Date: May 2, 1948, Lord's Day, 3:00 p.m.Place: Hardoon Road, ShanghaiSpeakers: Watchman Nee and Witness Lee
Watchman Nee: Last night there was one thing that we did not announce, which is the arrangements concerning the future of the co-workers.
I hope that there is no misunderstanding among us concerning the purpose of handing over ourselves. We have to see that we are all priests before God (1 Pet. 2:5). Both Exodus 19 and Romans 12 tell us that everyone is a servant before God. At the same time we see that service is not an individual matter, but a corporate matter. This is the reason we ask all the brothers and sisters to hand over themselves. Actually, there should be no need to speak about this matter. As soon as a person believes in the Lord, he is a priest. Originally, many things could be said directly after a person believed. However, due to the captivity of the church into Babylon, degradation came in, and there was the need for a recovery. Today the church is indeed the community of saved ones, but it is not yet the community of serving ones. If God's children do not serve, the church will merely become a "club house'' of saved ones, a place where saved ones come together to sing, preach, and meet. This is to change the basic nature of the church.
Because the church has become fallen, all the brothers and sisters have become free to do whatever they like and to express whatever opinion they have. As a result, many things have become optional, and some have become lawful. On the one hand, no one likes to meddle with others' affairs. On the other hand, we do not like others to meddle with our affairs. For this reason some barriers develop among God's children. But God's Word says that the church is the place where men serve God. It is the place where God's children work and labor together in one accord. The church as seen from God's Word is very different from the church of today. In God's Word every person, matter, and event are for serving God.
In the future we have to bring everyone up to this standard. Many people who have become Christians do not know what it means to serve God. In the future we will not have to tell the saved ones to hand over themselves; by that time, they will not be able to be a Christian if they do not hand themselves over the first day. If a man does not forsake everything, he will not be able to step into the door. Those who do not forsake everything to follow the Lord cannot be His disciples (Matt. 10:37-38). Outwardly speaking, it seems difficult for a man to forsake everything. But inwardly speaking, this is something that brings us joy. A man must be brought to a point where he is willing to give up everything. Only then will he be able to follow a straight course. Today, when we ask you to consecrate, we have to persuade you to do it. But in the future we will not need to persuade anyone. A man will either drop the world completely, or he will not be able to be baptized at all. Either you come in an absolute way or you do not come. Some people have said that the term "handing over'' is wrong. We are not arguing about terminology today. You can call it whatever you like. What matters is the reality. In the past men thought that serving God was a matter of personal choice. They thought that being zealous or not was one's own business, and that serving or not was also one's own business. But now this is changed around. If there is the coordination and you are in trouble, other brothers and sisters beside you will not let you fall. In this way the church interferes with as well as supports every individual. Many people will be watching over you as well as helping you and protecting you.
The brothers and sisters should know that their future, their jobs, occupations, dwellings, businesses, possessions, and everything that forms a part of their living should be put in the fellowship of the church. Formerly, one could make decisions on his own. But now, if he is to take the service of God as his center, everyone has to take one great step forward. From now on no one can make his own decisions or do things his own way. Many enterprises and occupations do not render much help to the gospel. The responsible brothers will ask you to change these occupations. What we do must be of maximum benefit to the gospel.
We have the following fellowship concerning money. In the coming days many brothers and sisters will have to leave their jobs. In Shanghai we have asked two sisters and two brothers to do this. Brother Hsia Hsi-ling has been working in the customs department for many years. We are asking him to leave that job. In addition, perhaps twenty to thirty brothers and sisters will also have to hand themselves over. Perhaps we will need fifty or sixty brothers and sisters to do this. If they give up their jobs and offer themselves up full-time, their support will be on the shoulders of the brothers who are holding jobs. During the past twenty years, we have not mentioned the matter of money. This platform can testify for me concerning this. But today we are going into business as partners and preaching the gospel as partners. For this reason, the brothers and sisters who are holding jobs should work conscientiously, and they should do their best to make money as well as to save money.
Today we stand on a different ground, and that is why we are not afraid to say something and do something. Today I can pass around my hat to ask for money for a brother. If some have misunderstood what we have said and are no longer willing to offer up everything, you can claim back your consecration slip from Brother Witness after the meeting. There is no need to be shy and no need to be ashamed. We do not force anyone to do anything. But when the brothers come together to discuss matters, and when a decision has been reached, you cannot draw back. Today we are not asking you to be frugal to the extent that you will suffer in your physical health. We are not asking for one-tenth, one-half, or one-hundredth. We are asking you to offer up all that you have except what you need. If you make ten million dollars a month, and you need all ten million, you do not have to offer a cent. If you make only eight million, the church will gladly give up two million to make up enough to meet your need. But if you make eleven million, you can only keep the ten million that you need. You have to offer up the remaining one million. If you make a hundred million, then ninety million will have to be offered up. If you do not do this, you owe these brothers who are giving up their jobs something. We have to learn to bear the responsibility of the gospel together with the brothers. Only by doing this will the gospel spread, and only then will we be able to go on in the way before us.
