without hesitation, I paid the three months' rent in advance. Later, we prayed again, and the Lord provided again. This was the beginning of the work in Foochow.
I have never seen a revival greater than this one. At that time, there were people being saved every day. It looked as if anyone who contacted us would immediately be saved. Every morning at five o'clock, when I arrived at school, I saw people everywhere reading the Bible. There were more than one hundred of them. Before this time, reading novels had been very fashionable. But now those who wanted to read novels could only do so secretly. Instead, Bible-reading became an honorable thing to do. There were eight classes in our school, each with a prefect and a deputy prefect. It was amazing to see that the prefect of practically every class had been saved. Even all the famous athletes had been saved. Our headmaster admired us for everything we did. The only thing he lamented was our attitude towards the Anglican Church. The headmaster was a member of the Anglican Church, but we refused to belong to that denomination.
More than sixty people daily marched in procession carrying banners, and a few dozen also went around daily distributing tracts. The whole city of Foochow with about a hundred thousand people was shaken.
Many brothers were saved and immediately baptized. At this time, we began to meet according to the Scriptures. This was the way the meeting in Foochow started. Later the number of believers increased, and the work in the villages also began.
In 1924 I went to Hangchow to do some work, and I met Brother Chang Gwan-rung. At that time something happened in Foochow. Some of the co-workers had different views concerning the truth of the church. In order to avert a split, I left Foochow and settled temporarily in Mawei. (Although in recent years, Brother Leland Wang and I have taken different ways, the oneness we had at the beginning cannot be erased!) I felt that I should engage myself in some special work, and I also went to Nanking to help in the publishing of the Morning Light Magazine.
In November of 1924, because of a call, I went to visit Southeast Asia where meetings were also started. In May 1925 I returned with the aim of settling down and rented premises in Pagoda, Foochow.
Publication of The Present Testimony began in January 1923. It was published at irregular intervals and was discontinued in 1925. While I was staying in Lo-hsing Pagoda, I felt the need to issue a regular publication which would give more emphasis to the truths of salvation and the church and deal as well with prophecies and types. I intended this magazine (called The Christian) to be temporary in nature. In 1925 two issues were published; in 1926 ten issues were published; and in 1927 another twelve issues were published.
In the first half of 1926, I visited Amoy, Kulangsu, Changchow, and Tungan to bear testimony, and many people were saved. In the second half of the year, I went back to these places. This time I was very tired as I had to conduct meetings, write articles, and take care of correspondence as well. I was already slightly indisposed. Originally, I was scheduled to have ten days of meetings, but on the ninth day I fell ill. Later Brother Wang Lien-chun came and resumed the work for a few more days. In the second half of 1926, not at the beginning of 1928, the work in the south of Fukien started, with meetings in Amoy, Tungan, and the neighboring districts.
Some doctors said that the disease I had contracted while in Amoy was probably fatal and that I could only expect to live a few months! I was not afraid of death, but I could not help but think of what I had learned from the Lord during the many years before and the lessons I had experienced — none of which had yet been put into writing. Surely all this ought not to go with me to the grave! At the same time Miss Lee and Mr. Cheng Chi-kwei both wrote letters to me to invite me to come to Nanking for a rest. By nature I do not like to receive free hospitality from others. Therefore, when I stayed in Nanking at Mr. Cheng's house, in the midst of my sickness, I helped to proofread the Scofield correspondence course which Mr. Cheng translated. However, I only managed to finish the first four chapters and became so ill that I could not continue.
A year before I arrived in Nanking, I fellowshipped with Sister Lee concerning the truth of the church. However, since her attitude was very rigid and since she was not at all receptive, I made no further mention of it. Later she read a book on church history, saw that the origin of the denominations was not scriptural, and became somewhat clear. Eventually, I heard that she was baptized by immersion. Later she and several other sisters began holding bread-breaking meetings every Lord's Day. When I visited Nanking, naturally I attended the meeting to remember the Lord with them. Because I had spoken a few times previously in Nanking University, gaining two brothers, we accepted them at the Lord's table. This was the beginning of our work in Nanking.
