4. The Present Recovery—One City, One Church (A.D. 1937-present)
1. Watchman Nee's Early Years
2. The Work in Shanghai
3. The Lord Prepares a Co-Laborer
4. The Communist Takeover in China
5. The Church Life Spreads to Taiwan
6. The Lord's Recovery in the United States
7. Sowing the Word
8. God's Final Goal—the New Jerusalem
9. The Way to Attain the Goal
10. Conclusion

IV. The Present Recovery—One City, One Church
(A.D. 1937-present)

In the 1700's the Lord raised up Zinzendorf for a genuine recovery of the church life. One hundred years later, in the early 1800's, the Lord raised up the Brethren in England with John Darby for a further recovery of the church life. Then in the early 1900's, another hundred years later, the Lord raised up Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in China for an even fuller recovery of the church life through the local churches.

The present state of the recovery includes the practice of local churches with Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, this being the practice of one church for one locality. Entire websites are devoted to Watchman Nee, Witness Lee, and the local churches.

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It is amazing how much the Lord recovered through Watchman Nee. He had an extraordinary grasp of the Scriptures. There was a full sweep of the Word when he ministered. Witness Lee writes of him:

I have never met a servant of the Lord so balanced as Brother Watchman Nee. He is rich in life, and he is also rich in knowledge. He knows and loves the Lord, and he knows and loves the Bible too. He knows Christ, and he also knows the church. He is for Christ, and he is also for the church. Thus, his ministry has always been balanced with two sides–the spiritual and the practical.... The messages on the spiritual side are principally concerned with the matter of spiritual life, while those on the practical side are absolutely concerned with the practice of the church life; i.e. the way to practice the church life.[1]

Watchman Nee was saved in 1920 through the preaching of a lady evangelist named Dora Yu. Following his conversion he was spiritually raised up by Miss M.E. Barber, an English missionary to China. In Watchman Nee's Testimony he tells the purpose for which the Lord called him:

When the Lord called me to serve Him, the prime object was not for me to hold revival meetings so that people may hear more Scriptural doctrines nor for me to become a great evangelist. The Lord revealed to me that He wanted to build up local churches in other localities to manifest Himself, to bear testimony of unity on the ground of local churches so that each saint may perform his duty in the Church and live the Church life. God wants not merely individual pursuit of victory or spirituality but a corporate, glorious Church presented to Himself.[2]

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Through Watchman Nee and those who labored with him at least 600 local churches were established in mainland China by the time the Communists took over. One of his co-workers describes what followed that take over:

…[Brother Nee] availed himself of every opportunity to put his heart and soul into the work diligently. There were then hundreds of local churches throughout the country with many thousands of saints, most of whom had had assistance from him in some way. In 1952, on account of his loyalty to the Lord and for the sake of the truth, Brother Nee was unexpectedly arrested and put in jail after being sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.[3]

After being imprisoned for twenty years, Watchman Nee died in June 1972.

Witness Lee began to serve the Lord full time with Watchman Nee in Shanghai in 1933. In 1948, Watchman Nee and the other co-workers felt that Witness Lee should go to Taiwan so that what had been recovered in the churches would not be lost due to the political situation in China. By 1954 the church life was flourishing in Taiwan. In 1962, while visiting the United States, Witness Lee felt clear before the Lord to remain in the United States where he resided until his death in 1997. His ministry has been a rich nourishment to thousands of believers, focusing on the economy or dispensation of God (I Tim. 1:3-4; Eph. 1:10, 3:9). In The Economy of God he says:

…God's economy is to dispense Himself into us. The way God dispenses Himself into us is by the Father being embodied in the Son, and the Son being realized in the Spirit. In other words, the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Spirit. Not only is the Person of the Son in the Holy Spirit, but also the accomplished work of the Son. Therefore, the Holy Spirit includes God the Father, God the Son, the divine and human natures, the human life of Christ with the enduring power of earthly sufferings, the effectiveness of Christ's death, the resurrection power, the ascension, and the enthronement. All these elements are combined together as an “all-inclusive dose” in the Holy Spirit. It is through this all-sufficient Holy Spirit that the fulness of the Triune God has been dispensed to us.[4]

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His ministry has resulted in the establishing of numerous local churches in the United States and abroad which practice the principle of one church for one locality. Concerning the church life Witness Lee says:

In order to have the proper church life, we must have two main things: Christ, the life-giving Spirit, as the content, and the standing on the ground of unity in locality. In Anaheim, we are not standing on any doctrine; we are standing on the unity of the Body. Wherever we are–in San Francisco, Cleveland, New York, or any other city–we must be one. If we stand for doctrines, we shall be divided immediately, for one will have his concept, another his opinion, and still another his view. But when we take Christ as our life, as our person, and as our everything, this Christ within us will require the proper church life. In fact, the Christ in us will become the church life. Christ both requires and becomes the church life.[5]

A. Watchman Nee's Early Years

1. Watchman Nee's Salvation

Watchman Nee was born in 1903. He was a very gifted young man, excelling his colleagues in all his studies. He could have had a brilliant career and been successful in any area of secular enterprise. But at seventeen years of age he was confronted with the gospel of Jesus Christ through the preaching of Dora Yu, a young woman evangelist.

He realized that the Lord was calling him to consecrate the rest of his life to serve Him. His salvation and his calling were simultaneous.

He came to the Lord having a deep realization that he was not just coming to Christ for the forgiveness of sins; his salvation involved much more. He realized that the Lord was calling him to consecrate the rest of his life to serve Him. His salvation and his calling were simultaneous. Therefore, he trembled at the time of his conversion, knowing that receiving Christ was the end of all his bright dreams and golden aspirations for a career. He understood that from then on Christ was his Lord. As he was considering and praying, he had a realization of the Lord on the cross dying for him. He could not resist such a loving Savior. He gave himself fully to the Lord by opening his heart to Him.

After coming to the Lord, Watchman Nee had an immediate desire to bring all his friends to the Lord. For one year he preached to them without success. At that point he met two older missionary ladies, Miss Margaret Barber and Miss Gross. The latter advised him to write down the names of all his friends and to pray for each of them specifically, asking the Lord to open up a way for him to speak to them. He wrote down the names of seventy of his classmates and began to pray for them as she had instructed. One by one, within a few months, almost all of the seventy were saved.

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2. Searching Out the Truth

From the start, Watchman Nee was an earnest reader of God's Word, receiving much revelation from it. In 1922, he and a few others began to question whether many traditions practiced in Christianity were of God. They made a list of a number of practices and considered them in the light of the Scriptures. They questioned the scriptural ground for denominations, the clergy, Christmas, Easter, and other items.

Watchman Nee was an avid reader. He collected ever 1500 books, including church histories, biographies, expositions of the Scriptures, and spiritual writings from past centuries. His bedroom was filled with stacks of books. Even his bed had piles of books on it, leaving just enough room for him to lie down. He supplemented his Bible study and Bible reading with a diligent and eager searching out of all that had been written by men of God in previous generations and centuries. He desired to see what God had already done in the earth and to build upon this. Because he was a very gifted person, he could quickly perceive the strong and weak points of books by scanning them. He collected the items which were truly part of God's recovery and sifted out those which were deviations and distractions.

