Testimony – J.C.

I was raised in a Christian home by very loving and Godly parents. They were both raised by devoted believers and it showed in their living. My great-grandfather was a pastor who loved the Lord very much and was blessed to live to be one hundred and five. I believe his love for the Lord was a blessing to his descendants. As a child I loved the Bible and things related to the Lord very much. As I matured a desire to serve the Lord grew in me and after much consideration I chose to teach children. While studying to be a teacher I went to a meeting of the local church that I really did not enjoy at all. Later I had to admit to myself that the people I met through that church meeting were very absolute towards the Lord in their daily living but I still was not attracted to their way of meeting. After I graduated and received my BA I felt to begin teaching. I decided that I would further my education later so I signed a contract to teach the seventh grade. The job was very demanding and I lost the joy of the Lord. I thought of quitting several times but instead the Lord used the environment to cause me to seek Him in a deeper way. As the Lord worked in my environment I began to grow in Him more and the joy flowed back into my life. I felt to get baptized and was once again happy to serve the Lord. That experience and the joy the Lord had returned to me enabled me to grow in Him more. I began to read the Bible and spiritual books more. Every morning I spent much time in prayer. I began to attend the meetings of the local church regularly. I told all my friends about my experience. Some accepted it and some did not. That did not slow me down though. I read books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee as fast as I could get my hands on them. I had an insatiable hunger for the Lord and these two authors really met my need. To this day I still appreciate these writings. They have opened the Word even more to me and have increased my love for the Bible. In addition, I love the vision the ministry books have given me of the Body of Christ. This vision has become very practical in my daily life and for this I will be eternally grateful to the Lord. My hope is that the Lord will keep me as a member of His Body (Rom. 12:45), composed of all His believers everywhere until He returns or until I go to be with Him. Without the local church I would find it very difficult to have this hope. Words cannot utter how grateful I am to the Lord for the local church. J.C.

Christ’s Gentle and Patient Love has Finally Won me over after Many Years – Flora Chen

I have been a Christian most of my life, but I did not have much joy for many years, until the past year. Previously, I sought the enjoyment of the world. Although I did have a lot of fun what I had was only temporary at best; and when the fun ran out, I had to look for more. It was especially during the night time that I would sometimes feel a deep sense of loneliness and emptiness, even if I’d had a really good day at school. In the beginning of this year, God led me to read a book written by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale that gave me an initial turn in my life. Dr. Peale’s book helped to soften and open my heart to God, and allowed me to find a new sense of joy and happiness in the Word of God. Although I felt so much more happier and felt that my depression was cured, I still could not and did not want to, give up my worldly enjoyment. It was not until a fall Christian college retreat that I had a major turn in my life. The speaker gave a really strong and powerful message that really touched me. He said that we all need to contact the Lord on a regular basis, both on our own and with companions. If we do not do this, whatever enjoyment and enlightenment we received from retreats and conferences will just leak out. Because I was, and still am, so touched by Christ, I have been contacting God on a consistent basis. I now just naturally have a desire to read the Bible and ministry books. I have struggled for many years to become a “devoted Christian” by my natural self-effort to no avail because deep within that was not what I really wanted to do. I think I did eventually just give up, either consciously or unconsciously. It was finally when I ceased my self-efforts that God had a way to gradually work His way into my heart to finally touch me at that retreat. Now I can truly testify that I really appreciate Christ’s sweetness, gentleness, and patience. He is not a God that will force anything on us. When the time is right, He will touch us in our spirit and soul to the point that we will just spontaneously, without any self-effort, pursue after Him, and have the desire to let go of worldly things. Now I am really enjoying the local church, especially the college meetings. The full-time Christian workers who serve on the campus have been especially helpful in shepherding me (John 21:16) to help me grow in my spiritual life. And I am very thankful that God has given me companions to run after Him together. For I know that running the race to seek after the reward cannot only be an individual pursuit but must also be a corporate one as well (Hebrews 12:1; Philippians 3:14). Flora Chen

Third Generation Partaker of His Divine Blessing – E.C.

