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Brothers Kwang-hsi and Jung-jieh:
It has been a few months since we last corresponded. I have been traveling in places where postmen have never gone before. Every time I am away from home, my heart feels happy, and I feel transcendent in my private reading of the Word, in prayer, and in my preaching of the gospel to others. May the merciful Lord keep me on the road, working all the time. Since Brother Hsu's departure from Nu River, my foot ailment has flared up again. For more than ten days, I was unable to travel. After the ailment left, I brought my accordion and luggage and set off for Nu River again. By the time I got to the forest in Yen-Wah-Loh, rain was coming down unceasingly, and skies were not clear for six days. Later, we lodged in Yen-Wah-Loh for two days. The snow blocked the mountains, and I could do nothing except return home. During the second month of the year, I packed my luggage and traveled up the river to Yen-Za for four days. I had intended to cross the river and to go west to Men-Gung, but again snow blocked the way, and I had to remain in Yen-Za for four days. On the return journey I had to carry my own luggage. The trip took thirteen days. My original intention was to pass out Tibetan gospel tracts, and although I did not see my wish fulfilled, thank the Lord, I was able to preach to three to four or six to seven people everywhere I went. I hope that Brother Hsu can come back quickly. I went to Wei-Si on the twentieth day of the first month of the year. Brother He left home for his preaching tour, and Mrs. He was not at home either. While I was feeling lost as to what to do next, two Westerners arrived. They tracked me down by looking for me at Mrs. Luk's house. The Lord's love is truly wonderful! Who can search it? In the course of our conversation, the older of the two Westerners told me that they were given the names of Brother Huang, Brother Weigh, Brother Hsu, and myself by Watchman Nee when he was in Norway. Brother Nee told them that we could help them in their westward journey. I could not help but thank the Lord for the depth of His grace. In Wei-Si I helped them buy some daily necessities for their journey. I did not want to stay in Wei-Si and therefore left for home. After helping Mr. An in his journey, I waited for someone to travel with me westward. We will take whatever way that is open to us. Please continue to pray for us without interruption. Peace to you in the Lord. Greetings to the brothers and sisters in K'un-ming.
Brother in the Lord,Hu Yi-min
The twenty-first day of the first month of the year
Two or three weeks ago a few brothers and sisters were baptized into the Lord's name. The Lord has started some work among the young students here. Please pray for this. Recently, Brother Hsu borrowed the local church meeting hall for a week-long conference. The subjects were: (1) the law, (2) the Holy Spirit, and (3) the bearing of the cross. There were seventy to eighty people in the audience. May the Lord gain what He is after.
Brother in the Lord,K. H. WeighMarch 16
I am conducting a conference for a few days here. After the conference I may go with Brother Weigh. He will go to Hsia-Kwan and Bao-Shan and work there. Presently, Brother Lin Kwang-tsao is engaged in construction work with the Highway Department in Hsia-Kwan. When will Brother Nee return? We remember him!
Brother in the Lord,Hsu Jung-jieh, March 19
Recently there was a week of gospel meetings in Chou-Jia-Dien in the Alliance Gospel Hall. There will be ten days of edification meetings for believers on March 6-15. Some may come from Ch'ang-Teh. We will have two meetings every day. After the meetings we will visit Brother Chang Gung-jih in Tung-Ping, An-Hua. Later, we will pass by Yuan-Jiang and Yi-Yang and then go to Chi-Li and Dah-Yung. May the Lord grant me a healthy body to work in these places on my return journey. Please pray for me. May the Lord open a great door for the preaching of the Word in west Hunan. Brother Shang Jiu-tze has decided to travel with me.
Brother in the Lord,Han Fu-shen, March 1
A seventeen-day conference is about to conclude in Chou-Jia-Dien. God has blessed us. Brother Mei Han-ke and his whole family have been greatly revived. Soon a few people will be baptized. We intend to leave Ch'ang-Teh for Dah-Yung around the twenty-second or twenty-third of March. Dah-Yung has invited us a few times and is very hungry and seeking. In April they will have their annual retreat and have invited Brother Han to go. After staying in Dah-Yung for a month or so, we intend to go to Chi-Li. Then we will turn to Szechuan or to Yuan-Ling. May the Lord open a great door in west Hunan and glorify His own name through us useless ones.