3. Early Practice of the Church Life

From 1922 to 1924, a few brothers met together in Foochow for a kind of church life. They were all very diligent in preaching the gospel. One of the brothers who was a little older than Nee,

Watchman Nee learned many such lessons in those years, some of them with tears.

was often a real problem to him. They frequently had different opinions regarding the gospel work. Nee, feeling that his own inner sense was according to God's Word, would go to speak with Miss Margaret Barber regarding his differences with this brother. But Miss Barber, who knew the Lord in a deep way, reminded him that the Bible tells the younger to submit to the elder. Watchman Nee learned many such lessons in those years, some of them with tears.

Many young brothers went to Miss Barber seeking help regarding the Christian life. She was always very strict and stern with them. Eventually, none could bear her rebukes except Nee, who by the Lord's mercy continued to visit her.

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Miss Barber also wrote many hymns, at least thirty of which have been published and are in use today. She was a seed; she fell into the ground and died in China. She did not travel about in China but remained in Foochow and bore principally one fruit in her whole life—Watchman Nee. Many missionaries misunderstood her and spoke evil of her. She never vindicated herself but chose rather to live by faith, trusting the Lord for all her needs. She prayed earnestly that the Lord would raise up a testimony to Himself in China. He surely answered her prayers. She also earnestly sought the Lord's soon return and infused this hope into Watchman Nee.

In 1924, after meeting for two years in Foochow, the brother with whom Nee had some difficulties made the decision to become an ordained minister. He believed that ordination would help his preaching. But Watchman Nee strongly opposed this move, not agreeing with any return to Christianity, and as a result was excommunicated from the church life there. This rejection made a deep impression on Nee as he learned not to fight nor to vindicate himself. He just left quietly.

4. Publishing the Truth

At this time Nee was burdened to begin writing and publishing. He started work on the volumes entitled The Spiritual Man. In 1926, when The Spiritual Man was published, Nee was only twenty-three years old. The depth and quality of his writing testifies that even at this young age, he had experienced the Lord to quite an extent. While writing these books, Nee became deathly sick with tuberculosis. A German doctor x-rayed his lungs and told him that he was in the last stages of T.B. and would soon die. Nee expected to die but was wonderfully healed by the Lord. A few years later he saw an advertisement for the sale of some medical equipment of a doctor who had died. Ironically, it was the equipment of the doctor who had examined Nee and had told him he would die.

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B. The Work in Shanghai

In 1927 Watchman Nee arrived in Shanghai to begin working for the Lord there. It is very interesting that exactly two hundred years earlier, in 1727, there was a revival among the Moravian Brethren which resulted in a recovery of the church life in Germany. Then one hundred years after that, in 1827, was the start of the Brethren with John Nelson Darby in England and in Dublin, Ireland. Then in 1927 Watchman Nee began the work in Shanghai. These are three stages of the Lord's recovery of the church life.

The Lord chose a heathen land for the advancement of His recovery, a land despised by the western nations who had sent many missionaries to reach the “poor” Chinese heathen.

The Lord's raising up of Watchman Nee in China was a big blow to the pride of many missionaries there.

This choice displayed the sovereignty and wisdom of God. Ephesians 3:10 says that through the Church might be made known in the heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God. The Lord's raising up of Watchman Nee in China was a big blow to the pride of many missionaries there. They were embarrassed that a native Chinese could be so full of the Lord and of living Bible knowledge. When the church began in Shanghai, a good number of Western missionaries received so much help from Nee and his ministry that they left their missions. The missionary organizations lost some of their best workers and began to attack and oppose Nee.

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1. Twenty-One Items Recovered

At that time Watchman Nee was seeing more and more concerning the Lord's way in His recovery. During the twelve years from 1920 to 1932, the Lord showed twenty-one major revelations to Nee and his co-workers. Some of these things had previously been seen by others, but they were freshly and more clearly seen by Nee.

The first item they saw was the assurance of salvation. In spite of all the missionary activities, few people in China were sure of their salvation. Many even felt they could never be sure until they got to heaven. The brothers saw the clear revelation in Scripture that we may know that we are saved and have eternal life. They preached the assurance of salvation and fought the battle until this matter was fully recovered.

They saw very clearly how traditional Christianity had deviated from the Word of God. They spent much time researching and comparing the practices of traditional Christianity with the pure Word of God.

The third item they saw was the church. They had a very real and deep revelation of the church, the åêêëçóéá (assembly), as the Body of Christ.

Fourthly, they had the revelation that denominationalism is against the Word of God. First Corinthians 1:10-17 clearly states that Christians should not be divided on the basis of doctrines or personal preferences. However, denominationalism has its source in divisions due to doctrinal differences and personal preferences. Furthermore, in Revelation 3:8 the Lord praised the church in Philadelphia because they had kept His Word and had not denied His name. When Christians take a name other than Christ's to form a denomination, they divide themselves from other Christians and deny the Lord's name.

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They also saw that the clergy system and the hierarchy of clergy are contrary to the Word of God. Although the Word talks about apostles, elders, and deacons in God's government, the Lord never intended for them to lord it over the believers. The clergy system that has evolved through man's organization has robbed the believers of their rightful relationship toward God.

They had a revelation of the universal priesthood of all believers according to I Peter 2:5. It is a wonderful revelation to see that all the saints are priests.

They had the revelation that the church in each locality should be governed by elders.

They saw that baptism and the Lord's Table are two outward symbolic practices to be carried on by the believers in the church age.

They also received revelation concerning the practices of headcovering and laying on of hands. The headcovering for the sisters, as mentioned in I Corinthians 11:4-16, is a picture of the submission of the Church to Christ. The laying on of hands is for the purpose of identifying one member with the rest of the Body and, like the headcovering, is an outward picture of an inward reality.

They had a definite revelation and experience of living by faith in God. They did not depend on salary and prayer letters. To live by faith in those days was a very significant recovery.

They received both light and experience concerning divine healing.

The brothers had a full revelation of the significance of Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and return. These matters are not just doctrinal but are for our experience.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit was another very important revelation. The Holy Spirit dwells within us enabling us to live a life that expresses God.

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Watchman Nee had a clear understanding of the distinction between the indwelling and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This distinction was not clearly seen by Christian teachers before Nee, and it is still misunderstood among many believers. Watchman Nee's teachings concerning the distinction between the indwelling and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are a help to the Lord's move today. The outpouring of the Spirit is for power for the preaching of the gospel. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is for the daily experience of Christ.

Nee saw very clearly according to Scriptures such as I Thessalonians 5:23 that man is made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body.

The inner life was also revealed to them. This is closely related to the revelations concerning the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the three parts of man. We have an inner life and a walk with the Lord because His Spirit indwells us in our spirit.

The matter of the overcomers was another very important revelation. Some Christians are overcomers because of their unwavering love for the Lord and their faithfulness to follow Him.

They also saw the matter of the kingdom as a reward. Nee received much help on this point from the writings of D. M. Panton. Panton's articles on this subject have appeared in a number of issues of The Firstfruit.

They received the revelation that the rapture is due to the maturity of life. The overcoming Christians are raptured because they have grown in the life of the Lord, and have been faithful to follow Him. Not many believers have seen this crucial point.