My maternal grandfather began meeting with the local church while in China after attending one of Watchman Nee’s meetings. He began to have meetings in his home. Later, when they immigrated to Penang, Malaysia, they continued to meet according to the Bible and the local church in Penang began from meetings in their home. My mother was married and moved to Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), where I was born. As there was no local church in that part of the world at that time, she sent us children to a non-denominational group which turned out to be a “sheepfold” (John 10) until the time when the Lord sovereignly arranged for us to leave the country. During this time one of my aunts cared faithfully for us by sending us material from the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, including the early editions of The Stream magazines. This enabled my mother to remain in the enjoyment of our Lord Jesus Christ. By God’s mercy I was able to enter into the reality of what I had read as a child, the enjoyment in the local churches. Later, due to the job assignment of my husband, we had the privilege to stay in six different countries tasting the sweetness of the churches in those localities and also visiting many other local churches in our travel. My husband and I, together with our two children, truly experienced the Lord being our Good Shepherd and in Him we have no lack. Christ became the pasture for us to feed on and receive nourishment for our growth in life. Through the ministry of Watchman Nee continued by Witness Lee, we are inspired to love our Lord Jesus Christ and are encouraged to pursue and enjoy Him in the Word (Bible), taking the Bible as our standard. We are strengthened to continue to run this heavenly race taking Christ as our endurance (Heb. 12:1). Thus our lives on this earth are full of meaning, knowing our God has an eternal purpose that involves us. For His purpose to be accomplished and consummate in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2,10), we need Christ as our life, and we need to learn to be builded up with others in God’s life by keeping the Word and experiencing Christ, the One whom we love as the factor and element of our oneness. We now enjoy the church in Surrey where we are blessed with people from different tongues, tribes and nations. I remember as a child singing “Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world, Red and yellow, black and white, They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the children of the world.” We truly have seen the reality of this simple children’s song in our experience in the local churches. We enjoy the Christ in one another and are encouraged to live and walk in the way of life as revealed in the Scriptures. We thank the Lord for the pattern these faithful brothers, Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, have laid before us and for their lifelong service to the Lord so that we can know God’s heart and can cooperate with His heart’s desire. The last stanza of this hymn sums up all our experiences: Not alone, O Lord, do I adore Thee, But with all the saints as Thy dear Bride; Quickly come, our love is waiting for Thee; Jesus Lord, Thou wilt be satisfied. (Hymns, #1159) E.C.

Enjoying All That the Father is and Has – J.C.

What can be better than this? I am a fourth generation enjoyer of Christ, born in the good land, a land flowing with milk and honey–which typifies the all-inclusive Christ. I am also an “Isaac,” enjoying all the riches of the heavenly Father (Gen. 25:5). Believers of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Rev. 5:9) are meeting together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in our locality. We also have fellowship with other Christians. This is truly a blessing. I am thankful that in the local church we stand on the ground of oneness and in one accord we break the bread and have our communion. In the local church, I learned the whole truth revealed in the Bible concerning the church, which is composed of all His believers. Ekklesia (the Greek word for church) is not merely the assembly of the called-out ones called out from the world, signified by Egypt (Eph. 1:22), and the dwelling place of God (Eph. 2:22). The church is also the household and kingdom of God (Eph. 2:19), the Body of Christ (1Cor. 12:13)–the fullness and expression of God (Eph. 3:14-19), God’s masterpiece (Eph. 2:10), the new man (Eph. 2:15, 4:24; Col. 3:10), the fighting warrior (Eph. 6:12). In Ephesians 5:22-33, the Bible presents the church as the counterpart of Christ. Furthermore, the church is the bride, the wife, of Christ who is the Bridegroom, the husband in Revelation 19:7-9 in the millennium and will result in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2, 9-10; 22:17). What a vision this is! In the local church I am edified and built up with others in love and life. Also, there is an abundance of fellowship and prayer between the brothers and sisters from other surrounding local churches. In the local church the divine love and genuine care knows no boundaries. I have received spiritual supply and shepherding from Christian sisters who live in other cities. Even the different languages are not a barrier to our fellowship. In fact, learning Spanish in high school has helped me to fellowship with the Spanish-speaking believers in Surrey. The one thing I enjoy the most is the riches and supply from all the brothers and sisters. I am also grateful to all the believers who have gone before me to open up the unsearchable riches in the Bible, especially Watchman Nee and his co-worker Witness Lee, both of whom have stood upon the shoulders of those spiritual men and women before them. I thank and praise my God and give all the glory to Him, and Him alone! My boast is in His mercy and grace. J.C.

Fourth Generation Inheritor of the Riches of the Good Land of Canaan

It was absolutely marvelous for my maternal great-grandfather to come to the local churches when he was in Fujian, China. This granted my grandmother the perfect opportunity to meet brother Watchman Nee at a young age. She was deeply impressed by his spiritual countenance. After many weary years in the “wilderness” without good fellowship with other Christians, my mother was also brought into the fellowship of the local church when she first came to Canada from Sri Lanka after she completed medical school. A few years later, she met my father who also had been saved in a local church in Malaysia. Consequently, I was born to God-loving parents in the local churches, where I enjoy Christ as my good land, flowing with milk and honey. I was very fortunate that I did not have to flee from the tyranny of Pharaoh in Egypt and wander for 40 years in the wilderness before entering into the promised land, for building a mutual dwelling place between God and man (ref. Exodus-Joshua). I was raised in the children’s meeting along with many other believers’ children in the rich and healthy environment of the local church. Even at such a young age, I already knew the Lord as my personal Saviour by believing into this true and living God (1Thes. 1:9). During my first five and a half year stay in Brunei on the Island of Borneo, we had home meetings in our house, where many people believed into the Lord Jesus Christ and were baptized. At that time, there was a deep yeaning within me to be baptized into the Triune God (Matt. 28:19), even though I was only eight years old. In addition to receiving the Lord as my personal Saviour, I was also taught to read the Bible and to pray. Through the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee I have been ushered into the subjective experience of the Triune God as the real and living One. I do not seek Him doctrinally, but in an experiential way by knowing God, His eternal purpose, the Bible, the church, and the Spirit. Throughout the years, it has been the riches of the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, combined with the enjoyment in the local churches that has kept me faithful to this day, preserved according to His heart’s desire. I have been studying very hard with a definite goal that I would be an overcomer wherever God has placed me, even as an undergraduate chemistry student in the University of British Columbia. My heart is to serve Him in spirit and to build up the Body of Christ which results in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2,10). What a blessing! What a joy to love Him. It is His mercy (Rom. 9:15) and His grace (Gal. 1:15) that I am what I am. Blessing and honor and glory be unto Him for now and evermore! Amen. J.C.

