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To my brother in the Lord, Mr. Watchman:
I returned to Hankow after the end of the Third Overcomer Conference and was dealt with deeply by God. Through the Lord's enlightenment I easily saw that my position in the orphanage was not according to God's will. Although I am able to work freely there, I have lost the strength to fight in the matter of testifying for the truth. The work in Wuchang and Hankow has not begun, because I have hindered God. My soul magnifies the Lord! The teachings in 2 Corinthians 6:14 and 17 persuaded me even more strongly into obeying. I dared not procrastinate any longer. I handed in my letter of resignation on April 11. Who could have expected that once I handed in my resignation, the hindrances would come? There has been the attack of Satan, the entanglement of emotions, the refusal of my superiors to release me, and their determination to keep me; I am still struggling to put them aside at this date. The road before me is even darker. But I deeply believe that the waters of the Jordan will part. The eye of faith sees the glory on the throne. I plan to send in another letter of resignation sooner or later. Please pray for this matter, asking God to eliminate every hindrance so that I can walk in His God-ordained way. Jesus Christ is Victor! Amen!
I heard that you will not go out in the summer but will study Revelation. Is this true? Please let me know. If the Lord is willing, I will go to Shanghai during that time to be edified.
I have had a question for a long time that has never been answered. I brought it up at the end of this last Overcomer Conference. Unfortunately, it was not answered at that time. My question is, "Can those with old debts (such as those who have gone bankrupt in business) work solely for God as a preacher (referring to a called one with a gift)?" Please write me a letter in response. I am praying for it. I send my solemn and respectful greetings. Peace in the Lord!
Your little brother,Lan Chih YiJune 12, 1934
Peace to Brother David Hsu: Jude 20-21; James 5:7-8
I do not know whether or not you were able to receive the letter I sent you a few days ago. While I was thinking about you quite a bit, I read Collection of Newsletters. In it was a letter you sent to your friend Tsai Ch'ing, so I know that you have moved back to Ningpo. Thank the Lord for His grace in initiating (through the brothers) Collection of Newsletters so that we can obtain a different kind of fellowship in Him with the brothers. Through it we also learn about the work raised up in each locality and the news of the individual brothers. This endeavor is very good. But we should also be wary of two things: (1) a kind of special fellowship that comes from the flesh and easily becomes one of the elements of a denomination (there has been the initiation of letters of recommendation); and (2) the abominable works of the flesh which might be mixed in if they have not been thoroughly dealt with by the cross; they "steal glory from God." Presently, everything is very good, but in the not so distant future, I am afraid that it will lose its original meaning. Brother, allow me to say a few direct words of sorrow: If a person is not completely of the spirit and controlled by the spirit, his fallen flesh and the fruit of his fallen flesh — denominations and stealing glory from God — will never be completely eliminated. O Lord, You know our corruption. May You search out everything and gain everything. May You also come quickly. I wonder what you think about this, brother.
You said, "We are busy...as if `the master is returning quickly and the slaves are busily preparing,' and our hearts are truly like this." You also said, "In ourselves, we could pass through in comfortable rest, but our business now is because of Him — the Lord." This word really made me happy! Truly, our heart is like that of a servant; truly, we could rest comfortably in ourselves. Therefore, everything that we have or do must be because of the Lord.
In the last letter I sent you, there were a few matters to ask you to pray for. Thank the Lord! I already know about your recent situation, so I have plenty of material to pray for when praying for you. (Material does not seem to be such an appropriate word.) I ask that you pray to the Lord that my prayer life would grow and improve.
The news from P'ing Yang published in the sixth issue of Collection of Newsletters mentioned Sister Lin Chih Ming in the tenth meeting place. She has temporarily fallen because of her husband, and she does not come out any longer to meet or break bread with the brothers. However, Brother Su Chih San is much stronger than before and sometimes comes to the table meeting. The persecution these two are under is very heavy. May the Lord grace them with strength and be magnified in them. Please pray for them!
How has your health been recently? What is the condition of the meeting in your locality? Please write and tell me.
"The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." Amen! The last verse of 2 Timothy 4.
Respectfully from your weak little brother,Yang Li JenFebruary 12
Note from Watchman: We should certainly pay attention to the two points that Brother Yang mentioned. However, I would like to clarify the first point: If our fellowship is not larger or smaller than what God has commanded, we will never be a denomination. I am afraid that many brothers have only seen the error of denominations but have not seen the connection of the Body. Even though everything has failed today, we should still act according to the principle of one Body. Those who do not understand will think that we have a special fellowship because we still want to keep the principle of the Body. Those who have left the denominations are standing in the position of the Body. They are not a disorganized mob. We definitely should not misunderstand and think that we must be a scattered rabble before we will not have denominations. A scattered rabble may not be a denomination, but it is definitely not the Body, nor does it have the principle of the Body. The book The Assembly Life will be published soon. The chapter "The Practice of Fellowship" is most crucial. I am afraid that the brothers might misunderstand after reading Brother Yang's letter, so I feel to especially add these few words.
Greetings to my dear brother in the Lord,
Mr. Watchman Nee:
I have not written to you for a long time because I have been too lazy to write since we parted. However, I have met with you often before the throne. I would like to mention some matters briefly so that we may thank the Lord together! He has raised up faithful children in all the localities of Wenchow and P'ing Yang to truly take up a heavier cross and live a more difficult life for the Lord. There are a few brothers who once worked in the denominations. Now they stand alone by relying on the Lord for the sake of obeying the Lord. This is completely His work, and we thank the Father for this matter.
There is something in all the localities that causes us to worry. Many brothers and sisters have not really been revived! They have only moved out of the denominations. Nevertheless, we have already seen "a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand" arising! Therefore, we hope you will pray for this. Peace in the Lord!
Your brother,Ts'ai Ch'i
Some brothers who live by faith: P'an Huo Ling, 36 Beneath the Iron Well, Lan Hsing Temple, Wenchow; Lin Sheng Wu, P'u Men Horse Carriage Station.
Greetings to the Directors of the Sze Cheng Chapel:
Because we have seen that in the Bible there are no denominational differences and that it is a sin to have denominations, please remove our names from the Sze Cheng Chapel's Book of Life. This is not a matter of personal emotions but of obeying the teachings of the Bible. Since we have done this, we do not need to mention it again. When we meet, we are still friends. We have no other motives. That is all we have to say. We greet you. Peace in your way!
Sincerely,Jan Ch'i Yu, Jan Feng T'ienJuly 10
Greetings to the faithful bondslaves in the Lord,
our dear brothers, Mr. Watchman and Mr. Witness:
Thank the Lord for His love. Its depth is immeasurable. Even a worthless and evil servant like myself has been graciously called by the Lord! The Lord's table was established in my home more than two years ago. In the beginning, when we were laying the foundation, more than twenty people believed and were baptized. A few of them had never been in the denominations. The rest came out of the denominations. Then we did not increase again until June of this year when two sisters were baptized into the Lord's name. They were both more than seventy years of age. Recently, three or four more who are seeking the Lord and trust in Him have been added. We are still in a period of waiting. Last year two people went to sleep in the Lord. My wife was one of them. Before she died she said two sentences to me: "In the future, you do not have to stay in the house, you can go out to visit. On the Lord's Day come home." She shut her mouth and stopped breathing after these words. This proves she was saved. Our meeting place is less than two miles from a denominational gospel chapel. When the preacher of this group saw that we had left the denominations, he became contentious. He began to slander us before the people who went there to worship. He is very diligent in his labor of "sweat." Every Saturday he visits the homes of the worshippers to charge them to come worship on the next day. His diligent watchfulness shuts them in as tightly as the doors of the city of Jericho. We are really too immature. We can only drink milk and cannot take solid food, so our meetings are very low. I believe that God is almighty and a day of stirring up will come. If this were not true and He knew that I was cold, why would He grace me in the first place? I went to Shanghai in January to attend the Overcomers' Conference. I received both God's enlightenment and the brothers' help. During the conference, I first heard Mr. Lee speak on the living of a Christian. He said that toward the Gentiles we should be proper in everything, and we should keep our position in dealing with the brothers. Next I heard Mr. Nee say that if a Christian has not been sent, he should return to his own occupation. After the conference, I returned home. I prayed earnestly before God. I truly did not know what kind of occupation I should go into. I did not have the strength to be a farmer. I did not have the capital to open a shop. Thank the Lord, He opened the way for me. He enabled me to return to my old occupation of teaching. The school is in Hsu Chia Village about ten miles from my house. It is five miles from Ke Chia Village and seven miles from Chu Chia Kou. Although the supervisors are not brothers, they allow me to be free on the Lord's Day. At first I planned to rotate between these three localities on the Lord's Day. I did not know that I would feel a heavy burden once the Lord's Day came. So I still return home to meet every week. Although I walk twenty miles in one round trip, I am not tired. The glory for this should be given to the Lord Jehovah. He has made it more convenient for me to read the Bible at school than at home. In the early morning I read five Psalms. I read a few chapters of the Old Testament in the late morning and a few chapters of the New Testament in the afternoon. I have more than enough strength to do this and can also discuss the teachings with two or three students. There is no one to oppose. Now I would like to ask the brothers and sisters in every place to pray for us because the believers in Chen Chia Yu are mainly backsliders. Ask the Lord to revive the cold ones, uphold the weak, and free the oppressed. I also ask you, brother, to teach such a useless one as myself how to walk in the Lord's way. Moreover, I ask that you pray much before God because the locality of Chen Chia Yu lacks gifted members. Pray that the Lord would raise up priests to blow the horn before the ark of God while walking around the city of Jericho. I will write more details about the other matters in another letter. Peace in the Lord!
Your brother,Chen Ju NiAugust 13, 1934
P.S. I am more than sixty years of age. I am not very talented, nor have I studied in depth. My eyes are going bad. My writing is very illegible. Please tell the editor of Collection of Newsletters to feel free to delete, change, and make corrections as needed.
Greetings to the faithful bondslave of God,
the brother whom I miss, Mr. Watchman Nee:
Last year I received a letter from Yi Lin mentioning the need for fellowship. I also heard about the publication of Collection of Newsletters. I am very much in favor of it. A few days ago, I received the fourth issue of Collection of Newsletters. I have not received the first three issues. I really thank the Lord that I was among those who attended the recent Overcomer Conference. I was enlightened by God during the meetings, so that my spirit sprouted new life and I learned something of His truth. I was very joyful to be able to fellowship with the brothers in the Lord in the Body. Although this was my first meeting with you, it was a great blessing in my life. Now that I have returned home from Shanghai, I cannot forget what happened there. Please allow me to tell you something of my experience. Since I left the denominations at the start of the year, two years ago, I believe that I have received God's grace and received His sweetness in my living. I began to meet in the Lord's name in my home. There were more than twenty people in the meetings. Not long after we had established the Lord's table meeting, we met with some experiences of suffering. I will not go into detail. Satan took the opportunity to work much in my home. It was something like the situation in Matthew 10:35-36. This occurred because I was weak and could not govern my own house. How can I govern the house of God? Therefore, I ask you to pray for me that I would overcome all the enemies. This is my greatest hope. Unfortunately, the first time we met, we did not have the opportunity to communicate freely, so I am writing this letter to you in fellowship. I also hope that the second time we see each other, my joy will be full. If this letter can be used in Collection of Newsletters, please feel free to edit and correct it. Otherwise, you can discard it. There are other things I want to tell you, but I will do it next time. Peace! May the Lord bless you!
Your little brother in the Lord,Chun Ju NihMay 27, 1934
Brother Lee:
I received your letter. It comforted and encouraged me very much because I was struggling, wanting the Lord to give me a meeting while at the same time feeling in my deepest part that I should wait for Him. Your word to pray and be patient caused me to rest.
The principal here is also a good brother in the Lord. He wants me to bear the responsibility for preaching the gospel with another brother, Lo Yung Tien. The school meets together for a short time to have so-called morning devotions every Friday and Lord's Day. The principal wants us to preach the gospel to the students during this time. Although we feel that this is a good opportunity, we feel a great pressure, as if we cannot bear this responsibility. We are praying that the Lord would give grace. If it is His will, we would be willing for you to come to preach the gospel for a few days at our school. If you are willing to come, please tell us.
There is not a table meeting in this locality. We are willing to watch the Lord Himself lead His flock step by step in Chia Hsing. "It is sufficient to have the Lord!"
Last Lord's Day I got dysentery and stayed in the hospital to rest for five days. I am completely well now. The Lord's keeping power got me safely through. Until we meet again. Peace in the Lord!
Your little brother in the Lord,Chang Yu ChihSeptember 3
The following letter was written to Brother Witness and me by Sister Lee while she was traveling and working in southern China. She specifically requested that we not publish her letter in Collection of Newsletters because it is contrary to the position of head covering for a sister to talk about church matters. But feeling that this letter is profitable to the believers in each locality, we publish it. Brother Lee and I assume full responsibility for its content and anything pertaining to it.
Watchman Nee
Dear Brothers Watchman and Witness:
It has been one month and four days since I left Shanghai. I arrived in Swatow on June 13. I left Swatow on July 10 and arrived in Hong Kong on the eleventh. I arrived in Kung Ho City in Tai Shan on the twelfth. I already described the approximate condition in Swatow in my letter of July 9 to the sisters in Shanghai.
On June 25, I wrote a letter to Mr. Watchman (which was delivered by the #215) in which I explained why I could not return to Shanghai for a time. I asked that the responsibility for editing the Collection of Newsletters be given to Mr. Witness in the future. I did not mean to place a heavy burden upon the brother, but I have a desperate reason for not being able to return to Shanghai — the sisters outside of Shanghai truly have a need. They do not have as many good opportunities as the sisters in Shanghai.
I will stay in Tai Shan until August 5. At the beginning of next week, we will start a sisters' conference. In general, the first week will be for preaching, the second week for studying the Bible, and the third week for preaching again. Every afternoon there will be a time for individual fellowship.
All work must pass through fire to prove its value. What can one do apart from the Lord?
At this time, in the various places, through personal fellowship with the brothers and sisters and from what I have seen and heard, I have much for which to be grateful to the Lord. Yet I also have some fear and sighings. Most of the brothers and sisters in Swatow are like a sheet of white — all that is needed is some good writing. They are also like a piece of good ground — all they need is proper sowing. Within a year's time, about twenty brothers and forty to fifty sisters have actually begun meeting together, not including those who only come for the messages. The sisters in Taishan labor incessantly and offer themselves to the best of their ability. These are good signs.