Brother in the Lord,Shang Jiu-tze, March 12
Since quitting the work at the refugee center, I have been living with Brother Hu in Chen's house in Bai-Tse Alley. During the past days I have been remaining quietly in the Lord, praying, studying the Bible, and learning to take God's dealing. Through His enlightening I have realized that I do not know God. I am not yet perfected and am far from being a vessel of the Lord. There is some comfort in the work at the orphanage.
During the past two or three months, the Lord has been showing me that much of my zeal for Him in the past, much of the work I was engaged in, and many of the things that I have written to the saints in my correspondence were done out of ignorance. Many of my prayers and pursuits, though honest in motive, were but expressions of my ignorance. I thought that it was good to be pure in heart and honest in conduct. Now I know that ignorance is a sin, and I am beginning to understand the meaning of the words: "We should imitate faith but not the act of faith." I am still inquiring of God and looking to Him day by day as to what my future should be. He delights not in the strength of the horse or the legs of man. He takes pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy. The brothers in Hankow are all well.
A weak member in the Lord,Lan Tsi-yi, March 15
On the morning of the sixteenth, I went for a medical checkup at the Chiu-Shi Hospital. Thank and praise the wonderful grace of the Father. The result of the examination showed that other than the slight inflammation of the eyes and throat (which was caused by my recent speaking and reading), my body was healthy. My blood pressure is thirty points lower than it was in Hong Kong. When I was in Ch'ang-sha, I had to give over three hundred cc of blood. Then my blood pressure was only six points lower. But this time, it went down thirty points without doing anything. The Lord has truly manifested His endurance and mercy on me, the chiefest of all sinners. What else can I say? I can only thank and praise the Lord who lives forever for me with all of my heart!
The work began officially on the twelfth. In the morning we have prayer meetings. In the afternoon we have sisters' meetings, and we have preaching meetings in the evening. There are over ten co-workers gathering here in Kulangsu. From this morning on, the co-workers are waiting on the Lord together. We hope that the Lord will gain the glory He deserves through these gatherings. We are not sure when the meetings will be concluded.
Brother Philip Luan, March 20
Unless I have special leading otherwise, my trip to Szechuan will not be changed. (We have received a letter from Hong Kong stating that Brother Kaung will leave for Chungking with his family around April 19 via K'un-ming and Kuei-yang. Please pray for this — Editor.) Mr. Luan will perhaps return to Hong Kong within the month. Brother Chen Ke-san wrote and said that he can come to Hong Kong. Thank the Lord! Give my regards to all the co-workers.
A weak one,Stephen Kaung, March 22, 1939
A while ago Brother Lin Bao-shen came to Macao and preached the gospel for seven days. Although it rained on the last day, there were still many people. That evening Brother Nee Hwai-tzu and Brother Chang Shi-wu stood up and gave a good word on the gospel after Brother Lin's preaching. Then Brothers Nee and Chang proposed to have a gospel meeting every Tuesday evening (which we are doing). In addition we have a brothers' and sisters' meeting every Thursday evening, and we have the prayer meeting every Saturday night. Those who come to the Sunday afternoon meeting all have a seeking heart. Thank the Lord!
Praise and thank the Lord. Brother Nee Hwai-tzu spoke many times in the meetings about what he read from the Word. Once he read 1 Corinthians 3 and Daniel 3 and shared something like the following: If we want our life and work to withstand the fire in the future, we must have the experience of His presence today. Only the things we do in His presence count, because only these things will pass through the fire. The three friends of Daniel were not hurt in the midst of fiery persecution and difficulty, because they had the Lord's presence. The fire burned up their bondage instead. Their clothing, signifying their righteousness, was not burned at all. Our God is a consuming fire. If we see God's presence, we will not live in a loose way.
Sister Ro-chen, March 31
Sister Tsai Deh-an (a Western missionary) passed by here and stayed for twelve days. She gave her testimony a few times and spoke of the Lord's work in her, her Spirit baptism, her water baptism, and how she saw the truth concerning head covering and the church. It was very moving. She has been going through a wilderness experience during the past year and a half in the Philippines. We thank the Lord for His grace. On the fourteenth she left Singapore for Norway. She will travel from there to northern Germany. The Lord willing, she will then return to America via England. After two or three months, she will return to the Far East. She still does not know where she should work in the future, whether in China, the Philippines, Malaysia, or Surabaya. May the Lord Himself give her leading. It is my opinion that there is a big need in Surabaya, if she and Miss Loo cannot work in China in the near future. There are only seven or eight brothers and sisters in Surabaya. Two or three of them are brothers from Fu-Ching and Fukien, and the other three or four were baptized by Brother Leland Wang a few months ago. It is difficult for them to rent houses or work. I have written a letter to them telling them to break bread in the homes if it is a problem to rent a place. I intend to go there, but I am still waiting. Sister Ding is resting in the National Hospital; her illness needs our prayer.
