The Lord raised up His recovery in mainland China in 1922 with Brother Nee, and I joined him in 1932. We two stayed and worked together for about eighteen years, from 1932 to 1949. He was an “umbrella” that I was under. No rain dropped upon me, and no arrows, no attacks, were directed at me. I saw how Brother Nee was attacked and how much he suffered. I also saw his intrinsic suffering. Many co-workers, responsible ones, and leaders, most of whom were not appointed by anyone but self-appointed, all claimed that they accepted Brother Nee’s ministry. Actually, if they had not accepted Brother Nee’s ministry, they would have had nothing to accept. His ministry was the unique ministry of the New Testament. If they had not accepted his ministry, they would have had to go to the teachings of the denominations, and they were tired of that. They claimed that they took Brother Nee’s teachings, that they received Brother Nee’s ministry, yet in actuality or in practicality none cared for Brother Nee. Everyone acted on his own for the recovery, receiving the one, unique ministry of Brother Nee. This was Brother Nee’s intrinsic suffering.
The recovery in mainland China from 1922 to 1949 was very prevailing in teaching, in the divine revelation, but not so prevailing in practice. As far as practice goes, it was rather weak. Shanghai and Chefoo were the only two churches that had over two hundred members. What has always been the factor that puts down the recovery? The lacking of the one accord. The churches in mainland China accepted the same ministry and received the same kind of teaching, yet in practice they were all different. Some of them were proud of their difference to some extent. They received the teaching from the Brethren telling them that the local churches should be different. The Brethren taught this based upon the fact that the seven epistles to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are all different. They did not see the light that the seven churches were different, not in their testimony, but in their degradation. The poor situation of the degraded churches was different, but the lampstands are identical.
Brother Nee stayed away from his ministry until the revival that started in Chefoo in 1940 was brought over to Shanghai in 1947. In 1948 a revival broke out in Shanghai, which laid the foundation for Brother Nee to come back. He came back, not on his own, but through the change of the situation. Many repented. During the six years of Brother Nee’s absence, there was nothing in the recovery. Every place was nearly starved to death except for Chefoo where there was a revival. The entire recovery was in a famine. The dissenting ones realized that they had nothing, that they could do nothing, and that they could not go on.
In 1948, I went to visit Brother Nee’s hometown since I was invited by the church there. I spent three weeks with the church and a revival was brought in. Many were baptized within this period of time. Brother Nee’s home was in a suburb. I made an appointment with him, asking him to give me and my two other co-workers a time with him after my stay with the church for three weeks. He was happy to give me this appointment.
About thirty to forty co-workers and leading ones from nearby cities were attending the meetings of the revival. After the last meeting, I thought they would all leave. When I came to the meeting place, though, many of them were lingering there and talking. I asked them why they were still there. They said smiling that they had heard I was going to have a time with Brother Nee. I told them that this time was for me and my two co-workers, but they insisted on joining our fellowship with Brother Nee. They told me that they had no way to talk to Brother Nee, so they were waiting for me to do something for them. They took me as a mediator for them to get access to Brother Nee. When I went to Brother Nee and told him their request, he said no. They still insisted and asked me to go back again to Brother Nee to tell him that they would not go and that they begged permission to join our fellowship.
Eventually Brother Nee agreed to let them come to that fellowship. In his home there was a large living room with a big opening leading to the dining room. Brother Nee said he would fellowship with us three and would also invite Brother K. H. Weigh from Hong Kong to join us. He said he would fellowship with the four of us in the very inner corner of his living room. He asked me to tell the others who were begging for permission to fellowship with him to sit outside the living room far away in the dining room in a corner somewhat separated by a half partition. He wanted me to charge them not to go out to say a word after listening to what he said, and he said they had to promise me this. He also wanted me to assure him that I would bear the responsibility for all of them in this matter. This shows you that Brother Nee stopped his function because of the different talk, the different speakings. I went back to the brothers with this charge, and they assured me that they would not say anything, so Brother Nee permitted them to come.
After the first morning of fellowship, a sister took the lead to say, “Brother Nee, since we heard this, why don’t we practice it?” Then I asked, “Why wouldn’t we practice this, Brother Nee?” Brother Nee looked at me and said that if these dear ones wanted to practice this, they would have to deliver themselves up, to hand themselves over to the ministry. When everyone heard this, they said, “Amen!” This was an indication that Brother Nee was very much troubled and bothered by the different talks. Everybody had the freedom to do whatever was right in his own eyes. Brother Nee was tired of this, so he told the co-workers and leading ones that if they wanted a new start, they would have to hand themselves over to the ministry. Otherwise, he would not take the lead or say anything to them.