No Place on Earth For Me Like the Local Churches

It is absolutely marvelous and blessed for me to know our dear Lord Jesus, even though I was born and raised in a typical Chinese Buddhist family. It was even more exciting after I was baptized into Christ during a gospel meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, when I was an engineering student. The Lord was so real and living to me since day one of my Christian life (1 Thess. 1:9). Thank and praise Him for predestinating me before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4)! The Christian brothers in the local church began to care for and shepherd me (John 21:16) by visiting and encouraging me to read the Bible with a prayerful heart every morning before I went to school (Eph. 6:17-18). I was filled with joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8); even my physical sickness was healed. There was a great intrinsic change in my life! I was spontaneously constrained by the Lord to testify of this wonderful Saviour Jesus to my friends and classmates, so that they might also believe and receive this gospel. I can truly testify that the local church is my home. As my heart was longing to pursue the Lord Jesus, I looked forward to every meeting of the church wherever I might be. I have traveled extensively throughout the Far East/Pacific region during my twenty years in the oil industry. One thing I treasure most is to meet with believers of Christ in the local churches (Rev. 2-3). Their living encourages and refreshes my first love toward the Lord. Furthermore, the profound riches of the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee helped me to understand the truths in the whole Bible (1 Tim. 2:4) and the real meaning of my human life. God’s eternal plan was made known to me through their teachings in the church (Eph. 3:3-6, 9-12). I have enjoyed the fellowship in the church to the uttermost for all these twenty-six years by experiencing Christ within me together with all the believers (Eph. 3:18) in the local churches, for the building up of the Body of Christ to fulfill His divine purpose (Eph. 3:1-23, Gen. 1:26). I deeply realize that I can never serve God in my spirit, being perfected in character and the growth in spiritual life without a local church. This is a good place for me to practise my Christian faith truthfully. I am thankful and worship God for planting me in this lovely garden so that I may grow in His grace. Hallelujah for Christ and the church! W.S.C.

Second Generation in the Local Churches for God’s Eternal Purpose

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts And your ways are not My ways, declares Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, My ways are higher than your ways, And My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” “God has not only decided each of our individual ways, much more He has ordained a unique way for the Church. All God’s children have the duty to seek out the appointed ways of God and bear responsibility to walk within” (from The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chinese edition, by Watchman Nee). Being one who has been in the local churches since childhood, I wish to give a testimony of what I have seen and learned. I was born in Fukien, China, into a Christian home. My parents attended a denomination ministered by an old Chinese Pastor and supervised by some foreign missionaries. Sometime later in my childhood, I remember the local church meetings had begun in the big hall next to my father’s medical clinic, and my family started to meet there. As we children grew older, we came to understand that we were meeting together according to God’s appointed ways, that is, simply in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Believers from the vicinity would gather in our home to enjoy the Lord. After the breaking of bread, everyone would partake of a common meal prepared then and there by some sisters. It was a real brotherly love in God’s family. Before that time a young Chinese student named Watchman Nee, from the province of Foochow, China was ministering. His teachings were deep, soul-searching and profound and there was a great awakening of the local churches all over China, and it was then my father found out about Watchman Nee. Watchman Nee visited us a few times and my impression of him then was that he was like Moses. He often spent time “face to face with the Lord,” and like Moses, it seemed there was nothing concerning God that he did not know. Watchman Nee told us that we must treasure the truth recovered as heritage from God, but not to hold on to a certain truth so as to make it distinct from another. I remember him as a vessel of God raised to recover His pure truth, as he would search the whole Bible if he came across a certain doctrine which was not quite sound. From the writings of past believers, he learned about successes and failures of the churches in church history. So, the speaking in the local churches at that time was rich and abundant. Those in some other Christian groups, warned their members not to mix with those in the local churches nor to attend our meetings, because the seeking ones who attended our meetings loved it so much that the leaders of the other groups said they would become like a bee stuck in honey. The opposers said this for fear of loosing members from their congregation. Thus we saw that wherever the truth is, the enemy was also busy at work just like the times when Jesus was on earth. In some places due to opposition, the young people could not meet openly--they had to break bread in cemetery grounds. Many young people were raised up to help with Watchman Nee’s ministry to shepherd the churches all over China (John 21:16). Among them was Witness Lee. Watchman Nee had seen a great future for the local churches. So with foresight he took special care to train Witness Lee, sharing with Lee all that he had received from God. He trained Lee just as Moses trained his assistant Joshua, who eventually became the one who lead the Isrealites into the promised land. This was of God’s sovereign plan, although unknown by Nee at that time, and was later proven in history. Just prior to the Communist takeover of China, Watchman Nee realized their advances and managed to purchase a ticket and sent Lee at once out of the country in order to preserve the local churches. It proved to be God’s sovereign hand. The Lord used Witness Lee to raise up local churches in Taiwan, and even unexpectedly led him to the U.S. Witness Lee indeed helped many believers to practice Nee’s teaching and to enjoy Jesus Christ as their good land. In the local churches, the whole Bible has been opened to us from Genesis to Revelation. In addition, through these brothers’ faithful labor, the mystery of God and His eternal plan, and the way to reach God’s goal, the New Jerusalem has been revealed to us (Rev. 21:2,10). May the Lord’s mercy be upon us to follow Him faithfully by His grace and pursue toward the goal with Him. May glory and honor and power be unto God, the Lamb of God–our Savior Jesus Christ--and the Spirit, forever and ever. J.H.