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Finally, they saw the matter of spiritual warfare. The daily Christian life is a battle in which Christ's victory over Satan must continually be applied.

All these great revelations were seen by Watchman Nee between 1920 and 1932. Probably not many Christians have seen all these after having been saved for just twelve years. Nee ran the race. He was very absolute for the Lord and very consecrated. He was an important vessel in the Lord's recovery and a great gift to the Church.

2. Publishing Magazines

During these years Nee had the desire to publish what he was seeing of God's recovery. Over a period of time he published three magazines. One was entitled The Present Testimony and another The Christian. These magazines were circulated all over China, and a large number of young people were deeply touched by what was presented. In one of the publications he ran a series of articles on the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. This opened the eyes of many young Christians to the evils of denominationalism and enabled them to see something of God's purpose.

C. The Lord Prepares a Co-Laborer

1. Witness Lee's Background

The Lord, in His sovereignty and wisdom, prepared another vessel to be one with Watchman Nee. This was Witness Lee. Lee came from a Christian background, having been raised as a Southern Baptist and having attended Southern Baptist schools. After he was saved, Lee met in a Chinese Independent Church for a short time and then began meeting with the Brethren assembly in Chefoo, his home town. He stayed with them for seven years, from 1925 to 1932, during which time he became acquainted with the magazines that Nee was publishing. Lee was very much helped and inspired by those writings.

In 1932 Witness Lee's life took a major turn. He realized that he was barren and fruitless in spite of all the Bible knowledge he had received from the Brethren. This caused him to turn deeply to the Lord, repenting and crying out from the depths of his being. He sought the Lord to bring him into a life of fruitfulness.

He left the Brethren and was used by the Lord to raise up the church in Chefoo. He met with eleven others whom he had led to the Lord and baptized. They began to minister the Word in a very living, prevailing way, and by the next year their number had grown to about one hundred. That year, in 1933, they asked Watchman Nee to visit them. This was the first meeting between Lee and Nee. Witness Lee was very surprised to see that Nee, whose articles he had read for years, was only two years older than himself. He had expected to see an old gray-haired man, deep in the Word.

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2. Co-laboring in One Flow

Later that same year, Lee visited Watchman Nee in Shanghai for several months. During that time Lee was deeply touched. He saw that Nee was different from anyone he had ever met, because Nee had such a deep, living knowledge of the Word. The brothers in Shanghai asked Lee to remain there and work with them, and he felt constrained of the Lord to do so. He realized that there should be only one flow from the throne of God, not two, and that he had to be in this one flow together with Watchman Nee. It is nearly unheard-of for anyone with a ministry to drop that ministry in order to come together with others. Lee's giving up his ministry to be one with others for the one flow of God on the earth was a very important recovery.

3. More Revelation

Starting in 1933 Witness Lee labored together with Watchman Nee. Nee held conferences and released four additional revelations to the churches between 1933 and 1937, allowing the Lord to take a further step in the church life.

The first of these visions was the boundary of the local church. According to Scripture, the boundary of a local church is the boundary of the city in which it is located.

The second was the centrality and universality of Christ. Nee saw that the purpose of all revelation and doctrine was to point us to Christ.

Third was the overcoming life of Christ. Nee gave a number of conferences which he called the “Overcomer Conferences.”

The fourth matter was the ground of the church, spoken in 1936 and printed in 1937. Nee's vision of the church ground began in 1933 when he traveled to England. He felt that the Exclusive Brethren had some light from the Lord and that he should be united with them.

Eventually, he saw clearly the New Testament revelation concerning the ground of locality and the ground of oneness...

First he went to England and then to the United States, visiting the assemblies and ministering in them. Through these visits he became keenly aware of the weaknesses of the Brethren. Because of these experiences, Nee began to search the Scriptures with much prayer to ascertain the true ground and boundary of the local church. Eventually, he saw clearly the New Testament revelation concerning the ground of locality and the ground of oneness—all believers in a locality should fellowship together as one and not be divided by doctrines or personal preferences. This was a critical revelation for God's recovery and paved the way for the present practice of the church life.

4. Watchman Nee's Vision

Watchman Nee's primary vision in his ministry was to build up local churches. He trained young people and co-workers to preach the gospel and to build the churches. He held many conferences to release revelations from the Lord. His ministry was also published in order to distribute it as widely as possible. These four components—building the churches, conducting trainings, holding conferences, and publishing the ministry—are still principal elements of the Lord's recovery today.

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5. The Spread of the Churches

The churches began to spread and grow throughout the Far East. In 1924 Watchman Nee traveled to Malaya. As a result of his visit, a church was raised up in Sitiawan, the first church in Southeast Asia. In 1931-1933 the churches spread to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. From 1933 to 1937 there was a growth of churches in many places in mainland China. In 1937 the churches began in western China, and in 1938 and 1939 the church life began in Hong Kong.

a. Revival in Chefoo

After being with Watchman Nee for some time, Witness Lee felt the Lord's leading to return to northern China. He labored intensely for three or four years with the church in Chefoo, which became a very strong church. During those years Witness Lee worked out in a practical way the pattern of the church life that he had seen from Watchman Nee. Nee saw it, like Moses who saw the vision on the mountain, and Lee put it into practice, like Joshua who brought the people into the good land. By 1943 there were about eight hundred saints meeting together. The church was built up very strongly in life, in practice, and in service, with all the saints very much involved in the service. Lee himself was personally involved in everything and led by example, not just by teaching.

During the New Year's time of 1943, a big revival began among them. This was the result of the strong building and service of the church. At the Lord's Table as they sang the hymn written by John Darby, “Hark! ten thousand voices crying,

All the saints were deeply touched to consecrate themselves to God's further recovery.

'Lamb of God!' with one accord,” the Spirit was mightily outpoured upon them, and they were filled with the spirit of prayer. Witness Lee stood up and began to pray that the Lord would shake China and call His people. All the saints were deeply touched to consecrate themselves to God's further recovery. The revival went on for one hundred days straight as they came together every day and met all day long. They consecrated all their property, the titles to their land, their houses, and all their possessions to the church for God's recovery.

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b. Migration to Mongolia and Manchuria

The Lord then specifically touched seventy of them to migrate to Inner Mongolia to spread the gospel and the church life. These were seventy ordinary people—teachers, shoemakers, and others—and within one year forty local churches were raised up. The same local churches are going on strongly right now in Inner Mongolia. There was also another migration of thirty to Manchuria.

After the revival in Chefoo, Lee came back to Watchman Nee in Shanghai to report on what had taken place and how they were practicing the church life. Nee fully confirmed what they had done and rejoiced that the Lord's revelation was being put into practice.

In 1943 Witness Lee was imprisoned for about one month and tortured by the Japanese as a result of the fighting between Japan and China. He suffered very much during this time. Afterward he contracted tuberculosis and convalesced for about two years. The sickness reached the third and final stage of tuberculosis, but then the Lord, who is the resurrection, raised him up.

c. Revival in Shanghai

In 1946, after Lee had regained his health, the political climate shifted. This turn of events allowed him to return to Nanking and Shanghai to minister. A great revival was raised up by the Lord through Lee's ministry in those two cities. The church in Shanghai bore much fruit through the preaching of the gospel. The number of saints meeting together rose to well over 1,000.