I wish that from now on the brothers would pay attention to the following matters:
(1) If the brothers in a certain locality desire to have the Lord's table, they should at least know what the church is and the reason for the table. If some presume that simply because they have no name they are not a sect, and yet in many activities they are a sect in another form, and if they consider that only they are the church and are better than anyone else, then inevitably they will become the worst sect.
(2) The brothers and sisters in a locality who are lacking in gift should procure proper jobs and serve God with their jobs. Otherwise, they simply become dead preachers sitting in their parishes, where neither sinners are being saved nor brothers and sisters are growing in life. Consequently, the place is full of spiritual death. We may ignore any derision from the denominations, but what about our testimony? If a place is without a worker, it is best for the brothers and sisters there to pray livingly, remember the Lord, and give personal testimonies. It is not necessary to adhere to a set form. If a brother or sister professes to be called by the Lord yet is not gifted, then in the eyes of others, this calling is questionable. The problem with this kind of worker is that he is either presumptuous or lazy. Sometimes problems also arise in regard to material supply — those who are pure may suffer hardship, while others may make godliness a means of gain.
(3) If a brother or sister is gifted, it is best for him or her to serve God according to what he or she has. For anyone to go beyond their gift when they minister will unavoidably be unreal or in error.
(4) Even though we are standing on the "right" side, nevertheless, it would be best that our messages would emphasize what is in the Bible, without saying explicitly that this denomination or that denomination is right or wrong. We should let any seeking one, after hearing the truth and realizing the error in which he is, be willing to pay the price to follow the Word. Avoid arguing over minor points. To be divided because of different interpretations of the Bible, is not this the way of the Brethren? More and more I feel that every time as we break the bread, although our eyes can only see a certain number of brothers and sisters, yet, through the bread, what we actually see are all the saved ones. Otherwise, the testimony of Ephesians 1:23 is lost.
(5) When the authority of a local church is in the hands of the sisters, and the sisters are not clear, then the brothers should be frank to admonish them concerning this. But if the sisters intentionally refuse to stand on the proper position, then the brothers will not have a standing there. However, there are some places where the sisters are very good, while the brothers are old, formal, and dead. In such cases there is need for some enlightened brother to deal with these brothers. If the brothers will not listen, then one cannot blame the sisters for backsliding or being disjointed. In cases like this, the brothers are still a sect, only with the word free added to it. It is excusable to be in this situation if one is unclear, but if he is disobedient after knowing, then it becomes a matter of motive.
The reason why I have said so much is not that the brothers in Shanghai have any strong points or special authority; I am only hoping that in your speaking or writing you would pay attention to these aspects. I am a sister, and in this letter I am simply conversing with you as a member of the family giving you a report of these matters.
The brothers in Swatow are very burning for the gospel, preaching twice weekly with two brothers responsible each time. In this matter I will be honest to say that the brothers in Shanghai are behind.
I really ask the Lord to supply the work and the need of the workers in each of these localities. Recently quite a few brothers and sisters in each locality were out of jobs, while the others mostly had only average jobs. Although many brothers and sisters have given their utmost, there is still a lack for the work and the workers. On the one hand, the workers should never tell the brothers and sisters directly or indirectly of their need by giving hints or speaking through others. Yet on the other hand, often some brothers and sisters either regard the responsible worker as a rich man, or sometimes care only for the work and not the worker. I say this not because I have a need, but because of my observation. Pardon me for writing about so many things. Peace in the Lord!
Sincerely yours,Ruth Lee
Greetings to all the brothers and sisters in Shanghai.
I lay sick in bed for thirty-one years just like the man in John 5 who was sick for thirty-eight years. Today I have been completely healed by the Lord Jesus. I began studying theology in a denomination in 1903. At first I was baptized by sprinkling, but later I went to another denomination and was baptized by immersion. I have received salaries from several denominations and preached for a few denominations. It was just like in Revelation 3:1 where the Lord said, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are living, and yet you are dead." During these thirty-one years, I was living a life that shamed the Lord. Furthermore, because the denominations could not satisfy me, I also sinned for three or four years by not reading the Bible, praying, or going to meetings. I was sixty last year according to the flesh. In November I was sick for twenty days. My physical body was very weak. In March of this year, Brother Ke Ts'ung Yi came to Chin Chia Pien Elementary School, Kao Tze, to teach. He zealously exhorted me to obey the Lord. Later, I asked Brother Ke to clearly explain some of the things I doubted. After hearing his explanations, it seemed as if scales fell off my eyes. I was able to see. I thanked, obeyed, and praised the Lord. Now there are a few matters I would like the brothers and sisters in the Lord to pray for on my behalf. First, please ask the Lord to keep me and strengthen me to the end. Second, please ask the Lord Himself to do a good work in me and glorify Himself through this useless, weak vessel to testify for Himself. Third, please ask the Lord to save my wife, son, daughter, son-in-law, and my grandchildren, that our whole house may believe in the Lord and be saved. Fourth, please ask the Lord to establish a place for a meeting in the Lord's name so that those who believe in the Lord with a pure heart will have a place to meet and partake of the Lord's table. Fifth, please implore the Lord to work in my circumstances that I may always glorify and obey Him. Also pray that my home would be near a meeting in the Lord's name. Sixth, please pray that the Lord would add saved ones into His precious name every day so that the lost sheep may become a flock under the hand of the great Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, amen. Finally, I bless all the brothers and sisters in the Lord. Health in spirit and body!
The smallest brother in the Lord,Feng Ching YiAugust 17, 1934
This letter was sent in by a believer in Kao Tze, Kiangsu who was helped by Brother Ke and was revived.
Greetings to our dear brother in the Lord, Watchman:
May the Holy Spirit within each brother pray for us, the dried-up children. We have been believers in the Inland Mission for many years. We were all blindly zealous and knew nothing about being saved and overcoming. We often sought the truth. We have seen the divisions among the denominations, and when we met brothers who believed in the Lord, we asked, "Which church do you belong to?" Then we praised his church for doing this or that or we discussed the salary the believers gave the preacher. Our spirits were not pleased that we did not speak of the Lord's grace, but we had no alternative. Thank and praise the God who loves man. He sent His faithful and obedient messengers, Chiu Jih Chien and Chi Yung Tung, to Chi T'ang Chi to begin the work there and to give us the truth. This was from July 26 to August 1, 1929. God laid hold of a few of us. Satan also worked by saying, "Chiu and Chi from Su Chia Tsue are speaking the devil's doctrine. The last days are here. There are false apostles and false prophets. The Lord has told us not to believe in them or be led astray." But in our hearts we felt that the Scriptures they quoted were all true. Later we bought some books from Ting Chung Shu, including The Christian Life and Warfare, The Christian, and The Spiritual Man. But we were still cheated; we did not understand, and we placed our flesh in this life at the forefront. We were unable to overcome for three years. The Lord placed us in trials, while Satan raised up some work. The Seventh-day Adventists preach a proper living, the law in the last days, and the commandments. Many worldly people followed. In April and May of 1933, thirty-six people were baptized. Oh, thank the Lord, He enlightened us to see 1 John 4:1-6. All the brothers and sisters in our locality were considering our love for God. The Lord who knows man sent His messenger, Brother Chiu, to us again. In more than ten days of work, God grasped a few brothers and sisters out of the many to meet, break bread, and praise. We were so joyful. We thank the Lord and remember how much He loves us. Our Lord and His cross were livingly depicted before our eyes. Our hearts could not help but respond; we each shed tears. After about fifteen minutes, we read the Bible, broke the bread, and received the cup. It was so sweet. There are seven brothers and four sisters who break bread together. The responsible brothers are Sun Tze Kang and Chi Ju Ch'un.
We received an issue of Collection of Newsletters and learned about the conference in Shanghai. Satan did a special work. Brother Chi wanted to go, but his wife persecuted and frustrated him. It is difficult to describe the situation in a sentence. The Lord caused him to overcome, and he arrived safely in Shanghai. The devil also worked so that he would have a recurrence of a chronic illness. When he suffers from this illness, it usually lasts for ten days. This time the Lord blessed him in that he was healed after two days. He asked Brother Chi Yung Tung to tell the brothers and sisters who love the Lord to pray for him. Thank the Lord that He heard their prayers.
In February Sister Chin began a women's work in Yi Lin. The Lord moved a mother and daughter, Chi P'ing Ch'uan, and another sister, Chi Tao Hua, and her daughter, Chi An Yu, to go to Yi Lin for more than twenty days of learning. Chi P'ing Ch'uan and Chi An Yu were both baptized in Yi Lin. They entered into the Lord Jesus' death and are living to God. A sister was baptized here in our locality on April 15. Every Lord's Day, the attendance is more than thirty people. God's promise is true. He adds saved ones to us every day. Every Lord's Day many sick people come.
We are still meeting in the old meeting place that the China Inland Mission used to occupy. It is in Sun Tze Kang's house. He is saved and his wife obeys, but the rest of the people in the household are unbelievers. We hope that all the brothers and sisters who love the Lord will pray for us before Him. We do not know where God wants to put us because we are young and dry. We do not know what God's will is. Every Lord's Day, a brother who is led by the Holy Spirit gives some testimony. We do not know when God will give a gifted member to His church. May the Lord bless each one of you. Health and peace to your spirit, soul, and body!
Your little brothers,Sun Tze Kang and Chi Ju Ch'unJuly 3, 1934
We cannot write too well, and we are afraid that there are many misused words and incorrect characters. Please forgive us.
(1) Before there was a meeting here, we listened to the Word and worshipped in the meeting in the Ao Nei denomination. At that time I listened to the Word, but I did not know that Jesus was crucified for me or that He died and lives for me. All we wanted was to change our behavior a little. Thank God, in 1928 Brothers Wang, Ts'ai, and a few other good servants of the Lord came from Wu Tai and Tai Sun to meet with us in Ts'uo Tze. At that time I heard that Jesus died on the cross for us to bear our all and shed His blood to cleanse away our sins. I immediately received, believed, and was saved. I was not only saved but also revived. I was not the only one who was revived. There were several other brothers who were revived at the same time. Every Wednesday and Friday evening at 5:30 we went to Ao Nei for a two-hour prayer meeting and walked back home. It was a trip of more than ten miles over narrow paths and mountain roads. We returned home at 11:30. One brother told us that before he believed in the Lord, he could not walk five miles in half a day. After he believed in the Lord and was saved and revived, he could walk more than twenty miles with us on foot every Wednesday and Friday to the meetings. It was more than six hours round trip. This was truly the power of God overshadowing him. There are some other brothers who have been attending the prayer meeting for more than a year now. Thank God!
(2) In 1929 a few of us discussed the possibility of having a prayer meeting in our own locality. At that time the brothers were all in one accord and went immediately to rent a place for the prayer meeting. On Wednesday and Friday more than ten people, including old ones, young ones, men and women, met to pray. After discussing the situation, everyone prayed and waited before the Lord. Thank God for His marvelousness. At that time there was a five-room tiled house in which a demon had appeared. Nobody lived in it, and it was for sale for a very good price. They wanted one hundred twenty dollars. We had very few people and most were poor. We could not borrow money from other churches. We prayed before God; each person did his best. We wrote down our own offering and placed it in the offering box. Some for one, two, three, ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, or one hundred dollars. After adding them all up, it totaled two hundred dollars. The brothers then purchased this house. The house is about ten miles from Chen Hsia Kuan. Later, we set a time to tear down the old house. All the work was done by the brothers in the Lord. God gave us another miracle. The five-room house of wood and tile was torn down in one day. We carried the building materials, totaling more than two hundred baskets, to the river by hand and transported them by boat to Chen Hsia Kuan.
(3) In 1930 a four-room tiled house was temporarily completed. The entire cost came to four hundred fifty dollars. Thank God. We do not know where the money came from. We never expected God's grace to be so great. In our human mentality, we wanted a two-room straw thatched house. Who could have guessed that God would prepare a four-room tiled house for us to meet in? God really does everything beyond what we ask or think.
(4) We began meeting in September of 1930. There were six brothers in the table meeting. There were more than twenty people who came to the gospel meetings. Now there are sixteen in the table meeting and more than sixty in the gospel meeting. God has cast out demons and healed sicknesses in many places. Now many people want to come hear the gospel. I ask the brothers and sisters in every place to pray for us. Peace in the Lord!
From,Wu Tze ChienJune 18, 1934
To our two brothers in the Lord, Watchman and Witness:
How have you been recently? Are you still in Shanghai in the heat of the summer, or have you gone someplace to get away from the heat? We, the co-workers here, think about you often. You must be thinking of us just as we think of you. Therefore, we want to tell you something of our recent experiences and what the Lord has charged us with in the work. We hope you will not forget to pray for us.
Our Lord is to be praised because while we were walking in error, He called us and led us back so that we would walk according to His way. This is the Lord's special grace to us. However, most of the leaders of the denominations do not understand us; they have accused us again and again before the magistrate. They have used violent words to threaten our weak brothers and sisters, but the Lord's solid foundation has been laid. No one can tear it down.
Thank and praise the Lord! In this situation with enemies on all sides, the Lord gave us a new call to remember the souls of sinners. (For the past few years, we were busy with internal affairs and almost neglected to preach the gospel.) For this reason, we, the few useless ones, have been gathered together by the Holy Spirit to begin a gospel preaching work.