In order to devote myself to the writing of The Spiritual Man, I soon left Nanking and went to the village in the town of Tsao-chiao, Wusih. The sisters who worked there left that place because of the political situation at that time and entrusted their house to my care. In my sickness I wrote the first four sections of The Spiritual Man. In March 1927 there was military action in Nanking, and there were also armies in Tsao-Chiao. Because I was entrusted with the care of the house, I had to stay there. Fortunately, the army did not touch anything in the house. But because I heard that the condition in Nanking was unstable, and because it was impossible to communicate with brothers and sisters in other places, I left Tsao-chiao for Shanghai. Upon arriving in Shanghai, I learned that many brothers and sisters were arriving one after another from different places. Prior to my arrival in Shanghai, there were bread-breaking meetings in Sister Pearl Wang's house at Hsin's Garden. After we all arrived, our meeting place moved to Keng Ching Lane. At the same time, the Gospel Book Room moved to Shanghai from Lo-hsing Pagoda.
Toward the end of 1927 we had a prayer meeting every day. The believers in and around Pingyang, north of the Yangtze River, had been helped by our written testimonies, and they began to correspond with us. Realizing that they were ready for instruction and that the believers in China had a need, we considered holding a special conference for them. In January 1928 we rented some premises at Wen-teh Lane on Hardoon Road, Shanghai, and on February 1 we started the special conference. The central theme of the messages was solely that of God's eternal purpose and the victory of Christ. We did not refer to other problems such as the truth about the church. Twenty or thirty brothers and sisters came from other places, but God illumined them and enabled them to see how they should walk along the path of life. Such problems as baptism, forsaking denominations, and other similar things were solved by themselves. In the four years since then, seven or eight hundred brothers and sisters have been saved or revived in about ten meeting places north of the Yangtze River, and over ten meetings have been raised up. In about the same number of meeting places in and around Pingyang and Taishun, some four thousand were saved or revived. All this work was done by the Lord Himself, and it did not start recently.
After we moved to Wen-teh Lane in 1928, we continued to publish The Present Testimony since The Christian magazine had ceased publication. The issues of The Present Testimony published in the last five years were the new issues. Notes on Scriptural Messages did not start until 1930.
During these few years in Shanghai, our aim has been to lead people to follow the Lord Himself, the teaching of the Scriptures, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We do not, nor should we, expect anyone to give himself to us. This is not the so-called policy of exclusion, nor should it be taken to mean that we alone consider ourselves to be right. Our only wish is to be faithful to the end. I wrote The Spiritual Man while I was ill. When I completed it, I became worse and was bedridden practically all the time. Since the earthly tent of my tabernacle seemed to be on the verge of collapse at any time, I did not have regular work during my first few years in Shanghai. In the following two years, things were actually started. Last year there was again a special conference. The main message consisted of two enormous themes: the New Testament and the Wisdom of God. At this meeting there were more brothers and sisters from other places.
The reason why we as well as many other brothers and sisters left the denominations is that denominationalism is a sin. We have no other name except the name of Christ. Some have called us the "Little Flock." But this is a name given to us by those who do not know us. The words "Little Flock" were printed on a temporary hymn book which we use. In 1927 because we felt the need for a hymnal, we prepared twenty hymns of praise. Later we selected or wrote one hundred sixty-four more hymns. We hope to publish a proper hymn book when we have three hundred hymns. This is why in the preface of our temporary edition, we have the words: "As to the reason for the preparation of this hymnal, its name and meaning...as well as its features, we will explain in detail when the final edition is printed." Actually, the words "little flock" are used only once in the New Testament, in Luke 12:32. The Lord used these words in reference to the whole church. To the Lord, the whole church is a little flock on earth. This little flock includes all true believers past and present; it includes all genuinely saved Christians. The Lord said clearly in John 10:16 that He has only one flock, under one Shepherd. Therefore, the "Little Flock" hymnal means the hymnal used in the church meetings, and it has no other connotation. The outsiders are not aware of this; therefore, they call us the "Little Flock." It is probably a misunderstanding that came from the name of this hymn book. Actually, all believers are part of this little flock. Therefore, this "Little Flock" hymnal is prepared for all of God's children. I hope that after this explanation, no one would call us by that name anymore. (Formerly, because I started The Christian magazine, some called us "The Christian Assembly.")
