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(This is a letter Mr. Yun Feng Chan sent to three brothers in Singapore.)
To my most beloved brothers in the Lord, Wang K'ai Sen, Yang Jen Chu, and Chang Chia Chi:
I have already read your letter which arrived yesterday, and I was informed that Brother Wang Yung Shih has been baptized into the Lord's name. Thank the Lord because He has added another member to be His people. A few months ago Brother Shih K'o Jen planned to take a trip to Southeast Asia. Since he has not yet received an answer from the Lord about this matter, he is afraid to go according to his own will.
The meeting in our locality used to be in Brother K'o Jen's house. Because it was an inconvenient location, the brothers prayed specifically to the Lord to prepare a place where His children could meet together to worship the Father and to break the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of the Lord Jesus who loves us. Thank the Lord, He had already prepared the T'ien Mei Chapel for us. We prayed according to His will, and He gave us what we asked for. Therefore, we moved our meeting into the T'ien Mei Chapel on December 17 of last year. Unfortunately, many milk-taking believers and worldly members of the Chapel do not understand that our meeting is in the Lord's name. They have risen up as a group to taunt us that we are the Baptist denomination and are established by man's will. Our meeting is not a denomination according to man's will, nor is it established by man according to man's methods. It has been more than a year since I received the Holy Spirit's leading to leave the denominations and to meet in the Lord's name. It really is the Lord's grace to be called out to be separated from the denominations and to meet in the Lord's name (Matt. 18:20). Man does not appoint us; our Head, the Lord Jesus, appoints us. We follow the Father's will and meet in accordance with the command of the Lord Jesus. We listen to the Lord's commandment and not man's commandment. At any rate, we only rely on the Lord. We only follow the Lord's commandment. We only meet in the Lord's name, so we do what God's unique universal church should do. Any Christian who can take solid food must take this way. The Lord's Day is the day to worship God, break the bread, and drink the cup in remembrance of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:23-31; Heb. 5:12-13). Please pray for us often in the Lord's love. May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all until eternity.
Your little brother in the Lord,Yun Feng Chan1934
To the brothers and sisters in the Lord:
We thank and praise the Lord because day by day He leads us on in our pilgrimage in this world. Although we meet with many problems, He always opens a way for us. Although Satan attacks in many ways, we are able to stand firm by relying on our overcoming Lord.
The meeting here began in 1929. At that time, there were seven or eight brothers and sisters in the table meeting. Later, the Lord Himself added saved ones to the meeting. Day by day we added quite a few new brothers and sisters. By 1933 there were more than ninety brothers and sisters in the table meeting. Among them were the brothers and sisters from Pan Hu. It was inconvenient for them to come for the meetings because the distance was so great, so this year they began having the table meeting in Pan Hu. (It is about fifteen or sixteen miles to the northeast of Chen Chia Yueh Tze.) According to outward circumstances, it was right for them to have a meeting there. Thank the Lord, the condition of the meeting there is very good now. This year (1934) the number of brothers and sisters is still increasing steadily. There are more than sixty brothers and sisters who come every Lord's Day to meet for the breaking of the bread. We see the Lord Himself working, and we cannot but testify for Him.
There is a town near here called Tun Shan Ma. It is about thirteen or fourteen miles away. There are more than twenty brothers and sisters there. The people there are very wild. Their knowledge and mentality are very crude. When they hear that someone has believed in the Lord and does not burn paper money or incense and does not do other types of superstitious things, they are very surprised. Furthermore, the believers do not associate much with the unbelievers, so the believers' relatives and neighbors are not happy and have become antagonistic toward them. They see the believers meeting morning and evening, and they are jealous. They often exhibit an opposing attitude. In the first month of this spring, I (Chen Yung K'uan) and Brother Chi Yung Tung went there to visit the brothers. We met in a brother's house in the evening. Brother Chi had prepared a small message for that time. We had just started when suddenly many people who looked very wild and mean showed up outside. One person came inside and grabbed Brother Ma Shang Feng's Bible out of his hand; then many people began shouting, "Beat him, beat him; drag Ma Shang Feng out and beat him." (These people were Brother Shang Feng's family.) Then they took Brother Chi's book bag, the hymns which were hanging on the walls, and a few hymnals, etc., and burned them. At that time some Gentiles who were listening to the Word were stirred up. They did not agree with this disturbance, and they began to fight with the opposers. Brother Chi and I could only bow our heads and pray as we saw this situation. We gave ourselves to the Lord and quietly exhorted the nearby brothers and sisters to endure by relying on the Lord and to not be provoked. At that time there were more than twenty brothers and sisters in the room. With the exception of a few new believers who were weaker and got excited, the rest were very quiet and did not say anything. They waited to see what God would have them to do. The mob wanted to set fire to the house we were meeting in. Later they were stopped by the elders of the town and eventually did nothing. They rioted for two hours before they began to disperse. Then we were taken home by Brother Yao to rest. One person was injured (one of the opposers) that evening. The injured man said that we hit him, and he wanted to force Brother Ma Shang Feng to pay his medical expenses and give him a gift of reparation. If Brother Ma did not, he was going to take our brother to the county seat and sue him. The next day, after the townspeople helped settle the case, our brother promised to pay him according to the teaching in Matthew 5:39-42, and finally the injured opposer stopped threatening. However, since this episode, the unbelievers in the town still slander the Lord's name and shame and oppose our brothers and sisters. They want to stop them from meeting. On February 7, we had an edification meeting for the believers. Brother Chiu Jih Chien was responsible. There was a Sister Ma there (Shang Feng's cousin) who brought a Sister T'ang to the meeting. (This sister is already married. Her husband's last name is Chen. Now she is staying in her mother's house and is a neighbor of Sister Ma.) They had traveled half-way to the meeting when Sister T'ang's older brother was asked about this matter by his sister's mother-in-law. He brought a stick and pursued them. He began beating his sister with the stick. Sister Ma was standing beside them and said a few words of exhortation to the brother. She was also beaten two times. Sister Ma was very good. She knew how to endure for the Lord and still came to the meeting. Poor Sister T'ang was taken home by her brother and sent to her husband's house. Furthermore, her brother and parents-in-law decided to stop her from meeting. The road from Tun Shan Ma to Chen Chia Yueh Tze goes through a town that our brothers and sisters must pass through on their way to the meetings. When the people of that town see the brothers and sisters coming to the meeting, they slander them with all kinds of words. Furthermore, they sometimes push the sisters into the river. Oh, we really see Satan's special work in attacking our brothers and sisters. But we also see the Lord's victory in protecting them in all these situations and manifesting His strength and blessing. Although a sudden storm has arisen on the sea, we thank the almighty Lord. He can calm the wind and the waves (Matt. 8:23-27). Now the persecution and opposition have temporarily stopped. Although the brothers and sisters have passed through many storms, they have learned much. Their faith has not been weakened; on the contrary, their strength and boldness have been manifested. (Since passing through persecution, they have not only continued meeting but also are more diligent to come.) Their hymn is, "I praise You for what went before. I trust in You for what is to come." May the brothers and sisters who love the Lord faithfully remember to pray before God for the church in Chen Chia Yueh Tze and the brothers and sisters in Tun Shan Ma, asking the Lord to protect us until He comes. Amen! Peace in the Lord.