Joseph’s Storehouse—The Body of Christ

I was saved twelve years ago, but the Lord brought me to the local church four years ago. Right from the beginning, I found the practice in the local church different from the church I had been attending. A major difference was that there were no priests, instead, you found everybody sharing about Christ, praying etc. I wanted to go back to the church I used to attend. But when I prayed I felt that the Lord within me wanted me to stay and enjoy Him. So I stayed. The Lord then brought me through a process of giving up my old concepts, and ways that were not according to the Bible. The Lord truly helped me to empty myself and enjoy Him in a deeper way. The local churches are rich in the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. The Recovery Version of the Bible with the footnotes, the Life-study messages from Genesis to Revelation and other ministry materials, clearly and thoroughly expound the truth of God according to the pure Word. Diving into these rich materials has helped me to enjoy Christ in His different aspects such as: the tabernacle, seven different offerings, the Great Shepherd, the High Priest, the Seven-fold Intensified Spirit, etc. Before I came to the local church I only had a superficial knowledge of the truth of God. Also, in the local church each time a book of the Bible is studied, it is studied in relation to the whole Bible and the center is “Christ.” This way I get a full picture of Christ and His goal which is the Body of Christ and ultimately the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2, 10). Before, I had only a few pieces of a puzzle, but today I get the full picture of Christ and His eternal plane which is to dispense Himself in Christ into man so that man would be a corporate expression of Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10). Due to such a continuous rich speaking it is very easy to be constituted with the Word of God, so that my capacity is being gradually uplifted to match God’s heart desire. Another aspect which I enjoy in the local church is the practice of the Body of Christ. Here I see the believers of all the local churches fellowshipping together to be one with one another. I am learning to live by God’s life within me. This is by the conforming to the death of Christ so that it is not I who live but “Christ.” (Philippines 3:10; Galatians 2:20) In the local churches I am enjoying Christ as my everything, I am truly happy to be with all these believers as we pursue Christ with a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22). Louise Liang

This Wonderful Faith in Me

I was born in Taiwan. I am a Christian kid who was baptized in 1995. My family are all Christians who immigrated to Canada in the summer of 1995. My life totally changed and started to be meaningful after I moved to Canada. Now, I am in the second year of college. An experience happened in my first year of college. One day, I was waiting for my Christian friend, Rebecca, who was studying in the same school as me and was in a night class. While I waited, I went to the washroom with my wallet. After I was out of the washroom about five minutes, I realized I forgot to take my wallet with me. When I went back to the washroom, my wallet was already gone. I thought if the person who took my wallet were a good person she would return it to the Lost and Found office; if she were a bad person she would take it as her own. Immediately, I went to ask the attendant in the Lost and Found office about my wallet. However, he said no one had returned any black wallet. Meanwhile, I was so panicked inside and upset that this person was a bad person. All my credit cards and some cash were in my wallet. I was thinking there is no way for me to get it back, and I just needed to give it up. After thinking this, I immediately realized this came from Satan who always gives negative thoughts to people. So, I decided to turn to my spirit and get my wallet back by praying to the Lord. At the beginning of my prayer, I was praying in a begging way. While I was praying Satan was also very busy sending many negative thoughts through my mind. I knew I couldn’t continue praying like this, so I started to praise the Lord for what He has done and accomplished in my prayer. I said, “Praise the Lord, the wallet has already been found. There is no one that can stop what You have accomplished. Hallelujah, Christ is a victorious One.” By this way of prayer, this wonderful faith flowed into me. I just knew I would get my wallet back with no less money. I checked with the attendant about three more times before Rebecca finished her class. Afterward, I told her the entire story. She said, “No one can take money from Your children, Lord.” From this response, I knew the same faith dwelt in her, causing us to walk in oneness. Both of us started to search every place I had gone. We went to the Lost and Found two times during the search. It was almost ten in the evening. We both thought it was time to go home. Before going home, we both had a feeling to go back to Lost and Found one more time. When we went to the attendant, he was holding my black wallet and said a girl had just returned it. I was so happy that my prayer had been answered! I knew no one could do it except the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this wonderful faith in me, Christ won the victory. From this experience, I realized Satan always lies to us, especially when we are in the difficult situations. Finally, I praise the Lord as the sovereign One who does everything for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Nancy Lin