On July 19 we began our journey from Fang Yen. We wanted to go to the areas around Pei Kang to preach the gospel, but during those few days it was constantly raining and the river flooded. The steamboats on both sides of the river could not run. We had to wait for the next day to take a sailboat. Unexpectedly, the boat was stopped in the middle of the river by flooding torrents, and we could not reach our destination. We were forced to leave the boat and go ashore to continue our journey in the rain until dusk. We spent the night in a China Inland Mission chapel (because one of our neighbors was working there as a teacher). Although the rain stopped the next day, the flood waters had not receded. Therefore, we had to take a detour over the hills and mountains. We finally arrived in a place called He Hsi around noon and rested at an inn. There was another place about five miles away called Hsia Hsi where several of our brothers and sisters meet in the Lord's name. We wanted to get there to break bread and remember the Lord on the Lord's Day, but the flood still had not receded, and we could not go on. We had to stay at the inn until the water went down. That afternoon, Brother Ts'ai passed out gospel tracts on the street and preached the gospel from door to door. Many people heard the Lord's name. But the people in the denomination were very unhappy. A young believer came to our lodging and solemnly told us, "Now the government has made a declaration that you are not allowed to disturb our church." Later a preacher walked past our hotel, and a woman called to him, "Mr. So-and-so, these guests are also preachers; why don't you give them hospitality in the church building?" The preacher raised his head and looked, but he did not say a word; instead, he raised his head high and walked away. This was suffering persecution for the Lord's name, so our hearts were very happy. In the evening, we preached the gospel to a few people at the inn and then went to bed. The next day (the Lord's Day), the water had not completely receded, but the road was only covered with water up to a man's knees, so we proceeded with difficulty. We wanted to hurry to a place where the brothers met to break bread, so we carried our luggage on our backs and carefully plodded along. While we were walking, there was a deep drainage ditch next to the road, and Brother Chen unexpectedly lost his footing and fell in! The water was rushing along, and the ditch was very dangerous. Fortunately, the Lord's hand held him up. We pulled him out unharmed. Even his suitcase was not damaged when we pulled it out of the water. We really thank the Lord unceasingly for His grace.
When we got to Hsia Hsi, the brothers' hospitality in the Lord's love was very warm. We spent the Lord's Day there. Beginning the next day — from Monday to Friday — we had gospel meetings every evening. During the days we had a few edifying meetings for those in the church. We preached the gospel by first printing red announcements that had the time, date, place, and an invitation to come hear the gospel on one side and John 3:16 on the other. The brothers took these announcements and delivered them door to door. In the evening the brothers went out to invite them again and pull them in. In this way we surprised the entire population of the village of Hsia Hsi. They all came, both men and women. All the seats were filled. It is often very difficult for unbelievers to remain quiet in a meeting. But the Lord was among us, and He stretched out His powerful arm so that the whole audience listened quietly and solemnly from beginning to end without a single interruption. Many people in this place are Catholic. They came every time to hear the preaching. One Catholic head of a household locked his house up and brought the entire family to the meeting. He also gave us some things for the use of the meeting. Our meeting place was small, and there were not enough chairs; some of the people who came to hear the messages brought their own chairs. After the message, they carried the chairs home. Although they listened until the middle of the night, they did not act tired. The Lord was indeed drawing people to Himself. We thank and praise Him!
On Saturday afternoon, we left the brothers, sisters, and new gospel friends in Hsia Hsi and walked thirty-five miles to Shan Men Street. There is a meeting there which recently left the denominations to meet in the Lord's name. They knew that we would come on that day, so they had made early and good preparations for our room and board. Four or five brothers also walked eight or nine miles along the road to welcome us. Once we got to the meeting place, we felt the Lord's grace and love enveloping us on all sides. Our hearts really felt sweet. That afternoon the brothers went out as usual to preach the gospel and pass out announcements and tracts. In the evening, one hundred people came to listen to the gospel. This time Brother Ts'ai got up to speak the message. He was blessed with power by the Lord, so the listeners were very moved. However, we did not make them sign their names. We do not like to do this. The next day was the Lord's Day. In the morning, there was an edification meeting for the believers. In the afternoon, we spoke on the necessity and meaning of baptism. After the meeting, five brothers and four sisters went to the river with us and were baptized. In the evening there should have been a table meeting, but because many people came to the meeting to hear the gospel, we had to preach the gospel to them first. After the crowd left, we had a table meeting late at night. The spiritual atmosphere in this table meeting was very thick. We all felt as if we had ascended to the heavens and seen the Lord face to face.
On July 30 (Monday) we rested during the day. In the evening, we preached the gospel outside in front of Brother Lee Shu Jen's house because the house was too small. Brother Lee had already contacted all his relatives, neighbors, and clan. By evening there was a great number of people gathered together for the meeting. The topic of that message was John 3:16. After hearing the message, all the people were filled with joy because they knew that God loved them.
On July 31 (Tuesday) we left Shan Men Street and walked for thirty miles to Shun Hsi. There are more than one thousand homes in this place. The population is about five thousand, but there are only five who believe in the Lord, counting both men and women. These five believed last spring when Lee Shu Jen, Hsu Chi Jen, and other brothers went there to preach the gospel. We spent six days there. In the mornings of the first three days, we rested. In the afternoons, we preached the gospel door to door and passed out announcements inviting them to come hear the gospel in the evening. The last three days we had meetings with the brothers in the morning and evening. They were for the edification of those who had already believed and those who had believed in the past three days. In the evening we still had a gospel meeting. We really thank the Lord for those six evenings of gospel meetings. He first prepared a large house for us. We only rented a small part of the building. We borrowed the courtyard and the halls around it. It could hold one thousand people. This solved the problem of overcrowdedness. Every afternoon the brothers went out to pass out announcements. In the evening they went out again to invite people in. If some did not want to come in, we very politely pulled them in. Every evening there were more than one hundred people. Sometimes a few hundred people came to hear the message. We did not speak anything to them but Jesus Christ and His crucifixion. Sometimes we also mentioned the coming judgment or the signs of the end times. God did a great work through His own Word. Every evening after the meeting, there were always a few who stayed there and would not leave. We spoke or prayed with them, or we asked them to stay for a snack, and then they received the Lord. On the last day of our work there (the Lord's Day), the new believers came and worshipped together with us and became our brothers and sisters. Thank and praise the Lord. If He does not draw people, what can His useless servants do? May many sinners be saved and the Lord's name be glorified more! Our hearts were satisfied. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
On August 6 (Monday) we left Shun Hsi. We were going to go to Chu Hsi. The brothers accompanied us for several miles out of town and said good-by to us in a pavilion. We picked up our luggage and went ahead. Unexpectedly, a farmer in his thirties came up to us and wanted to carry our luggage for us. We did not understand. When we asked him why he wanted to carry the luggage, he said, "I was not able to hear you preach during the few days that you were in my town of Shun Hsi. I was just leaving to come and hear you last night when something came up and I could not do what I wanted. This morning I heard you were leaving, and I was very sad. So I came here especially to carry your luggage for you and walk with you for awhile. This way I can hear your doctrines. Please talk to me while we walk." Our hearts were filled with heavenly joy when we saw this. On the way we told him about man's sin, the punishment for sin, and the salvation of Christ's cross. We walked for more than ten miles through the mountains. After about one and a half hours, this friend left us. At that time he confessed Jesus as Lord and knew that the Lord Jesus had taken away all his sins. We stood on that mountaintop praying with him. Thank the Lord, this person got saved! After he left we continued ahead. We arrived in Chu Hsi around noon. There are more than ten brothers and sisters in the Lord's name here. We stayed for two days. There were gospel meetings both evenings. More than one hundred sinners heard the Lord's salvation. May the Lord bless His messages so that many may be saved from among the listeners.
We left Chu Hsi on the eighth and walked twelve miles to Ting P'u T'ou. Brother Wang Yu T'ing was there. We met with Brother Wang Yu T'ing and Brother Chang Wu Sheng and the other brothers. Our spirits were very happy. However, our bodies were a little weak, so we rested there. We will not go into any more details. We only hope you pray. Peace in the Lord!
Your brothers in the Lord,Chen Hsiang, Ts'ai Ch'iWang Ch'ung Hsin, Lee Shu Jen, Chin Tze FangAugust 13, 1934
Greetings to my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord:
In April I sent a letter to Collection of Newsletters with news of the co-working brothers. Today I suddenly saw that it had been published in the Newsletter Paper. Facts had been deleted and topics had been added. I was very surprised. There was no impropriety in the letter I wrote. But I have not read the Newsletter Paper very carefully this past year. In fact, I have forgotten the address of the Newsletter Paper. Nevertheless, I never wrote to it. Brother Chen Ch'in Fa and I saw this paper at the same time and think that the postman must have given the letter meant for Collection of Newsletters to the Newsletter Paper. This shows how the enemy will stop at nothing to attack us. I am making this announcement to dispel the doubts of the brothers and sisters. May the Lord bless us. Peace in the Lord!
Your little brother in the Lord,Wang Yu T'ingAugust 22
P.S. There will be a five-day conference in Nan Kang Fan Shan, P'ing Yang from August 29 to September 2. Brother Chen Ch'in Fa and I will be responsible for the messages. We hope that the hungry and thirsty brothers and sisters will be edified. We hope that the brothers and sisters who are in one accord with us in Shanghai will pray for us. It is very important.
Your brother,Wang Yu T'ing
Brother Ch'i Yu:
After you separated from Sze Cheng Chapel, I was not peaceful in my heart day and night. When Pastor Chen Ts'ung Kuei led the meetings in Bethany, I suggested that he go to your place. I was willing to pay his round-trip ticket. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to go to Hangchow. He stayed in my home for one night in Nanking. I spoke with him about this matter. He said that you [left the denomination] too quickly and that it was a pity. Before he came, I also wrote a letter to Pastor Cheng Chi Kuei asking his opinion. According to what Pastor Chen Ts'ung Kuei says, Pastor Cheng is most opposed to the Little Flock. He speaks from the Bible and is able to turn you back to the church. I hope Pastor Cheng can write a letter to you and that he can perhaps come to see you and explain everything in person. I am very willing to pay the round-trip travel expenses. I do not know much about the Little Flock, but I feel that you are taking the easy way and are not willing to bear the cross in the church to help the weak brothers more with the strength God has given you. It is difficult to make the weak brothers into good ones, but this is your work. The group you have now entered must be very holy. They are all of similar wills. But who will go to exhort and care for the weaker brothers? The Little Flock only wants better people (Christians) or more zealous people (Christians). Although the organization of the church has many problems and perhaps some errors, it needs some spiritual people like Wesley and Martin Luther to change things through the strength of God. Don't you agree? The church has a long history already. God has already done miracles in the church. I hope you have a peaceful attitude. If Pastor Cheng can speak correctly according to the Bible, I hope you can come back to help the church. I was planning to come to Hangchow today, but my house is being repaired, so I will go to Hangchow next Friday (August 3). When I come, I will write again. Please do not come to the station to meet me; I will go to your house myself. Peace in the Lord!
Your brother,Yu FangJuly 28 at sundown
P.S. Pastor Cheng is in the area of Honan leading some meetings. He will write an article against the Little Flock which will be published in a gospel magazine.
I received your letter. I thank you very much for your kindness, but there are a few things that I must explain:
(1) What is the little flock? Please read Luke 12:32. It says, "Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has been well pleased to give you the kingdom." Can you oppose this little flock? The term "little flock" refers to all the saved ones who believe in the Lord's name at all times and places. If you oppose the little flock, you are opposing yourself and myself unless we are not saved. We who meet in the meeting place at 321 East Street Road are not called the little flock. We are called "The meeting place of those who meet in the Lord's name in Hangchow."
Outsiders call us "The Little Flock" because the hymnal we use is called Little Flock Hymnal. This really is not our name, because we do not have a name. We cannot take this broad name. If we have a name, we have become a denomination.
(2) What is the church? Ephesians 1:22-23 says, "The church, which is His Body." Ephesians 4:4 also says, "One Body." Therefore, the church includes all the saved ones who believe in the Lord's name in all times and places. Please look at 1 Timothy 3:15 also. The church is called "the house of God."
Then what is not the church? The church is not a chapel, nor is it a youth group, nor a sect or denomination. Every saved believer in the Lord's name is a member of Christ. The members are produced naturally; they cannot join anything. Therefore, I "meet in the Lord's name" on East Street Road. We have seen that according to the Bible there should not be "denominational" differentiation. Having denominations is a sin. I left Sze Cheng Chapel. I did not leave the church; I only left a denomination. My leaving of the denomination was not because of individual preference but because of obeying the teachings of the Bible.
(3) In the Bible, the word sanctified in its positional aspect means that something is separated unto God. Please read the section beginning with Matthew 23:17, 1 Timothy 4:4-5, and John 17:19. In the Bible, holy and common are opposites. Holy and sinful are not opposites. Please read Ezekiel 44:23. The brothers and sisters who meet in the Lord's name do not all have a great knowledge of the Bible, nor have we all attained a high level of spirituality. However, we can say that everyone among us is saved. The level of salvation, however, varies. Some have been saved for two months, some for six months, some for a year, and some have just been newly saved. Our greatest work every week is to preach the gospel. Preaching the gospel is to bring unsaved ones in through the door of salvation. Many people misunderstand us and think that we only are trying to pull people out of the denominations. That is a great mistake, but it was also my previous concept.
(4) The organization of the church: The organization of the church is spontaneous just as the organization of a body is spontaneous.
The present chapels and denominations are not the church, so they need man's organization. Because there are many unsaved, unregenerated, and worldly ones in the denominations, they need man's organization.
If you come to Hangchow, I will welcome you very much. However, it is best if we do not discuss this matter because the light which we have individually received is different. You cannot understand the truth of leaving the denominations in your heart without "God's enlightenment." This is my answer to you. Greetings!
Your brother,Jan Ch'i YuJuly 30, 1934
Dear Brothers Ho and Huang:
I have a small question that I hope you can answer for me. Brother Miao Wan Hsiu of the meeting here asked about the matter of registering the church with the government. When I was in Shanghai, Brother Liu Tien Min of Shantung also wrote a letter asking about this matter. Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to how the brothers answered him at that time. Therefore, I can only ask you brothers to answer the question again. The condition here is certainly different from that in Shantung and inner China. (Parts omitted.) Peace in the Lord!
Your brother in the Lord,Chang Chen MingJanuary 28
Brother Chen Ming:
We received your letter a long time ago. Please forgive us for not answering sooner. If the local government requires the meeting to register, we should obey. However, we cannot register a name because we may not have names. We can explain to the local officials that we have a Christian meeting at a certain address and then tell them who the responsible ones are. Peace!
Answered by,Witness
P.S. According to the brothers from Ch'ang-ch'un, the meeting there has already registered with the authorities. A few of the responsible brothers went to the authorities and explained to them the nature and origin of the meeting. They also promised the authorities that they would be completely responsible for that meeting. I have heard that not only were they able to do this without difficulty, but the authorities even complimented them.
Mr. Nee:
I received your letter. I thank you for the thorough teachings it gave me. I hope you will be willing to teach and correct me often.