A weak servant of the Lord,Faithful Luk, March 17
Dear sisters in the Lord:
This short letter is to tell you of my continual prayer for and remembrance of you. I have always thought of you before the throne of grace. I know of your joy in the Lord and that you consider the Lord your life and your fortress. In the morning I read 1 Chronicles 26:27, which says, "Out of the spoils won in battles...." Ephesians 4:8 says, "He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men." Verse 10 says, "That He might fill all things," which can also be translated, "that He might fill the universe." From David's battle in 1 Chronicles 18, we can see what the spoils were and how they were used for God's house (vv. 8, 10-11). David reigned this way. One who is greater than David is now with you. May you find greater spoils from the battles in your daily life, and may you find more treasures in Christ. The servants in the house cannot satisfy His heart, only the sons and daughters can satisfy Him and inherit the possessions (Rev. 21:7).
A friend, who is a child of God, would like to offer this little gift through God's love to those among you who are in tribulation and need. Greetings to all the dear ones. May the Lord become your life, and may He overshadow you all day long. Please mention me before the brothers in the Lord, for they are all in my prayers and in my heart. While I am alive, I still open my window to the land I love — China. But I wait on God to release me back to you. Please pray for me so that I will know His will and not walk ahead of Him nor fall behind His purpose and His will.
Lai En-shi, Vancouver, Canada, February 4
(1) From Brother Watchman Nee's letter to his family we know that he was still in England before Easter. He probably left recently for his journey home. We do not know when he will arrive in Shanghai, and we do not know whether there will be conferences after he arrives. An announcement will be made when a decision is reached.
(2) Brother James Chen wrote on April 6 from Kulangsu: "The past conference lasted for nineteen days, and the brothers and sisters received much help. There were four hundred in attendance. Brother Luan and others left on the fourth and have probably arrived in Hong Kong. My trip to Thailand has been canceled. I have been in Kulangsu for almost a year and intend to leave here for a while at the end of this month."
(3) Brother Chen Hsi-wen wrote from K'un-ming on March 16: "Brother Chao Pei-ren from Hai-Yuen-Bao, Shi-Tsong County, Yunnan province, wrote that many people desire the Lord's word there, and there is the need for workers to go."
(4) Sister An Siu-fen wrote from Chefoo on April 2: "Sisters Soong and Wang wrote from Si-Siang that the work there was much blessed by the Lord."
(5) Brother Hwa Shi-bin wrote from Ning-Hai on March 16: "Brother Shao Tzi-wen and I will leave for Hwang-Yen tomorrow, and we will be working there. Brother Liu will return to Ning-Hai soon."
(6) Brother Shan Kai-fen left Shanghai for Shaoshing on March 24.
(7) Sister Hwang Bi-gwe wrote from Sibu, Malaysia, on February 28: "I am teaching English and Mathematics in a girls' school here, but I am free to go out to work on Saturdays and Lord's Day."
(8) Brothers Tang Shou-ling and Chang Yu-zhi completed their visit to Lan-Si. On his return trip Brother Tang visited the brothers in Jin-Hwa, Li-Shui, and Wenchow, arriving in Shanghai on April 14. Brother Chang will remain in Lan-Si for a while.
(9) Brother Hwang Li-chuen wrote from Pin-Yang on April 1: "Brothers Chang Kwang-rong and Hsu Dah-wei had meetings in Ya-Yau-Tou, Ping-Yang, and brought in much blessing of the Lord. They are now resting in the meeting hall in Fan-Shan."
The incident on February 4 is frightening even to recall. The large busy streets in the city were burned to ashes, and the whole city was bombed. There were over one thousand casualties, and over ten thousand people became homeless. Thank the Lord that those who are His were all preserved and did not even suffer any material damage. What do we have that makes us stronger or more noble than others? We can only boast of one thing, that we have God and that He gladly bestows grace! Hallelujah! Thank and praise Him! There is some moving around among the brothers and sisters that we know of.
Brother in the Lord,Liu Yi-chuan, February 21
According to Sister Chen Shu-kwang of the China Inland Mission, none of the believers that she knew were hurt. Thank the Lord! There is as yet no need for any relief work.
