Watchman Nee
Watchman Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes, yet he acquired an exceptional knowledge concerning God's purpose, Christ, the Spirit, and the church through his study of the Bible as well as the writings of spiritual men and women. During his early ministry, he spent one-third of his income on books by Christian authors such as D.M. Panton, Robert Govett, G.H. Pember, Jessie Penn-Lewis, T. Austin-Sparks, John Nelson Darby, William Kelly, and C.H. Mackintosh. He was brilliantly gifted in his ability to select, comprehend, discern, and memorize appropriate material. Watchman Nee gleaned all the good, scriptural points from his collection of over 3,000 of the best Christian books, including nearly all the classical Christian writings from the first century on. In addition to the spiritual knowledge he gained, he received much spiritual edification and perfection early in his Christian life from Margaret E. Barber, a former Anglican missionary.
Watchman Nee suffered greatly for the sake of the ministry. He suffered poverty, gravely ill health, intense opposition from Christians, and two decades of harsh imprisonment. His depth of revelation combined with his selfless sufferings issued in a rich ministry of life according to the Lords commission to him: the unique New Testament ministry of Christ and of the church. Although he was a man of God living by faith and fully occupied with the ministry of Christ for the building up of the churches, Watchman Nee did not lead a peculiar, ascetic lifestyle. In 1934 at the age of thirty, Watchman Nee married a sister in the Lord named Charity Chang. The Lord gave them no children. Additionally, in 1939 he began to assist in the management of his brothers pharmaceutical factory. With the factory profits, he was able to care for the needs of a number of Christians and purchase a training center. He eventually handed over the factory to the work of the ministry as an offering to the Lord.
Early in his ministry Watchman Nee was joined by Witness Lee, a young believer who labored with him for twenty years and became his closest co-worker. In 1949, due to the incursion of Communism, Watchman Nee sent Witness Lee to Formosa (Taiwan) to continue Brother Nees ministry of Christ and the church. Watchman Nee felt that the Lord was keeping him in Mainland China to maintain His testimony and to care for the churches. He was arrested by the Communists in 1952, by which time approximately four hundred local churches had been raised up in Mainland China and over thirty throughout Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, under Witness Lees ministry, the churches in Taiwan multiplied and flourished. On May 30, 1972, after twenty years of imprisonment for his belief in Christ and his participation in the local churches, Watchman Nee rested with Christ, Whom he loved and served at the cost of his life. Before his departure, he left a note under his pillow to testify of the truth:
He remained a faithful testimony of Christ Jesus according to the burden and commission he had received from the Lord. In fulfillment of his mothers prayer, he had lived a consecrated life by the Lords mercy and grace.
|
Main Hymns Hymns Q&A LSM Collection Enjoying Hymns Links | |
© 2001. Living Stream Ministry All Rights Reserved. |