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The third specific means Watchman Nee employed for his ministry was that of issuing publications.
Early in 1922 Watchman began to print gospel tracts for his preaching work. In his open letter in the thirteenth issue of The Present Testimony, published in March 1930, he said, "In these two years hundreds of thousands of gospel tracts have already been distributed. We constantly hear of their effect in saving people."
In his open letter in the nineteenth issue of the same magazine, published in January—February 1931, he said, "The gospel tracts we have printed have been greatly blessed by the Lord. In the past two or three years we have sent out more than five million tracts, and this year we have printed one and a half million tracts."
At the end of 1922 Watchman was burdened to publish a magazine entitled The Present Testimony. In Chinese it is called Fu-shing, which means "revival." The first issue of fourteen hundred copies was published in January 1923 in Foochow. Its theme was specifically the deep things of God and was composed of messages on life with the Lord Jesus as the center, especially emphasizing His life, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His intercession, His Body, His coming back, and His kingdom. These messages were especially designed for the cultivation of the spiritual life and made no attempt to engage in intellectual debate.
This magazine continued until 1925, when Watchman had the burden to publish The Christian. The publication of The Present Testimony was resumed in January 1928 in Shanghai. The following excerpts taken from his second testimony, given at Kulangsu on October 20, 1936, and his open letters reveal the purpose of the magazine and the reason for resuming its publication:
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Before I became ill, I not only visited various places to conduct special meetings, but I also had a great ambition to compose a good comprehensive commentary. I intended to devote much energy, time, and money in writing a large commentary consisting of about a hundred volumes. After completing The Spiritual Man, which I began in Nanking when I became ill, I realized that the task of expounding the Scriptures was not for me. However, since that time I have frequently met with temptation in this respect. After my illness, God revealed to me that the central point of the messages He gave me was not for expounding the Scriptures, preaching the ordinary gospel, paying attention to prophecies, or anything outward, but for laying stress on the living Word of life. For this reason I felt I should resume publishing The Present Testimony to assist God's children in spiritual life and warfare.
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We continue with a portion of his open letter from the twenty-fourth issue of The Christian, published in December 1927:
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The Bible contains numerous teachings which ordinary believers cannot fully understand. Moreover, the testimony of the Lord is so incomparably great that we cannot receive and preach it completely. During the time of my waiting and praying, God committed to me the testimony which He wishes me personally to bear. I consider the book The Spiritual Man to be an outline of the special testimony which the Lord has committed to me. In the past years, day by day the hand of the Lord has become heavier upon me, forcing me to realize that He desires me to bear a special testimony for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many who have ordinary testimonies, but the Lord wants me to bear a special testimony for Him. Therefore, I am ready to give up the work of expounding the Scriptures, which thing I would like to do most, in order that I might bear the specific testimony which God has freshly committed to me. The wonderful thing about it is that the Lord is also leading all the brothers and sisters who are meeting and having fellowship in Shanghai in the same way. Hence, by means of the coming issues of The Present Testimony, according to what we have received from God, we shall specifically explain "the deep things of God" to the Body of Christ. We wholeheartedly desire to bear this unique testimony which the Lord has committed to us. We also fully realize that the Lord will raise up many other believers besides us to bear this testimony together. The more we walk on the spiritual path, the more we realize the importance of the message of the cross. Believers today have failed because they have not allowed the cross to work deeply and destroy all the works of the flesh. There is still a mixture of the new and the old creation in the lives of believers, because the old creation has not yet been replaced by God. Such mixture always results in loss to the new creation. Correctness in outward behavior, excellence in church organization, increase in Bible knowledge, and exertion in God's work are all insufficient to guarantee against a mixture of the flesh within. On the contrary, the flesh can act freely in all these things and promote them with all its might. For this reason, the work of the cross annihilating the old creation is indispensable. Without the cross standing between the new and the old creations, a person's spiritual life is false, shallow, and superficial. Since a believer's life is always related to both "self" and the Lord, the cross must destroy the self so that the Lord can have His legitimate place. The time of the millennium will be the right time for the Lord to overcome Satan. Therefore, by the grace of the Lord, we would remind the church of God that the Body of Christ must rise up to work with Him to bring in the kingdom. Our desire is that the enemy might soon be put to shame and that Christ might soon be glorified.
