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The goal of writing the news of the conference is to give a brief report, by the grace of God, of the conference itself so that the brothers and sisters in every locality, who could not come to the conference, can give glory and thanks together with us to the blessed God.
Two months before the conference, it was announced in the prayer meeting in the church in Shanghai that there would be a third Overcomer Conference, and the brothers and sisters were asked to pray much for this matter. From that time forward, the brothers and sisters in Shanghai prayed for this conference in the prayer meetings and in their individual prayer. They prayed and petitioned at all times and in many ways for all the various aspects of the preparations.
More than a month before the conference, announcements concerning these meetings were mailed out and also printed in Issue No. 32 of The Present Testimony.
After the announcements were sent out, the brothers and sisters who intended to come to the conference began to send in their registrations from each locality. More than one hundred brothers and more than fifty sisters registered.
As the time for the conference drew near, the brothers in Shanghai discussed these matters in their brothers meeting: how to go to the train station and steamer docks to meet the brothers and sisters arriving from other localities for the conference; how to serve them in the matter of hospitality; and how to keep the order of the conference.
All the brothers and sisters coming from other localities, who had written or sent telegrams that they needed to be picked up, were met at the train station or steamer docks by brothers from Shanghai who carried a white flag.
There were over one hundred twenty brothers and over forty sisters attending the conference from other localities. These brothers and sisters came from Kirin, Hopei, Shantung, Anhwei, Honan, Hupei, Kiangsu, Chekiang, Fukien, and Kwantung provinces. Those who came the farthest from the north were from Ch'ang-ch'un in Kirin province. Those who came the farthest from the south were from Tai Shan in Kwantung province.
Before the conference, we rented a boys' school close to Hardoon Road as a brothers' dormitory. We also borrowed a girls' school close to Hardoon Road as a dormitory for the sisters (the conference was during school vacation). All the brothers and sisters from other localities slept and ate in these two dormitories, with the exception of a few brothers who were physically weak and took hospitality elsewhere.
(1) Food. The brothers from northern Kiangsu were responsible for this matter. The food they prepared nourished the brothers' and sisters' bodies, and their patient suffering and service edified the brothers' and sisters' hearts and spirits. May the Lord remember and bless them.
(2) Service. A few responsible brothers and sisters from Shanghai were responsible for this matter. They stayed in the dormitories with the brothers and sisters from other localities. Their humbleness, diligence, and service were an example to the other brothers and sisters. May glory be given to God and blessings to them!
(3) Prayer. Every morning and evening there was prayer and a meeting in both the brothers' and sisters' dormitories. Our hope was to fill the dormitories with prayer to resist the attacks of the enemy and to bind the activities of the flesh.
(4) Fellowship. The dormitories truly provided the best opportunity on earth for the brothers to fellowship and communicate with each other. What a rare opportunity it is for all the visiting brothers to live and eat in the same place. When the brothers met each other, there was a spontaneous outflow of love and desire toward one another. Although they spoke with different accents, their speaking was the same. Although their appearance was different, their heart was one; they vied to serve one another, communicated with one another, and spoke with, exhorted, and helped one another. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is/For brothers to dwell in unity!.../For there Jehovah commanded the blessing:/Life forever" (Psa. 133:1, 3). They did not just have personal fellowship; there was even a free mingling of news between churches and works in the various regions as a result of the brothers' fellowship.
The place of the conference meetings was still 211-212 Wen-teh Lane, Hardoon Road, Shanghai. Because the building is small, a tent was put up at the front door.
The conference began on January 22 and ended on January 31. There were meetings every morning from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and every afternoon from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Before the conference, the weather was bad. It was still snowing and raining the day before the conference. But praise the Lord! From the first to the last day of the conference, there was not one day without sunshine. The day after the conference, the sky was overcast, and it began to rain. God really heard our prayer.
One of the neighbors conducted a funeral before the conference. They beat drums and played flutes, and the neighborhood was very noisy. But praise the Lord, they had the burial service on the Saturday before the Monday on which the conference started. After the funeral rites were over, they were quiet during the ten days of the conference. But strangely, on the day after the conference, they started beating the drums and playing the flutes again.
Every meeting was very crowded. Before and after each meeting the brothers followed the leading of the Holy Spirit to sing hymns and pray. The person delivering the messages was only responsible for speaking the Word.