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d. Watchman Nee's Ministry Interrupted

During the years from 1942 to 1948, Watchman Nee's ministry was terminated by a widespread problem in the church in Shanghai. A number of saints had resisted him because of differing opinions, and he was unable to minister for those six years. But he received this as from the Lord and trusted the Lord to heal the situation. In 1948, through Witness Lee, Nee's ministry was restored.

From that same year there was a real consecration among the saints there in Shanghai. Nee began to hold trainings in the mountains for prospective co-workers. The saints received much practical help in these trainings. During the trainings Lee stayed in Shanghai to minister to the church there.

D. The Communist Takeover in China

Just at this time the Communists swept across China. All the co-workers decided to stay there to suffer with the churches. However, they made the unanimous decision to send Witness Lee out from the mainland so that he could spread what they had seen to Taiwan and other places. This way they hoped that something of God's recovery would be preserved.

E. The Church Life Spreads to Taiwan

When the Communists swept down over China, Witness Lee was sent out by the co-workers to the island of Taiwan. Many of the saints fled from mainland China and took refuge in Taiwan. Some who had fled earlier had begun a small church life in Taipei with about fifty saints. When Lee arrived in 1949, together they began to preach the gospel and to build up the church. Because of their diligent gospel preaching, their number increased to over 1000 saints in one year. From 1949 to 1955 the number of churches on the island grew to sixty-five with a total of 20,000 saints.

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Then in 1957 the devil attempted to undermine and destroy the churches in Taiwan. Some of the leading co-workers became very dissenting and rebellious. Yet the Lord prevailed according to Matthew 16:18 where the Word says that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the church He builds.

In 1958 Witness Lee saw four key items in the Scriptures: the vision of God's building, the mingling of God and man, Christ as the life-giving Spirit, and the enjoyment of the Lord by eating and drinking Him. Then in 1961 he gave a series of messages which gave the saints in Taiwan a real vision concerning the practical priesthood.

F. The Lord's Recovery in the United States

1. Witness Lee's First Trip to the United States

In 1958 Witness Lee made his first trip to the United States. At that time I was meeting with a group of Christians in Los Angeles who had left the denominations and were seeking something more concerning the church life. We heard that Witness Lee was coming to the United States. He likewise heard about our group and came to Los Angeles to meet us. I had never met a man like him. He was simple, humble, transparent, and overflowing with the Lord. We prevailed on him to give us a message on the Lord's Day. This was probably his first message in English. Although he was difficult to understand, we were deeply touched.

He spoke concerning the tree of life in Genesis 2. He told us that God wants to be life to man and that as believers enjoy the Lord by eating and drinking Him, God is mingled with them. He asked us one question that has remained with me to this day: “Did you eat Jesus today?” This question pierced into my deepest being.

He only stayed a few days with us and then left. That was all we saw of him for two years, but I could never forget him. Just from that short meeting I esteemed him highly. I realized that here was a man who really knew the Lord and knew His Word.

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2. Fellowship Regarding the Ground of the Church

The next year, 1959, Samuel Chang moved from the church in Hong Kong to Los Angeles. He began to meet with our group and to share with us concerning the ground of the church. This matter was quite new to me. He spoke with me continually about the ground of the church.

The more I considered it, the more reasonable it seemed.

He never grew tired of talking about this matter. He would say, “John, if we are going to have a church in Los Angeles, we must build it on the proper ground, the ground of unity, the ground of oneness. There should be one church in one city.” I did not understand why he talked about only one church in one city. It seemed to me that the more churches there were, the better. But because he persisted in telling me that I needed to see the ground of the church, I began to feel this must be an important matter, and started to look into it. The more I considered it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Then in 1960 we heard that Witness Lee was to pass through Los Angeles again on his way from New York to the Far East. I was happy that he was coming through because it would give us an opportunity to ask him about the ground of the church. He arrived in Los Angeles on December 3, 1960. About fifteen of us met with him in a sister's apartment the night he arrived. I asked him, “Brother Lee, we've been hearing something concerning the ground of the church. Could you please let us know something more concerning this matter? Is this in the Bible?”

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That night the Bible was opened up from Genesis to Revelation. Witness Lee showed us that the ground of the church was throughout the whole Bible. This matter became crystal clear. I became convinced and committed. We saw that if we were Christians we had no choice but to go this way; we had to take this standing on the ground of oneness. We realized that for the Lord to have His testimony we had to stand as Christians on the ground of the oneness of the Body of Christ in our locality.

We were ready to take this stand immediately. However, since not everyone in our group was of the same mind, Witness Lee advised us to have more fellowship with the brothers in the group. Perhaps the Lord would work, and we could all be clear and have this same standing. We then had another meeting. The leading ones from this group came together, and Witness Lee shared with us concerning the seven-fold oneness in Ephesians 4. After the message we fellowshipped concerning the matter of the church testimony and the ground of the church. Unfortunately, some of the brothers from the group were offended and took a stand to not go that way. We still felt, however, that we had to stay in that group a while in spite of the resistance to this matter of the ground of oneness.

After continuing in this way for about a year, some of us began to meet almost every morning at six o'clock to pray for an hour. We prayed that the Lord would do something for His testimony in Los Angeles and throughout the United States.

We saw that if we were Christians we had no choice but to go this way; we had to take this standing on the ground of oneness.

Then in April, 1962, almost a year and a half later, Witness Lee came to the United States again. Twenty-three of us went up to the San Francisco Bay area to meet with him. We wanted to have fellowship with him concerning our situation and the church standing. We were hoping that he would tell us that we had better leave that group and start meeting as the church. But Witness Lee never did that. He never influenced us nor directed us to leave that group and start the church. We were hoping he would tell us to leave; that is what we were waiting to hear. However, he never told us to leave. He only told us, “Brothers, you just pray. You just pray.”

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3. The Church in Los Angeles

We did pray. A few weeks later some of us had fellowship one night concerning our burden. I will always remember the drive home after that fellowship. As I stopped at a stop sign, I had a feeling deep within that we should go ahead and start to meet as the church in Los Angeles. I felt we needed to take this standing for the Lord's sake and for His testimony. At the same time I realized that we would be misunderstood and would be charged with being divisive. Yet there was no escaping this deep, strong feeling: For the Lord's sake and for His testimony we needed to meet on the ground of oneness.

The next day I fellowshipped with some of the brothers who had the same burden. I shared my feeling with them. One by one they all received the same registration. Samuel Chang was the last one to receive this realization. We then made a decision that two weeks later we would start to meet together as the church.

On May 27, 1962, twenty to twenty-five of us began to meet for the first time as the church in Los Angeles. We met in Samuel Chang's home. Of course, we were misunderstood and accused as expected, but we all were inwardly very clear. The Lord was pushing us; we had no choice but to take this stand and to begin meeting for the sake of His testimony.

After taking this stand, we called Witness Lee, who was in Seattle, and told him what we had done. The first weekend in July he came down and had a conference with us regarding the ground of oneness. Then on the first weekend in September he returned and again spoke on the ground of oneness.