Your small brothers in the Lord,Chen Yung K'uan and Hsu Chin YunApril 23, 1934
Many brothers and sisters who have fellowship with us have wanted to know about the condition of all the meetings in P'ing Yang, but they have not been able to know the details. For the sake of fellowship in the Body, I must tell something of their condition so that all the brothers and sisters who love the Lord can know how the Lord raised up His work in P'ing Yang and can give thanks and praise to the only blessed God and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise and thank the Lord, in these past few years He has shined upon His desolated sanctuary with the light of His face so that we, the remnant who have escaped, could be raised up. It is difficult to describe all the details of what happened. I will go back to the beginning. In February of 1928 there were three brothers from Tai Sun in P'ing Yang who went to Shanghai for the first conference. After the conference, they came back with the light of the truth. At that time, a few brothers in Ch'iao Tun Men were enlightened and obeyed the truth. This was the beginning of the work in P'ing Yang. After this the fountain of the truth slowly flowed to Nan Kang, P'u Men, Chiang Nan, and Hsiao Nan. Now there are twenty-two places with meetings in the Lord's name. There are twelve places in the regions of Nan Kang, P'u Men, and Fu Ting (Tung Shan), which Brother Wang Yu T'ing already published a letter about, so I will not repeat him. Now I will only tell the brothers and sisters something about the beginning and condition of the other ten localities.
There was an Independent Church in this place originally. In 1929 Brother Hsieh Lien San of this locality went to P'u Men to do business as a coolie. He heard the truth there and was enlightened. When he returned, he testified to the truth among the brothers. Before long many brothers rose up to pursue the truth. Later, brothers came from Nan Kang and P'u Men to do some perfecting work here. They also mentioned something about the matter of the church. The eyes of the brothers were enlightened more, and they left their denomination and began meeting completely under the Lord's name. Although there was a small number of brothers who opposed, it was not long before they all obeyed. Now there are more than thirty brothers and sisters in the table meeting. There are about one hundred fifty who come to listen to the Word but do not break bread yet. Brothers Hsieh Lien San and Kung Yung Ching are responsible here. They both have busy occupations, and they also do a holy work for the Lord.
This meeting came out of the China Inland Mission. About two miles from the meeting place, there is a church of the China Inland Mission. Brother Tai Yun Chang used to work in the mission. He obeyed the truth very much and knew that there were many methods used in the denominations which were not according to the Bible but were the organization of man's will and should be cut out. Unfortunately, he did not clearly see what characteristics the church of God should have, so he intended to reform from within and did not come out then. He went this way for many years, but the result was some outward improvement without the revival of spiritual life.
In the spring of 1931, Brother Tai decided to move to K'an Men, but there was nobody to take over the work. He invited me (Brother Chen Ching Fa) to take over. I worked there for one year. The result was like the hand of Uzziah when he reached out to steady the ark as it was about to fall. I felt spiritually dead inside. Every Lord's Day meeting felt like a thousand-pound weight upon me which I could not move. For this reason, in the spring of 1932, I was led by the Lord to come out from among them with a few brothers and sisters. We met in Brother Cheng Chih Ming's house in Chia Ti. Although this was in a small alley, the brothers and sisters felt very happy in their hearts. They met like this for a year, and then the meeting place became too small. Brother Lin Tze Chung built a small building with his own savings which he saved on clothing and food. After the new building was completed in the spring of 1933, he moved me and my family into the new building. At the same time, the meeting also moved into the new building. Thank the Lord, although the new building is small, it is very useful. The brothers also have given money willingly to furnish the utensils, tables, and benches, etc., for the meeting. Now there are only ten brothers and sisters at the table meeting. There are also more than ten who come to hear the Word but still do not take the table. Brother Lin is responsible here. If I do not go out, I also help the brothers here.
This meeting turned from an Independent Church to meet in the Lord's name. In the summer of 1932, there was a conference here. The person who spoke at that conference did not mention the matter of the church. He only spoke on a few matters concerning the building up of the spiritual life. But when the brothers received the light of the truth, they themselves saw that many things in the organization of the denominations were not according to the Bible. They began to leave the denominations, drop the names of the meetings, then began practicing baptism and breaking bread, etc. Now there are more than thirty brothers and sisters who break bread together on the Lord's Day. There are between seventy and eighty who come to listen to the Word but still do not participate in the table meeting. Brother Lin Tze Hua has been bearing the responsibility recently.