Brother in the Lord,Liu Yi-chuan, March 9
Brothers in Shanghai:
There are over thirty meeting places scattered over all the counties north of Fu-Cheng. The saints close to our church are all under the Lord's grace. We are not too clear concerning all the details because of the inaccessibility to traffic. We will inform you after we have made further investigation. Thank God for His grace in protecting us during our move out of Yi-Lin and our temporary stay in Gu-Jia-Juang in Yien-Shu. This place is only twenty-five miles from Yi-Lin. The area is flat, and all the fields are flooded for hundreds of miles around. It is difficult to find food, and we find it hard to settle down. The spring harvest is in ruins, and we do not know what to do with the days ahead. We can only pray for God to open a way for us and to bring all those who belong to Him out of this crisis. Please pray for us so that God will open a way for the saints in northern Kiangsu. I will inform you of details later when I have them. Peace to you.
Brother in the Lord,Wu Wei, March 27
Praise the Lord. My family and I are safe. Please do not worry. Since the interruption of postal service, how we have desired to know the footsteps of our brothers and sisters! Although our hearts are thinking about you, there is nothing we can do. We can only ask the Lord to protect, comfort, supply, and lead every child of His, amen. Recently, we received a letter from Sister Chang Pei-ling, together with Issue Nos. 4—13 of The Open Door. I was overjoyed and did not know what to say except, "Hallelujah" and "Praise the Lord!"
Praise the Lord that He has raised up a small number of people who are of one mind. I was very encouraged by some brothers and sisters who voluntarily went out after the conference to visit people and to preach the Lord's word to them. There are many seekers of the Lord in this area. There is the need for Him to send men to come and preach His glad tidings. Praise the Lord! In this small district a few villages already have local churches. In one place even the Lord's table has been established, and two other places are beginning to have the Lord's table as well. All these ones have taken up the responsibility by themselves. Some are saved but are not yet baptized. They intend to have baptisms in one or two places when the warm weather comes in spring. However, we do no know how many will be baptized. They are also willing to pioneer to the frontier lands for the gospel's sake. They intend to push towards the "mini-northwest" beginning in January. This is different from the "great-northwest" of China. Many brothers and sisters have migrated to the frontier provinces in the northwest and southwest of China. The saints here cannot go that far, but they want to at least move out to nearby areas. May the Lord create a good opportunity to promote the gospel in the "mini-northwest" and to attract a great number of people to Himself, amen. The truth in Rethinking Our Work meets my need. Although I am not a worker, I need it very much. We wonder whether Gospel Truth has been published yet? (Not yet — Editor.) These two are my most urgent needs. If possible, please mail them to me. Greetings to all the brothers and sisters with you.
Brother Chai En-shang, February 13
Thank the Lord that the tribulation on earth trains our heart to care for the unseen and for the peace in the heaven. We thank the brothers and sisters in every place for their encouragement of the Lord's love, their constant care, and their supplication so that those of us in Hankow, His very weak children, can hide under the shadow of His wings and be preserved. Glory to His name! Enclosed please find a little sum of X dollars for use in the work in the inland provinces or in the frontier work. This little sum expresses the sympathy of the members in Hankow towards the labor of the Lord's faithful servants in the barren lands. This little gift also shows that our heart and prayer follow these workers. May the footsteps of the Lord's servants be excellent everywhere they go, amen!
Weak members in the Lord,Lan Tsi-yi and Hu Lan-seng on behalf of the saintsin Hankow, February 24
There is now no more need in Hankow. Occasionally, one or two local brothers and sisters have needs, and the local church here can take care of them. Last Lord's Day we received X dollars from the local offering box, which was designated for the publication need of The Open Door. We will forward the money to you when the accounts are cleared. The Lord willing, I intend to come to Shanghai and learn something from the brothers and sisters. Please pray for this. May the Lord grant me the grace to learn the lessons that He has given me under the present circumstance.
A weak member in the Lord,Lan Tsi-yi, March 30
Dear beloved of the Lord:
We are unworthy sinners in the eyes of God, yet He has chosen to save us through His wonderful grace and mercy so that we can become fellow citizens with His saints and be His people. We cannot help but praise the Lord who has loved us forever and ever, amen! Since the fire in Ch'ang-sha, the population here has increased tremendously. We used to have meetings on the Lord's Day afternoon for testimonies or for the preaching of the gospel. Because the number of brothers and sisters increased (to about twenty), we began to have a bread-breaking meeting. The Lord has been blessing us. The population is dense, and there is a great need for the gospel. We ask that the Lord send His own workers to reap this harvest! When we have time, we borrow the Methodist Chapel to preach the gospel in the evenings. Please pray much for the members here. We are as weak as water! Enclosed please find X dollars for The Open Door. The Lord's grace be with you.
