THE FOURTH PART: THE PATHWAY OF THE LORD’S RECOVERY
The Course of the Church
Message Eleven—The Truths Recovered by the Ministry of Brother Watchman Nee (3)
Scripture Reading: Acts 13:1; Rev. 11:1; Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Acts 8:4; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Eph. 4:3-6; 1:17, 22-23; 2:19-22; 4:11-16; Acts 13:2; John 14:16-17; Rom. 12:3-11; Eph. 6:10-17; 1 Pet. 4:1-6; 2 Cor. 4:10-12, 16; Rom. 1:9; Heb. 5:14; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 2:6; Acts 15:1-2; Rom. 15:25-27; Acts 2:45-47
I. The boundary of the local church is the boundary of the city where the church is—Acts 13:1; Rev. 11:1; 1 Cor. 1:2.
II. The centrality and universality of Christ—Col. 1:15-19; 1 Cor. 1:22-24; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:13-16:
A. Watchman Nee also saw the centrality and universality of Christ in God’s eternal purpose—Col. 1:15-19.
B. He saw that both in the universe and in the Christian life Christ should have the preeminence—v. 18.
C. He also saw that Christ is all and in all in the new man, which is the church—3:10-11.
III. The ground of the local church—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Col. 3:10-11:
A. Believers should not be divided by anything; the ground of the church is the ground of oneness—1 Cor. 1:10.
B. The local church is a church in the city; if there is more than one church in a locality, the believers in that locality will be divided—Acts 13:1; Rev. 1:11.
IV. Migration—Acts 8:4; 11:19-23; 17:26.
V. The practicality of the church life—Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-13:
A. He received clear light from the New Testament about how elders should carry out their eldership practically and how deacons and deaconesses should serve the saints and the church—3:1-7.
B. He also helped all the members of the church to participate in the affairs of the church—3:8-13.
VI. The reality of the church—Eph. 4:16; 1 Cor. 12:12-13:
A. The content of the church must be Christ living in and being lived out through all the members—Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:11.
B. Christ, therefore, is the reality of the church, and the church should be the expression of Christ—Eph. 1:22-23.
VII. The oneness of the church—4:3-6; 2:14-15:
A. The genuine oneness of the church is the oneness of the Spirit—4:3.
B. Real oneness is not the oneness of doctrines, opinions, or certain practices; real oneness is the Spirit Himself; if we are not in the Spirit, we do not have genuine oneness—4:3.
VIII. Seeing the Body—1:17, 22-23; 2:19-22; 4:11-16:
A. In the years 1939 to 1942, Watchman Nee was consistently burdened concerning the revelation of the Body of Christ—v. 17, 22-23.
B. He was burdened to help Christians see the Body, not in a doctrinal way but in a practical way—2:19-22.
C. He continually stressed that seeing the Body makes it impossible to be individualistic; once one sees the Body, he behaves and acts in a corporate way—3:18-19.
IX. The authority of the Holy Spirit in the Body—Acts 13:2; 15:28; 5:1-4:
A. The Holy Spirit must have authority over everything in every part—1:8; Rom. 15:13.
B. All the activity of the Body must be under the authority and direction of the Holy Spirit—Acts 16:7.
X. The reality of the Holy Spirit—John 14:16-17:
A. The Holy Spirit is the reality of all spiritual things—1 John 5:6.
B. The Holy Spirit is the reality of the Christians’ life and also the reality of their living; whatever they are and do must have the Holy Spirit as the reality—Gal. 5:16, 25.
XI. The authority of the church—Matt. 18:15-20; Rom. 12:3-11; Eph. 4:15-16; cf. Neh. 8:1-10:
A. For the practice of the practical church life, Watchman Nee saw the necessity of authority—2 Cor. 13:10; 2 Thes. 3:6, 9, 12, 14.
B. The authority that Christ as the Head imparts to certain members of His Body is called deputy authority—1 Cor. 4:17-21; 7:17.
C. The local churches must be under this kind of deputy authority in a marvelous order; this authority is crucial for the building up of the local church—Phil. 1:1; 1 Cor. 11:2.