Bondslave of Christ

“But I consider my life of no account as if precious to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus to solemnly testify of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20-24). By the grace of God I have had the privilege to be born and brought up in a Christian family, and I came to the Lord at a very early age. I was brought up under two very strict and disciplined Christian parents. The Lord came into my life in the third grade, and I realized that it pleased God to set me apart from my mother’s womb, and call me through His grace to reveal His Son in me (Gal. 1:15-16a). I enjoyed the Lord throughout my school years, and university years. Thirty years ago He brought me to Canada, something which I never dreamed of. The only thing I knew before I left my homeland of India was Isaiah 41 verses 8-16. During the early three years of my life in Vancouver, Canada, I attended various Christian congregations and tried to settle in one of those places, even though I was not happy. One day, through one of my spiritual companions I came to know the local church. The meeting was different from my previous Christian experiences, and I had no plan to stick around. Because I had attended many meetings in various denominations I considered this as just another one of those experiences. But the message touched me, and the Lord within me began to speak to me. So I went to another meeting, and the Lord whom I had known for 20 years began to speak to me in a definite way. I argued and questioned the Lord about this fellowship. I was introduced to Witness Lee’s and Watchman Nee’s writings. I had many doubts and questions, and I went to the Lord for straight answers, and the Lord was faithful and spoke to me through brothers in Christ, and through the living Word of God. I have had the privilege to be meeting in the local church for the past 25 years. I never regret the time that I have spent in the church; it is only the Lord’s mercy and grace that He allowed me and my family to be a part of the Body of Christ, composed of all believers in Christ. Through these two brothers’ ministry I came to know the Lord in a deeper way, and I have a real burden for the unsaved world, and my love for the Lord increases day after day. The Word of God becomes life and food to me (John 6:63; Matt. 4:4), I enjoy Him, and fellowship with Him, and have the privilege to know Him with all those who love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). Through the help of the ministry every page of the Bible becomes so precious, applicable, and real to me. Today I can join with Joshua, and I am happy to proclaim for me and my family, we serve the living God (Joshua 24:15)! I thank and praise the Lord for Witness Lee and Watchman Nee, as two gifts to His Body. I join with the apostle Paul, and am not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor am I ashamed to be His bondslave, but suffer evil for the gospel according to the power of God (2 Tim. 1:8). And I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to guard my deposit unto that day (2 Tim. 1:12). In the Body I am fighting the good fight, and am praying to finish my course, and hoping to receive the crown of righteousness with which the righteous Judge will recompense me in that day, and not only me, but also all those who have loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:7b-8). Stanley Mathews

Is there more to the Christian Life for me

Raised as a Mennonite in a good home surrounded by others of the same persuasion, I was a happy child. Yet, there were a few things that bothered me. One was that I could never be sure of my salvation. I was a normal and mischievous child and often got into difficulties with my parents. Never could I be sure that I would “go to heaven” if I should die suddenly. The other thing that bothered me was that I just couldn’t seem to live the Christian life that was expected of me. There were constant failures. This was very disheartening, but no one else around me seemed to be any different so I resigned myself to the fact that this was the Christian life…a constant struggle. One day I got a hold of a book called The Normal Christian Life. I still remember reading that book and my constant comment was,--“He’s right, but it is impossible! He’s right, but I don’t see that anywhere today!” Shortly after that I found a book by the same author (Watchman Nee) called The Release of the Spirit. Remember, I was a quiet Mennonite girl who had been warned many times that the others are way off the mark with their Holy Spirit talk. I was leery to even begin reading this book. However, I just HAD to know if there was more to the Christian life than what I had experienced. The content of this book stayed with me for some time. Shortly after reading this book, I met my future husband and he, being a new believer, had just read this book as well and so together we pursued the possibility that there was more to the Christian life than “trial and error”. One day the Lord showed me that Christ wanted TO BE MY LIFE (Col. 3:4). I will never forget that day. I shot off the couch and danced around so excited. Christ wants to live His life in me and I don’t have to try anymore! Wow! But how do I do this? I still was always getting in the way! We had been married for seven years when we decided we would go to Bible school and find out more. We found out that we knew very little of God’s Word and so after two more years at his busy job, my husband decided to give up his job and search the Scriptures for himself. It was during that year that we met several believers who seemed to have a deeper desire toward the Lord. One day, on someone’s coffee table was a paper with articles by Watchman Nee and Andrew Murray (our two favorite authors). We subscribed to the paper and one day there was an article by a Witness Lee. My husband and I laughed and commented that the editor had mixed up the name of Watchman Nee. The article sounded just like Watchman Nee. Later, when we began to meet with a group of believers who met as Watchman Nee portrayed in his writings, we found out that there really was another wonderful believer called Witness Lee who carried on Watchman Nee’s ministry. The longer I fellowshipped with this group of believers and read and heard the speaking of the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, the more I discovered a very simple way to allow Christ to live His life through me. I learned to call upon the Lord’s name (Acts 2:21). I was amazed that I could be rescued from my fallen condition and all the misery that goes with that. It was wonderful. Once I had that experience a few times, I found it much easier just turn to the Lord Jesus many time a day, call His name, and tell Him I love Him, and my day would be so different. My whole life is changed. Ask my husband. He can verify this! H.M.R.