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In his open letter published in the first issue of The Present Testimony of January—April 1928, he said:
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We publish this little magazine because we have received the commission from God to help His children specifically in matters relating to spiritual life and warfare. In every age there is a unique truth especially needed for that period. For those of us living in these last days, there must also be some specific truth which we especially need. By means of The Present Testimony, we intend to bear testimony to the truth needed in this present age.
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The following words are taken from the open letter in the nineteenth issue of The Present Testimony of January— February 1931:
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Some may think that the content of The Present Testimony is too deep and too specialized. However, many readers have written to us saying that while other magazines are greatly used by the Lord, The Present Testimony provides what the others do not. For this reason we are convinced that the command which we have received of the Lord is right. By the grace of the Lord, The Present Testimony will therefore continue to speak forth the deep things of God this year and in the years to come, the Lord willing.
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Publication of The Present Testimony was suspended following the thirty-sixth issue of July—August 1934 and was replaced by The Testimony in 1948. However, publication of The Present Testimony was resumed in January 1951.
In order to lay a foundation for understanding his deeper periodical, The Present Testimony, Watchman issued another periodical called The Christian. In the Narration of the Past delivered on the Lord's Day, December 4, 1932, at a meeting in Shanghai, he referred to his burden concerning this paper:
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Publication of The Christian began in January 1923. It was published at irregular intervals and was discontinued in 1925. While I was staying in Lo-Hsing Pagoda, I felt the need to issue a regular publication which would give more emphasis to the truths of salvation and the church and deal as well with prophecies and types. I intended this magazine (called The Christian) to be temporary in nature. In 1925 two issues were published; in 1926 ten issues were published; and in 1927, because of continuous demand, another twelve issues were published.
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The announcement in the combined thirteenth and fourteenth issues concerning The Christian was as follows:
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PURPOSE: To proclaim the salvation of the cross, to cultivate the Christian's spirituality, to warn of the danger of modernism, and to declare all of God's will.
CONTENT: The Christian contains messages, short articles, stories, signs of the times, studies, expositions of the Bible, and questions and answers (anyone desiring to ask questions about the Scriptures may do so). Every other month we issue a "Scripture-expounding" special, devoted exclusively to expounding the Bible. The current topic is the book of Revelation.
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Each issue of this monthly periodical was approximately eighty pages in length. In those issues he expounded the first three chapters of Revelation, spending much time on the seven epistles. It was through these messages on the seven epistles that denominationalism was fully exposed and the proper church revealed. By reading these papers, many young people throughout the whole of China had their eyes opened. I was one of them. It was thus that I came to see the evils of the denominations and also to see the church. We still have twenty-three of the original twenty-four issues of The Christian. They were filled not only with much revelation but also with much inspiration. They were marvelous. It is almost unbelievable that that young man of just twenty-two years of age could expound the Scriptures in such a way. In those issues he expounded not only the first twelve chapters of Revelation, but also the first two chapters of Genesis. He spoke of the first, second, and third days and applied them all very much to Christ. He said clearly that the land rising out of the water on the third day was a type of Christ coming forth from the dead. Christ was the good land resurrected on the third day to produce all kinds of life. What a marvelous revelation!
The following five excerpts, four of which are taken from the editor's word in The Christian, and one from Notes on Scriptural Messages, reveal his burden and purpose in publishing The Christian.
From the fifth issue of The Christian published in March 1926:
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From now on, the Lord willing, each issue of The Christian will contain a column on "The Signs of the Times" that our readers might better understand the situation in the last days and know how the prophecies of the Bible are being fulfilled step by step. May the Lord use this column to inspire His children to watch and pray and get themselves ready. Knowing that the Lord is coming soon should not make one lazy, but rather cause him to forsake the world. Those who are aware of the Lord's soon return, yet still love the world, are in a very pitiful spiritual condition.