Thank the Lord, He really blessed Brother Luan's work in Chefoo this time. Brother Chao Pi Cheng sent a letter that said, "The condition of this conference was very good. Brothers T'ien P'ing Fang and Chang Tze Chieh were helped much by this conference...The sisters' work and fellowship is much better than before. The brothers and sisters seem to be a little revived." Brother Chao Ching Hai sent a letter, saying, "We thank God because He has heard our prayer and the prayers of all our brothers and sisters. He bound Satan for us; therefore, we were not bothered by him in this conference. He also caused us to see the Lord's victory. After we received your telegram that Brother Luan would be coming to Chefoo by the Tung Chou Steamer, the children in every home got sick...Some became sick from falling off the heated beds; some became sick from falling out of their strollers. The rest were mainly sick with fever. They were all very ill...But through the desperate prayer of the brothers and sisters, all the sick children were well by the time of the first meeting...In this conference, God truly blessed us. We really see a revival in our brothers and sisters. We truly thank and praise our dear Father. He also preserved His servant, Brother Luan, so that he was very healthy physically...Many brothers and sisters who love the Lord in the denominations came to attend the meetings. All the seats in the meeting hall were filled every meeting, and we even added chairs in the corridor...Mr. Hsu Chu Lan, the leader of the home table meetings, was very touched. He bought many of our books...He said he would definitely be able to go to Hangchow to attend the conference there." Brother Chang Tze Chieh sent a letter, saying, "During this conference the devil attacked strongly, but in the end he was defeated. During the daytime, it rained often, but every evening it cleared up at meeting time. After the meeting was over, it rained all day and night. There were thirteen days of meetings. Brother Luan testified twenty-two times to us. One day he spoke for eight hours including the time he spoke to outsiders. When we were singing hymns, his voice was hoarse, but during the prayer, his strength increased...We really thank and praise God that His presence is so good! The atmosphere in every meeting was very living (one meeting was not so good); the flavor of the meetings gives us sweet longings. Brother Luan said many times that it was because some took up the responsibility to pray. I was edified very much during this time. May you brothers thank the Lord much!" Yes, we really should thank the Lord! May He preserve what He has done there through our brother.
I already answered the letter to the brothers in P'ing Yang and put the news into the Collection of Newsletters. A few days ago, I felt that I should leave the city, but I do not know where to go. After receiving your letter today, maybe I should go to P'ing Yang. However, I will wait for the Lord to give me the message and then make the arrangements. Please pray much for this.
There are great difficulties in the matter of visitation among the brothers in Shanghai. Brothers Tu and Wu do not have much time, and I do not have much either. I hope Brother Chang returns soon. We are now paying attention to the matter of the brothers' fellowship. It seems that recently the brothers have risen up. (We see it in the table meeting and their prayer.) I really need help and prayers now. Peace!
Your brother,Witness LeeAugust 17
P.S. Brother T'ien P'ing Fang returned to Ch'ang-ch'un on August 10. Brother T'ien Hsin Wu is still in Chefoo. Brother Chang Tze Chieh went to Tsingtao on the same day. Brother Luan went to Ch'ang-ch'un yesterday or the day before. He will return south on the Pei-ning and the P'ing-hu lines. Brother Chung Chieh sent a card saying that they are having a ten-day conference beginning August 16. The first three days are for preaching the gospel, and another brother is responsible. The last seven days are for edifying, and Brother Chung Chieh is responsible. Please pray for this.
Your Brother
(Please see the note before the first letter.)
Greetings to the brothers in the Lord, Mr. Watchman and Mr. Witness:
I think you have already received the letter I sent on July 13. I have already completed one stage of the work here (please see my letter to the sisters for the details). Tomorrow I will go to Kung Yi Pu (about ten miles from here) because there are more than ten sisters there. On August 6 I will go to Kwangchow. I have made the arrangements for my trip to Hong Kong for August 11. From August 13 to 17, I will have a Bible study with the sisters in Hong Kong.
This is a good place to work. Transportation is very convenient. If someone wanted to preach the gospel, he would have many opportunities. Brother T'ang is a pure brother. But there is still a question as to whether or not he has really been called to do full-time work. Perhaps he will have to find a job in the future. Perhaps he is still waiting.
The brothers in the country do not have much knowledge about how to meet. There are two reasons for this: They lack spiritual edification, so they do not understand how to touch and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in the meeting. There is also no one to train them. They are often wrong even in the matter of applying the hymns in the Little Flock Hymnal. They cannot be blamed for this. Therefore, I hope that something concerning the truth of the church (the gospel also, because it is the foundation) can be published soon. The formal version of the Little Flock Hymnal needs to be published soon with an explanation of what kind of hymn should be sung at what time so that this habit does not become so set that it cannot be changed.
Many things cannot be clearly understood unless one sees it with his own eyes. Therefore, I hope that the responsible brothers in the work will go to each locality to see for themselves when they have the opportunity. Then they will know the true shortcomings, needs, and strong points of every place and will be able to bear the responsibility to pray and help.
I feel even more that the gifted brothers and sisters should remember the entire church in the future. Once a meeting has been established for one or two years, the gifted brothers should not just sit in the same old place. If they do not travel, one locality will constantly improve while other places will never receive help or gain sinners for the Lord.
The publication is only good for some people. Many brothers and sisters need a face-to-face explanation. Therefore, every meeting place should have some who can speak directly to the congregation.
I really feel that the workers should come from the apprentices and not the schools. Those who were apprentices have assurance when they are working, while the students are prone to become idealistic.
It is difficult to say when I will return to Shanghai. (I am waiting for a letter from the co-working sisters before I will know.) During this time I have been praying that God would direct me concerning my path in the near future. Perhaps I will not be able to give myself to the publication work this year but will visit more places where there are sisters but which have no one to work among them. Therefore, I can only ask Mr. Witness to continue working on Collection of Newsletters. Thank God! There are more and more brothers in Shanghai now. May God choose more brothers to be co-workers in the literature work. May God bless you.
From,Ruth LeeJuly 31 in Kung Ho City, Taishan
Brother Nee:
The edification which the children of God received at the last Overcomers' Conference seems to be more than they received in the two previous conferences. Glory, praise, and thanks be to the God of blessing. Amen.
Not long after I returned from the conference, my eldest child died of tuberculosis. Although at first it broke my heart, thank the Lord; He breaks and then bandages, wounds and then heals, with His hands. Through this fiery trial, the truths I had newly received have become my experience. Praise the Lord!
When I was in Shanghai, I told you a little about the way I had been going for the past few years. But now the Lord's light has given me great enlightenment. Woe to me if I continue to disobey! At first I did not want to tell you what I had passed through. However, I can be silent no longer, because I need those who are in one accord with me to pray for me and instruct me.
I had a little knowledge about the denominations for quite some time, but because there are still a few faithful lovers of the Lord in the denominations, I really could not bear to separate from them (actually, it was not being separated from the brothers but from the denominations)! I was also slow to obey because I saw some who had left the denominations become a "I am of Christ" sect. They look on the brothers in the denominations like the Jews look at the Samaritans. If this is the case, the more they leave the denominations, the more denominations there will be. Therefore, I thought it would be better to "change the denominations" than to "leave the denominations." What is more, I could avoid many sufferings of the cross!
Last year I agreed to accept a job with the Chen Chiang Baptist Church. I was a preacher. I did not agree to being a pastor. This year Mr. Ma of the mission board returned to his own country. He wanted to hand over the control of the church to me. So I did my best to explain my idea of reforming the denominations. After many debates, I finally saw the characteristics of the denominations and knew them clearly to the core. At this point, I woke up and realized that I could only leave the denominations; they will never be dissolved. The command in the Bible is to "come out." My idea to reform the denominations was really absurd! I boldly and decisively announced that I was leaving the denominations during the last week of May.
In the first week of June, I had the first table meeting in my home. Sister Liu and Sister Liang came from the Chi Lu Medical School in Tsinan. They are now working as nurses in the Christian hospital here. They have much light of the truth, and they encouraged me very much! Step by step the Lord Himself led us to have a meeting in the Lord's name in Chen Chiang. We few were held fast by the Lord.
The news of our table meeting spread through all the denominations that very same day. They were so afraid of such a little matter that they created a storm in the whole city. I heard that they had emergency meetings on both Monday and Tuesday. Their first step was to forbid the two sisters working in the hospital to come to our meetings. If they did not receive the exhortations, the sisters would lose their jobs. Their second step was a plan to "deflect the tiger from the mountain." They tried to tempt me to leave Chen Chiang. I told the representatives they sent that I was not interested in any profit. If the Lord ordered me to stay here, I would not leave even if I would die! As of this minute, storms attacking us have not stopped.
We have had the table meeting six times. Every one likes to linger around the Lord's table. There are four or five sisters and two or three brothers in every meeting. Unfortunately, the brothers are still milk-drinkers. They cannot bear any responsibility. I am extremely lonely now.
We hope the Lord will give us a place to preach the gospel soon. It is not very convenient to have the table meeting on a mountain either. We would like to know whether or not our gospel hall could have a name like Gospel Chapel, Jesus Chapel, Testimony Chapel, or Preaching Hall. It seems that it is very difficult to attract outsiders to come hear a message in a place without a name.
How should we baptize a seventy-year-old person who cannot go all the way into the water? Some people kneel in the water to be baptized; then the baptizer pushes them forward and immediately helps them up. Is this the proper way? May you be blessed.
Your brother in the Lord,Han Fu ShengJune 12, under the lamp
P.S. How has your health been? I think of you often.
Note from Watchman: The Lord has really worked in every place to bring many of His faithful children into the way of obedience. We thank Him! We really praise the Lord for our Brother Han. With regard to whether or not their meeting is "standing on the ground of the church" or whether they know what the Body life is or whether they are expressing this life in a locality, I do not think we should make any hasty judgment. We should thank God for them. I think that in the future, it would be best if some of us went to visit people like Brother Han that are raised up in a certain place. Perhaps we can write letters to help them see that leaving the denominations is only negative and is not worth anything; they must also express the Body life on the positive side and stand on the ground of a local church. Perhaps they will misunderstand our reasons for pursuing this. But if they do not receive this vision, we cannot go to fellowship with them, nor can we recognize their table as the table that God has established in the locality. However, when they understand these matters, they will see that we are right. This is God's requirement. May those who leave the denominations not think that they can be loose because everyone else is lawless.
To the brother in the Lord, Mr. Kuang Hsiung:
After leaving Shanghai, I have often thought about the grace the Third Overcomer Conference gave us. We thank the Lord. We hope that our work increases in light and in a deeper obedience. There are twelve places with meetings in the P'ing Yang region of Chekiang province. There are twenty-one localities in Tai Shun and five in the Fu Ting region of Fukien province. In my prayer over the past few years, I have had the hope of taking a trip through Tai Shun. I had the opportunity to do so in March of this year. On March 17 I arrived in Ya Yang Hu Wei in Tai Shun and stayed there for four weeks. I held a conference for five days. Brother Lai Kun Ho translated for me because I spoke a different dialect. We also had a meeting concerning the needs of the work of the church. Brother Huang Lu Ch'uan also attended the meeting. I do not have time to write an article about the condition of the work and its results. If the Lord is willing, in the near future I will do my best to write something and to fellowship about the gifts from the Lord and how they edify and render help for people concerning their gifts from the Lord. There is a question now concerning the Lord's table and the sin of idolatry. If I have answered it well, please publish my answer in Collection of Newsletters with a note so that people can be helped even more. The idols are very strong in the locality where I am presently. May the Lord bless all those in Him to be victorious through Him and to glorify His name! Enclosed please find the questions and answers. Peace in the Lord!
Your little brother in the Lord,Wang Yu T'ingApril 27
Question:A believer has a common inheritance with an unbeliever in an idol temple. When the year of temple duty falls on that believer, is it all right for him to stay home and prepare the feast for the others, even if he does not worship the idols?
Answer:No. If the believer does this he has touched the sin of worshipping idols. The source of the feast is the feast of demons. It is a matter of worshipping idols, and believers should flee from it (1 Cor. 10:14). Believers and unbelievers should not be dissimilarly yoked (2 Cor. 6:14). We must come out from their midst (v. 17). This is what the Almighty Lord has said.
Question:A believer and unbelievers have a common inheritance with the family grave in it. In the year that the unbelievers take care of the grave, they sacrifice to the demons, and the believers attend their feast. In the year that the believers care for the grave, they do not sacrifice to the demons. The unbelievers take care of the sacrifice themselves, while the believers prepare the feast for them at home. What do you think of this arrangement?
Answer:If the believers do this, they have also committed the sin of worshipping idols. The Bible has very clear teachings about this. The Bible completely separates the table of demons and the table of men. If it is a table of demons (1 Cor. 10:14-22), whatever is on the table, even if it has not been sacrificed to the demons, becomes part of the demonic feast once it is placed on the table. A table of men, like the table at a banquet or a wedding feast, may have food that has been sacrificed to idols, yet it is still part of the banquet or wedding feast. It is not part of a demonic feast, and there is no sin of idolatry involved. Hence, we can partake of it. With regard to whether or not a believer should prepare a feast in conjunction with rituals at the family grave or participate in the cup of such a feast, the most important point he must ask himself is whether or not this feast of the grave ritual is a demonic feast! If the source is a demonic feast, we are eating and drinking of the table of demons, and what we prepare is also a demonic feast. If we do this, we will incur the Lord's wrath and cannot drink the cup of the Lord (v. 21).
Question:If a brother has a large common inheritance containing many graves that require sacrifices, what should he do?
Answer:If the brother is to take his rightful share, the parties involved must agree: (1) to give the brother his share separately; (2) that when it is the brother's turn to care for the graves, he does not sacrifice anything, nor does he spread a demonic feast. If they are willing to let these matters rest, then the brother can take his inheritance. If he cannot avoid sacrificing to demons or preparing a demonic feast, he should choose rather to give it up even if the inheritance is the whole world. Incidentally, trying to settle the matter in court is also a damage to the Lord's glory.
Question:If a believer's wife does not believe and the believer allows her to prepare the demonic feast when it is their turn to care for the family worship of demons, or if a believer's father and mother are not believers and he cannot stop them from worshipping demons, does the believer have a part in either of these two sins of idolatry?