Out from the Fold into His Flock

I was brought up as a Christian girl in a denomination. I was a God-fearing person and a lover of Christ’s church. I got married in my early 20’s and I was waiting for my visa, as my husband was working in a foreign country. One day in the Sunday service I heard the Lord’s calling for His gospel. That time I did not know how to preach or even give a testimony. I told the Lord, “Lord if I were free to go and knew how to preach I would obey your calling and would go to some missionary work.” After a few months I got my visa and had to leave my country and family. On the airplane I was praying to the Lord to keep me faithful and teach me His ways. After I landed in Canada, my husband introduced me to many wonderful families who fear God and live a life that matches what they preach. As soon as I landed here, my husband’s job became unstable and our family life was not going very smoothly. I had to cry unto the Lord to show me His will in this strange land. On that same day, I got a phone call from one of the church sisters that there was a vacancy at her work place, so I went to see her boss for an interview. I got that job and I praise the Lord for His marvelous ways in taking care of me through many families in the church. Through the help of many brothers and sisters in the Lord and the ministry of Witness Lee now I know how to bring people to the Lord. Praise Him! Anonymous

I am Enjoying Christ in the Green Pasture

In the Old Testament, God kept the Israelites in the sheepfold, which is the law (John 10). When the Lord Christ came, He was the green pasture to enjoy as grace and reality (John 1:14,17). I thank the Lord that I am enjoying Christ as my living water (John 7:37), spiritual food (1 Cor. 10:3), sunshine (Luke 1:78), rest (Matt. 11:28), feast (Col. 2:16-17, healing (Matt. 9:35), Physician (Matt. 9:12), and power (1 Cor. 1:24) in the green pasture. Christ is the gateway from the law, symbolized by the sheepfold, to grace, symbolized by the green pasture. He says, “I am the way and the reality and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) He is the Spirit of reality guiding me into all the reality (John 16:13). The Spirit of reality is teaching me to apply the Word as Spirit and life (John 6:63) to enjoy Christ as my everything. Through enjoying Christ I can see God’s heart’s desire in predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5), to know the mystery of His will to head up all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). The church is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:23); the church is also the wife of Christ (Ephesians 5: 27-28). Christ speaks unceasingly through the seven Spirits to the church (Rev. 1:4; 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22) that He can present the church to Himself without spots or wrinkles, and to call out the overcomers out of the corrupted situation to satisfy His need. It is only by the growth of the life of Christ in us that we can build with gold, silver, and precious stone (1 Cor. 3:12) to be the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2,9-11,18-21). The ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee supplies me for the enjoyment of Christ for the practical building up of the Body of Christ. Praise and thanks well up from my inner being for this ministry. Our God is a God with purpose, plan, and sovereignty. The mystery of His plan was opened to me through His faithful servants. This has greatly helped me to enjoy, to build with Christ, and to prepare for His coming back. I pray He would make me one of the wise virgins (Matt. 25:4-13) and faithful servants (Matt. 24:45-47) through the enjoyment of the rich supply of the speaking of this ministry to watch and wait for His coming back. Lisa Chu

Turning to God from Idols to Serve the Living and True God

I was born in a village full of idols seventy years ago. There were less than four hundred people in the village, but there were four temples. On the east side of the village, there was a temple for the warrior god. A temple on the west was for the Buddahivva. On the south side was the temple for the money god. On the north side was the Eighteen Warriors temple. In the middle of the village was the temple for the ancestors of my family, “Wu”. There were no elementary schools in this village. My brothers and I finished our elementary education in the temples, which were also used as schools. I followed my parents to worship these idols who could not speak even though they had mouths, and who could not see even though they had eyes, and could not hear even though they had ears. I left home for junior high and senior high in the middle of World War II, in 1941. I went to Taiwan from Chung-do, China in 1949, and met Mr. Lien-jane Zhou, and Mr. Li-yi Ding, who were Christians. Through their speaking and living out this true and living God, an idol-worshipper such as I came to know the true God, Jesus Christ. This is a great salvation and grace. I was saved into the Lord’s name in His grace in 1965. Time went by fast. Thirty-five years passed by in one blink of the eye. In these thirty-five years, our whole family met in the local churches. My son and daughter are both serving the Lord in the church in Los Angeles. My wife and I live in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. We serve the believers and meet in the local church in Surrey. We have to thank this true God, Jesus Christ, who created all things in the universe. We often read Watchman Nee’s writings in these years. These really touched the deepest part of people. Before he went to be with the Lord he said, “Let me love and not receive men’s gratefulness in return; let me serve and not receive men’s reward, let me give my best and not be remembered by others; let me suffer and not be seen by others.” I bow my head to pay my respect to a heart like this. In reading his writings, we can see that he, as a forerunner, lives and speaks the same thing. He is a pattern to us. In these thirty-five years of my Christian life, I have also read Witness Lee’s teaching and writings. I have not finished reading the Life-study of the Bible yet, but I have received great benefit already from the footnotes in the Recovery Version translation of the New Testament. When I come to a part of the Bible that is difficult to understand, I can get clear by checking with the Recovery Version. I give my thanks to these two brothers in the Lord, Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, who have gone before us. “The opening of Your Word gives light, imparting understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130) I really thank You, Savior Jesus. You let me live in Your Body to be a useful member to spread Your gospel. You desire “all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). You brought me to Your House to express and live Christ with other believers. Mark Wu