Weak members in the Lord,Loh Yung-dien, Chou You-seng
Thank the Lord that we moved into our own rented place last Lord's Day. The address is Yu-Ying Elementary School on Well Street. This is God's provision for us. It is a private school, and the owner has agreed to let us use the main classroom of the school in the future. Chairs, tables, and boards are all there. We pray in one accord every evening that God would send workers here to pioneer the work. The door of the work is open. The China Inland Mission has been good to us. The Baptist Church has organized a women's Sunday school and has asked me to conduct the school.
If two brothers can come together, they can take the Hsu-Fu-K'un-ming Highway, which passes from K'un-ming through the Szechuan-Yunnan Highway. That route has never been touched by the gospel before....There are twenty-two small stations between K'un-ming and Hsu-Fu. It takes twenty days to get through with sedan chairs and costs about forty-four dollars. But this is cheaper than coming by bus through Kuei-yang and Chungking. This way was once full of bandits, but the Transport Department has set up stations now. There are now many daily activities in the loading and unloading of goods; therefore, the route has become much safer. Of course, it is very exhausting to take a sedan chair for twenty days. One needs God's grace for guidance and protection. If any brother comes, please inform us ahead of time so that we can tell the colleagues working in the stations along the way to care for him and to provide him with lodging. Please convey this message to brothers who are praying for this. We hope that the Lord's church can be built up soon here in Hsu-Fu.
Brother and sister in the Lord,Yuen How-tsai, Yuen Jie-min, March 17
Brothers and sisters in Shanghai and
those from Hangchow who are scattered everywhere:
Since the political turmoil, most of the saints in the church in Hangchow have been scattered. Only Brother Rang Chi-yu in the city and Brother Tao Chun-yen in Hu-Shu with their families did not move away. By the Lord's grace they are safe. Because of the danger in traveling, there is now only a home meeting in Brother Rang's house. The saints in Hu-Shu have been dispersed to the nearby villages. The meeting in Hu-Shu is better than before. Every Lord's Day there are about thirty to forty people. On March 26 five brothers and ten sisters were baptized, and they began to have the Lord's table also. We can only say that everything that has happened in the past was according to His grace, and we can only thank and praise Him. Peace to you in the Lord.
Brothers meeting in the name of the Lord,Rang Chi-yu, Lee Kwai-sien, Tao Chun-yen, March 27, 1939
In addition to the newly baptized ones, there are over twenty brothers and sisters meeting in Hu-Shu, Hangchow. The ones who are responsible for the Lord's work are Brothers Lee Kwai-sien and Tao. I have not been to Hu-Shu for over two years. I must admit that I was never a responsible one there. Although I have my signature in the letter, I feel that I have come very short of the Lord. May He bless Brothers Lee and Tao and all the saints in Hu-Shu.
In Issue No. 14, Brother Yu Yun-fei of Ning-Po wrote, "Brother Wang Shu-fa from Ping-Yang wrote that he is clear concerning the Lord's calling..." I would like to make the following corrections:
Indeed, I told Brother Yu the above. But by the mercy of the Father and through His enlightening, I have repented in dust and ashes. I confessed my sins to God, and I have to ask Brother Yu and those who have received my word to forget about me. I cannot hide the Father's grace in me. He showed me clearly that my duty in the Body of His Son is to be a member. But my corrupted self did not accept this. How wicked I was! It was my wish and inclination to work full-time for the Lord because I was sick and tired of my job as a teacher. Hence, I took the excuse to say that I was called. Actually, this was not God's will but my own will. I was acting according to the desire of my heart! Furthermore, my flesh was never dealt with, and my self was so big. I do not have a particular determination, nor do I have a righteous and sanctified living. I am only a small, crooked bamboo shoot. How can God use me? I was deceiving myself and deceiving others. I was even deceiving God! I considered God's work to be such a light and frivolous matter! I am indeed the chiefest of all sinners. No one is more wicked than I am among the brothers and sisters! May I be spit upon, and may I receive shame! I deserve this through my ignorance and wickedness.