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4. Witness Lee Moves to Los Angeles

We had understood that Witness Lee was going back to the Far East at the end of 1962 to continue his work in Taiwan. We thought he had gone back when unexpectedly, near the end of November, Samuel Chang received a phone call from him. Witness Lee said he was in San Francisco and that he was coming down to Los Angeles to stay indefinitely. It seemed incredible. The very thought left us excited in anticipation. We were only about twenty-five saints, yet Witness Lee was going to come to meet with us rather than go back to Taiwan to meet with 20,000 saints. It seemed too good to be true.

Witness Lee arrived in Los Angeles on November 30. After meeting him at the airport, we brought him to Samuel Chang's home. About three or four of us sat down in the living room with him. He told us about having a little controversy with the Lord over staying in this country. He had wanted to return to Taiwan to continue his work with all the churches and saints there, but the Lord was telling him, “I want you to stay in the United States for My recovery.” He had never considered that he would be the one to do a work in the United States for God's recovery. Eventually he said amen to the Lord, even though he had already purchased his return ticket and would have to cancel his scheduled conferences in Taiwan. Instead he stayed with us in Los Angeles.

G. Sowing the Word

1. Conference on the All-Inclusive Christ

Witness Lee then shared with us that he felt we needed to have an eleven-day conference, from December 21 to December 31, 1962. We were very excited at this prospect. He suggested that we contact all the interested seeking ones we knew throughout the country to invite them to come.

He asked how we felt about having several ministry meetings each week during the intervening three weeks. He always asked us how we felt. We were overjoyed! He also shared his feeling that we needed to pray very much for the conference and for God's recovery in the United States. He asked those of us who were free during the day whether we could come together every morning to pray.

a. Laboring through prayer

There were only three of us who were free, whom the Lord had called to serve full time. These were Paul Ma, Witness Lee, and myself. The three of us came together every morning at 8:00 or 8:30 for three weeks. We would arrange three chairs in the middle of the living room, get down on our knees, and pray for God's recovery in this country. We called on the name of the Lord and prayed, “Lord, do something for your recovery in Los Angeles and in the United States.” We prayed strongly every morning for hours. By his own prayer, Witness Lee infused the spirit of prayer into us. Very definitely, God's recovery in the United States was born in prayer.

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b. The need for hymns

Witness Lee shared with us that we needed some new hymns on the experience of Christ. At that time there were not many good hymns in English on the experience of Christ. So after we prayed in the mornings and when we came together in the afternoons, we translated some Chinese hymns into English. Before the conference started, we had completed two and one-half hymns. The following was one of these hymns:

Oh, what a life! Oh, what a peace! The Christ who's all within me lives. With Him I have been crucified; This glorious fact to me He gives. Now it's no longer I that live, But Christ the Lord within me lives. Oh, what a joy! Oh, what a rest! Christ now is being formed in me. His very nature and life divine In my whole being inwrought shall be. All that I am came to an end, And all of Christ is all to me. Oh, what a thought! Oh, what a boast! Christ shall in me be magnified. In nothing shall I be ashamed, For He in all shall be applied. In woe or blessing, death or life, Through me shall Christ be testified. Oh, what a prize! Oh, what a gain! Christ is the goal toward which I press. Nothing I treasure, nor aught desire, But Christ of all-inclusiveness. My hope, my glory, and my crown Is Christ, the One of peerlessness.

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This hymn is currently published in Hymns as number 499. Another hymn was, “We praise Thee, Lord, for Thy great plan, that we Thy dwelling place may be.” This hymn is number 837 in Hymns. We also translated the first two verses of “The Triune God has now become our all!” This is now number 608 in Hymns.

c. The riches of Christ in the conference

We began to send letters and cables and to make telephone calls all around the country to invite our friends to come for the conference. Then we began to get cables, calls, and letters in reply from many places saying, “I'm coming.” Eventually, when we started the meetings in Samuel Chang's living room on December 21, there were fifty to sixty saints in the meetings. The attendance reached seventy on two nights. The house was quite crowded. There were people sitting in the dining room, up the stairs, in the kitchen, and any place they could sit. Witness Lee ministered the messages that have now been published in the book The All-Inclusive Christ.

We were amazed at the riches that were pouring out of this man. He shared about all of the riches of the good land as a type of Christ. We saw that the waters, the mineral riches, the animal life, and the plant life are all types of Christ to experience and enjoy.

We were amazed at the riches that were pouring out of this man.

We also saw that the experiences of the Israelites in coming out of Egypt, going through the wilderness, building the tabernacle, forming the army, offering the sacrifices, functioning in the priesthood, crossing the Jordan, and entering the good land are all pictures of the steps and lessons we go through in our Christian life.

The schedule of meetings we had during that conference was quite rigorous. The first meeting each day began at 6:30 A.M. It consisted mainly of prayer. Witness Lee also gave some messages on the two prayers of Paul in Ephesians. Then we all ate breakfast together in Samuel Chang's home. The next meeting started at 9:30 or 10:00 with a message on the all-inclusive Christ. Then we ate lunch together. After eating dinner together we had the evening meeting at 7:30 with more ministry on the all-inclusive Christ. This was the schedule every day for eleven days. During this conference Samuel Chang's house was full of the glory of the Lord.

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During the conference we made use of the two and one-half hymns we had translated. We thanked the Lord that we had something to sing which was more experiential than what had been available in the English language. We sang these hymns again and again. Everybody loved them. Also during that conference we wrote the following hymn:

Oh, what a might! Oh, what a strength! God wrought to raise Christ from the dead. Far above all at His right hand, O'er all to us He is the Head. All this great pow'r is to the Church That she o'er all her foes may tread. Oh, what a fact! Oh, what a bliss! That I of Christ a member am. With all the saints I blend as one And share the life of the new man. Joined to our great ascended Head, We'll be the Church of His own plan. Oh, what a breadth! Oh, what a length! The height, the depth unsearchable! Christ the Lord is unlimited, So vast, immense, immeas'rable. All that He is and all He has Is now our life unspeakable.

This hymn is based on the messages Witness Lee gave in the early morning sessions. It is now number 500 in Hymns.

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2. Growth through Ministry

That conference was the spiritual explosion in the United States for which we had been praying. In January of the following year, Witness Lee began to be invited to minister to Christian groups throughout the country. There were invitations from the West, the Texas area, the Midwest, and later from the East coast. Wherever he went, the Christians told him that if he had come three years earlier they would have had no heart for his word, but that the Lord had done something in them which caused them to be open to his message. Through Witness Lee's traveling more and more seeking Christians heard about the Lord's new work of recovery in the United States. The early part of 1963 brought the first influx of young people into the church in Los Angeles.

The first training in Los Angeles with Witness Lee was held in 1963. A ten-day conference preceded the six-week training. It was held in James Reetzke's home in a suburb of Los Angeles. There were thirty full-time trainees. They lived together in the Reetzkes' home for the duration of the training. The full-time trainees, who attended the morning meetings, were joined by another seventy saints in the evening meetings.

Then the next year, 1964, there was a four-week training preceded by a six-day conference. During that training Witness Lee shared the messages that are now published in the book, The Economy of God. This book covers the fundamental matters of a Christian's walk in fellowship with the Lord.