Brother Watchman Nee was responsible for both the morning and afternoon meetings every day. Many people know that he is physically weak; however, he spoke for almost two hours in every meeting. God brought him through. Thank Him.
The messages spoken on the first two days laid a foundation and prepared the soil. On the morning of the twenty-second, the topic was the pursuit of service to the Lord. In the afternoon, the topic was a hidden life. The topic on the morning of the twenty-third was the requirements for spiritual growth, and the topic in the afternoon was prayer to work together with God. The actual conference messages began on the morning of the twenty-fourth. They were on the centrality of God and God's overcomers.
The conference ended after the afternoon meeting on January 31. However, there was a meeting at the request of the brothers and sisters on the thirty-first at 7:00 p.m. in the evening to pray and give thanks and testimonies. In this meeting, some of the brothers sang hymns of praise; some offered prayers of thanksgiving for the conference; some presented their difficulties and asked the brothers and sisters to pray for them; some testified of the Lord's dealing with them through this conference and what they had gained.
A few of the out-of-town brothers and sisters requested that they be allowed to stay in Shanghai for a few days with the co-worker brothers and sisters. The rest began to leave on February 1.
Thank God for releasing His "present truth" in this conference. Thank Him that there was fellowship among the brothers and sisters. We not only gained His "up-to-date" truth; we also gained the fellowship of the Body. Now we commit His truth and His children into His hands. May He bless His truth and may He bless His children!
Witness Lee
Peace to Brother Shu:
I received Collection of Newsletters on the sixth, and I received Notes on Scriptural Messages and The Present Testimony today. There were several brothers who had planned to attend the Overcomer Conference in Shanghai. Unfortunately, the political situation was very tense, and there was no scheduled direct steamer. They could only go through Amoy or Ma Wei. Furthermore, the army was traveling back and forth continually for several days, and many of the cars were sealed. Consequently, we missed this wonderful opportunity. We were unable to overcome these difficulties and be present in person at this gala event to meet and fellowship with all the brothers and sisters in China under one roof, bending our knees in prayer and speaking our hearts together. What can we say to express our disappointment!
We have wired twenty dollars to help with the expenses of this conference. Ten dollars of that money was the offering collected from the meetings in P'u Ch'eng and Han Chiang, and the rest was from two individual brothers in the above two localities. Please accept it for your use. May the Father greatly bless this conference. May all the brothers and sisters in China be built up and taught by it so that the Lord's Word may spread quickly in these last days. Amen.
We fully agree with the suggestions in Collection of Newsletters. We hope our brother can spare some time to come to Hsing Hua to lead the meetings. This is what we hope for most. We bless you with health to your spirit, soul, and body.
We greet you with a kiss from your brothers,Chen Tsai Sheng and Faithful LukJanuary 10, 1934
P.S. Please do not forget to greet all the brothers and sisters at the conference for us.
To the much beloved brothers in the Lord, Watchman Nee, Chang Kuang Jung, and Wu Wei:
When we were in Shanghai we were given the best hospitality in the matters of room and board. We are very thankful for this. Furthermore, we were greatly enlightened in the matters of the truth to understand the centrality of God and the mystery of the overcomers. We truly cannot fail to be thankful for the Lord's grace and the brothers' earnestness. We are very sorry that on the day after the conference, we left at two o'clock in the morning of February 2 and went to the northern station to take the train home, without saying good-by to you. We hope that you can forgive us for this matter. We were both safe on the train and in the boat. We had sufficient money for our traveling expenses. We arrived at Huai An at 6:00 p.m. on the evening of the third and stayed for one night at Mr. Yin's house. We will be home tomorrow before noon. We are sending this letter so you will not worry. We also thank the Lord for being with us on our journey. With no further things in our mind, we ask the Lord to bless you brothers with peace.
Your brothers,Yen Cheng Piao and Niu Wen KanP.S. Please greet the brothers and sisters in Shanghai for us, especially Messrs. Chi and the Senior Mr. Wu, Mr. Chiu, Mr. Feng, and Mr. Ting.February 3
Mr. Nee:
(Parts omitted.) We had a ten-day meeting here beginning on February 14 (the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar) and ending on February 25. We presented the main points of The Centrality of God and The Overcomer of God before the brothers and sisters here. We have also seen the Lord's blessing. (Parts omitted.)