Concerning the future of the work, there are a few things that we have to pay attention to. In order for God's work in China to be carried out properly, four things are indispensable. The first is that strong messages need to be delivered in the local meetings. The second is that the literature work needs to spread. The third is the need to perfect the young people. The fourth is the need for joint conferences everywhere yearly. If any of these four things are lacking, our work will not be covered adequately. Shanghai and Foochow should maintain very strong message meetings. Then when a person wants to be perfected, he has to come to the church.
Furthermore, we need suitable meeting halls. Brother Miao said that he has been to many places and that in no place is the meeting hall as bad as the one here in Shanghai. In the winter it is cold, and in the summer it is hot. When someone gives a message, the audience is spread out over seven or eight different places. The listeners cannot see the speaker, and in some places they cannot even hear the speaking. We have to build a meeting hall that can seat three thousand immediately and that can hold another two thousand if we add another level to it later. In total we need a place that can seat five thousand.
Many people have been stirred up in Nanking already. Hence, Nanking also needs a meeting hall. In addition, we have to consider how to maintain a strong message meeting in Nanking. Foochow also needs a meeting hall. Presently, the meeting hall in Foochow is very hot in summer, and the windows are on the roof. What the brothers and sisters have offered up in these days is not enough to take care of these three meeting halls.
Before the war we published an average of eighteen thousand copies of The Christian every issue. At its peak we were publishing twenty-one thousand copies. The publication of one magazine alone requires seven hundred million dollars. This is only one magazine. There are three other kinds of magazines. Do not think that it is a simple thing to put out a magazine. As far as an individual is concerned, it is an embarrassing thing to ask for money. But here we are not afraid of misunderstanding. Every month we need much money.
One other thing needs to be mentioned. Among us, some want to serve the Lord, but there is no place where they can receive any training. This is shameful. In two places brothers wanted to learn to serve the Lord and were sent to seminaries. Presently, the brothers in all the places can surely learn something in their own church regarding how to take care of affairs and how to participate in the work. However, at the same time, they need some specific trainings. Presently, we have two hundred mous [a Chinese acre] of land in Kuling. There are some houses there, but the preparation work is only half complete; there are still many things that are not yet ready. When we had a few dozen co-workers meeting there, hospitality was a problem. Some had to sleep in a nearby hospital, like patients on hospital beds, because the hospitality was not adequate. This is too poor. We have to consolidate the hospitality before we can meet the need.
Today we have to offer up all our time for the gospel. Once I was at a meeting, and I asked the attendants if there were over fifty young people among them. I discovered that all of them were middle-aged and I could not go on with what I was going to say. Today if we have six hundred young people raised up among us, we will be busy all day long. Hence, we are short of people. At the same time we need a few hundred or even a few thousand brothers who are holding jobs to provide the support. If we do not do this, we will have no way to take care of the work. Today our work has to be done in a corporate way. In the past we thought that as long as we would find full-time brothers and would commit the responsibility of the gospel work to them, all the problems would be solved. But this is not the way today. Today we need to take care of the work together. No other period of time has been as easy as today for the gospel to go out. The opportunity for the gospel will be over in an instant. In Manchuria there are only two places left where the gospel can still be preached. Although North China has not yet fallen completely to the Communists, other than along a few railway lines, all the other places can no longer afford us the liberty to preach the gospel. If there are people who are strong enough and if we have enough money, we can bring three or five thousand people to the Lord in Foochow within a month. Once a person touches the gospel, he is saved. Once a person touches the gospel, he is subdued. If we want to give our all, now is the best time. Why are we not able to send out more people? In these days we are eager to go on in a fast way. I hope that some would rise up from among us immediately. I am not asking a little from you; I am asking everything from you. In the Lord's Word, there is no such thing as half-hearted Christians. If a man wants to serve God, he has to offer up everything. If there is a group of people who will rise up to truly offer up everything, the world will see the church. Unless we serve in this way, God will have no way to go on. If we want to serve, we have to be absolute. If we are not absolute, we may as well not serve. God wants everything. The Lord requires everything. All those who are in their jobs, in their occupations, in their schools, or in their homes have to offer up themselves. We need all the people and all the money to be spent on China. Today is the best opportunity for the gospel to be preached.
All the local brothers and sisters can put their offerings into the church offering box. Personal offerings can be given to the co-workers. The rest should be put in the fund for the work. If anyone wants to inquire about the accounting of the money for the work, you can go to Brother Lee and Brother Tang. The accounting of the church can be found in the church business office. The out-of-town brothers should first set aside an amount for their local use from their monthly offerings. If any money is designated for the work, it should be sent to Brother Witness and Brother Tang if it comes from the north, and should be sent to Brother Chen Ke-san and Chen Si-wen if it comes from the south.