This meeting began in the winter of 1932. But before it started, it went through two years of struggle because the brothers were in the China Inland Mission. This particular group of the China Inland Mission was in Yi Shan Town about three miles from Lu Pien. There were many people in that group, but there was no godliness in their worship. In their meetings they crowded into the hall, talking and clattering continuously. Then Brother Huang Lu Ch'uan came to work. On the one hand, he spoke concerning the matter of the church and pointed out the error of the denominations; on the other hand, he organized the content and dignified the worship. He had not done this work for very long when half of the brothers and sisters obeyed the truth and were willing to leave the error of the denominations to meet according to the principles of 1 Corinthians 14. But the other half of the brothers and sisters did not understand at all. Some rejected the truth because they despised others. Some were unwilling to obey because they wanted to keep their position. Some were unwilling to drop their own will, so they created much criticism. There were many other complicated reasons that are difficult to explain. In this way, the spirits of the brothers and sisters were almost entirely surrounded by an atmosphere of debate. At this time, the brothers and sisters who loved the Lord felt that it was a great suffering. If they did not go to worship, they were not peaceful in their hearts. If they went to worship, it was not real worship. Furthermore, they had to listen to and be filled up with the words of the debates, which was a very tasteless experience. But the brothers in one accord had a mistaken concept at the time. They thought that the entire congregation had to change before they could be at peace. They thought that if they left, others would say that they were dividing the Body of Christ. It seemed that they were caught in a dilemma. They were in this kind of situation for a little more than two years. Later, because the brothers in Chia Ti had already left the denominations, some of the brothers from Yi Shan Town went to Chia Ti for the table meetings, and they were very happy. They learned that new wine could not be put into old wineskins. They must leave to resolve the dilemma. The brothers went in one accord to find an appropriate building and buy equipment. In Lu Pien they got two small buildings and began to meet according to the principles in the Bible. There is a table meeting every Lord's Day morning. In the afternoon, there is a meeting for preaching the Word and building up (sometimes it is also a gospel meeting). It has been more than a year since the beginning of this kind of meeting. In this year the Lord has really blessed the church and has gradually added saved ones to them. Now there are more than thirty brothers and sisters who break bread together. There are seventy who come to listen to the Word but do not break bread yet. There are more than twenty newly saved ones. Brothers Huang Lu Ch'uan, Huang Ting Yi, Lin Pu Chin, and Hsueh Chung Chu all bear the responsibility for the work and affairs of the meeting.
The meeting here was part of an Independent Church. In April 1931, the responsible brother of this locality went to a conference in Chin Hsiang, where he received the enlightenment of the truth. When he returned, he knew that to work as he had before was worthless. At the time, he knew he must have a new start. He gained the consent of the brothers in the locality, and they left the denominations and began meeting in the Lord's name in their original meeting hall. There are about thirty brothers and sisters breaking bread every Lord's Day. There are also more than ten men and women who come to listen to the Word but do not break bread yet. Three of these have already been saved and are waiting to be baptized. One aspect of the Lord's grace is particularly manifested among them: the brothers' hearts are able to be one in obeying the Lord's truth. However, their spiritual life has not grown very much (because they have not been very diligent in the matters of reading the Bible and prayer), and they lack the gift of prophesying. In these past years, there has been only one brother with the gift, aside from the responsible brother, Yang Li Jen. He is a tailor, Brother Chen Ts'ung Yi. When Brother Yang goes on a trip, Brother Chen helps the meeting to speak some truths. Because this brother is limited by his craft, his heart is divided to the extent that he cannot serve the brothers with his whole strength; the strength of his testimony is also weakened by this. I ask the brothers and sisters who love the Lord to pray for the brothers and sisters in Hsiao Chia Tu so that the Lord would raise up the gift of prophesying and give them life that they could grow quickly. Pray that they will read the Bible and pray more in order that they can contact the Lord and glory can be given to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
This meeting was an Independent Church. Then some brothers read many of the publications put out by the Gospel Book Room, and they received much light. They also heard many truths in the conferences in all the localities. In the fall of 1931 they invited Brother Wang Yu T'ing to come to their locality for a week of conference. From that time onward, the brothers had more and more light of the truth. After that meeting, seven brothers rose up to be baptized (they had already been sprinkled) and at the same time began meeting to break bread as the Bible commands. (At first, they broke bread once a month. Probably the denominations here in P'ing Yang do the same.) They had not been practicing this for long when a group of brothers and sisters who really love the Lord tasted some of the flavor of the joy from heaven. But the members who had not been regenerated or who were nominal Christians felt that this type of meeting was too dry and tasteless, so some gradually left. The number in the meetings gradually decreased. For this reason, some of the outsiders criticized them, saying, "The church in Hu Shan does not have anyone coming to worship, because they left the denominations. They will close their doors soon." Praise and thank the Lord; this word will never become reality, because the Lord said, "I have put before you an opened door which no one can shut." The Lord has gradually added saved ones to them since last year. Every Lord's Day people spontaneously come to hear the gospel. Now there are thirty-six brothers and sisters who break bread together. There are between fifty and sixty people who come to listen to the Word but do not break bread yet. Every Lord's Day morning they have the table and they also have another meeting for preaching the gospel. In the afternoon there is a meeting for building up. There are several people who bear the responsibility for the meetings and its affairs. They are Chou Ta Ch'in, Lin Ch'u Ch'ien, P'an Fu Ch'ing, and some others. Apart from these, there are also a few brothers who stand up in the Lord's Day meetings to testify to the truth. Please pray for those who come to hear the gospel that they will be saved soon.