The purpose of The Christian is not to preach any person, any man's ideals, or any "ism." Its mission is to preach the Lord Jesus and Him crucified. We thank the Lord that this paper has aroused many people's sympathy and prayers. Our intention in these pages is to preach the message of the Lord to people far and near. I deeply believe that if the Lord's servants clearly preach the gospel of the vicarious death of the cross and depend on the mighty power of the Holy Spirit in order that sinners might become regenerated, they will by no means be fruitless. Unfortunately, what is preached today is not the gospel of God, the gospel of the grace of God. Rather, the message of the cross as revealed by God is replaced with man's ideals and rules for improvement. No wonder sinners are not affected. Others preach the salvation of God by their own intelligence and wisdom and do not have the Holy Spirit working with them by power. Hence, even though they preach, in the end they cannot save men's souls. I pray humbly that the Lord may have mercy on us and cause us not to rely on our own ability or strength but rather on God's Spirit to speak forth the gospel of the Lord.
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The following is taken from the combined thirteenth and fourteenth issues of The Christian published in January—February 1927:
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When we first began publication of The Christian, our original intention was to try it for only one year. While, on the one hand, there are not many spiritual publications today, on the other hand, there are enough to make us wonder whether there was sufficient need for us to publish The Christian. Yet, since its inception, readers everywhere have indicated that it does meet a great need in the church today and has its unique place. Their subscriptions, recommendations, and encouragement have been continually pouring in. We thank God that He has made The Christian so acceptable to His children. We intend therefore to continue the work for another year....
When we published our first issue of The Christian, we included a statement stating our goal, standard, and affiliation. We would now like to reprint what we said then:
GOAL: In this little monthly publication, our desire is to supply spiritual milk to the young believers and solid food to the older ones. We especially stress the salvation of the cross. But we are even more concerned with the spiritual condition of the believers. We ask God to strengthen us that we could preach all of God's will. As to the errors of modernism, we will strive to warn God's children of its dangers.
STANDARD: The Bible is our only standard. We are not afraid to preach the pure Word of the Bible, even if men oppose; but if it is not the Word of the Bible, we could never agree even if everyone approved....
The contents of The Christian this year will continue as before. Besides "The Signs of the Times," "Stories," and "Questions and Answers," all of which were included last year, we have also prepared three articles on "The Shortcut to Hell" for this year's gospel messages (the first of which is published in this issue). Other articles which also proclaim the gospel of the grace of God will be published in succession. All our readers may feel free to pass on the gospel messages to others (whether or not you mention the name of this magazine). There is a certain pastor who regularly reads the gospel messages of this paper to his congregation on Sundays. He feels that even though they cannot hear our preaching personally, he still can use this direct method to meet the need. The Lord has greatly blessed what he has done.
This year there will be many messages especially dealing with faith in the "Spiritual Instructions" column. The articles on prayer by Mr. Meek will still be published. We also hope to print some practical articles written by other children of God. In the first half of this year, we intend to publish "The Practice of Faith," "The Deeds of Faith," "Important or Not," "The Condescension of Jesus," "Bribing the Conscience," and others. "An Hour's Conversation with Mr. George Müller" has been translated by Mr. Wang Tze and will be published in the "Testimonies" column. The Lord willing, Mr. Wang will translate other articles for us. "An Unspoken Message" in the "Stories" column is the most touching one. We also hope to publish some testimonies of high school and college students this year. Please pay attention to them.
We have translated "The Origin of the Bible" and hope to publish it soon.
Concerning the exposition of the Bible, we will continue "Meditations on Genesis." However, each article will be a separate entity. The sixth and seventh articles have been completed. One is "The Story of Creation and the Basic Truth of Dispensations," and the other is "The Story of Creation and the Seven Great Characters of Genesis." Those who enjoy reading this column will receive much spiritual food.