XII. The building of the church—Eph. 2:21-22; 4:11-13:
A. Believers must be practically built up with others in the local churches under the authority of the church—2:21-22.
B. This kind of building is a test to genuine spirituality.
XIII. Coordination in the church life—Rom. 12:4-8:
XIV. The Body and the spiritual warfare—Eph. 6:10-17:
A. The warrior in Ephesians 6 is not an individual believer but the Body—v. 11.
B. Watchman Nee stressed strongly that if believers are individualistic, it will be difficult for them to fight against the powers in the heavenlies—v. 12.
XV. The discipline of the Holy Spirit—Heb. 12:5-11; 1 Pet. 4:1-6:
A. He learned to see the need of the Holy Spirit’s discipline for the reconstitution of our being and for the breaking of the outer man—2 Cor. 12:7-10.
B. He saw that God sovereignly arranges our environment to work good for us through the discipline of the Holy Spirit—Rom. 8:28.
C. The Holy Spirit arranges our environment and disciplines us through our environment in order to reconstitute us within with the divine element—2 Cor. 4:16.
XVI. The breaking of the outer man and the release of the spirit—2 Cor. 4:10-12, 16; Rom. 7:22; John 12:24:
A. The Spirit of Christ dwells in our spirit; if our outer man is not broken, our spirit with the Spirit of Christ is confined in the shell of our outer man—John 12:24.
B. There is a crucial need for our outer man to be broken in order that our spirit with the Spirit of Christ may be released to impart life to others—2 Cor. 4:10-12.
XVII. Using the spirit—Rom. 1:9; Heb. 5:14:
A. The believer must learn how to use his human spirit—Gal. 5:16, 25.
B. In ministering the Word, in preaching the gospel, in contacting people, and even in matters of daily living, believers must use their spirit first, not their mind, emotion, or knowledge—Rom. 1:9.
XVIII. The region of the work—1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 2:6; Acts 15:1-2; Rom. 15:25-27; Gal. 2:8-9.
XIX. Handing over all things—Acts 2:45-47.
Ministry Excerpts:
FROM 1933 TO 1937
The Boundary of the Local Church
In the years 1933 and 1934, Watchman Nee saw that the boundary of the local church is the boundary of the city where the church is. He pointed out that within the boundary of a city there should not be more than one church. This spontaneously eliminates division.
The Centrality and Universality of Christ
In 1933 and 1934, Watchman Nee also saw the centrality and universality of Christ in God’s eternal purpose. He saw that both in the universe and in the Christian life Christ should have the preeminence (Col. 1:18); he also saw that Christ is all and in all in the new man, which is the church (Col. 3:10-11).
The Ground of the Local Church
In 1937 Watchman Nee began to see the ground of the local church. This is a further step beyond the boundary of locality and indicates that believers should not be divided by anything. The ground of the church is the ground of oneness. Wherever we go and wherever we are, we should be one with the believers in that place. A city should have only one church. The church is not the church in a home, the church in a factory, the church on a campus, the church on a certain street, or the church with any other kind of designation. The local church is a church in the city. If there is more than one church in a locality, the believers in that locality will be divided.
Migration
Watchman Nee saw clearly from the book of Acts that there were two ways to spread the gospel: one by the sending out of the apostles, and the other by the migration of the believers (Acts 8:4). Under his ministry both methods were employed to spread the gospel.
FROM 1938 TO 1942
The Practicality of the Church Life
In 1939 Watchman Nee received further light regarding the church, this time concerning the practicality of the church life. He received clear light from the New Testament about how elders should carry out their eldership practically and how deacons and deaconesses should serve the saints and the church. He also helped all the members of the church to participate in the affairs of the church.
The Reality of the Church
Along with the practical aspect of the church, Watchman Nee saw the reality of the church. He stressed that the content of the church must be Christ living in and being lived out through all the members. Anything that is not Christ is not the church. Practically speaking, the church is Christ. Christ, therefore, is the reality of the church, and the church should be the expression of Christ.
The Oneness of the Church
The genuine oneness of the church is the oneness of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3). Real oneness is not the oneness of doctrines, opinions, or certain practices; real oneness is the Spirit Himself. Even though we may be one in doctrine and in the way we do things, if we are not in the Spirit, we do not have genuine oneness.
Seeing the Body
In the years 1939 to 1942, Watchman Nee was consistently burdened concerning the revelation of the Body of Christ. He was burdened to help Christians see the Body, not in a doctrinal way but in a practical way. He continually stressed that seeing the Body makes it impossible to be individualistic. Once one sees the Body, he behaves and acts in a corporate way.