During the training several brothers moved to Los Angeles from Texas. A few small groups that eventually became churches also began meeting at this time.

In December, 1964, another ten-day conference was held during which Witness Lee shared the messages which are now published as The Vision of God's Building.

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3. Producing a New Hymnbook

In 1963 the work on Hymns, the new hymnbook, began. We thought it would be completed in two months, but instead it took three and one-half years. However, the final product was of a much superior quality than originally had been planned. Several brothers, including Witness Lee and myself, worked on the hymnal. Whenever Witness Lee visited various groups, he would come back with an armload of hymnbooks.

Out of all these thousands of hymns we selected 840 of the best and worked to find the best tunes for many of them.

We would examine them page by page to select all the best hymns. We also searched through other books for poems and writings that could be adapted to music. We had many cartons full of hymnbooks from all over the world and from many denominations. Out of all these thousands of hymns we selected 840 of the best and worked to find the best tunes for many of them. Letters were written all over the world to obtain permission for use. Witness Lee continued translating into English some of the outstanding pieces that were written in Chinese. He also wrote some new hymns. There were 240 new hymns, including both those translated and those newly written. This brought the total number of hymns to 1080. When the first copies arrived in April, 1967, there was much joy to have this new hymnbook.

4. The Recovery of Pray-reading

In the fall of 1966 the churches began to pray-read the Word of God. This practice of taking the Word in the way of prayer began in Taiwan, Los Angeles, and San Francisco simultaneously. It was a real move of the Lord's Body.

In one of the churches in Taiwan there was a group of very rebellious ones that would frustrate any attempt at having meetings. There was also a group of those who wanted to go on in the Lord's recovery and who cared for the church. After desperately praying, some of these brothers said, “Since we can't give messages, let's just take the Bible, read it, and pray with the verses.” When they began to do this, the opposing ones became silent. Then some of them joined in to pray-read the Word. The whole problem was solved.

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In the United States, pray-reading began while I was in the Far East for a year and a half overseeing the printing of the hymnbook. When I came back to Los Angeles in April, 1967, I was amazed by the pray-reading. It was marvelous! At this time another brother, James Barber, and I traveled around the country sharing about pray-reading. We visited Texas, the Ohio area, Chicago, Indianapolis, Denver, and other places. Wherever we went, we shared with everyone concerning pray-reading the Word.

Through pray-reading there was a great release of the Lord's life and enjoyment. All the saints were able to function through pray-reading. This was a tremendous milestone in the move of the Lord in His Body and for His Body.

5. The Recovery of Calling on the Lord's Name

In the next year, 1968, there was another breakthrough: the matter of calling upon the name of the Lord. This was also a significant move of the Lord for His Body. It happened in a very spontaneous way among us, without premeditation. Witness Lee was sharing one day on how we all need to function. He said, “Everyone can say something. Everyone can say at least four words.” Then he began to wonder, “Now what four words am I going to tell them?” In a few moments the words came to him and he told the saints, “At least everyone can say, 'O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!'” When he said those four words, a fuse was lit. Everyone began saying, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!” There was great release of the Spirit as we exercised our spirit speaking those words. The saints were very released. One could hear “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!” in their houses all over town.

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We began to see these two words, “O Lord,” in many Bible passages. Although the matter of calling on the name of the Lord is throughout the Bible, we had never seen it before. We began to practice frequently calling on the dear name of the Lord sweetly, joyfully, prayerfully, and praisefully. It was a great help to all the saints. We realized this was the way to breathe the Lord, just by calling on His name, “O Lord Jesus.” This was sweet, life-giving, comforting, refreshing, strengthening, and saving. This was a precious item of the Lord's recovery.

6. Elden Hall

Because of the Lord's work among us and because of what we enjoyed in the oneness, in the ministry, and in the eating and drinking of the Lord, the word went out all over the country: “Something is happening in Los Angeles.” New ones began to move to Los Angeles just to be in the church life and to enjoy the ministry. We purchased a meeting hall from the Exclusive Brethren called Elden hall which met our need very well. There was a great blessing in that little hall.

In 1969 we had a ten-day conference and six-week training in Elden hall. The topics were Christ and the Church in the Psalms; the recovery books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah; and the sevenfold intensified Spirit in Revelation. The training was filled with the Lord's speaking and glory. The attendance was over 400 in the morning sessions and about 600 in the evening sessions. Those who attended will never forget the messages from the Psalms and the four words which summed up God's message in the whole book of Psalms: “Christ, house, city, earth.”

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During those months many were coming into the church life from around Los Angeles and from other parts of the country. During the two months of September and October, 1969, 200 new brothers and sisters came into the church.

One could walk down the street and hear “Praise the Lord” and “Hallelujah” coming from the houses.

As they came in, they moved into the neighborhood surrounding the meeting hall. Living near one another allowed for a full church life. In those years there were close to 400 saints living within a four-block radius of Elden hall. One could walk down the street and hear “Praise the Lord” and “Hallelujah” coming from the houses. Saints were always getting together, even when there was not a meeting. There was a marvelous mutuality. Many were drawn by this joy, harmony, and oneness.

On every evening that there was a meeting, in all the streets leading to the meeting place there were people streaming toward the hall. As they drew near to the hall there would be singing: “We are for the Lord's recovery.” Everyone quickened their pace. The saints were singing, praising and fellowshipping as they walked to the meeting. Actually, the meeting had already started in their homes and it continued as the saints made their way down the streets toward the hall. It resembled the tribes of Israel going up to Jerusalem singing the psalms of ascent.

Almost everyone came early to the meetings; there was a grand race to sit in the front row. The enjoyment of the Lord was such that the saints would very rarely miss a single meeting. Although most meetings were scheduled for 7:30 P.M., quite a few saints usually would begin meeting by 7:00. At least once, the Lord's table meeting had reached such a high point of enjoyment that the bread and the cup were passed ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. Those were glorious times. It was the same spirit that the saints had in Acts 2 and 4. There was a church life with mutuality, love, praising, and a rich ministry.

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7. Further Revelations from 1962 through 1973

All of these items were in the Bible, but for centuries they had been veiled. Each required a revelation.

During the twelve years from 1962 through 1973, many significant revelations were released as the Lord proceeded with His recovery. All of these items were in the Bible, but for centuries they had been veiled. Each required a revelation.

In a conference in 1962 Witness Lee ministered concerning the all-inclusive Christ as typified by the good land in Deuteronomy 8. In 1964 the economy of God, a great subject mentioned in I Timothy 1:4 (translated “godly edifying” in the King James version), was revealed throughout the New Testament. Two years later the mingling of the Holy Spirit with the human spirit was unveiled. These two spirits mingle as one spirit (I Cor. 6:17). The matter of pray-reading the Word of God was released in the same year. Then in 1968 we began to practice calling on the name of the Lord to breathe the Lord. That year the universal prophesying was opened up during a conference. “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted” (I Cor. 14:31).