Before God there are principles to everything we do, and we cannot do anything in a loose way. We are not like the missionary societies, who practice corporate faith. For over twenty years we have not dared to be tough in the matter of money. Today everything else may be soft, but if we are soft in the matter of money, God's Word will be softened. If we have a wrong attitude toward money and do not take care of it properly, God's Word will be sacrificed. On the one hand, we do not want to see anyone taking godliness as a means of gain. On the other hand, we have to maintain God's standard. We do not want to annul personal faith through corporate moves. But at the same time, we wish to see all the needs met. We hope that as long as there is prayer, there is answer to prayer. In this matter we hope to maintain a proper balance before God.
I have a few words to say about the co-workers. The basic need in the work is to know people. A doctor can use instruments such as a thermometer to measure temperature and a blood pressure cuff to measure blood pressure and pulse. For the workers, our spirit is our instrument. If our spirit has been dealt with, we will know what kind of persons others are as soon as their spirit touches ours. If you are a piece of rough stone, and another rough stone is put on top, the roughness of the other stone will not be accented. But if you are a smooth and flat piece of stone, and another piece of rough stone is placed on you, its angles and corners will be accented, and you will feel immediately which part is crooked and which part is not flat. You may not be able to pinpoint a person's mistakes, but when you touch such a one, you should be able to sense the rough parts in that person. In some places brothers have accepted co-workers on our behalf and have created many problems for us. This is because many of the ones that have been accepted are uneven and rough. I hope that we will have a deeper discernment concerning the co-workers. The workers who work in different places should bring letters of recommendation, without which they cannot be considered as our co-workers.
I have traveled along the coastal regions of China. I have also been to the inland regions. Of all these places, no place is as good as Foochow today. While I stayed in Foochow for forty days, I saw people being saved in a very quick way, and their salvation experience was quite solid. When we were about to leave at the end of our work, God suddenly did a strong work. Originally, we thought that as long as we had ten or twenty that were willing to be baptized, we would baptize them. Hence, we made an announcement on Thursday that we were going to talk with the candidates on Friday. When the time came, over eighty came, and over seventy were accepted for baptism. As soon as some came in and sat down, the brothers were clear that they were saved. The answers the brothers received far exceeded what they hoped for. The first time we held a baptism, one hundred twenty people were baptized. The second week there were seventy to eighty. In addition to these, there were many other ones who were waiting to be baptized.
If we sent all the co-workers left in Shanghai to the campuses, it would not be enough to meet the need of the three universities. I venture to say that it is not suitable for the co-workers here in Shanghai to go to Foochow. At Chiao-Tung University, National Medical University, and Shanghai Medical University alone, we have enough work to do already. Chiao-Tung University has two to three thousand students. Shanghai Medical University has a thousand. When the Western missionaries came to preach the gospel in the past, they had to build their own houses and hire their own people. But now everything is ready. The ones to preach the gospel are there, and the ones to hear the gospel are also there. Chairs and lights are in the auditoriums already, and everything is so convenient. Today we have seventy to eighty university students among us. At Chiao-Tung University sixty students are breaking the bread. At National Medical University we have a few dozen students. But we are short of people, and we are short of money. We are short of these two things. Recently we bought a car, two passenger vans, and a big bus.
In Nanking we have not officially started our work yet. But presently there are five hundred people breaking bread. In Nanking there are students who come from the remote regions of China. Presently, there are some brothers in the church who can speak the native Sinkiang language. Once when I was preaching the gospel, the dean of a certain school stood up to receive the Lord. After these brothers and sisters receive four years of spiritual education, they can become our "commando'' units when they graduate. If we do not let them go, then there is nothing to it. But if we let them go, these ones will go back to their home provinces to preach the gospel. They will go to Mongolia, Sinkiang, and Tibet. The problem is still the lack of money. These schools are in the Shia-Kwang district. It is a problem for the students to come up with enough money to come to the meeting. God has done much work on the campuses, and the door of the gospel is wide open.
Perhaps Brother Lee will say that I have left too few co-workers in Shanghai. But it is not an easy thing to make arrangements. I have opened up my spirit to the brothers, and I hope that the brothers will also open up their spirit to me. Presently, the need in Shanghai cannot be met yet. Brother Lee's family cannot move here yet, and Brother David Hsu's family cannot move here either. Brother Chang Yu-zhi said that he will have to return home. Brother Kang has quit his job at the China Textile Corporation, and he can no longer live in its dormitory. Brother Tang Shou-ling will also quit his teaching job soon. We have a big need in preparing the outward matters to match the spiritual move. Many people criticize us in a cheap way. In the end they will not move even a little finger. We co-workers are working with a burden on our shoulders; we are not working in a light-hearted manner. Some people are here only as spectators. Our words are not for you.
Today in the Northwest, some still testify to their faith with their own blood. We can only help them in our prayers.
