Allow me to testify something from my experience in working with Brother Watchman Nee. I worked with Brother Nee for over eighteen years. There are some among us who were there at that time and did see the situation. Since the beginning of Brother Nee’s work, a number of prominent Christians who later became famous preachers were there with Brother Nee for a time. The first meeting of the Lord’s table in the Lord’s recovery took place with Brother Nee and another brother and his wife. These were the three who initiated the Lord’s table meetings in the recovery. Eventually that brother became a problem to Brother Nee because he was not one with him in God’s move at that time in China. From that time on, one prominent brother after another came in to the recovery there in China. Nearly all of them became problems to Brother Nee. If I had taken the same attitude as the others, surely I would have become a problem to him also. However, all realized that I was one thousand percent one with Brother Nee in his ministry because my standing, my attitude, and my spirit were altogether one with him. No opening was left for anyone to say that I was a problem to Brother Nee. There was no ground for such a charge.
If someone is able to ask you whether or not you are one with me, that question is a hint that you are not one hundred percent one with me. If water can leak through a roof when it rains, that surely means there is a crack somewhere in the roof. If there is no crack, no water could leak in. If you are thoroughly one hundred percent one with me, we are like a roof that has no crack for the rain to come in. When it rains, the water both testifies and tests whether or not there is a crack in the roof. If there is a leak, this is a proof that a crack is there.
We need to read the facts in the Bible, not merely the letters in black and white. There was a reason for the problem in Corinth where some said, “I am of Cephas,” “I am of Apollos,” and “I am of Paul.” If Peter had behaved, acted, and worked in an atmosphere, in color, and in flavor absolutely one with Paul, no one at Corinth would have said that he was of Peter and not of Paul. If Apollos had been working, preaching, moving, and living in a way that was with the flavor, the color, and the atmosphere that absolutely matched that of Paul, no one would have said that he was of Apollos and not of Paul. There were three entities there. One was of Peter, one was of Apollos, and one was of Paul.
Whether you call them three ministries, three leaders, three headships, or three different kinds of teaching, the fact that there were three created a leak for the rain to come in, and the rain did come in. Some were saying, “I am of Peter. I don’t care for Paul.” Others said, “I am of Apollos. I don’t care for Peter or for Paul.” Still others said, “I am for Paul.” Therefore, in Corinth there was fighting among the saints that came from the different flavors, different colors, and different atmospheres of the so-called ministers. If Peter, Apollos, and Paul were working, moving, and walking in one atmosphere, in one color, and in one flavor, I do not believe anything could ever happen in Corinth that would cause the people to say that they were of this one or of that one. Such a thing could happen there simply because the atmosphere, the flavor, the color, and the spirit among the three were not one.
Then how about our situation today? We need to consider our present situation soberly according to this light from the Scriptures. Again I say that I would have much more liberty to speak concerning these matters if Brother Nee were working among us. If this were the case, he would be the target instead of me. Because I am the target now, it is hard for me to speak concerning certain matters, lest whatever I say be considered a self-vindication.
Nevertheless, all of us need to realize that we are in the Lord’s recovery. The first characteristic of the Lord’s recovery is oneness. Once we lose the oneness, we are through. If we lose the oneness, we are no longer the Lord’s recovery. Therefore, we need to see that there is a peril of different teachings and different opinions damaging the oneness. I thank the Lord for His mercy that since the beginning of His recovery in this country I have never been so cautious in any other matter as I have in this one matter. In all these twenty-three years it has been my practice to exercise myself never to debate with any of the brothers concerning doctrines or concerning opinions. Six years ago some very serious problems arose among us. During that time, you probably did not hear me say anything concerning these problems because I did not want to give any impression that I was open to debate concerning the opinions and doctrines of others. However, this did not mean that I agreed with those opinions and doctrines. Now I realize that the more we are going on, the more we are in a trend with a peril that opinions and different teachings may come in. Opinions may be good, and teachings may be scriptural, yet they may be different. Sooner or later, these matters will create a hidden division. The blessing that always comes down from God to His recovery is based upon the oneness (Psa. 133). If we lose the oneness, we will lose the blessing.
I believe that we can learn from Apollos’s case that there is the possibility of having different flavors, different atmospheres, and different colors, although we may move together, minister together, work together, and all be together in the Lord’s recovery. Apollos was not dissenting with Paul, but his ministry bore a different color and flavor than Paul’s ministry.
I am not saying that something has already happened among us to create a problem. No storm has come, but a weather report has. In the climate of the Lord’s recovery today, there are some signs that some storms may come if we do not exercise our carefulness. For this reason, I am burdened to present the real situation to you in order that you may realize that there is a peril ahead of us. Even though we are not in any storm yet, I do feel the need to send out the weather report to let you know that there is the possibility of storms coming in this climate if we are careless. I hope we would not have a repetition of the storms that came six years ago. I believe all of us have a good intention. I do not believe there is anyone among us with a wrong intention. Nevertheless, the things we do could be wrong even though our intention is not wrong. All of us need to be careful.