Several wonderful revelations came out in 1969. The first was the compound all-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ, as typified by the holy anointing oil, or ointment, found in Exodus 30:22-33. This ointment was compounded of olive oil, signifying the Spirit of God, with four spices, signifying the death of Christ with its effectiveness and His resurrection with its fragrance. Then the sevenfold intensified Spirit in Revelation 4:5 and 5:6 was also unveiled. There was also an informal training with practice sessions concerning the church meetings. The messages from that training are now available in the book, How to Meet. In the same year in messages on the Psalms four words were released—Christ, house, city, earth—as the way for God to recover the earth. This revelation is contained in the book, Christ and the Church in the Psalms. Then the progression of God's revelation was disclosed in another four words: God, Christ, the Church, and the churches. Some today have seen a revelation of God (Heb. 11:6) but have never seen Christ. Some who have seen Christ (John 6:40) have never seen the Church. And some have seen the Church (Eph. 1:22-23; I Tim. 3:15) but have never seen the churches (Rev. 1:11; I Thes. 2:14; I Cor. 14:33).

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In 1970 there was an entire conference on Christ versus religion. Two more revelations came out in the same year: the church as the new man (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10-11) and Christ as the person of the church. Christ must be not only our life (Phil. 1:21; Col. 3:4) but even our person (II Cor. 2:10). The following year the abolishing of the ordinances was unveiled in Ephesians 2:14-16 and Colossians 2:14. The messages contained in the book, Life and Building in the Song of Songs, were given in the spring of 1972. Those messages opened up the Song of Songs in a very experiential way. Witness Lee said later that seventy-five percent of the revelation he ministered came to him while he was speaking. Also in 1972 there was a series of messages on the kingdom, as well as a long series from Ephesians in 1973.

8. Spreading through Migration

During the wonderful years in Elden hall in Los Angeles, Witness Lee had been showing us that God's way of spreading the church life in the New Testament was through migration. We saw this in the book of Acts, and we were waiting for the day when some would migrate from Los Angeles to carry the church life to many areas of the United States. At that time mainly there were only churches in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City, with three little churches in Lubbock, Waco, and Denton, Texas. Vast areas of the country were yet without the church life.

The first migration took place in Texas. The saints in the three churches in Texas felt that they should all migrate together to Houston. So in September of 1969, almost all of the brothers and sisters in those three churches—about eighty saints—moved together to Houston. The Lord greatly blessed that beginning, and from Houston there were further migrations to Dallas in 1971 and to Austin in 1973. Since then the churches in Texas have multiplied, spreading to numerous cities throughout the region.

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Saints from over twenty-five cities in the northeastern United States and Canada gathered for a conference in Erie, Pennsylvania, in December of 1969.

All were impressed with the need of being concentrated together for a strong church life, rather than being separated in various cities in groups of 10, 15, or even 30 or 40. The brothers and sisters in the Northeast were deeply moved by the testimonies

Vast areas of the country were yet without the church life.

of the 22 brothers and sisters attending the conference from Houston, Texas, where a similar move was made. The Houston brothers strongly testified how the Lord led them from other places in Texas to all move together to Houston and what great blessing in many ways for the Lord's recovery had accompanied this move. The brothers in the Northeast felt that Akron, Ohio, was the city to which they should gather, and when this decision was born out of fellowship and prayer, there was such oneness, clarity, joy and victory in the spirit that nothing could stop them.[6]

Early in 1970, sixty to seventy brothers and sisters began meeting in Akron for the church life. This was a strong beginning, and today there are churches in about nine cities in Ohio and the neighboring states due to the growth and spreading from Akron.

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The first migrations out from the church in Los Angeles occurred after a conference and training given by Witness Lee in July and August of 1970. The ministry in this training was focused on Christ as the life-giving Spirit (I Cor. 15:45; I Cor. 3:17) as He is related to the human spirit and to the building up of the local church.[7] Immediately after the training about forty brothers and sisters moved to Atlanta and another forty to Chicago to start the church life in those cities. The Lord's blessing was on those migrations, and in both places there has been a good increase.

The migrations continued in 1971. However, in 1973 there were a number of migrations in which the goal was somewhat different from God's central goal in His recovery.

9. The Life Study of the Bible

In 1974 Witness Lee began ministering the riches of the whole Word of God by the way of life-studies on individual books of the Bible. He began in April of 1974 with Matthew and Genesis. The life-studies turned out to be much more than Witness Lee had anticipated at the beginning. He had expected to finish the Pentateuch with about forty messages on each book, but so far he has completed Genesis with 120 messages and Exodus with more than 180. He also expected to complete the entire New Testament by 1982. However, by the summer of 1984 he had not quite finished it. These life-study messages are a rich supply of life and truth to the local churches and to all the Lord's children, the whole church of God.

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10. Further Revelations from 1974 to 1981

In December 1974 during the life-study on Romans, the Lord revealed that faith is not just an objective believing in the Word, but an infusion of the divine life. Furthermore, besides the objective side of justification, which Martin Luther saw, there is a subjective side. This is the inward justification of life (Rom. 5:18) for us to experience subjectively.

In 1975 the Lord revealed that the church is the testimony of Jesus. The church as the lampstand is the testimony and embodiment of the Triune God. The following is from a message Witness Lee gave in that year:

The vision which John saw of the seven local churches with Christ walking among them is the vision of the testimony of Jesus. The local churches are the testimony of Jesus. He saw seven lampstands. This testimony is golden. Even in our human understanding, apart from typology, gold signifies something marvelous. No element is as pure as gold. Moreover, gold can never be damaged and will never rust. Hence, gold in typology signifies the divine nature of God....

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But even gold is not God's testimony. The testimony of God is a golden lampstand. Many Christians today consider that as long as they are spiritual they are the testimony of God. But what God wants today is not separate pieces of gold. He desires a corporate golden lampstand. We all must be part of this lampstand. The Lord's revelation today concerns the recovering of the proper church life. Wherever you are, you must be in the church.[8]

In 1978 in the Ephesians life-study the Lord unveiled the church as the fullness of God, concerning which Witness Lee wrote the following:

The Body of Christ is His fullness. The fullness of Christ issues from the enjoyment of the riches of Christ ([Eph.] 3:8). Through the enjoyment of Christ's riches, we become His fullness to express Him.[9]

When Christ makes His home in our heart, and when we are strong to apprehend with all the saints the dimensions of Christ and to know by experience His knowledge-surpassing love, we shall be filled unto all the fullness of God. All this fullness dwells in Christ (Col. 1:19; 2:9). Through His indwelling, Christ imparts the fullness of God into our being; we can be filled unto it to such a measure and standard, even unto all the fullness of God. This makes us the expression of God, which the church should be.

The fullness of God implies that the riches of what God is become His expression. When the riches are in God Himself, they are His riches. When the riches of God are expressed, they become His fullness (John 1:16).[10]

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The Lord also revealed from Ephesians 4 that we all can be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers:

The gifts in [Ephesians] 4:11 are the leading apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. We, of course, cannot be these leading ones; however, as their followers, we can be the same kind of persons....We all should be followers of the leading apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. If we are not such followers, we shall fall into a great heresy—the heresy of a clergy-laity system. We shall make the leading ones the clergy, and the followers will become the laymen. But in the church, the Body of Christ, there is no such thing as either clergy or laity. As gifts to the Body, we all are apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. As gifts given by Christ to the Body and to all mankind, we can be a great blessing to the whole world.[11]

In 1978 we saw that the life within us is a grafted life. We have been grafted into Christ, the vine. The life we live is not an exchanged life in which we have been altogether ruled out. Rather, it is a grafted life. The human life and divine life live together similar to a branch being grafted into a tree. We have been grafted into Christ. We and He have one life and one living.