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After twenty-four issues of The Christian had been published, Watchman was burdened to resume the publications of The Present Testimony. The Christian, therefore, was discontinued in January 1928. After six and a half years, in July 1934, publication was again resumed. The following statements explain the reason and purpose for discontinuing The Christian. This excerpt is from Watchman's open letter in the twenty-fourth issue of The Christian published in December 1927:
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After a long period of waiting and praying, I am now clear about the Lord's will concerning The Christian for next year. When I first began publication of this paper, I knew it would not be of a permanent nature. At first I intended to publish it only on a trial basis for one year. Following the first year, I continued its publication for another year. Now two full years have passed. When I began, a few friends asked, "What is your purpose in publishing The Christian? What do you plan to do with The Present Testimony which you published before?" My answer was, "The goal of The Christian is to lead believers to read The Present Testimony. Whenever I feel the time has come, I will stop publishing The Christian." This was what I said to my friends then. Now the time has come, and The Christian will be discontinued.
This whole year I have been continually before God, contemplating and praying over the future of this paper. Day by day I have become clearer that the message of this paper is now adequate. God is now leading me on to bear another special testimony. As this instrument has been used in the hand of God, and as He now desires to put it aside, who am I that I should say no? Some friends who learned of my decision felt sorry that The Christian was being discontinued. Also, humanly speaking, it seems that since this paper is enjoying such a wide circulation, that it is a shame to discontinue it. According to my natural thought, I also am reluctant to discontinue The Christian, for I am most delighted with such a work. But God has stepped on the brake, and I must obey with rejoicing. In that day you will know that I was obeying God in this matter.
I feel deeply that the various testimonies we have printed in The Christian, especially those concerning the outward behavior of believers, are sufficient. If we continue our tiring reiteration, it will make The Christian a paper specializing in "leaving the denominations," "baptism by immersion," etc. I thank God that He gave the co-workers and me the same feeling concerning this matter....
Does this mean that we will cease printing such writings concerning our testimony? The Lord is leading the believers meeting in Shanghai to publish The Present Testimony. Henceforth, The Present Testimony will be a written testimony of the believers who meet and have fellowship in Shanghai.
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The following statement was Watchman's announcement concerning his publications, issued in the June 1934 edition of Notes on Scriptural Messages:
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In the winter of 1927, having become clear concerning God's will that I was especially called to bear testimony on the spiritual side of the truth (which excludes everything that might cause dispute regarding prophecy, the church, and Bible interpretation), I discontinued The Christian and reissued The Present Testimony. This does not mean that the work of The Christian is unimportant; on the contrary, it has a significant place. But I feel that what the Lord has committed to me are truths more in keeping with the nature of The Present Testimony of these few years. Teachings which are in keeping with the nature of The Christian are also greatly needed, but what the Lord has not committed to me, I must wait for someone else to do.
In 1930, after seeing so many young believers (spiritually speaking) without help, I published a simpler and easier paper entitled Notes on Scriptural Messages. It was my hope that God's children might receive benefit and be linked up with the truths which have the nature of The Present Testimony. Meanwhile, I was continually expecting in my heart, and I frequently mentioned to the co-workers, that it would be best if God would raise up someone else to do this in-between work.
Last year during the time of my weakness, I received a special dealing from God and felt deeply at that time that if I continued in this way, I could not adequately accomplish the things God had committed to me. There was also the danger of making void my obedience of 1927 if I continued to be careless. As a result I had the thought then of discontinuing Notes on Scriptural Messages.
This matter was brought up to the brothers this year in a conference, and it was pointed out that since so many brothers have been raised up, they should begin to take up the burden for many things. The unanimous decision of the brothers then was to resume the publication of The Christian and to allow me to discontinue the Notes on Scriptural Messages.
This does not mean that I will no longer bear the responsibility for the content of The Christian. I will be happy to follow after the brothers and publish in The Christian the manuscripts which I have accumulated from the past. But as for me, from now on I will only bear the spiritual testimony.
Notes on Scriptural Messages will cease with this issue, and The Christian will resume with the next issue. May God receive the glory in our new arrangement!