Answer:The husband is the head of the wife. The wife should obey the husband. If the husband allows her to sin, it is as if he had sinned himself. Children should obey their parents and not control them. The children cannot be held accountable for the parents' sin in worshipping idols. The two stand in different positions (Eph. 5:22; 6:1). However, the believer should stay far away from matters of idolatry (demonic feasts).
Mr. Nee, please read through the answers to these questions about idols and publish them in Collection of Newsletters. The local government here has recently set up a militia. Can the believers refuse to join it? It is a matter of law. I hope you will study this and give us some advice. Greetings to Mr. Chang Kuang Hsiung.
Additional Note from Wang Yu T'ing
Note from Watchman: Brother Wang's answers concerning the matter of idols are very correct. We believers should keep ourselves from doing these things which bring on the Lord's wrath. I deeply believe that even if we lose something of a worldly inheritance, God will bless us. Read Hebrews 13:5-6.
With regard to the matter of the militia, we must remember: (1) We should obey those with authority over us (Rom. 13:1); (2) we cannot kill, even in war (Matt. 26:52). Therefore, when our country organizes a militia, we cannot disobey. However, we cannot go to war for any reason. Therefore, I think:
(1) If they require us to be trained, we can go; but when there is a war, we cannot fight.
(2) Our training invariably leads to conscription so that when there is a war, we will be forced to go against our will. It would be better for us to not attend the training at all.
(3) If we believers cannot obey the authority by fulfilling the law, then we should obey our country by accepting the punishment. They may have a severe penalty of a jail sentence or a fine for those who do not enter the militia, but we should obey them in this matter.
Brothers, we must be faithful unto death. We should not procrastinate in regard to our testimony for the truth.
Brother Tu:
I have enclosed the draft of a letter I wrote recently for the purpose of leaving the denominations. Please look it over and notify the responsible brothers or all the brothers so that they will know that I am definitely walking in the same way with you. May the Almighty Lord lead me, as a weak and useless little lamb, to go on, and may He cover and protect me until He comes. May the Lord bless you!
Your little brother in the Lord,Luke HsuanJuly 23
Mr. Pastor and the saints called in grace together by the Lord:
After being called in grace by the Lord, He enlightened me to know that a Christian is already in His name and cannot take on another name (i.e., Anglican). For example, a wife cannot add another man's name on to her husband's name. If she does this, what kind of woman is she? In addition, the Lord has shown us how much the denominations have deviated from the clear teachings of the Bible. He hates: (1) divisions (1 Cor. 1:10-13); (2) the flesh, which is according to the fashion of the world (3:3-5); and (3) factions, works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-20). In order to obey the Lord, I have especially written this letter to ask you to strike my name from your record. From now on I have no relationship with the Anglican Church. Perhaps you will not agree with this action, but I still hope that you will be noble Bereans and search the Scripture to see whether or not this doctrine is right. May the Almighty Lord bless you personally. Amen.
A Christian,Hsuan Hsiang Pao
I believed and was baptized in 1927 under the name of Hsiang Pao or Ling Sheng.
To the brothers and sisters in the Lord:
We greet you in the Lord. May the Lord keep you as He keeps us. The situation in northern Kiangsu is not very peaceful (because there are bandits causing trouble everywhere). The hearts of the people are fearful and worried, so in our locality (Su Chia Tsui) we have a meeting every afternoon to pray for this situation. Last night while we were sleeping, we suddenly heard rapid gunfire at about 2:00 in the morning. There were twenty or thirty bandits who stormed the streets firing their guns and breaking down doors. They were very fierce. (At that time we could only pray quietly before God.) The police and militia in our town could not hold them off, so the bandits plundered from door to door. When they left, they took thirty to forty women, old folk, and children with them. When the dawn broke, they went to the northeast. Thank the Lord, He preserved us in this situation and answered our prayer. None of the houses of the believing brothers and sisters in this town met with danger. All were blessed by the Lord with peace. Please do not worry. We thank Him a thousand times, even ten thousand times. May the grace of the Lord be constantly with us all. Amen.
From,the church in Su Chia Tsui, northern Kiangsu
(Note from Watchman: There is no denomination in Su Chia Tsui, so they can call themselves the church in Su Chia Tsui. Localities with denominations cannot do this.)
(See the answer to this letter in the preceding issue)
Peace in the Lord to Mr. Watchman:
Last year the Lord gave me a special opportunity to meet you and talk at length with you. I really gained a great benefit from it. I have already told you something of the situation at Li gospel hall. I think you still remember. You exhorted me to bear the responsibility to deal with them and openly discuss their most important errors. After I left I told Brother Chang Chia Chi about your exhortation in detail. The two of us specifically prayed in one accord for this matter and asked for God's leading. If it was according to God's will, we were going to leave the gospel hall. We wanted to obey no matter what the cost. I recently learned from a Western brother the results of your work in England last year. He said that a new doctrine had been discovered which caused many churches in England to divide. He said that this doctrine had already spread to the gospel hall in Singapore. He told us to guard against it watchfully. He also said that the doctrines you preached in England had already been published in English. We were very happy. Praise the Lord for His victory. But the Western brothers in Singapore already knew that our faith was not the same as theirs, so they paid careful attention to the messages we preached in the gospel hall. Three weeks ago, they made an appointment with Brother Chang and myself to have an open discussion with them. They said that Brother Chang's preaching about unwatchful Christians being punished and thrown into a place in the outer darkness to weep and gnash their teeth was a false doctrine. They said that Matthew 24 and 25 both refer to the Jews and have nothing to do with the believers. They said we were the children of God, not His servants. They said this preaching nullified the accomplishment of the cross and would cause the brothers in the gospel hall to stumble. Then they quoted Romans 8:1, saying that a believer would never be condemned again. Although I refuted them with some questions, they answered wildly according to their own will. We did not want to argue with them and could only prepare to withdraw from them. We have now stopped meeting at the gospel hall, but we have not clearly stated the reason we cannot join with them again. I am writing this letter so that you will know what has happened. You thoroughly know the content of the Brethren Church. Please tell us the details of the evidence that proves they are a denomination so that the next time we meet with them for an open discussion, we will be able to deal with and prove their many errors. Then we will be finished with this matter, and our hearts will have peace. This is a very important matter. It is best if you could spare some time to answer this letter no matter how busy you are with your work for the Lord. I am waiting for your answer. May you have peace that surpasses understanding. Greetings to the brothers and sisters in the Lord in Shanghai.
Your brother in the Lord,Wang K'ai SenApril 24, 1934
Please ask them to remember to pray for us.
Tai Shun is one of the five counties in Wenchow. P'ing Yang is its neighbor on the east. It is bordered on the south by Fu Ting (T'ung Shan), Fukien province, and it is joined to Shou Ning on the west. It touches Jui An. Its topography is very mountainous. The standard of living of the people is very simple. Transportation is not very convenient, so the gospel has not been preached as quickly as it was in P'ing Yang. The region is divided into two townships. To the north is Yi Yu Township; the denominations were established there a long time ago. To the south is Kuei Jen Township; it has twenty-four meeting places in the Lord's name. However, of these twenty-four, ten used to be with the China Inland Mission. The other fourteen left the denominations and then separated or were established after the brothers preached the gospel and brought people to believe. I will now describe how and why they left the denominations so that the brothers and sisters who are members together with us can know.
Brother Lai was the first one enlightened by the Lord to see that the denominational system was not according to the Bible. Nevertheless, he did not do anything immediately because he was the only one standing. He was led by the Lord to attend the first conference in Shanghai, and he received great help from the brothers during this conference. When he returned home, he boldly testified for the Lord in the two places of Chi Tan and Hu Wei in Ya Yang (name of the area). Some of the listeners at that time were surprised, and some opposed, secretly resisted, or spread rumors behind his back. They suffered all kinds of misunderstandings, criticisms, and difficulties and were even called "The Little Flock," "Watchman Nee's Group," or "Spiritual Group" along with some other names. But thank the Lord, praise God that in this situation the Lord still used His love and powerful arm to snatch a few sticks out of the fire. They were Chang Yung Chiu, Lee Pang Ch'uan, Wang Piao Chiu, Wu Hsien Ch'uan, and Ho Teng K'ai. Because they had just come out, they had difficulty finding a meeting place for rent on such short notice. They temporarily borrowed the upstairs of Brother Lai's old house. Although the room was small and there weren't many people, the Lord was with them. They were very joyful in the deepest part of their spirits. From that time on the Lord graced them often. Later the Lord did some work through this small number of brothers and also worked in the denominations. The Lord gradually opened their eyes and resolved their misunderstandings. It was not long before all the brothers and sisters in the churches in Ya Yang were like hibernating creatures who awake after a thunderclap in the spring. They had been shaken, and there was a strong revival. Therefore, they publicly announced to the denominations that they were leaving. The rest of the places were still in the realm of and under the control of the China Inland Mission: Nan Hsi (Sze Hsi), Ke Ling, Ts'ai Chai, Hsiu Hsi, Hsiu Hsi Pien, Ying Pien. This was the first church in Kuei Jen Township to leave the denominations, and it was the principal cause in the raising up of meetings in this region.
In 1925 The Christian was published. Through the light in The Christian, the Lord opened the eyes of the brothers in Hsiu Hsi, T'o Ti, Ying Pien, Ts'ai Chai, and other places. They too saw that in too many matters the denominations did not match the Bible. However, they were not completely clear about the truth of the church at that time. Therefore, they hoped to do an improving work from within. Although Brother Chen Ch'ing Fa was among them at the time and helped them quite a bit with his work, the time was not ripe, and the co-workers were not one. There were also people who were doing a damaging work among them. Those in the group who were for keeping the denominations rose to oppose. Later Brother Chen moved back to his home town, but he was alone and brave in leaving! He alone resigned from his position with the denomination. He was the first person to formally leave the China Inland Mission in P'ing Yang, and he was also our pioneer in obeying the Lord by leaving the denominations.
Later, there was a meeting in Ch'iao Tun Men. God came in from another angle by leading old Mr. Ts'ai Chi Ch'ing and Brother Mao Ch'ing Shih of Hsiu Hsi to attend some meetings there. Through Brother Wang Yu T'ing's messages, they were touched. Although they had a doubting, questioning attitude during the first few days, by the end, their problems completely melted away and they obeyed happily. When they went home, they encouraged the brothers in Hsiu Hsi, T'o Ti, and other places to leave the denominations. This was the second principal cause in the meetings being raised up in the region.
According to the regulations of the China Inland Mission in P'ing Yang and Tai Shun, there were four meetings for teachers every year. There was also one large general meeting and one small general meeting. In the teacher's meeting, the teachers were divided into four levels, A through D. P'ing Yang and Tai Shun had their own small general meeting. The small general meeting for Tai Shun alternated between Yi Yu Township and Kuei Jen Township. The methods were full of man's will. It is difficult to describe in detail. In the large general meeting, P'ing Yang and Tai Shun joined together, but the location was in P'ing Yang. Every year at the time of the large general meeting, the local meetings had to select representatives to go to it. Once there, they had to select the meeting chairman, the assistant chairman, the general treasurer, the secretary, and other positions. They also had to decide on the tenets of the faith and many other bothersome matters. There were also many things passed at the large general meeting which the representatives from each locality had to be responsible for, such as the cost and the service. Some of the brothers had already received the Lord's enlightenment. When they attended this meeting, they went in happiness and returned in sorrow. They passed through the bitterness of grieving the Holy Spirit for several years. In 1928, in the second month of the lunar calendar, it was time for the large general meeting again. The brothers from the churches in Kuei Jen Township, Nan Hsi, Ke Ling, Ts'ai Chai, Ying Pien, etc., all went to the meeting. Brother Pao Tze Ching of Nan Hsi got up boldly in the meeting and testified for the Lord, saying that denominations were wrong. He also said that if the error was not rectified, we would not return to a meeting of that nature. When the leaders of the meeting saw the troublesome situation, they realized that there was a danger of division if they acted with a one-track mind without calling for a change. They used trickery and changed the outward appearance without changing the inward substance to bring the brothers back and mollify them. They said that in the large and small general meetings changes could be made for the better. They concluded that only the matters of administrating the teachers and the work, testing the faith of the candidates for baptism, and doing the actual baptizing had to be done by the pastors. Most of the brothers there were confused about the truth concerning the church, so they agreed to this method. Later, the leaders sent Mr. Chen Fang to Nan Hsi (Sze Hsi). In this way, we had partially left the denominations and were partially going along in the Lord's way for another two years. Nevertheless, thank God and praise the Lord because God's work is immeasurably marvelous! Although Mr. Chen Fang was sent by the denomination to Nan Hsi, he not only refused to preserve the denomination by being their faithful servant, but he humbly received the truth as soon as he arrived in Nan Hsi. Day by day he obeyed more and more until he finally completely obeyed. He was like this with respect to the truth and with respect to his needs. He did not look to the mission board but completely relied on Jehovah. When it was time for the large and small general meetings, he did not take part in them, nor did he attend the meetings. Therefore, in 1930, all the meeting places in the church in Kuei Jen Township completely left the denominations and broke off their relationship with them, with the exception of a few who wanted to preserve the denominations (they do not meet any longer). Later Mr. Chen Fang escaped to his home town because a gang went on a wild rampage and began to cause problems. This was the third principal cause of the brothers in Tai Shun turning from the denominations.
I have just described the three major factors. The other factors are very complicated, so I will stop here but will bring them out as I describe the condition of each meeting. Now I will describe the condition of the meetings that left the old denominations and how they erroneously divided, even though they did. I will also tell about their weak condition and how the Lord preached the gospel through the brothers, how people believed, and the condition of the newly established meetings in each locality.