The Authority of the Holy Spirit in the Body
Watchman Nee saw that since the Body of Christ is an organism, the Holy Spirit must have authority over everything in every part. All the activity of the Body must be under the authority and direction of the Holy Spirit.
The Reality of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the reality of all spiritual things. The term spiritual things is vain and empty unless the Holy Spirit Himself is the content and reality of every spiritual thing. The Holy Spirit is the reality of the Christians’ life and also the reality of their living. Whatever they are and do must have the Holy Spirit as the reality.
The Authority of the Church
For the practice of the practical church life, Watchman Nee saw the necessity of authority. The authority that Christ as the Head imparts to certain members of His Body is called deputy authority. The local churches must be under this kind of deputy authority in a marvelous order. This authority is crucial for the building up of the local church. By this means the church becomes a vertical vessel. For this, submission is necessary.
The Building of the Church
The Lord has revealed through Watchman Nee that believers must be practically built up with others in the local churches under the authority of the church. This kind of building is a test to genuine spirituality. If one cannot be built up with others in a local church, his spirituality is questionable.
Coordination in the Church Life
Another revelation received by Watchman Nee, which is closely related to authority and building, was the revelation concerning coordination in the church. All the members in the local church need not only to be built up with others but also to coordinate with others. The service of the church cannot be carried out individually. All the members must serve in a coordinated way.
The Body and the Spiritual Warfare
In the early years of his ministry, Watchman Nee saw the spiritual warfare as a personal matter. However, from 1939 on, he saw that it was not just a personal matter, but a matter of the Body. The warrior in Ephesians 6 is not an individual believer but the Body. Watchman Nee stressed strongly that if believers are individualistic, it will be difficult for them to fight against the powers in the heavenlies. To fight the enemy we need the Body. We need to be not only in the heavenlies but also in the Body.
FROM 1942 TO 1948
The Discipline of the Holy Spirit
The period from 1942 to 1948 was a period of longsuffering for Watchman Nee. During this time he learned to see the need of the Holy Spirit’s discipline for the reconstitution of our being and for the breaking of the outer man. He saw that God sovereignly arranges our environment to work good for us through the discipline of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit arranges our environment and disciplines us through our environment in order to reconstitute us within with the divine element.
The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit
While he was undergoing his longsuffering from 1942 to 1948, Watchman Nee saw the breaking of the outer man and the release of the human spirit. The Spirit of Christ dwells in our spirit. If our outer man is not broken, our spirit with the Spirit of Christ is confined in the shell of our outer man. For this reason, there is a crucial need for our outer man to be broken in order that our spirit with the Spirit of Christ may be released to impart life to others. The discipline of the Holy Spirit is both to tear down some aspects of our natural life and to break our outer man.
Using the Spirit
Along with the light he received concerning the release of the spirit, Watchman Nee also saw that the believer must learn how to use his human spirit. In ministering the Word, in preaching the gospel, in contacting people, and even in matters of daily living, believers must use their spirit first, not their mind, emotion, or knowledge. The spirit must always be ahead of these. By our spirit we can touch another’s spirit. Only by his spirit can the believer convey the Spirit of life and impart life into others.
FROM 1948 TO 1950
The Region of the Work
In 1948 Watchman Nee received revelation that while the church is local, the work is regional. The church is a matter of locality, but the work is a matter of region or district. The churches under Peter’s work were in respective localities, but Peter’s work was in a district which comprised all these localities. It was the same with Paul’s work and the churches raised up through his work.
Handing Over All Things
In order for the work to accomplish its purpose and for the local churches to be built up practically, Watchman Nee saw the necessity for all the believers in the Lord’s recovery to hand over not only themselves but all their possessions to the work. By this means the believers are delivered from being selfish and individualistic. This also helps believers to submit to the Lord’s authority. It even affords the Lord an opportunity to use their possessions for His purpose and to grant them more physical blessings.
This is not all. Watchman Nee received much light from the Scriptures on many other matters concerning gospel truth and practical matters, such as the Lord’s Day, marriage, clothing, dealing with money, etc. This is referred to in chapter twenty-seven. (Watchman Nee—A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, ch. 20)