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The following announcement by Witness Lee appeared in the first issue of The Christian, newly published in July 1934:
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The discontinuation of Notes on Scriptural Messages and the resumption of The Christian were announced by Brother Watchman Nee in the fiftieth issue of Notes on Scriptural Messages. At this time we wish to add a few words here on the reissuing of The Christian.
Since 1928 when Brother Nee suspended The Christian and resumed The Present Testimony, even though truths of the nature of The Present Testimony have helped many of God's children in their spiritual life, it seems that teachings of the nature of The Christian have become hidden to God's children. We realize that the principles of the spiritual life are truly of foremost importance, but the light on the pathway cannot be lacking either. While we should certainly pay attention to the spiritual life, scriptural knowledge should by no means be ignored. Today a believer's inner life needs edification, and his outward behavior also needs cultivation. Even though Notes on Scriptural Messages can be of considerable help in this aspect to the children of God, it still is not the same as the former publication, The Christian. Hence, we felt the need to reissue The Christian.
Though the resumption of The Christian was decided by the brothers after the conference in January of this year, it was not until today that, by the grace of God, the first issue has come out. While we confess the delay to be our fault, we also believe that it was God's ordering.
After its resumption, the nature and content of The Christian will be largely the same as before. The differences are that the former "Messages" column is now changed to "Notes on Scriptural Messages" and the former "Scripture Expositions" to "Bible Studies." These changes are only in style; the function will be the same as before. The reason "Scripture Expositions" is being changed to "Bible Studies" is because we intend to publish, in succession, notes of Bible studies which Brother Nee conducted with the brothers and sisters in Shanghai during the last few years. By this means the truth-seeking brothers and sisters in every locality will receive help. "Messages" is being changed to "Notes on Scriptural Messages" in order to keep Notes on Scriptural Messages continuing so that the help God's children have been receiving will not be interrupted. Hence, although the Notes on Scriptural Messages ceased to be an independent publication, its essential existence has not been abolished. We simply incorporated it as a column into The Christian. Thus, on one hand The Christian resumes publication, and on the other hand, Notes on Scriptural Messages is also preserved. On the one hand, we want to restore the former testimony of The Christian, and on the other hand, we want to carry on the present help of Notes on Scriptural Messages.
Our hope is that God will use this little testimony to lead His children to draw near to His living Word, Christ, and to His written Word, the Bible. In this way they will be able to see how to go on today and obey Christ that He might have a larger and fuller place in their lives and work. It is our hope that they will also be helped to see the heavenly pattern—Christ—and turn their attention to His central work—the church—in order that Christ might be exalted and the Body of Christ, the church, be built up. It is also our desire that God would use this paper to declare His will and release His truths that the spiritual life of His children could be nurtured and their problems resolved. Although this responsibility is great and we are poor and weak, we do not look to ourselves nor to anything of ourselves. Rather, we look to Him, to His sufficient grace, and to His overshadowing strength.
Today with the church in such a confused, dark, desolate, and apostate condition, to speak the will of God straightforwardly and not to shun His truths will inevitably bring upon us the enemy's attack and men's opposition. But since this earth is one that has rejected the Lord, should not attack and opposition also be the portion of those who follow Him? In the work of serving the Lord, we seek nothing but His pleasure and satisfaction in heaven. We dare not compare ourselves with the apostle Paul, but we desire to follow his faithfulness and say with him, "For am I now trying to win the assent of men or of God? Or am I seeking to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a slave of Christ."
Finally, dear brothers, because of the greatness of this responsibility, the attacks of the enemy, and our own weaknesses, we do need you to pray for us with the same heart, in the same mind, and under the same yoke. May God bless you all!
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The following is the announcement in the same issue of the magazine concerning the resumed publication of The Christian:
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THEME: To speak forth God's will and to cultivate a Christian's spiritual life.
CONTENT: Notes on the Scriptural Messages, Twelve Baskets Full, Stories, Testimonies, Questions and Answers, and Bible Studies.
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The Christian continued until 1940. It was then suspended until it was replaced by The Way in 1948.