Nan Hsi used to belong to the China Inland Mission. In 1928 it left the system of denominations. All the brothers were in one accord in meeting in the Lord's name. However, the denomination would not let go because this locality is in a crucial location. They used the method of stubborn entanglement to keep them connected with the denomination. In 1930 the brothers finally were able to completely cut off their relationship with the denomination. Now the meetings are in a building on a mountain plateau. It is a quiet place in the midst of a noisy region. The meeting hall has its back to the mountain and faces a stream. The water sparkles as it flows by. The natural setting is very charming. The meeting hall is very pretty, and it has a lawn. It is very elegant and quiet. It is an ideal place for the believers to meditate and fellowship in spirit. There are more than thirty people in the meetings who have already partaken of the table. There are another twenty or more who come to hear the messages but have not yet taken the table. There are seven newcomers. In all there are about seventy people in the meetings. Every Lord's Day five brothers take turns giving the messages and bearing the responsibility for the meetings. They are Pao Ts'ung Hsien, Pao Tze Ching, Pao Kuei Ju, Ho Ping Wen, and Ho Tao Huang. Sometimes Brother Lai is home and he also helps with the messages. There are two sisters, Pao Lin Hsiang and Pao Mei Hsiu, who also work among the sisters, teaching them to read a little and to sing hymns. I am now living here. If I do not go out, I help them sometimes. However, some of the brothers and sisters are distracted by their business and are busy making money. Some must bear heavy responsibilities at home and have many family affairs to handle. At this time, no one has stepped forth to solely answer to the Lord. Brothers and sisters, please pray for this matter. Ask the Lord to raise up His people to be absolutely for Him. We have hoped for this for a long time.
The meeting here split off from Nan Hsi after the latter left the denominations. They used to go to Nan Hsi to meet. Some brothers and sisters were from Hsi Yuan. Although it was only ten miles to Nan Hsi, they had to walk along the edge of the stream. The road is steep and narrow, and when it rains, the stream overflows its banks, so they had to walk on the mountain path in the water. It was very difficult for the sisters. If there was a meeting in Hsia Ch'iao, they would only need to travel less than half the distance to Nan Hsi. The brothers prayed for this matter. Later, everyone discussed it and felt that it was the Lord's will. In 1931 they began to split up and meet in Brother T'ang Li Ch'ing's home. He willingly consecrated his house to the Lord. At the time they began meeting, the total number in the meeting was a little more than ten, including both men and women. Later, they were blessed by the Lord, and the number increased gradually. Brother Li Ch'ing is now responsible in the table meeting and for the message. He takes responsibility for the affairs of the meeting, because he is very single for the Lord. His wife is also very much in one accord with him. They very gladly give hospitality to the saints. They only need help in the matter of edifying the brothers, because he does not have much gift for speaking. Brothers and sisters, please pray for them.
This meeting originally belonged to the China Inland Mission. In 1929 they turned this way. There were several reasons for their turn. First, several brothers in the meeting had read The Christian and had seen the light concerning the truth of the church. Second, Brother Chen Fang was among them, and he taught them something concerning the matter of the church while doing an edification work. Third, the fellowship between the brothers in this locality and in Nan Hsi was very close, as close as lips are to teeth. When they were still in the denominations, the brothers here would discuss important decisions like the hiring of teachers or other matters with the brothers in Nan Hsi. They would bear the responsibility together. Therefore, when the Nan Hsi brothers left the denomination, it spontaneously affected them here. The other reasons for turning from the denominations are difficult to enumerate. There are fifty brothers and sisters who already take the table. There are another fifty or so who come to hear the messages but who have not taken the table yet. There are also a few newcomers. Altogether, there are more than one hundred people in the meetings. Every Lord's Day morning there is an edification meeting. In the afternoon, they break bread to remember the Lord. Six brothers, Wang Yeou Kao, Wang T'ien Kuan, Wang Hsing Ch'ing, Wang Hsu Yuan, Wang Shou Tiao, and Wang Mu Ch'uan, bear the responsibility for the messages and the affairs of the meeting. There is also a brother named Wang Chu Yeou who used to be a teacher in the China Inland Mission but left the denomination in March of this year. Sometimes he also helps to preach a message in this locality if he is not traveling. On the surface, this meeting looks as if all the members obey the Lord and meet in the Lord's name. The number of those who have been inwardly revived, however, is very small. As for the rest, some are young in life, and it is difficult to say whether or not some have life, because they are just obeying. Brothers and sisters, please pray for this matter. I really hope that the Lord would bless them so that the entire congregation could be revived.
This locality is about ten miles from Nan Hsi. A few of them used to come to Nan Hsi for the meetings. With the exception of a few brothers who are clearly saved, it is difficult to tell whether or not the others are brothers. This locality did not need to establish a separate meeting. Before they saw the will of God clearly, and before God raised up some responsible ones, they should definitely not have established a separate meeting. However, there were some who did not want to walk such a long way; they wanted a separate meeting. Others mistakenly heard the brothers say, "Since God is everywhere, people can worship Him anywhere. We do not need to meet together and be bound by geography. The Lord also told the Samaritan woman that she did not have to worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem." These ones wanted to separate also. Some people saw that other localities had separated, so they wanted to do it. Although the brothers exhorted them to do it slowly, they could not wait patiently. So they started a separate meeting in 1929. When they first separated, there were more than ten brothers and sisters. Later, they gradually cooled off. Although the brothers from other localities go there on the Lord's Day to help them, it has been very hard to keep it going. Fortunately, some of the brothers also went to the conference in Lien T'ou and passed through some dealing. The condition of the meeting now is very weak! Sometimes only a few people come to the meetings. I ask all the brothers and sisters who care for the church to pray earnestly for this matter.
I already told you in the preface the general story of how the meeting here began, so I do not need to repeat myself. However, after they left the denomination, no one has continued to do a building work. Therefore, they became colder and drier, darker and weaker, day by day to the extent that it has become a kind of sickness. They were not able to rise up! Although Mr. Ts'ai Chi Ch'ing often works among them to help and encourage them, he is unable to do anything either! Nevertheless, thank the Lord and praise God! The Lord remembers and cares for His poor little lambs! He does not cast away the church He purchased with His blood. In April of this year, He led His faithful servant, Brother Wang Yu T'ing to the churches in Ya Yang. The brothers in Ya Yang also invited the brothers in all the localities to the meetings there. They also sent brothers to Hsiu Hsi especially to invite the brothers! The conference was not long. It only lasted five days, but the Holy Spirit Himself worked in them through His useful vessel to meet their needs in all aspects and to heal all kinds of wounds in them. He watered all their dryness and exposed all their weaknesses. The brothers from Hsiu Hsi came to the conference sad, but they went home rejoicing. Since that time, the Lord has continued to work among them. The dark and weak atmosphere has receded gradually. Their internal condition has been getting brighter and brighter. Even though they have not been fully revived inwardly, their spiritual condition has begun to spring to life. The meeting place is close to the neighbors, and noise from the outside often disturbs the people in the meeting so that the brothers cannot peacefully worship God and remember the Lord. The brothers prayed for this matter in one accord and asked the Lord to arrange a place for them. Thank the Lord, He heard their prayer and has already arranged the land. If there are no special frustrations, the brothers hope to build a meeting place at the end of this year. There are fifteen brothers and sisters in the table meetings. There are fourteen who come to hear messages but have not taken the table yet. Every Lord's Day, Brothers Ts'ai Chia T'ien, Ts'ai Chia Ta, and Ts'ai Er Chia are responsible for preaching the messages and caring for the affairs of the meeting. Old Mr. Ts'ai Chi Ch'ing does not go out of his home often, but he sometimes helps in giving messages. Brothers and sisters, please do not forget to pray for them.
Originally, no one in this locality believed. In 1930 the Lord led Mr. Ts'ai Chi Ch'ing of Hsiu Hsi to preach the gospel there. The Lord blessed the work and several brothers believed. One among them is very precious. His name is Brother Pao Ting Ming. He was originally a famous fortune-teller and master of the Taoist principles of Ying and Yang. After he believed in the Lord, he not only repented, but he also cast off his special privileges and was very zealous for the Lord. He offered his home for the meetings and opened it to the brothers for fellowship. He is very good in the matter of hospitality. The church in Hsiu Hsi has borne a cluster of wonderful fruit since leaving the denomination, despite the fact that they were weak. We really thank the Lord and praise God. There are nine brothers and sisters in the table meetings. There are more than ten people who come to hear the messages but who do not take the table yet. Altogether there are more than twenty people in the meetings. The atmosphere in the meetings is very good. If a brother from another locality comes on the Lord's Day, they let him share the message. If no one comes, Brother Ting Ming bears the responsibility. Now the Lord has given them more grace. Their numbers are gradually increasing, but they are young in life and need edification. Brothers and sisters, please pray for this matter.
This locality was originally a part of the China Inland Mission. In 1928 they turned and began to meet according to 1 Corinthians 14. Before they could accomplish the turn, they went through a period of fighting for about two or three years. Most of the brothers obeyed the Lord, but a few brothers wanted to preserve the denominations. They had arguments over the issue. Brother A said, "There should be organization." Brother B said, "There should not be organization." Brother A said, "There should be a chairman for the meeting." Brother B said, "The Holy Spirit is the only Chairman in the meeting." Brother A said, "We should have the large and small general meetings to maintain the fellowship among ourselves." Brother B said, "We should not have the large and small general meetings. We are joined by the blood, and our fellowship is in spirit. We should not have a special fellowship." Brother A said, "The offering should not be put into a box. It should be designated. If it is not designated, we should not have it." Brother B said, "The money for the offering should be put into the box. It should not be designated. The workers should also live by faith in Jehovah, and the brothers should be happy to give to God for the workers' use." It is difficult to describe the details of all the debates. Brother Chen Ch'ing Fa was living among them at the time, and they received much help from him. However, a small number of them had a hard attitude! They could not enter into the truth. Soon afterward, Brother Chen left that locality to return to his native place. The denominational leaders sent another worker to them to continue working. Although the brothers still received him as before, they were completely different in the matter of receiving the truth. So they always had debates with him. Through these debates, many brothers who had blindly followed listened quietly and woke up to the error of denominations. They obeyed the Lord then. When the teacher of the China Inland Mission could no longer do anything, he left. At that point nearly everyone met in the Lord's name. There was still one family of three, a father and two sons, who were for preserving the denominations. Thank the Lord, his two sons have obeyed now, and only the father will not come to the meetings. The meetings are in the house of Brother Ts'ai Wei Ts'ung, who faithfully loves the Lord. He and his brother are happy to offer their home for the Lord's use. There are twenty-two brothers and sisters in the table meetings. There are sixteen people who come to hear the messages but do not take the table yet. Brothers Ts'ai Wei Ts'ung, Ts'ai T'ien Cheng, and Ts'ai Tze Chu bear the responsibility for the messages and the affairs of the meetings.
This locality originally belonged to the China Inland Mission. There were more sisters than brothers in the meetings. It is very difficult to say how this locality left the denominations. Probably it began when the Lord led one brother, Chiu Chi Po, to a conference in Shanghai in 1930 and revived him there. Then Brothers Mao Ch'ing Shih, Lai Chi Ho, Chen Ch'ing Fa, and Ts'ai Ch'i did some edification among them. They left the denomination in 1931, but the denomination did not want to let them go. It still sent a worker there. The brothers continued to receive them as they had in the past, but their meetings were no longer according to the denominational way. They were according to the principles in 1 Corinthians 14. Later, the brothers discussed firing the denominational teacher, but he found out about it and stopped coming. In this way they broke their relationship with the denomination. Now the church meets in Brother Chiu's house which he has joyfully offered for the Lord's use because he loves the Lord very much. There are nineteen brothers and sisters in the table meetings. There are also more than ten people who come to hear the message but do not take the table yet. There are more than thirty people in the meetings altogether. Sometimes brothers from other localities come to help with the messages, and sometimes Brother Chi Po takes care of the speaking. He is also responsible for the affairs of the meeting. The sisters believe in the Lord and love Him, but some among them are not free because their husbands or families stop them from coming to the meetings or cause problems and persecute them. Brothers and sisters, please pray for this.
The brothers and sisters in this locality used to meet in Hsiu Hsi. Although the brothers in T'o Ti received the enlightenment of the truth at the same time as the brothers in Hsiu Hsi, they were keener than the brothers in Hsiu Hsi in their obedience to the Lord. Therefore, while the brothers in Hsiu Hsi were still in the denominations, the brothers in T'o Ti separated from those in Hsiu Hsi and began their own local meeting in Brother Mao Ping Ch'i's house. When they were just starting, there were only about ten or so, but they solidly obeyed the Lord's truth. Although the building was simple, they were very happy in spirit. Brother Mao Ch'ing Shih was originally an old master carpenter. After believing in the Lord, he was faithful and strong for the Lord. He later saw that the Lord's will was for him to set aside his occupation and do the Lord's holy work, so he obeyed. The Lord saved many sinners through him; the number in the meeting increased gradually until there were too many for the small house to contain. The brothers prayed for the Lord to make provision in this matter. In 1932 the Lord blessed them, and they built a new meeting hall. It was not very large, but it could hold around eighty people. The meeting hall is upstairs. There is a kitchen and living room downstairs. After the meeting hall was finished, Brother Mao Ch'ing Shih's health became unexpectedly weak. He ran a fever day and night, and it became a kind of bone disease. He must stay in bed night and day and cannot get up. The sickness began in the second month of the lunar calendar last year, and he is still not better. But thank the Lord and praise God, he has not backslidden. On the contrary, he is much closer to the Lord than before and has grown in life. He often testifies for the Lord from his bed so that many are established and comforted by him. I have heard some friends say that recently his health is much better. Brothers and sisters, please pray for him. May the Lord bless him so that he can leave his bed soon. This brother is useful to the Lord. The meetings in several localities were started by the Lord through him and helped through his visits. Because of his sickness, those localities are having some difficulties now. There are twenty brothers and sisters in his own locality who partake of the table. There are sixteen who come to hear the messages but have not taken the table yet. There are eleven new ones this year. Every Lord's Day Brother Mao Ch'ing Shih (mentioned above) and Brother Chen Wan Pi bear the responsibility for the messages and the affairs of the meetings. The rest of the brothers farm tomatoes for a living, so they have great difficulties in the necessities of physical life. Brothers and sisters, please pray for them. May the Lord bless them that they might become rich in the faith.