It is hard to say definitely when this meeting began. The work began three years ago. The Lord's table was established after the fall of last year. In the two or three years preceding the establishment of the table, they received the truths about the spiritual life, but they were afraid of the matter of the church. They thought that the many things in the denominations which are against the Bible should be improved, but that completely leaving the denominations might also be an error. So a few brothers rose up to do a repair work. On the one hand, they eliminated the things that were flagrantly against the Bible, and on the other hand, they paid much attention to salvation every Lord's Day. Therefore, the brothers and sisters already understood something about all the matters of salvation. However, they knew nothing about the matter of the church. Thank the Lord, those responsible brothers received the light about the church last year. They know not only that in the denominations there are a few problems that are against the Bible but also that the whole system of the denominations is basically against the Bible. Therefore, in November of last year, they established the Lord's table according to the Bible. They break bread to remember the Lord every Lord's Day. They have completely broken their relationship with the denomination that they belonged to originally. Unfortunately, there are a few brothers and sisters who are not completely in one accord. There are still a few who do not attend the table meeting. (They feel it is too solemn and terrible.) May the brothers and sisters who love the Lord pray much for this meeting. May the Lord enable them all to speak the same thing so that Satan will have no ground. There are more than fifty people who meet to break bread. There are more than one hundred who come to listen to the Word but still do not break bread. There are three brothers, Hsu Jung San, Hsu Chih Yi, and Hsu Wei San, who bear the responsibility for the work of the meeting and its affairs.
This meeting place is on a remote coast. Its back is to the mountains, and it faces the sea. The scenery is very peaceful and beautiful. There are many people in the meetings. The brothers are farmers, fishermen, or potters. Even most of the sisters work in the pottery factories as painters. They are very hungry and thirsty for today's truths. Although no one has gone to work among them, many of them go to all the conferences that we have to listen to the Word. Although they do not have much worldly knowledge, they obey whatever truths they can understand to the extent that they understand it. They know a little about the error of denominations and the characteristics which the church of God should have. Therefore, in the spring of last year, they left their former denomination and began to meet completely in the Lord's name. Most of those who were sprinkled have been baptized by immersion. There are more than sixty brothers and sisters who meet to break bread. There are also about thirty who have been saved and are waiting to be baptized. There are also more than one hundred who are not saved but come to hear the Word. Brothers Chang Ho Ling and Fang Hsing San are responsible for the work and affairs of the meeting.
A year ago there were no believers in the locality of Hou Ts'ang. In the fall of last year, Brother Lee Shu Jen went there and rented a building for a gospel conference. He was blessed by the Lord, and in no time, several lovely young men and women received the Lord and became Christians. Brother Lee established the table for them in the building he had rented. From that time, some brothers from the denominations also came over and began to break bread with them. The Lord gradually added a number of saved ones to them. They had a conference recently and were greatly blessed by the Lord. On the day that the conference was over, eight brothers and sisters were baptized. (Three of them were from other localities.) Now there are more than ten brothers and sisters in the table meeting, and more than thirty come to listen to the Word but do not break bread yet. Brothers Lee Shu Jen, Chou Chi Chang, and Hu You San bear the responsibility for the work and the affairs together.
Ch'ien Ts'ang is about ten miles from the Ao River. Although it is not a big place, the denominations are very developed there. There are the China Inland Mission, an Independent Church, and the Catholic Church. There are many leaders who are very zealous for the denominations, more than in other localities. In the spring of 1932, some brothers and sisters from the Independent Church went to a conference in Feng Ch'uan and heard the word of the truth there. They were very moved, and later they consulted with us. We decided to have a conference in Ch'ien Ts'ang in April. After that conference, a few brothers rose up and changed their form of worship, but that brought opposition from their leaders. There was more opposition here than in other places. They forbade the singing of hymns from the Little Flock Hymnal and did not allow the brothers who loved the truth to preach the Word. Every Lord's Day there was only criticism and scolding from the pulpit. When the brothers and sisters who love the Lord saw this condition, they were really sad. Finally, some of the brothers who were in one accord went to the church building every Lord's Day evening to have the Lord's table meeting. The rest of those who were not in one accord did not attend. They did this for more than a year. The brothers felt that this condition of mixture with the denominations was not according to the principle of the Bible. They wanted to leave, so they looked for another building, but because they did not know how the sisters felt, they continued in the same way for awhile. On the first Lord's Day in March of this year, they were led by the Lord, and the sisters agreed, so they began to have the table meeting in a brother's house. Now there are only three brothers and three sisters breaking bread together. Although they are very lonely, they are very joyful. One of the sister's husbands, Sister Lin Chih Min's, is still holding on to the denominations. Her husband is very upset that she has left the denomination and often is angry with her. I ask the brothers and sisters in all the localities to pray for this sister and ask the Lord to preserve her so that she will stand faithfully. There is a brother, Su Chih San, who also obeys the Lord very much. Unfortunately, he cannot come out to break bread with the brothers because his father is the strongest opposer of the truth. If his son were to leave the denominations, there would be great trouble. So this brother has to wait awhile. May the brothers and sisters pray for him that the Lord would release him to freely worship.
Chen Ching FaApril 1934
To the brothers and sisters who faithfully love the Lord:
We two weak and useless ones want to describe by the Lord's grace how He raised up the table in Kulin and its condition so that the brothers and sisters will know and glorify God and our Lord together. But we are truly afraid that as we are telling this our flesh will be brought in to take away some of God's glory. Therefore, we pray and beg the almighty God to bind our self in this matter so that what we mention will be completely the truth and what God wants us to mention.