Brothers and sisters, the reason we do not want any name is that it is enough to have the name of Christ. The whole question rests on whether or not Christ's name is enough to satisfy our heart! What is the meaning of the name "Christian"? It means that we are those who belong to Christ. When a girl is married, she becomes the wife of a certain person. Can she take another man's name besides her husband's name? If she does that, what kind of a woman would we consider her to be? Therefore, if we take another name besides the name of Christ, we are like a woman having two husbands. The Lord hates this. Other than being a Christian, we cannot be a Presbyterian, a Wesleyan, a Lutheran, or a person of any denomination. We cannot divide God's children according to state churches, nor can we divide God's children according to any private churches. We do not want to have a part in anything that divides God's children, whether it be a famous man (such as Luther or Wesley) or a ritual (such as baptism) or a system (such as congregationalism) or an organization (such as the Salvation Army). As long as it is a denomination, whether it be an old one or a new one, we have to depart from it. I have said this before, and I will say it again: we are leaving the denominations; we are not leaving the church. We must be clear about this.
Moreover, we are not arguing about the way to be baptized, the way to break the bread, etc. We are fighting for what the Bible says. If it is God's Word, we should follow it. If the tradition of the elders has authority, the word of the Lord should have more authority. Which one is more reliable, the decision of the elders or the decision of the Lord? In Mark the Lord clearly said, "But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commandments of men...Thus you deprive the word of God of its authority by your tradition which you have handed down" (7:7, 13). Everyone who walks according to tradition will surely put aside God's Word.
I am not opposed to the pastoral gift, but to the pastoral system. Why do I say that the pastoral system is wrong? The whole New Testament only mentions the pastors once, in Ephesians 4:11 [KJV]. But the pastors as they stand now are no longer true pastors. The Catholic Church places the priests in a most prominent position, while the Protestant churches place the pastors in a most prominent position. The pastoral system is not only another form of the priesthood in the Catholic Church, but also another form of the priesthood of the nation of Israel. Originally, God intended that the whole nation of Israel would be priests. But the people of Israel became fallen, and God had to appoint one tribe to replace the whole nation as priests. From that time on, the priests became a mediatory office between God and man. Man could not come to God directly, and God would not instruct man directly. A special class of people was formed to draw near to God and instruct the people. There was no more direct fellowship between God and man. This is Judaism.
What is the difference between Christianity and Judaism? "Having therefore, brothers, boldness for entering the Holy of Holies in the blood of Jesus, which entrance He initiated for us as a new and living way through the veil, that is, His flesh" (Heb. 10:19-20). In other words, when the Lord came, He annulled the mediatory priestly class. Christ has died, and the veil has been rent. Every Christian can come directly to God, and the mediatory priesthood is forever annulled. Every believer is now a priest before God because the accomplishment of Christ has unconditionally made everyone a priest (Rev. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:5).