In the past few days, the responsible brothers and sisters have seen the need to preach the gospel for a few days to the outsiders. Therefore, we will have gospel meetings every day in the afternoon and evening from now until the tenth of the month.
The Lord willing, after these gospel meetings are over, we will spend another week to speak something concerning the truth of Christ's Body to the brothers and sisters in the evening. All this requires petitions. Please do not forget to pray.
The brothers here are doing quite well. The things we have passed through have caused them to grow in reality and learn "how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God." Some brothers have really grown. The brothers have already decided to have a brothers' meeting and make a baptismal pool because there are still a few brothers and sisters who want to be baptized.
Concerning the matter of moving to Shanghai, I felt that the Lord will eventually bring this about. With regard to this matter, I saw the clear light in Acts that there is only one line in the Lord's work. I have already told the responsible brothers here. In the beginning they opposed a little, but now they have taken a turn. I hope I can leave Chefoo for Shanghai before April.
I have recently received a letter from Brother Yuan Chin Chou. Perhaps this letter could be published as news for Collection of Newsletters. I am enclosing it here as well.
Has Miss Lee gone to Tsinan? When are you leaving Shanghai? Have you received the manuscripts for The Gospel? Peace be to you.
Your brother,Witness Lee
Greetings to the bondslave of God, our Brother Nee and all the brothers and sisters in the Lord:
We thank our God and you brothers and sisters for your prayer for us. During this conference the weather was clear, and there was no hindrance from rainstorms even once. God's grace is sufficient for us that it may be perfected in us without lack (1 Kings 17:14). We can only give glory to God and the Lamb! Amen. We thank and praise God again. He manifested His almighty hand and healed a woman who was dying of tuberculosis. Her father and doctor said that there was no hope, but the ways of God are wonderful! He blesses His own work. Over ten brothers and sisters believed in the Lord and are willing to get baptized from this meeting. May the Triune God give us a good opportunity and an appropriate place.
We lack the sisters' work here (Nieh Tao Hung of Kuang Jao also feels this lack). May God Himself work and lead His servants to help. We bless you with peace in the Lord! Greet all the brothers and sisters for us!
Your brothers in the Lord,Chu Le Yuan, Yu Tao Shen, Niu Teh Ch'ingYuan Hsi Ting, Yuan Hsi Ling, and Yuan Chin Chou
(This letter is very long, so we will print it in sections in different issues of this publication.)
Greetings to the brother in the Lord, Mr. Tien En:
Mr. Nee has already returned. He has read your two letters carefully, but because the work is busy, he asked me to answer them for him.
In your first letter you asked the following:
Question 1: Regarding denominations.
Answer: The Lord Jesus wanted to lead the Jews and the Gentiles who believed in Him together to become "one flock" (John. 10:3, 16). We have been "called in one Body" (Col. 3:15). "In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13). The Lord's prayer also expressed the desire that all believers "be one" (John 17:20-21). The apostle commanded us to be "diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit" (Eph. 4:3). Therefore, denominations — divisions like "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ" — are rebuked by God (1 Cor. 1:12-13) and are the fruit of the flesh (1 Cor. 3:3-4). They are a matter of lusts (Gal. 5:20).
According to the Bible verses quoted above, denominationalism is contrary to the Bible and is condemned by God. This is very clear. But we should clearly know what a denomination is. We should thoroughly recognize what denominations are and the elements of a denomination. A denomination must have:
(1) its particular name,
(2) its particular truth,
(3) its particular fellowship.
In the Bible, we do not see churches with a particular name. The Bible uses three kinds of ways to describe whom the churches belong to: (1) "the church of God" (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 10:32), "the churches of God" (1 Cor. 11:16), (2) "the churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16), and (3) "all the churches of the saints" (1 Cor. 14:33).
These are not the names of the church. They are three ways of describing whom the church belongs to. The church of God means that the church belongs to God. The church of God includes all of God's children. The churches of Christ means the church was purchased by Christ for Himself through the shedding of His blood. The church of Christ includes all those sprinkled by Christ's blood. The churches of the saints means that the church is the union of all the saints. It includes all the saints.