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The fact that Christ is versus culture was seen from Colossians in 1979. The very culture that is so much a part of us is a real hindrance to Christ.

In 1979 the Lord also revealed that real building is the growth in life. The more the believers grow in life, the more they spontaneously are being built up. This is the building up of the Body in Ephesians 4:16.

The third matter seen in 1979 was the dispensation of the Triune God into tripartite man. The Triune God desires to dispense Himself into man, who is composed of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Man is a vessel for the Triune God.

The following five matters were revealed by the Lord in 1980: Firstly, we need to live Christ, not our self. Paul said in Philippians, “For to me to live is Christ.” Secondly, there are two walks in the spirit, as indicated by Paul's use of two different Greek words for walk in Galatians 5. In 5:16 ðåñéðáôÝù is used, whereas in 5:25 óôïé÷Ýù is used. Concerning these two walks Witness Lee said the following:

In the first kind of walk by the Spirit, we live, have our being, and walk about by the Spirit. This walk is a support to the second walk, a walk with a direction toward a goal. As children of God, we are not those without purpose. Our lives on earth have a definite purpose. We do not walk about aimlessly. God has an eternal purpose, and His intention is that His people should live for His purpose. Both God's creation of us and His regeneration are for the carrying out of His purpose. Because God is purposeful and seeks to reach His goal, He charges us to have two kinds of walk by the Spirit: the walk which builds up a proper daily living and a walk in line with the divine rules and principles to reach the goal established by God.[12]

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The third matter revealed was the singing and psalming of the Word in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. We need to practice this often. Fourthly, Christ has a heavenly ministry. He completed His earthly ministry when He said, “It is finished.” However, His heavenly ministry is still continuing. He is caring for all the churches with millions of saints. Our spiritual enjoyment today is due to His heavenly ministry. Fifthly, faith, which is the issue of the Word and the function of the Spirit, is the sum total of our experience and enjoyment of Christ.

H. God's Final Goal—the New Jerusalem

The Lord's recovery has been progressing through the centuries. God is still moving today, for His recovery is not yet completed. The final goal is the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth.

The New Jerusalem is the glorious Bride of Christ. Christ will marry His people, who will be His corporate Bride, His counterpart. The holy city is the Bride of Christ built up in His life.

Within the city there is one throne, one river, one street, and one tree. This is a oneness in life. The throne is the source, the river is the flow, the tree is the food, and the street is the way. We all shall be under the throne, in the river, on the street, eating the tree of life. This is the glorious consummation of God's recovery.

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Surrounding the city are its glorious walls shining out the glory of God to the whole universe. The entire city is a lampstand.

The New Jerusalem is a Bride fully prepared, glorious within and without, having no impurity. At that time, all believers will be transformed, transparent, glorious, full of life, and fully under the throne. “And there shall no longer be any curse....And they shall see His face...and they shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:3-5). This is the completion of God's work of recovery. At that time God will have gained what He purposed in the beginning—man in His image with His dominion.

We, the believers, shall all be there. Today we are being prepared by being transformed. In that day we shall say that it was worth passing through all the trials and tribulations to be in that glory. We are pursuing toward the goal; we have not yet attained to it.

I. The Way to Attain the Goal

1. Our Need of Experience

The truth has been almost fully revealed. The Lord has revealed marvelous things concerning God, Christ, the Spirit, the church, our human being, regeneration, sanctification, transformation, and concerning God's purpose and the New Jerusalem. Concerning the unveiling of the truth there is no lack today.

However, we all still lack experience. We need to pursue the deeper, richer, stronger, more prevailing, and more continual experience of Christ. What percentage of the time are we living Christ in our homes, at our jobs, at school, or wherever else we are?

Our knowledge may be advanced in this matter, but our experience is far behind.

How much of the time are we actually living, not our good selves, not our religious selves, not even our spiritual selves, but only Christ? I have to testify that I have a big lack. I do not live Christ all the time. In fact, I still live Him very little. How about you? If we are all honest, we will confess that we have a big lack in this matter of living Christ. We must live Him, not ourselves. We quote the verse, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Yet in our experience it is still “I” who does the living. Our experience is short. Our knowledge may be advanced in this matter, but our experience is far behind. It needs to progress so that we may be in the reality of our vision and not merely in the realm of teaching.

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2. How to Cooperate with the Lord

a. The Word

The first matter that requires our cooperation is our letting His Word dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16). By cooperating with the Word and with the ministry of the Word, we allow the Word to make its home in us and dwell in us richly. This is something that we can determine. We can pray over the Word, read the Word, and pray-read the Word. There are so many ways to receive God's Word: we can sing, pray, praise, and testify using the Word of God. The Word is living and operative (Heb. 4:12). The Word will do a lot in us. According to Ephesians 5, it is by means of the Word that the Lord cleanses, sanctifies, and glorifies the church that He may present her to Himself.

Pursuing Christ in the Word is both a personal and corporate matter. In order for His Word to dwell in us richly we must pursue Him in the Word by ourselves and with other believers. A personal pursuit is not sufficient. Without the corporate pursuit you probably will not endure nor penetrate the depths of the Word. Along with our personal pursuing, we need to pursue “with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Tim. 2:22). Are there some specific saints with whom you are actively pursuing the Lord in the Word? There ought to be.

b. Exercise the spirit

The second way in which we can cooperate with the Lord is the exercise of our spirit. Although the exercise of the spirit is critical, most of us do not exercise our spirit so much as we could. Praying, praising, testifying, and pray-reading are all ways to exercise our spirit. We can also exercise our spirit in preaching the gospel. This will strengthen our spirit and increase our experience of Christ. By the exercise of our spirit we will speed the Lord's recovery.

c. The church

We must give ourselves to the church and live the Body life. The light of the Lord is shining on us in the church life. There are many lessons we could never learn anywhere but in the church. It is here that our natural life is exposed and can be dealt with. Praise the Lord that there is such a place on the earth. In all the other places one can hide or run away, but not in the church life. There is no hiding place in the church life. The church, the Body of Christ, is our salvation. In the church life we realize our shortages, we are humbled, and we learn the lessons. May we hand ourselves over and let the Lord operate. A day is coming when we will all realize that it was really worth it. Praise the Lord for the Word, the spirit, and the church.

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J. Conclusion

This concludes the overview of the history of the Lord's recovery. Throughout the New Testament age the Lord has always had a remnant to maintain His testimony on the earth, those who have “kept My word, and have not denied My name” (Rev. 3:8). Beginning from the time of the Apostles a gradual spiritual decline began and continued through the Dark Ages. Eventually, as far as the main body of Christianity was concerned, all was lost, including the light of the Word, the experience of Christ, the practice of the church life, and even salvation by faith in Christ. Then the tide of recovery began to rise. In generation after generation saints built upon what had been recovered through those before them. Their labor has become our heritage. Let us not be negligent but continue in the work of recovery that at His coming the Lord may present “to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;…sholy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).