After the meeting in T'o Ti left the denominations, Brother Mao Ch'ing Shih and Brother Lai Chi Ho were led by the Lord to come to this locality to preach the gospel. The Lord blessed them, and many men and women believed. At the time there was not a local meeting, and it was too far to go to another place. One of the brothers, T'ang Ling, rose up and was willing to offer his house to the Lord for the use of the meeting. The brothers continued going there to work, and the Lord continued to bless them. The numbers gradually increased. Although there are not many in this meeting, their spirit is very good. They are young in knowledge but precious in their obedience. Although they have not believed in the Lord for very long, they have already grown in life. Although their material offering is little, their heart of love is sweet. We really thank the Lord and praise God! God bore a cluster of good fruit through His dear servant after he left the denomination. There are twelve brothers and sisters in the table meetings. There are more than ten people who come to hear the messages but who have not yet taken the table. There are around thirty people. Every Lord's Day they meet in the morning to break bread in remembrance of the Lord and in the afternoon to first worship the Lord and then the brothers preach a message. Sometimes the brothers from T'o Ti or other localities come to bear the responsibility of giving messages. If no one comes, two young local brothers, K'e Yen and T'ang Yu, bear the responsibility. Brothers T'ang Ling and T'ang Yu bear the burden of the affairs of the meeting.
The meeting in this locality began when the Lord first worked in Brother Lin Ch'uan Ch'un. He used to go to the China Inland Mission in Shih Yang to worship God and remember the Lord. Some brothers in that place, however, were not behaving like brothers. Their worship was not like worship. Therefore, he came out from there to worship God and remember the Lord individually in his home. Later, the Lord blessed him, and several believers rose up. After this, they officially established a meeting in his home. There are five brothers and sisters in the table meeting now. There are eleven people who come to hear the messages but who have not taken the table yet. Most of the time Brother Ch'uan Ch'un alone is responsible for the Lord's Day meetings. This place is isolated in the steep mountains. The brothers from the other localities do not go there often because the way is inaccurate. Brothers and sisters, please pray for them.
This locality is one of the most superstitious in the region. They have large and small idols, large and small Buddhas, more than any other place! It goes without saying that the corruption of their customs and the spreading of their sin runs rampant. In 1928 the Lord led Brothers Mao Ch'ing Shih, Lai Chi Ho, and Chiu Chi Po to preach the gospel in this place. The Lord blessed the work, and many women who used to worship Buddha came to believe in the Lord. This shocked the entire village and captured their attention. Many idol worshippers began to oppose them. The sisters were persecuted, suffered difficulties, and were slandered much for the Lord's sake. Being in their infancy, they borrowed the upstairs of a sister's house for the meetings, because they could not find a place to meet. The sister's husband was not saved, but he was very happy to extend hospitality to those in the Lord. They had not been meeting for very long when a local gang began to cause problems. The people of that village hated the gang, so the mayor led the local militia to stand against the gang. The gang won, the people lost, and the mayor was captured. He was beaten to death. The people's property was stolen by the bandits, and many of their houses were burned. The houses and property of these sisters went up in smoke. The things that the brothers had brought there for use in the meetings and their bedding were burned to ashes. When we heard the news, we were very worried in our spirits and secretly thought that these sisters could not stand firm. I went with a few brothers to strengthen them. On our way there, we thought that the sisters were probably very sad. To our surprise they were just the opposite. When we arrived, we found them not only standing firm, but also filled with joy. The first thing they said was, "Thank the Lord! Praise God!" Later they spoke many words of faith to us. Sister Ch'ien Ai Ling had a husband who loved the world and was unwilling to believe in the Lord. Through this, he saw the emptiness of the world and came to believe in the Lord. Oh, we really thank the Lord and praise God! His works are marvelous! The sisters' faith passed through a fiery trial and was shown to be more precious. But who would have thought that one wave would barely have passed before another one came! Sister Ch'ien's husband had believed only for a short time when he suddenly caught encephalitis. He was dizzy and had a headache for a few days. Then he died! He left four people in his family: three children and his good wife. His eldest son was eight years old, and the youngest child was still nursing. Brothers and sisters, if we were in that environment, it would be so difficult! Thank the Lord! Praise God! Our sister stood firm and gave a good testimony for the Lord. Sister T'ao Kuei Yi, a widow whose husband had passed away when she was a little more than twenty, had a son who was eighteen. In the first month of last year, she arranged a marriage for her son. All the brothers and sisters were happy for him. (He had not believed in the Lord.) Not long after his engagement, he tripped and fell into the stream while fishing and was knocked unconscious. His hands developed convulsions, and he was in a coma for more than ten days. The sister's relatives and the Gentiles came to make trouble. They scolded and shamed the sister. They persecuted her to the uttermost. They even hired wizards and Taoist priests to come to bring her son's soul back and to pray to their gods and demons. Although this sister opposed this very much in her heart, she was outwardly alone and not strong enough to stop them. She could only let them do it. Alas! Before the wizards and Taoists priests could get there, her son died. Brothers, the sisters in this place have been in a terrible way since they believed in the Lord! They have had such difficulties! They have really suffered one thing after another. If the God who comforts man's hearts and our dear Lord had not been with them, these sisters would be in Hades already. There are now three brothers and eight sisters in their meeting. Six of the sisters and one brother attend the table meeting. There are more than ten of them altogether. Every Lord's Day, brothers from other localities come to bear the responsibility for preaching the messages. If no one can come, the sisters praise and worship God and remember the Lord. Recently old Mr. Ts'ai Chi Ch'ing has gone there to help them. Brothers and sisters, please do not forget to pray for them.
This locality is on the westernmost border of our region. It is joined to Shou Ning. Although it used to belong to the China Inland Mission, its roots are somewhat different than the other localities. A brother from among us, Ts'ai Ch'i, did some edification work among them not long after the denomination had been established. Therefore, they understood the truth more easily than the brothers in the other localities. Furthermore, one of the brothers among them, Su Pi Chung, loved the Lord very much and did much for the church. He was very hungry and thirsty in the pursuit of the truth. He read The Christian and other publications from the Gospel Book Room in 1925. We can say that he was a burning star and was instrumental in turning them away from the denominations. Later, they were helped by the co-workers; they left the denomination in 1929. The leaders of the denomination would not let them go. They often sent workers to them. Although the brothers still received the workers, they would not let go of the matters of the truth. Although the denomination used many methods to try to accommodate them, they stood fast to the end and even debated with them hotly. In the end, the brothers discharged the workers boldly. In 1931 they completely severed their relationship with the denomination. Later, because too many people were meeting in a very small place, they built a meeting hall in 1932 with a capacity of one hundred people. The condition of the meetings is better and more zealous than before because God manifested His special protection among them last year. The region had a severe epidemic of dysentery. Many Gentiles died from it, but not one person in the Lord died. This was a great wonder to the Gentiles, and many in the believers' families also believed. After this epidemic, the number of Gentiles who believed increased gradually. Now there are twenty-one brothers and sisters in the table meeting. There are twenty-eight people who come to hear the message but who do not partake of the table yet. Brothers Su Pi Chung and Su Ting K'ai mainly preach the messages on the Lord's Day and handle the affairs of the meeting. There are a few older brothers who help sometimes. These elderly brothers are very precious because they are so zealous. They are like old eagles who have returned to their youth. They can be a pattern to us all in coming to the Lord.
These two localities originally belonged to the China Inland Mission. They were originally shepherded by the same teacher as Hsiu Hsi Pien and Ying Pien. When the brothers in Ying Pien and Hsiu Hsi Pien left the denomination, the teachers left. The denomination considered these two localities as a burden and abandoned them. The members of these two localities did not leave the denomination for the sake of the truth but instead followed us after being spit out by the denomination. Therefore, we dare not confess that their meetings are of God. There are jealousies, strifes, and sins among them. Although our brothers go to visit them, they have no way to correct them! They have no strength to change anything! The only thing we can do now is let them go on in their own way. There are only two or three people left in one of these two places. Although there are a few more people in the other place, the brothers are not at peace with each other. Among two flesh brothers, if the elder meets downstairs (the meeting place is downstairs), the younger will go upstairs to worship. If the younger is meeting downstairs, the elder will go upstairs to worship. They are like fire and water; they do not mix well with each other. Oh, this is such a pitiful situation!
This locality originally belonged to the China Inland Mission. It is difficult to say when or why they left the denomination. They probably left at the same time as Yang Ya or a little before that time. They left because Brother Lai from among us worked among them for a little. Not long after, they left the denomination. Later, Brother Lai left and no one continued the work there. The brothers got colder and colder over time, and many sins occurred among them. There was also a brother who had great compassion and who also loved and gave himself for the church, but unfortunately he was too bold and not wise enough. He did not do things in a measured way. If this brother had had another brother who could have directed him and could have been a helper to him, he would have been a great help to the church. Unfortunately, he did not receive any edification! He was not completely clear about the matter of the church and only understood the other truths partially. Therefore, he always acted independently. His own locality suffered, and other localities were influenced quite a bit by him. Thank the Lord and praise God! He knows the ignorance of His children and sympathizes with them. This year He prepared a brother, Yang Teh Huei, to go there to teach school on the one hand and to help the church on the other. When Brother Yang Teh Huei arrived and saw the church in this condition, he was very sad! Not long after this, Brother Lai came home from Wenchow and passed through this locality. The two of them discussed how to deal with the church there. They decided to invite the responsible brothers from a few of the localities in the area to meet with them on July 8 to specifically deal with those who had committed the six kinds of sin mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:11 and with other matters of the administration of the church. Thank the Lord! The sinners in this locality were dealt with as were those in Hsiao Chien, Sung Hsiu Yang, and Chang An. This individualistic brother was also dealt with. He repented, grieved, shed tears, and confessed his past errors. His wife was as sad as he was! There are now twelve brothers and sisters in the table meetings. There are more than ten others who come to hear the messages but do not yet take the table. Brother Yang Teh Huei is mainly responsible for the messages and edification on the Lord's Day. Brothers Ho Teng Ch'in and Ho Teng Yung are responsible for the other affairs of the meeting.
Originally, there were a few brothers in this locality who met in Lien T'ou. It is not far from here to Lien T'ou (about seven miles). Why did they separate? It was probably because a few brothers preached only one side of the truth. They gained part of the truth but had not seen the whole picture. They erroneously explained the matter of worshipping God and made up a new term — "New Testament Assembly" — and said that the church is not restricted by location or numbers, and that as long as two or three were gathered in one accord, they could meet in any place. Many brothers heard this and wanted to separate immediately. Although the experienced brothers exhorted them to wait before separating, some of them wanted to meet closer to home and were afraid of the distance, so they had much to say. The brothers then separated. When they separated, there were just a few people. They have not increased at all, nor has their spiritual condition improved. In fact, they have backslidden and are not clean now! Fortunately, after the conference in Lien T'ou, they were dealt with. If they had not received this dealing, they would be in danger now. Many brothers are exhorting them to go back to the meetings in Lien T'ou, but they still do not really want to. Oh, it is really easy to separate but difficult to combine. There are five brothers and sisters in the table meetings. There are also about five or six people who come to listen to the messages but who do not take the table yet. Brother Chang Yung Fu is responsible every Lord's Day.
This locality did not have a meeting originally. It is a newly opened place. A brother from Lien T'ou came here to preach the gospel in 1929. Some people believed, and they began to meet in a brother's home. Their numbers increased gradually. Some of the brothers and sisters among them are very godly and precious. Unfortunately, the brother who led them to believe had a heart of love but did not have any talent for leading. Neither was he clear about the characteristics of the church. Therefore, he allowed a few unclean ones into the meeting and allowed them to do what they wanted. Fortunately, after the conference in Lien T'ou, they were dealt with, and the unclean ones were sifted out. There are now five brothers and sisters in the table meeting. There are seven others who come to hear the messages but who do not take the table yet. The brothers from Lien T'ou bear the responsibility every Lord's Day. The brothers in Ya Yang have already given a report about the condition of the churches there, so I will not be repetitious.
Your little brother,Huang Lu Ch'uanAugust 14, 1934
To my dear brother in the Lord, Mr. Nee:
Thank God! He led me to your conferences in Shanghai twice. I gained much benefit. Unfortunately, I was attacked in my mind this year, so I have not written to greet you. I am sorry. I have recently been freed somewhat by the Lord's grace. I will tell you something of what happened and of the problems in our locality.
In 1931 I was enlightened by the Lord to see something of myself. Afterwards, I did not want to live and work in the way that I had been. I decided to spend more time praying, reading the Bible, and waiting for the Lord's will. Satan came in at this time to strongly attack my mind and to work in my environment. (My nephew got sick and died, my wife and daughter became ill, I lost some possessions, and the brothers misunderstood me, etc.) These things caused my mind to be darkened, and I felt there was no way out. I suffered much in this condition! Thank the Lord, at the proper time, the news of the third conference in Shanghai came. My heart desperately prepared to go. The hateful enemy frustrated me on many sides, but the Lord heard my prayer, and I was able to attend the meeting. Praise and thank God! In the ten days of the conference, I really felt the Lord's presence and seemed to see His face with my own eyes and hear His voice with my own ears. I was very touched by the message of testimony on how to receive spiritual blessings. The messages that solved my problems were on Christ as my life and the experience of sufferings. The dark clouds in my heart dispersed, and darkness became light. My heart was very happy. My spirit really wanted to stand up and testify in the last testimony meeting, but I was frustrated by my utterance.
Hallelujah! My previous condition has passed. However, my wife's illness is not completely healed. A call to go out and work appears to have come, but I dare not move lightly. Please pray for this much that God's will would not suffer loss in me. With regard to the small problem in our local meeting, there is a brother who has committed the sin in 1 Corinthians 5. The brothers' exhortations are useless, so we can do nothing but cut him off. His evil nature unexpectedly exploded, and he troubled the responsible brothers with a loud voice and evil looks. When the brothers saw his condition, they were grieved to the point of tears. What is the best way to deal with this matter? Please advise us. We also hope that the brothers and sisters in Shanghai will pray for us much so that the Lord's work would not be affected.
Please send five issues of Collection of Newsletters beginning with the sixth issue to me in care of Ho Wei Ch'i, Hsiao Chia Crossing, P'ing Yang, Chekiang Province. Peace in the Spirit!
Your little brother in the Lord,Chou Ta Ch'ingFebruary 8, 1934
Greet Brother Chang Kuang Jung, Brother Witness Lee, and Brother Shih Chiu Jung.
Note from Watchman: If this brother really causes this many difficulties for the brothers, he must be cut off. This proves that the brothers were correct in cutting him off. There is nothing to do but use prayer in authority. This is the time for us to prove Christ's victory and the strength of our prayer.
To our fellow members in the Lord, our dear brothers,
Mr. Watchman Nee, Mr. Chang Kuang Jung, and
Mr. Witness Lee:
We are writing this letter to you because we want to place a problem we have before all the brothers and sisters so that we can all seek God's will and He may be glorified.