In the spring of 1931, we began to have the meetings. At that time there were four brothers and four sisters in the meetings. Among the four brothers, two were also in the denominations. At that time we still did not break the bread. In the summer, some brothers and sisters from Shanghai came to Kulin to rest. We thought that we could break the bread then. But it did not happen because some people in the Brethren Assembly misunderstood. We received the Lord's leading on December 6, a Lord's Day. (The two brothers in the denominations left Kulin.) We started practicing the table meeting on that day. The number of attendants in that meeting was four brothers (one Western and three Chinese) and five sisters (one Western and four Chinese). Thank the Lord, He led us Himself. Although we did not understand much, He took care of us in everything. He used His Holy Spirit to teach us how to obey Him. By the summer of 1932, He added a number of brothers and sisters. At that time, the pastors of the denominations said we were the Church of the Little Flock. (They misunderstood us because we sang from the Little Flock Hymnal.)
In November 1932, we went together to Shanghai for the meeting. Three days after we left Kulin, one of the brothers among us, Liu Heng Li, was suddenly taken by the Lord. Satan attacked us especially at that time, causing many difficulties in the meeting, which we weak ones could not resolve. But thank the almighty Lord; He is the beginning, and He is the end. He bore for us the responsibility which we could not bear. There is nothing He cannot do. We thank Him and praise Him and give glory to His name.
Thank the Lord, this year He chose for Himself our Brother Cheng Tso to come and be in one accord with us. When Brother Cheng was in the meeting in Shanghai this year, he received the Lord's light to know that the Lord wants us to serve Him more than He wants us to work for Him. Therefore, we must learn how to serve Him in the house of God and how to walk in His will. There is a (Western) brother who exhorted him to go out and do a labor of sweat (preaching by his own strength). He knew that it was not God's will and refused. Later, Satan brought all kinds of persecution and sufferings to him. He endured completely in order to obey the Lord and glorify Him. As a result, the Lord was Victor! We also feel deeply that the Lord allowed all this to come upon him so that our brother would know Him more.
Now there are eight brothers (six Chinese and two Western) and eleven sisters (three Chinese and eight Western) in our meeting. Altogether there are nineteen breaking bread together to remember the Lord.
Now it seems that there are two brothers (the Western ones), who cannot be absolutely one with us regarding the matter of the rapture. (They believe that the entire body of believers will be raptured at once.) We receive them at the table meeting only because they are saved believers.
We two brothers bear the burden of all the responsibility of the meeting by the Lord's grace. We only hope that the brothers and sisters who love the Lord do not forget to pray for us, your weak brothers.
The place of our meeting is now at Number Ninety-four in the winter and on the second floor of Number Thirty-six in the summer. The meeting times are as follows: Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m., singing and Bible study meeting; Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m., prayer meeting; Lord's Day morning at 10:00 a.m., table meeting.
The locality of Kulin is very important. There are more than twenty denominations here. We really feel the need of the work. We also hope the Lord will send His own workers to come and explain the truth to enlighten His children. We place this matter in the Lord's hands and before the brothers and sisters. We ask the brothers and sisters to pray and ask that all the Lord's truth may shine in each place during this last age. Amen. We greet you with this.
Peace to all the brothers and sisters.
Your little brothers,Yu Hsin Liang and Chi Wen TsaoMay 8, 1934, in Kulin
Greetings to the brothers in the Lord, Messrs. Kuang Jung and Watchman:
We have something to ask you now. The county government in our district has ordered every regional and town authority to form local militias which are mandatory. All men between the ages of twenty and forty, both unbelievers and believers, must draw lots and go to be trained for nine weeks in military skills; then they can leave the military. Farmers can continue their farming; workers can continue in their jobs. The second group will draw numbers and go in their turn to learn what the first group learned; then they can leave the service. In this way all the citizens of this region will be soldiers, and the soldiers will be citizens. This is the recent policy of the county government.
For this reason, in the past few days many brothers have come to ask me what they should do about this matter. I told them that according to the principle of the Bible, Christians should not be soldiers or government officials. Christians can only be killed by others; they cannot kill people. The brothers answered, "If that is so, then they will say we have broken the law, and they will punish us. If we go we will break the teachings of the Bible, and our conscience will not be at peace. If we do not go, we are afraid of what will happen." This really is a dilemma. Therefore, they asked me to write you to see if there is another way to go, a way in which they will not offend God and will not disobey the order of the authorities. Please answer quickly. On the one hand, please help us in the truth and establish us; on the other hand, please tell all the brothers and sisters who pray to pray for us.
Your brother,Huang Lu Ch'uanMarch 17, 1934
(Answer: It is all right to go and learn. The exhortation in Matthew 5 to go an extra mile particularly refers to the soldiers of that day pulling people in to help them. However, in a time of war, we would rather be punished than fight. This matter especially requires much prayer — Watchman.)
To the dear one in the Lord, Mr. Nee:
It has been two months since we parted. We are physically in two different parts of the country, but we can fellowship in spirit. Have you gone out recently to work? Will you have the opportunity to come to P'ing Yang this year? All the brothers here have a common desire that you would come and we could see each other. We also hope to hear some message from the Lord through you. We have been hoping and praying for this for two or three years now. Now must be the time for the Lord to answer our prayers, isn't it? Therefore, all the brothers say, "Mr. Nee will definitely come this year!" I think that there must be the same calling in your heart and spirit. May the Lord remove the barriers that we both could see our desires fulfilled. This would be a great blessing.