From Self-Centered to God-Centered

I am a Cantonese. My father was a government bureaucrat and a civil representative. My family was well-off, financially. My parents had a very busy social life, and were not able to spend much time with the children. There were five children in the family; I am the second one, the first girl; I have an older brother. Since a very young age, I tended to wander in my mind and not to take care of practical responsibilities. I blamed my parents for my physical appearance. My younger sister was pretty and slender, while I was short and fat. I used this as an excuse to hassle my mother. I demanded my parents to buy any clothes that I wanted because I was not born with beauty. My temper tantrums tormented the whole family. My brothers and sisters were afraid of me, and felt sorry for me. I made my mother take me to many doctors, both Chinese and western, for weight reduction. I tormented my family and myself. Since I did not have a sober mind, I neglected my academic studies and had to change schools quite often. Being competitive in nature, I set my mind to become a great female vocalist. I sang for several hours a day, sometimes for as long as eight hours. With a lot of hope and dreams I applied for vocal major in the Department of Music of the College of Fine Arts. I was rejected three years in a row, and was filled with desperation. I lost my hope of living. Isaiah 42:3 says, “A bruised reed He will not break; and a dimly burning flax He will not extinguish.” I felt like a dimly burning flax and a bruised reed. In my darkest moment, someone invited me to join the choir in the church. I had been worshipping Buddha for several years, and my life was filled with misery. The choir and piano in a church greatly attracted me, and I went to the church for this selfish reason. I left the Buddahivva for the church. I was not clear about the salvation of Christ, and no one told me the meaning of being a Christian. I just felt that I needed a change in my character and personality. Sometimes I read the Bible, too. I felt quite incredulous that the Lord teaches us to turn the other cheek when being slapped on one cheek, and to yield our cloak when someone takes our tunic (Matt. 5:39-40). I lost my interest. It was not until I read Witness Lee’s writings that I came to realize that this teaching is not a demand, but a manifestation of maturity as a Christian’s spiritual life reaches to a certain extent. This made sense to me. When I was twenty-one years old and attending a Bible college, I was greatly attracted by the Christ in a Christian sister. I followed her wherever I could. God had given her His love, or she would have been exhausted by my adoration. Not all students in the Bible college were Christians; and those who were Christians came from different denominations. The principal belonged to a Quaker group. One day, this sister brought me to the meetings of the local church. I had a good impression of the local church, but I did not want to attend more meetings. I thought “I have a great future (I was going abroad). How can I waste my time to go to a place that has no outward beauty, and does not look like a church at all?” I thought my misfortune was over, and a beautiful future awaited me. However, the place I went, the Dominican Republic, was much more backward than Taiwan was. I was greatly disappointed. I stayed for eight months, and I could stay no longer. I applied for a visa, took a handbag, and came to Toronto, Canada. The weather was freezing cold; there were very few people. I walked alone on the street, and my heart was even colder than the weather was. All of a sudden, I remembered the address of the local church in Toronto that the sister gave me before I left Taiwan. I had a feeling that this was the group of people I was seeking. Since that day more than thirty years ago, I have never left this group of people. They are some of the called-out ones of God to be His testimony in different localities, or cities, as the local churches. I received salvation in a clear way, and began to enjoy Christ. The Bible, with footnotes, coming from Watchman Nee and Witness Lee’s ministry, increased my interest in reading the Bible. I came to know the will of God. I don’t have a narrow view of the meaning of human life anymore. God has a great plan to gain a corporate new man (Ephesians 2:15), who is one with Him, to rule the whole earth. All things work together for good for this purpose (Romans 8:28). I walked out of my self-centeredness, and walked into the great purpose of God (Ephesians 3:9-11). Upon seeing the great change in me, my parents and younger sister also received the Lord with joy. My mother had worried a great deal concerning my marriage. When I was twenty-seven years old and visiting home from Canada, she tried to find a good husband for me. She did not want to see me going back alone to Canada. However, I know on Whom I shall depend. There was a message by Witness Lee on Romans 8:6, “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” Even our marriage should be by the spirit, not by the flesh. I agreed with this. I previously thought that only divorces came from being in the flesh. A sister introduced me to several brothers, and one of them eventually became my husband. When he proposed and I prayed with him, this verse, Romans 8:6, came to my mind. I joyfully replied “yes.” My husband loves others with sincerity of heart and is without guile. He often tells me, “First, I love the Lord, and then I love you.” He often looks at me and says, “Do you know how blessed you are? You have the Lord and a husband who loves you so much. You still have your parents, brothers, and sisters. You have a son and a daughter who have grown up to love the Lord. The Lord has taken away the shame of your youth.” I received this with joy. However, I know from God’s Word that these seventy or eighty years are quite short and fleeting. They pass away. Only the will of God lasts forever. Olive Wu

