After seeing the ground of the church, Brother Nee became clear concerning the practicality of the church life. I still remember the day in 1940 when I was in Shanghai attending his training. On this day he and I were walking down a staircase. He showed me his hand and said, "Brother, we have the blueprint in our hand concerning the church life." After he said this, I wondered what the blueprint was. I wanted to see this blueprint. Praise the Lord! Eventually, Brother Nee showed us the blueprint of the practicality of the church life.
We should not think that our present practice of the church life is a light thing. In Shanghai in 1940 I saw the blueprint of the practicality of the church life, and I brought it to northern China to put it into practice. I have to testify that it really works. Through the outworking of this blueprint, a big revival was brought to northern China. We enjoyed such a revival through the practice of the church life according to the blueprint Brother Nee had received from the Lord.
From 1940 Brother Nee always stressed the Body of Christ. He was very burdened that we would see the Body. He gave message after message and conference after conference, always stressing this one thing—seeing the Body. Brother Nee was very nice, gentle, and kind, but with us trainees, he was very frank at times. He would ask if we had seen the Body, and then he would ask some to give a testimony of what they had supposedly seen. After their testimony he would say, "You haven't seen the Body." Then he would point out what they said to prove that they had not seen the Body and that the Body was merely a theory or a doctrine to them. We may know the Body doctrinally, but it may not be real to us. He stressed again and again that we need the vision of the Body.
Brother Nee also stressed the authority of the church. He imparted this vision to the church from 1940 through 1942.
Along with the vision of the Body of Christ, and the truth concerning the authority of the church, Brother Nee shared concerning coordination for the practicality of the church life. Our practical life in the church should be in coordination with the members of the Body.
Beginning in 1940 we began to see the preaching of the gospel by the church. This preaching is not merely by some individual evangelist, but by the entire church. The result of such evangelism by the church was very fruitful.