Brother Nee, I will now tell you some of my experience and feelings regarding the work. They are somewhat disorganized, but please be patient in reading them and do not feel bothered. In these past two or three years, the Lord's hand used us few useless bondslaves in the area of Tai Sun, P'ing Yang to speak some of the truths that are crucial to the church today. In the meantime, the Lord opened His children's hearts so that they were more receptive to the truth. Wherever we had a preaching conference, the brothers and sisters always crowded in and hungrily and thirstily desired to hear the Lord's Word. We really thank the Lord for this. But what has made us even more joyful is that most of these people who hungrily and thirstily desired the Lord are very young brothers and sisters. They used to love the world very much. Our speaking did not cater to their heart to love the world. On the contrary, it shattered the world. These young people would have opposed this truth in the past, but the Lord gave them a new heart and a new will. Though alone and friendless, they were willing to drop the world and follow the Lord. The Lord Himself did this work. We useless servants cannot say anything but thank the Lord.
In these past few years, the messages the Lord has given us have all been for the believers' spiritual cultivation. We have rarely mentioned the matter of the church. But once the believers receive the light, they spontaneously see the error of denominations and tradition. For this reason, many brothers and sisters have been raised up in all the places to leave the denominations they had belonged to and meet in the Lord's name to break bread. This has caused fear in the heart of a group of leaders in the denominations. From what they say, they seem to think, "Many fine believers have turned to them (actually they have turned to the Lord), what will our future be?" In order to hold on to the status quo and keep their organizations, they have had several secret and open meetings. In the most recent days, there was a combined meeting of the Independent Church and the China Inland Mission. This combined meeting lasted for three days. The only thing they talked about was how to deal with the Church of the Little Flock (we absolutely do not confess to this name). Some scolded us mercilessly there. Some presented ideas for stopping our work. Some who were there heard and did not agree, so they spoke about this injustice. They all shouted awhile and then dispersed noisily. This is the attitude of the opponents. Their opposition of this nature cannot shake us. On the contrary, many brothers are seeing more and more what is truth and what is error. But there is one matter that worries us. There are quite a few brothers who appear to sympathize with us on the surface and attack the denominations strongly, but their spiritual condition is very poor. This type of person is causing us much damage and has been a barrier to the truth. I ask you to pray with us to ask the Lord to bind these people that they will not speak anymore lest the opposers have an excuse.
In the past two months, I have been thinking of something beautiful and sweet in my heart: "The Centrality and Universality of Christ." When I am working, I always feel that there is a fresh flavor and power whenever I mention this message. Oh! This glorious truth is a rich source for the spirituality of all the believers. It is the special focus of the co-workers' work. This glorious news is also closely related to the cross. We can call it the other side of the accomplishment of the cross. I do not know whether you think this is right or not.
Brother Nee, when I had written to this point, I suddenly received Issue No. 47 of Notes on Scriptural Messages, "The Numbering of Spiritual Days." I read it and really felt both joyful and sad at the same time! I was sad that I do not know how much of my past years have been eaten away by the swarming locusts, the licking locusts, the consuming locusts, and the cutting locusts! I do not know how many of the days I have passed have been forgotten by God! I was very distressed about the number of days and years that I had wasted! But the Lord also promised to restore those years that were eaten up by the locusts. So my sadness turned into joy! Oh, one day within the courts of Jehovah is better than one thousand days in any other place! Oh, if God still gives me one day's time, I really want to live that day before Him. May each day ahead recapture the thousand days that I lost before. Now I only ask that God would keep me to pass my remaining time with a godly heart! May the Lord's grace be with you. Amen.
Your brother,Chen Chin FaApril 12, 1934
To our beloved brother, Mr. Nee:
We have not written you for a long time. We believe that the Lord has certainly blessed you with health.
Brothers Chang Kuang Jung and Chou Hsin Yi are both well in Tsinan. They are most helpful to our brothers. Now many brothers have been enlivened. I will tell you something of the condition of the meeting here.
On Wednesdays, Brother Chou Hsin Yi is responsible for leading a Bible study on the truth of the church. We really need it because many of our brothers are not clear about this matter.
On Fridays, there is a prayer meeting. The brothers and sisters who are able to come all come.
On Saturday afternoon, there is a meeting for the responsible brothers and sisters. We have recently seen the need for this kind of meeting. On Saturday evening, there is a brothers' meeting. Any question can be asked — What is following the Lord? What is walking in the way? How do I know the voice of the Holy Spirit? These are questions our brothers have asked.
On the Lord's Day morning, Brother Chang Kuang Jung is responsible for a building up meeting. There are also many people who come from the outside. Although there are those who come from the denominations and they sometimes debate in the meeting, we maintain a humble attitude, and they cannot find anything against us. In the afternoon, there is the table meeting. On this day we also go out in the streets to preach the gospel. The brothers are zealous in passing out tracts. They are also bold in testifying. However, we still do not see the results of this type of work. It really needs prayer behind it. We also ask the brothers and sisters to pray.
The recent visit of Miss Lee to Tsinan has rendered much help to the sisters. Some who had backslidden have been revived. The sisters have also clearly seen the center of our testimony. We really hoped that Miss Lee could stay here for a longer time. Unfortunately, she could not do as we had hoped.
There is now a brother in Tsinan, Mr. Ch'ao — Miss Lee also knows him — who desires and pursues spiritual matters very much with his wife. They have good intentions. Therefore, Brother Chang goes to their house to help them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I sometimes go with him. It is difficult for them to understand much all at once because they have not been saved for very long. Please pray for them. We hope that God will gain them.
Brother Nee! Now I will write down my own matter. My contract to work in this hospital will expire in a little more than one month. I do not have the assurance that the hospital will continue to employ me. If I continue in that position, I do not know whether I will get a raise or a pay cut! Maybe I will get a five percent cut in pay. I do not know when the provincial hospital will be able to establish a lab. I also hope to be able to go work in the South, but I do not want to go against the will of God. Of course, I can only wait in this situation. But I also ask you to pray for me and keep a look out for a position for me — there are still eight or nine weeks left. I know this is a trouble to you. May the Lord make you willing to do this for a little brother. Please greet the brothers and sisters for me. Peace in the Lord!