There is a Brother Ts'ao here (Brother Chang knew him well in Tsinan) who works for the local office of public works. This brother wants the Lord very much, and he is willing to partake of the Lord's table, but every week the department of public works has a memorial service. All government employees must attend the service. They strictly enforce it. At first we thought that this was a matter of worshipping idols and that it could not be accepted. So we temporarily set aside the matter of accepting this brother.
A few days ago, several brothers thought about the same passage in the Bible without discussing it beforehand. They remembered that the Bible gives us a pattern for this kind of matter. We thought of the record in Daniel 3. They did not worship, but they obeyed the command and stood before the idol. So we are asking, if a brother stands before the picture of a dead person (of course he cannot bow to it), should we receive him at the table or not?
We also thought that attending a memorial service can be considered an attitude of sin, but can we say that he is serving an idol or worshipping an idol? On the other hand, we felt that if we passed over this matter loosely, we might encourage some of God's weaker children to enter into another temptation. We will be faced with this matter before long. We confess that we do not have clear light, nor do we want to act independently among the brothers. So we are writing this letter to you who are leading us in this way. We hope that you can give us an answer soon. Peace in the Lord!
Your little brothers,Ts'ai Chih Wen, P'an Huei Sheng, Chou Hsing YiAugust 3, 1934
P.S. By the Lord's grace, the brothers are continuing to stand firm in the meeting since Brother Chang returned to Shanghai. However, we will soon move our place of meeting. Two weeks ago, two brothers and two sisters were baptized in Ta Ming Lake according to the teaching of the Bible. (One of these was Brother Ts'ao, whom we mentioned.) Our hearts are really rejoicing because we saw the Lord's victory again, and some were gained for the Lord's side. We are really young and ignorant before the brothers (this is not polite humility). We have many (spiritual) weaknesses and lacks, so we ask the elder saints to pray especially much for us before the Lord.
Dear brothers:
Your letter caused us to consider much before the Lord, because we should not be stricter than the Bible, nor should we be more lax than the Bible, lest we miss the will of God.
We really express our sympathy to Brother Ts'ao in this matter. We know how difficult it is for him. We hope that what we write will be of some help in God's hand.
(1) We agree that it would be best if he could completely avoid the memorial service.
(2) If he attends the memorial service, it is all right if he does not bow to the picture, because the memorial service is the government's command to remember Mr. Sun Yat Sen. It does not matter what our personal opinion of Mr. Sun Yat Sen is. We should obey the authority (Rom. 13:1). Furthermore, the apostle clearly says, "Render...honor to whom honor is due" (v. 7), which means to obey those over us. If the country wants to remember Mr. Sun Yat Sen, we should not disobey. But some believers feel that the memorial service is bad because the memorial service involves the ceremony of bowing to his portrait. A report, a minute of silence, an exhortation, or a speech in the memorial service do not contradict the Bible. The only thing in the service that contradicts the Bible is bowing to the portrait of a dead man.
As believers our principle toward our country is that we should obey anything which is not contrary to God's commandment. If there is a conflict, however, we would rather pay any price to obey God and not man.
The memorial service is not wrong. We have nothing to say against the service, so we should obey. However, we cannot agree with their method of memorial. In other words, we are willing to obey the goal of their memorial, but we cannot obey their procedure.
Why is it wrong to bow to the portrait of a dead man? Our brother, Jan Ch'i Yu, has a good explanation. Do you remember what the second commandment says? "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them [graven images], nor serve them" (Exo. 20:5). God forbids two things: One is bowing down to the image of anything in the heavens, the earth, under the earth, or in the water; the second is serving them. First, He forbids us to bow down, no matter the reason. Second, He forbids us to serve them. This refers to service with a religious significance. The first cuts off the factor that leads to corruption. The second forbids the real problem.
Portraits of dead men are included in the images of things in the heavens, on earth, under the earth, and in the water. Therefore, we cannot bow to memorial portraits, even if it does not have religious significance.
This matter is very simple. We should obey in the matter of the memorial service, but God forbids the practice of bowing to the portrait during the service. This is something we cannot do.
Therefore, it is all right if our brother goes to the meeting as long as he does not bow to the portrait.
The passage in Daniel 3 which you mentioned is a good proof of this. They only rejected the part of the ceremony which God had forbidden. Furthermore, there is a passage in the Bible which gives us a great deal of light. Do you remember the passage where Naaman the leper was cleansed? He went into the Jordan River and came out clean. After he was cleansed, he said to Elisha, "Thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing" (2 Kings 5:17-18). How did Elisha, the prophet of God, answer his request? "Go in peace" (v. 19). Therefore, with regard to this matter, God wants us to be gracious to the brothers as He is gracious to us.
However, there is one thing we must guard against. We cannot lie to people. If they ask us, we must explain why we do not bow. This is our testimony. We should also say that we are willing to use any other method to respect the things that our country requires us to respect, but we cannot bow down.
Brothers, we can also say, "Go in peace!"
We hope that what we have written is a help to you. May God give us light to know how to act according to His will. Please greet Brother Ts'ao for us and greet the brothers in the meeting. Peace!
Your brothers,Witness Lee, Chang Kuang Jung, Watchman NeeSeptember 15, 1934
Greetings to the servants of God, my most respected and beloved brothers, Mr. Watchman and Mr. Kuang Hsiung:
I have not written for a long time, but I think of you often. May the Father God pour out His rich grace upon you and all your work. May His grace and peace always be with you and with the brothers and sisters in the Lord in every place. Glory to the Lord forever. Amen.
My dear brother, Wang Yu T'ing, was led by the Father God in March to go to the meetings in the Lord in Ya Yang, Tai Shun to do some work (a five-day conference). He also fellowshipped with the brothers and discussed the Lord's way. He stayed there for a month. The work was very blessed. The messages and testimonies were very effective. We should praise the Lord. In the past few months, he has been at Ting Pu T'ou resting in their meeting place. He also hopes to spend some time there to do some publication work. Unfortunately, in these past months, his body became unexpectedly weaker, and he was sick inwardly and outwardly. He is often in pain. In the beginning of May and June, his life was in danger twice. This was Satan using his dark army and his authority of death to attack him fiercely. During those times, he almost died, but the special grace and care of the Lord carried him through. God had mercy on him and not only on him, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow among all these dangers and problems. He has now overcome the illness by the Lord Christ's victorious resurrection power, which swallows up death. It is difficult for him not to feel exhausted in both heart and body after such a long fight at the brink of death. A few days ago, some brothers came to say that he was better, but that he was not back to normal. He still does not have an appetite, and he needs much rest. The responsibility he has is quite crucial at the present time. He would really appreciate the dear brothers and sisters in the Lord and you praying for him.
I have another brother in the Lord who hopes you will pray for him much. He hopes you will help him with the light of the truth so that he will know how he should serve the Lord single-heartedly. He wants to be one who obeys and is praised by the Lord. The brother's environment and all his business have had a sudden change since he was enlightened. Then his trials began. His troubles continued to come. He is oppressed even today and surrounded by attacks. All the persecution, opposition, criticism, scorn, and suffering from sickness, etc., rarely stop. (Thank the Lord that His grace is sufficient! Amen!) But is this situation from God the Father's discipline or from the attack of the enemy? I ask you brothers to give us some guidance. He still does not know which way to go though he has considered for a long time. He says that he does not have the strength to farm, and he has not received a clear revelation to go into business; furthermore, he is afraid that if he moves loosely, he will fall into sin. I hope you do not drop this problem but use the light of the Holy Spirit to guide him so that he will know God's will and how to go ahead, and that he will not just stand around watching and spend the entire day empty-handed. Please ask the brothers and sisters who love the Lord to pray for him often so that he may overcome to glorify the Lord's name.
The brothers and sisters in the meeting here — Ch'iao Tun — have been blessed with peace in this year. There have been several newly saved and baptized brothers who were added to us. Thank and praise the Lord! We now feel that we are too immature in our spiritual life. We also feel poor in the gifts. Our meeting place is very small, dilapidated, and noisy. In the future, if the Lord's grace does not prepare a way to enlarge it, we feel it will not be enough for our use and will hinder the Lord's work. With regard to the meetings near to us, the brothers and sisters are all at peace in the Lord. But their gifts of administration and offerings and their gospel work are lacking. Please do not forget to pray for us. Peace in the Lord. Greet all the brothers and sisters!
Your little brother in the Lord,Chang Wu Sheng
Greetings to the brothers and sisters in the Lord
who walk together with us:
I received both the seventh issue of Collection of Newsletters and The Glad Tidings. I read them several times and saw that an unworthy person like me can partake of God's grace only because I have been chosen by the Lord Jesus and sent by God. My heart and spirit are very joyful.
When I first came here, there was no place to meet, and I did not know any who were believers. Every day I only saw the evil environment, worse even than that of my home town; I often hated it here. As I was hating it, the Lord suddenly revealed something to me. Once in Ta Tung Chuang, Huai An, Brother Ma Yun Ho told me to look to the Lord in everything to see how He overcomes the environment. Should we not also walk in His way so that He can be glorified? After that, I bowed down, confessed my sin, and accepted His arrangement, waiting for His will to come.
In May someone told me that Feng Ching Yi, a schoolteacher who lives in Pao Hsiang Yao, used to believe in Jesus. On the next Lord's Day, I went happily to testify for the Lord. But when I met with him and spoke of the matter of believing in the Lord and being saved, he spoke with quite a bit of confidence and composure. There was nothing for me to say. I went back discouraged after seeing his condition. The school began its wheat vacation at the end of June. I lent him a copy of The Christian Life and Warfare to read to receive the Lord's word with his spirit and in honesty.
Now he says to me, "When you first testified for the Lord to me, I did not really refuse it, but there were several questions in my heart which had not been resolved, so I did not want to accept it loosely." I asked him to tell me the questions so that I could answer him with the Bible.
Brother Feng saw the proof in the Bible and was suddenly enlightened; the questions in his heart were resolved. He felt that his presence in the Presbyterian Church or the Baptist Church was part of the divisions and sects mentioned in the Bible. He immediately decided to serve the Lord zealously, walk in the Lord's way with us, and glorify the Lord daily.
I recently gave him a copy of Collection of Newsletters and The Glad Tidings. He wrote me in response. After reading his letter, I am sure that he has truly obeyed. We really thank and praise the Lord! His grace is truly great. He could not bear Brother Feng's remaining in darkness, so He had to call him out again into His name.
Brother Feng and I now pray together morning and evening to ask the Lord to establish a meeting place in the region of Chin Chia Pien and Pao Hsiang Yao. We ask the Lord to lead His children to come join with us to break bread in remembrance of Him. We also ask Him to increase our life so that we may participate in the kingdom of the Lord. Brother Feng's eldest daughter is married and lives in Chin Chia Pien. One day I heard her husband say that she believed in the Lord. The next day I took some books and studied the Bible with her for about two hours. It seems that she will be able to obey the Lord. She also feels that the doctrine she heard in the Methodist Church was not very solid.
Recently I have seen that the Lord did not just bring me to this place to teach school. He wants to shine His light through me, a useless shell, and lead His children back into His kingdom. May the brothers and sisters who walk with us in the way of the cross pray much for us so that Satan will not frustrate God's work and so that the glory will completely be to the Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May the brothers and sisters in the Lord be full of the power of the Holy Spirit to give overcoming testimonies for the Lord. Amen.
Your little brother in the Lord,Ke Hsueh MengJuly 22, 1934
(1) Miss Peace Wang's father, the senior Mr. Wang, was convicted for political crimes and sentenced to jail a short time ago. The brothers and sisters cared and prayed for him; his sentence is up and he has returned home. On the one hand, we are happy for Miss Wang because God has comforted the heart of His maidservant so that she will be able to work in peace in the future, knowing that God is the responsible One. On the other hand, we are happy for Mr. Wang because he has now leaned strongly toward the Lord. We hope the brothers will pray much for him.
(2) Brother Chang Kuang Jung has returned to Shanghai from Hangchow. Next week he will go to Chou Chia Pu in Chekiang province to work.
(3) Brother Watchman Nee has returned to Shanghai from Fukien. After doing some work in Shanghai, he will go to Hangchow because the conference in Hangchow will begin soon.
(4) Brother Witness Lee left for P'ing Yang on the eleventh. The saints in that region will have a conference from the eighteenth to the twenty-fifth of this month. Brother Lee is going there to help them.
(5) Miss Wang is now in Shanghai. She will go to Hangchow soon.
(6) After Miss Ruth Lee returned to Shanghai, she was weak physically. We hope the brothers will pray much for her.
(7) Brother Philip Luan had excellent results in his work in the northeastern region. He left Shanghai yesterday for Hangchow. We hope that some of the brothers will report something on the condition of that work.
(8) Brother Shen Ting Ling is still very weak physically. Brothers, please pray for him.
Collection of Newsletters is a publication for the circulating of news within the family. It is absolutely not for the public and is available only to those brothers who walk with us. We mail it to you because we trust that you are having fellowship with us and are sharing the responsibility of intercession with respect to the news contained in it. We mail it to you because we trust that you will not publicize it to the ordinary people "outside the circle" but will call upon God for its sake "within the veil"!
We also believe you understand that our work is spiritual and that our emphasis is life. We are clear that God wants us to manifest the life of Christ in the local churches. Hence, the reality of our work is the life of Christ, and the outward expression of our work is the local church. In this present time, when the outward church is desolate, we do not have the slightest intention to start a new "movement," "group," "organization," or "denomination." We dare not even call ourselves the churches in the various places. We stand only on the position of the local church. This publication, therefore, carries the news of the assemblies which are standing on the position of the local church in each locality. As to its content, there is nothing but Christ.
We have no headquarters. Concerning the localities, we have neither the power to control any of them nor the right to interfere with any of their activities. All that they have, they each have received from their Head, the Lord Jesus. The fellowship of prayer and the direction in various matters are all mutual. This prayer and direction come about because of the need and through the Lord granting us the strength. The answers to all questions are spiritual, not official, and their source is gift, not position. We do not wish to be the "Diotrephes" among God's children, nor do we wish to become the class of Nicolaitans.
All brothers who go out to work are sent by the Lord. We are co-working with them. We hope that you can bear some spiritual responsibility with us.
Watchman NeeWitness Lee