Does the pastoral system not bear the nature of the mediatory priesthood? Does it not change the church into a hierarchical organization? Under this system, only the pastors take care of the spiritual matters, and the laity go about their own affairs. Baptism and the breaking of bread can only be administered by the pastors; it seems as if the pastors alone have the spiritual authority. Even the elders can only manage business affairs. I am not giving the pastors a hard time. What I am opposed to is that the pastoral system has annulled the work of Christ! If the pastoral system is not removed, many believers will not be able to grow. In that case, the ordinary believers will not bear any responsibility, and the pastors will take over the meetings. But we have to realize that there is a great difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, there was the mediatory class, but in the New Testament, there is no mediatory class. The Catholic Church annuls the accomplishment of the blood of Christ and places the priests between God and man, robbing the believers of their new position. Protestantism also returns to the Old Testament mediatory system of priesthood through the pastoral system, and the believers are robbed again of their new position. I say again: I am not against the pastors, but the pastoral system. If anyone has the pastoral gift, I do not oppose him. On the contrary, I respect him. But because it is unscriptural to make pastoring a system and to control the church through the pastors, I must oppose it.
How did this conference originate? In 1926 I wrote to a bookstore in England for a few books, and I told them that I desired to have their books. One older gentleman wrote back and asked me why I wanted to buy the books. I had to tell him that I bought the books because I had left the denominations. He told an old friend of his about this. Two years ago, a brother among them came to Hong Kong, and these brothers asked him to come and see me in Shanghai. When he returned, he told the others a little about us. They too had left the denominations and were meeting under the Lord's name. When they heard that some in China had also left the denominations and were meeting under the Lord's name, they were greatly surprised. Furthermore, in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, and it is the teaching of the Scriptures that we should visit the brothers. Because of these reasons, they made the decision to send four brothers from England, America, and Australia into our midst to fellowship with us.
After they made the decision to come, we wrote to the brothers who had been fellowshipping with us in the past. One portion of the letter said, "Since they are led of the Lord to come, we should receive them in the Lord. But we ask the brothers to remember that there can never be any name that denominates us from other believers. We belong only to the Body of Christ and do not want to join any organization. Therefore, we welcome these brothers as they come, and we receive them. But this does not mean that we have joined their organization, nor does it mean that they have joined our organization. If a man is in Christ, he is `in' already, and there is no more need to be added in. If a man is not in Christ, even if he joins anything, he will not be `in.'"
When they arrived in Shanghai (eight persons in all), before and after receiving them at the Lord's Day bread-breaking meeting, we told them, as well as everyone else, the following words and announcement:
(1) We do not have a Chinese national fellowship based on a national boundary, like the Church of Christ in China. (2) We receive these brothers as brothers; we are not receiving what they represent. This means that we receive only these believers themselves, but not the organization behind them (the so-called Brethren). (3) This mutual fellowship is not a so-called combination of the Chinese fellowship with the Western "Brethren" fellowship. We do not belong to any sect and hope to remain so all the time. We fellowship one with another as brothers with brothers, and not as certain groups of Brethren with us. (4) We will forever maintain: (a) no other special name apart from the common name of being Christians and never take the common name of Christian for our own use; (b) no other fellowship other than the common fellowship among all believers and never have another fellowship within the common fellowship of all believers. (in other words, "no party within the party and no affiliation beyond the party"); and (c) no special creed apart from the Bible; we maintain an open Bible.
The above is an explanation of the origin and history of the conference at that time. In this way we can see that we do not belong to anyone, nor does anyone belong to us.
Finally, I hope that the Western missionaries in China would pay attention to preaching the gospel and leading men to the Lord. They should not set up their denominations, nor should they divide God's children into sects. Moreover, I hope that the Chinese believers would return to the Bible and not teach others the traditions of the elders.
(An announcement made at the Lord's Day meeting on December 4, 1932)
The truth concerning church organization is not the most important truth of the Bible. The most important truth is Christ and His victory. Our emphasis is not the truth of the church, but Christ. However, among those who have the understanding, we also speak about the church because though this is not the main truth, it is nevertheless a truth of the Bible. Personally, I hope that our co-workers in all the places would pay more attention to lead others to know Christ and His victory. Except to those who are willing to obey, there is no need to mention that much about church organization. May the Lord lead us to understand "all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