Your little brother,Ch'ien Neng HsienEvening, May 7, 1934
Greetings to my brother in the Lord, Watchman:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
Thank and praise the Lord! My wife has recovered by the grace and love in the Lord Jesus Christ and by the prayers in His name by all the saints. At the same time, I also thank all the brothers and sisters in all the localities for their prayers and concern for me. Many brothers and sisters who knew our mailing address sent us letters of consolation. They knew of my wife's illness from reading the third issue of Collection of Newsletters.
We have already rented a meeting hall in Tsou County. It is at Number 1 Chung Sheng Street inside the city. This building is very appropriate in every aspect. This coming Lord's Day we will be able to meet there. We have been praying before God for almost a year. The brothers and sisters in Tsinan and Ling Tzu have also been praying for this matter. We especially thank our Father God for this hall. We also thank the brothers and sisters for their prayers.
With God's leading and help, the gospel work in Hsi Hsiang Chia Chuang, Tsou County has already started. This place is not very big, but once sixty people came to hear the gospel. There appear to be five or six who are very close to salvation. May the Lord continue His work here. May all come to Him. Brother Chen Po Heng's father-in-law lives in this village.
May the Spirit of resurrection of the Lord Jesus keep you healthy every day so you can handle the work of God and build up the brothers and sisters through it. I bless you with daily renewing and peace in the Lord! I also greet the believers in Shanghai.
Your brother,Liu Tien MinApril 23, 1934
To my dear brother in the Lord, Brother Nee:
Thank the Lord's grace for His all-encompassing love! When we were living a dry and tasteless (spiritual) life, and we seemed like sprouts in a long drought, He gave us the truth which is like anointing rain to comfort our hearts so we could stand on His Word and be strong.
I have been teaching in Dairen for four years. In the spring of 1932, I met Brother Chiang Ch'uan Ching. At that time, we both felt hungry and thirsty. We often asked the question: "How can we be free from spiritual dryness?" Some told us it was by going to worship often. But we were already going often. The answer of the so-called Pentecostal group was: Confess your sins completely and pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. But we had many doubts about what they were doing. However, every morning we would go up on South Hill very early to read the Bible together. After one semester, we were still as hungry and thirsty as before.
Later, Brother Chiang went to Chefoo and met Brother Chang Chen Ming. At that time, I was in Dairen, living my lukewarm spiritual life and feeling more and more lonely and dry. In the beginning of the fall of 1932, Brother Chang Chen Ming came from Chefoo to Dairen. Through Brother Chiang, we began to communicate with each other more often. In the summer of 1933, Brother Chang Chen Ming came to Dairen from Shanghai. At that time Brother Chiang was also living in Dairen. We talked about the Lord's word often. Thank God for His grace in causing us to hear His truth and to become freemen and to no longer be under the bondage of the restrictions of false rituals. Although the soul resisted at first, thank God, He finally gave us the power to leave the denominations in a bold way and to meet solidly according to the Lord's command. Thank the Lord for leading Brother Chang Chen Ming to help us so much.
The will of God is so marvelous that we cannot fathom it. After feeding us for awhile, He caused us to be separated. He tested us! After we had been meeting for two months, Brother Chiang left Dairen and returned home. Brother Chang also was transferred in duties shortly after, so he left Dairen also. At the time we were separated, our souls could not avoid feeling lonely. Brothers Chiang and Chang were closer to each other, so they had the opportunity to talk to each other a few more times. I was alone for a long period of time, but I learned an important lesson. I learned that when we are serious about leaving the denominations, we must do our best to exhort one another among the brothers and meet together. If we find ourselves in a situation where we are alone, we should definitely not turn back to participate in the denominations. If we are not careful to protect ourselves, we may be attacked by the evil one. Day by day, we will get colder and colder and will be more pitiful than when we were in the denominations. I am most immature, so I am most susceptible to attacks. Thank the Lord, He woke me up as I was about to sleep. This spring our school shuffled some personnel, and Brother Chiang came back to Dairen as my colleague. From now on, we can exhort each other again.
We have received all the issues of Collection of Newsletters. Thank you! I think that Collection of Newsletters is a most important thing among the brothers because everything published in it benefits them. This is especially true in a meeting where there are not many people. It is easy to become tired because there are so few people. In reading this publication, we receive encouragement and exhortation. There are very few people in the meeting in Dairen and we are very immature, so I hope this publication can continue to be sent. I respectfully bless you with peace in the Lord!
Your little brother,Chang Wen WeiApril 14, 1934
Brother Tsai Ch'ing:
We have been here for seven days now, but this is the first day we have been able to sit down and rest. Actually, Brother Hung is still washing the windows, but my arms and legs will not move anymore. Thank God; we are His workers, not "rabbis" nor "rulers of the synagogues."
We have already decided on a house at 4 Lo An Lane behind the railway garden in the north shore. This is the same house the sisters saw a long time ago. We paid a deposit of thirty dollars and sixty cents. In the future, we will pay seven dollars and forty cents a month. It is less expensive here than in Shanghai. In these past three or four days, we have been busy with many things — buying things, sweeping the floor, washing the windows, straightening and arranging, etc. It seems as if "the master is coming and the servants are busy." Actually our heart is just like this. According to ourselves, we could rest and live peacefully, but we are busy now because of Him — the Lord.
We have only two fifths of the things we need for our own house. Since God has provided us these two fifths, He will also give us the remaining three fifths. (Parts omitted.)
Greet the brothers in the Lord for me. I will not write another letter to Brother Ho Yueh Chiao.