But thank the Lord that His lovingkindness has preserved me from this crooked way. He is still binding me. I am still teaching at Pei-Ling School, and His light is still enlightening me. I would like to confess my sins before the Father and before the brothers and sisters. May the Father forgive me and wash away my unrighteousness with the Lord's blood, and may the Father lead me to be faithful to death and to follow only the Lord's will, not my own will, amen. I, Wang Shu-fa, have been too forgiving of myself, which has given license to the flesh. This is detestable! By grace I hate myself, deny myself, and exercise the authority of the victory of the cross to condemn everything that is of the self. Please in the future call my name "Wang Yee-lieh."
A weak brother in the Lord,Wang Yee-lieh (i.e., Wang Shu-fa), March 23
Surabaya is not a small place. There are many Chinese from Fukien and Kwangtung here. But we have met very few brothers and sisters. Perhaps the reason for this is the language barrier. I hope that we can meet more brothers among the Chinese. I believe that there are many brothers from Fukien and Kwangtung who have come here for business. If the brothers in all the localities can write to me and recommend these brothers to me, we can meet them. At the meeting on March 12, we received X dollars from the offering box. The believers in Miri have also sent us X dollars. We are forwarding them to the Gospel Book Room. Please distribute it according to the Lord's leading to the brothers and sisters in tribulation.
In Him,Dai Shi-shun, Wang Kwang-jeh, Wang Fen-hsing,Chen En-shen, Kuo Shi-bing, March 16
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(1) Recently there has been much frustration on the mail routes. The post office will not deliver printed material that is not officially approved to many places. As a result many copies of Issue No. 15 were returned. In order to communicate with various places, we have sent the magazine out as letters instead. This is why many places which subscribed for more than one copy have received only one copy. We can only do the same thing with this issue. Those places which have received only one copy should pass on the news to other brothers and sisters in the same place.
(2) Since we have to send the magazine out as letters, we have stopped printing the column "The Dynamics of Service" in order to reduce the number of pages.
(3) We have sent copies of the magazine to all those who have subscribed to it. If you have not received a copy, it is either because the post office has refused to forward printed material or because it has been delayed in the mail. At critical times these things can happen all the time. If you have not received anything for a long time, please inform us. We will pay more postage and send a copy to you as a letter.
(4) We thank the Lord for the relief work to the saints in need. His grace is abundant! According to our knowledge, Kuei-yang, Wuhan, Szechuan, and Chungshan have no more needs. We are still paying attention to areas around Hunan. There are more needs in areas around north Kiangsu. It is quite difficult to forward funds by mail. We can only look to the Lord to open a way. In supplying the needs of the saints, we are constantly afraid of neglecting the ones who are really in need. Those who are looking to the Lord with a pure heart often do not say anything concerning their needs. I hope that those who know their real need will inform the responsible brothers in their locality, lest we owe them something.
(5) Rumors and one-sided reports should not be taken lightly. We hope that the brothers and sisters in the Lord would either carefully screen letters that spread reports about the churches or ignore them altogether. Believing in these reports lightly only provides an opening for attacks. However, if anyone is wrong or if any church has any weakness, we should speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Our exhortations should be in Christ (Phil. 2:1). Evil-intentioned criticism, inaccurate reports, and shady, anonymous letters are not Christian acts. We cannot act as the unbelievers do. Although it is not an easy thing to speak the truth, love would rather see ourselves suffering hurt in order to save ourselves from misunderstandings.
(6) When the brothers and sisters quote from the book Rethinking Our Work, they should do so because the point quoted is according to Scripture. This is why we act according to what it says, and only when we act this way will we receive the benefit. If one says that he does this or that because the book says so, others will misunderstand that we consider this book to be more important than the Bible. We have no intention of doing this, and we dare not uplift any book more than the authority of the Bible. We should be careful in our words.
(7) Some brothers and sisters say that they have received the calling to serve the Lord full-time. We should rejoice and thank the Lord for this. Some co-workers do not know these ones well, and therefore cannot recommend them. This does not mean that these called ones are not qualified to work for the Lord. I wish all the young brothers and sisters who are called by the Lord would be like Henry Moore in England. Mr. Moody neglected him in the beginning because he did not know him. However, when Mr. Moody heard his preaching, he was driven to tears. This caused a change in Mr. Moody's preaching from that point on. Is this vindication not better than many self-recommending commendations? If a calling is genuine and the timing is right, what does one have to fear? If the calling is not clear, one should wait and examine even when there is sympathy and encouragement on all sides. This is something that we should not handle in a light way.
Ruth Lee in ShanghaiApril 11, 1939
[Omitted]