The Bible also describes the church as being located in one place, like "the church of God which is in Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2). This means that "the church of God" is "in Corinth." This does not mean that "Corinth" is the name of that church. Therefore, the Bible does not have churches named for a locality.
With the exception of these four ways to describe whom the church belongs to and what place it is in, the Bible does not mention anywhere that the church has a special name. Today people disobey the Bible, give in to their flesh, and follow man's will to have many names. Some are named for their system, like the Presbyterian Church; some are named for a doctrine, like the Holiness Church or the Methodist Church. Some are named for people, like the Lutheran Church. Some are named for a country, like the Church of England or the Church of Christ in China. Some are named for a ritual, like the Baptist Church. These names are man-made, and they are all divisions. They separate a small portion of God's children under a certain name and set them apart from the rest of God's children. Hence, they are all denominations!
It is true that the Bible commands us to be baptized by immersion. But using the ritual of baptism as a name to set ourselves apart from all the children of God is not in the Bible. On the contrary, this makes us a denomination which is condemned in the Bible! The Holy Spirit, through the apostle, not only rebuked those who said, "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas," but He also rebuked those who said, "I [am] of Christ" (1 Cor. 1:12-13). Using "Christ" to set oneself apart from other children of God is equally condemned. If this is true, how much more should denominating oneself with baptism be condemned! Therefore, if a name can denominate us, that is, set us apart from all the other children of God, it is a denomination. If a name does not include all of God's children, it is a denomination.
All denominations not only have a particular name, they also have a particular truth. This does not mean that the truth they espouse, like baptism or justification by faith, is bad. It means that taking a truth as the center of the church, as the center for the believers to be united around and separating themselves from the rest of the children of God is to be a denomination. It is against the Bible!
The church is built upon "this rock" — Christ (Matt. 16:18). Christ is the center of the believers' meetings. The believers' fellowship is not around certain truths but in Christ (1 Cor. 1:9) and in the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). The denominations are established because people made certain truths higher than Christ! Baptism is right. However, putting baptism over Christ makes baptism the center of the believers' meeting; this separates some from the rest of the children of God, and this is a denomination!
A denomination must have a particular fellowship. If someone wants to participate in this fellowship, he must join the group first and become a member. The Bible tells us that the believers are the members of the Body of Christ (Eph. 5:30). When we believe, we are already united in Christ. Whoever is a member of the Body of Christ is in the church; they have already been united with the Body of Christ, and they participate in the fellowship of Christ. So we do not have to join the fellowship of the Christians. We can only acknowledge who is in the fellowship and who is not. Whoever has the life of Christ partakes of the fellowship of Christ; therefore, we should receive them. We should receive even those who are weak in faith (Rom. 14:1), "for God has received him" (v. 3). Whoever thinks that being a Christian is not qualification enough for one to be received, and that one must also join a group or be officially recognized as a member is practicing denominationalism. Anything that one can associate with or disassociate from is by definition a denomination! Therefore, a denomination must have:
(1) a name that does not include all the children of God,
(2) a particular truth as its center,
(3) a fellowship which does not include all the children of God.
If a group has any one of these three things, it is a denomination. The Baptist Church has all three of these, so the Baptist Church surely is a denomination.
Witness Lee
(There is still more to this letter, but we will finish publishing it in the next issue.)
During February and March, the Lord has used our sisters Tso and Ku to testify for Him in the Gospel Hospital. Many nurses have been saved and even one doctor, who always used to oppose the Lord, has turned to the Lord. However, they are meeting with much persecution and many difficulties. They need our faithful prayer very much.
There was a women's conference in Nan Su Chou from March 6 to 13. Sisters Chi and Miao are there. They are still meeting with them to teach the ladies to read and study the Bible, etc.
Sisters Lei Mei Hsiung and Lin Wei Shih have returned safely to Taishan from Kwangchow.
Brothers Chang Kuang Jung and Chou Hsin Yi left Shanghai for Tsinan on March 22. They will stay there for one or two months and hope to have some individual touch with the brothers in Tsinan.
Brother Lee Kuan Hua is already over his illness. He has returned home safely. Brothers Ts'ai Yun Hsien and Tsou Ts'ai Kai were jailed in Ching Chiang County on suspicion of a crime. They have been judged not guilty and their accuser has explained that it was all a misunderstanding, but they still have not been released. We hope the brothers and sisters will continue to pray for them.