Your brother,Hsu Ta WeiMay 13, 1934
Mr. Lee:
I received your letter when I got to Honan. I was very happy to receive it. I arrived home safely in the early morning of the twelfth. Please do not worry about me. My father is still receiving medical treatment and needs much care. In the past two months, I have met with many difficulties, and I would not be here today but for the Lord's grace. Praise the Lord! He continuously gives grace to those who believe in Him! Please greet the sisters for me! Thank them for their prayer. I bless you with this. Peace in the Lord!
From Yang FangMay 16, 1934Greetings to Sisters Chi Nien and Hui Fen also.
Brother Witness:
Thank God; although our bodies cannot be together often, our spirits are one in the Lord. Brother, I am on this lonely island by the Lord's arrangement. Although the fellowship is sweet, I have seen that the enemy is very crafty and dangerously evil! I think that the Lord has given me this opportunity to learn how to pray!
In these past few days, I have felt that there is one thing which I do not have inward peace about. My name is still registered in a denomination. I think that obeying the Lord is an expression of loving the Lord. If I say I love the Lord with my mouth but do not follow it up with my actions, what good is it? (Of course loving the Lord is not just withdrawing my name.) I keep thinking that this is also one of the hundreds of things we must obey in the Bible, so why not obey in God's light? I was originally a member of the Presbyterian Church in Yu Huang Ting. I do not know who the pastor is now, nor do I know the pastor's address. Please write and tell me, and I will send him a letter asking him to remove my name from the register. Peace in the Lord!
Your brother,Hsien HuiApril 26, 1934
Please greet all the brothers and sisters in the Lord for me. I am adding two questions. Please answer them.
(1) Removing one's name from the denominations is certainly according to the Bible, and once one is clear about this, one should obey. But I am now on an island without a meeting in the Lord's name. Can I wait for awhile to obey? I am afraid this is Satan's entanglement.
(2) Because there is no meeting in the Lord's name, I sometimes go to the denominations for the sake of listening to the Word (the so-called worship). But every time I go, I do not feel that this is proper in my heart, because there are so many things of man's will that are not from the leading of the Holy Spirit, although the pastor speaks of the Lord's cross and His precious blood. However, if I do not go, I am afraid that a few new believers will be stumbled by my condition. My life is not rich, I am spiritually immature, and for me to speak to them about the biblical truth would surely not be according to God's will. In summary, after leaving the denominations, is it all right to return to the denominations to listen to the Word because there is no meeting in the Lord's name?
Brother in the Lord, Hsien Hui:
I have read your letter. Thank the Lord; He really has worked in your heart! Yes, every brother or sister who is clear about the Lord's light and who wants to go the way of the Lord should leave the denominations in reality and in name. For this reason, everyone who wants to obey the Lord thoroughly should take his name off the denominational registers. Although this is but one of the thousands of things we must obey in the Bible, it is still something we must obey. We should be "faithful in the least" (Luke 16:10). Truly, we should "obey in God's light"! Truly, "obeying is the expression of loving the Lord."
Here are the answers to your questions:
(1) We should not "wait for awhile to obey" because there is no meeting in the Lord's name in the place we are. Our obeying the Lord should not be influenced by our environment. Truly, "once we are clear, we should obey." "Waiting for awhile to obey" is really "the entanglement of the enemy."
(2) Actually, going to the denominations to hear the Word does not benefit us much. (Your own experience is sufficient to prove this.) Since it does not help us, why waste the time? It would be better to follow the Lord's leading and go out at this time to preach the gospel. Once sinners believe in the Lord, you can lead them to walk in the way and meet together with you. You do not have to wait for many. You only need two or three people (Matt. 18:20).
Since we are clear that the Lord is going to tear down the denominations, it is best not to involve ourselves in any way. We must firmly maintain our position. If we are not separated, we do not have a testimony! The power of a testimony is separation. We should not be afraid of stumbling others in obeying the Lord. If we truly act according to the Lord's will and some are stumbled, we do not have to bear this responsibility before the Lord. When our Lord was on the earth, He never disobeyed God because He was worried about stumbling others. Therefore, He was "for the falling and rising up of many" (Luke 2:34). He is the faithful Rock. Yet He is also the "stone of stumbling" to those "who stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed" (1 Pet. 2:8). For this reason, when our Lord was on the earth, He received so much persecution that He became "a sign spoken against" (Luke 2:34). When we walk the Lord's way today, we shall also receive what the Lord received. If we give in a little, if we change it a little, if we move just a little, we will avoid much suffering. But, "let us therefore go forth unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:13). Please sing Hymns #60, 33, and 131 in the Little Flock Hymnal.
When we obey the Lord in this way, we should pay attention to one matter of greatest importance: We should have a heart of love when we contact any brother or sister in the denominations. Our attitude should be meek, and our words should be polite. If we have the wrong attitude or if we say the wrong things and stumble them, we will be responsible for it before the Lord.
We are all very well here. If the Lord allows, I will go to Shanghai next week. (Parts omitted.) I pray for you. Peace be to you.
Your brother,Witness LeeApril 28 in Chefoo
(1) We have heard that the two brothers who are imprisoned in Ching Chiang County will be released soon.
(2) Brother Witness Lee moved to Shanghai from Chefoo at the beginning of the month.
(3) Sister Yu Su Chen recently went to Yun Ts'ao, Wu Hu, and Hsun Cheng in Anhui province and preached the gospel. People were saved in each place, and the work in Wu Hu was even more blessed by God. Sister Miao Yun Chun has already gone from Ling Tzu to Tsinan. She has testified some to the nurses in Chi Lu Hospital. Later perhaps, she will go to Peking.
(4) The meeting in Hangchow has moved to a new address: 321 Tung Chieh Road.
(5) The meeting in Soochow is very peaceful now. Sisters Tso and Ku have decided to remain at the Gospel Hospital.
(Shanghai)