My Testimony

I was born and raised in Canada as a Roman Catholic. At the age of nineteen I left the Catholic Church as I surmised that all outward religious rituals along with the pictures and statues that I venerated amounted to nothing and was meaningless to God. I reasoned, “Why does the great creator God need us to light candles and to pray towards statues and pictures on the wall?” To be frank, the only reason I would go to Catholic mass was because I was taught that if I miss mass and died, that would be a mortal sin and that would cause me to be sent to hell, a place where I did not want to go. Also, having observed much hypocrisy with the congregation and the priests, I felt everyone and everything was very common and not holy at all. Thus, I reasoned that God would not send me to hell because I do not make the sign of the cross and light candles. I left also because I did not want to be restricted. I wanted freedom. I wanted to see the world and discover things. I wanted to find the meaning to my own life. Then from the age of nineteen to twenty seven I lived a life in my newfound freedom. I adapted a philosophy which basically states: ‘there is no such thing as good and bad; there is only experience – don’t try to harm people but try any experience once and if you like it do it again’. I wanted to find the meaning of my life in this way. But, this new philosophy and quest for meaning brought in a living that went astray and fell slowly into a kind of darkness. I had traveled to East Malaysia as a CUSO (Canadian University Services Overseas) volunteer and worked as a teacher in a high school. I thought that being a teacher, giving myself to a worthy cause would bring in the meaning to my human life. I tried to be an excellent teacher, to love the students – but the harder I tried to do good and be selfless, the more I found myself to be loose, unloving, self righteous and sinful. Outwardly many thought that I was a selfless person but inwardly I was a hypocrite, full of secret sinful desires and activity. By the age of twenty seven this ‘freedom’ philosophy had brought me to the edge of death and insanity. I lived in darkness, dabbling with other religions and philosophies, taking in substances and seeking enlightenment in them until finally I questioned my very sanity. I came under a tormenting sense of darkness, emptiness, depression and fear with a deep sense of guilt, condemnation and hopelessness. I desperately sought out the help of friends and finally the help of a psychiatrist. In my first meeting with him I immediately had the sinking sense deep within that neither this man nor any man could ever help me. The only way he could help would be to change the world and me. I was deeply convicted that I and the whole world was under a sentence of death and hopelessness beyond the rescue and help that any man could render. Then, in the midst of my darkness the Light shined. The Lord Jesus appeared and caused me to realize that I was sinful and under God’s judgment. Someone had been praying for me. I was riding my motorcycle late one night when the Lord Jesus came to me and showed me that He died in my stead and that I only needed to receive Him. I opened up and barely said “OK Lord”. At that moment I received the forgiveness of sins and I knew that the living Jesus is the one reality, that He is the meaning to life – the peace, the joy, the happiness, and the love. He showed me that He is everything I need. Oh I was saved. How wonderful! Jesus came into me. He gave me the full assurance that I was saved and that I would be OK from then on. I was full of peace and joy. I told everyone. I even went back to the psychiatrist and told him that he was not needed because I had found God. Oh hallelujah! Jesus saved me from torment, from condemnation and guilt, from depression and fear. Not only so, He came into me. He enlivened me and filled me with Himself. I felt like flying. Oh “Jesus is real” I shouted to the passenger on my motorcycle. He too then believed. Jesus is wonderful and He can save everyone who opens to Him by calling “Lord Jesus”. He is a wonderful savior and He had become my life. Everything changed. I was born of God. I was a child of God. Then after several months I seem to have come down from the clouds of joy and peace to realize that still within me there were problems related to my being – I could still sin and lose my temper. Though I loved God and read my bible, dropped all my sinful past, still I sensed the need for something more. I also was searching for a church, a place that I could call my spiritual home. I picked up the so called Pentecostal things – praying in tongues, laying my hands on the sick, casting out demons etc but the more I got into these things the more I sensed an emptiness within. I got confused and troubled within. Eventually I told the Lord that I didn’t want to follow Him anymore if this is all there is to the Christian life. Then one day I came to a meeting unlike any meeting I had ever experienced. They had the joy and precious presence of the Lord that I had tasted and longed for again. It was really different. They cared for‘experiencing the Lord’ and ‘enjoying the Lord’. They also had the real growth in the divine life. They were not centered on anything but the Lord Himself. I learned that the Lord is the Spirit within my spirit and that He wants to spread from my spirit into my soul and transform me. This was the truth that I needed. I began to experience the Lord by exercising my spirit by calling on His name and praying with His word. The meetings were full of light and truth and life. Oh I had found the deeper meaning to life. Now I know the process and the goal of the Christian life. I know now that I am properly running the race and not running in circles any more. Now, many years later I am still very joyful that I am in the Lord’s recovery of Christ as our life and the church as our living. I am being built up with other believers by meeting together in oneness with no other name except the name of Jesus and with no teaching except the teaching that God desires which will build up the Body of Christ, the church. Praise the Lord. RF