Even before 1924 Brother Nee saw the tripartite man. Later we had to be helped to know the human spirit and to exercise, to use, the human spirit. We were taught to turn to our spirit and to stay in our spirit. Our human spirit can be likened to an electrical switch. In order to apply the electricity in a building, we have to turn on the switch. Our spirit is the switch to apply all the things of Christ as the Spirit.
Brother Nee stressed that we all need an actual building up in the Body of Christ. We should not just have a doctrinal talk about the building. Brother Nee said that we had to consider who we have actually been built up with. He said, "You may be a good speaker who can give many messages on building up, but with whom have you ever been built up?" We need the actual building up. After the war, every time Brother Nee spoke, he was always either on the breaking of the outer man or on the building up. When Brother Nee asked us who we were built up with, this put us all on the spot. Not many could give an adequate answer because we were all exposed. Although Brother Nee was very nice and gentle, he was also very frank and strict with his trainees. Sometimes he adjusted me in a bold way, and I received much help from his training.
Christ today is the life-giving Spirit. First Corinthians 15:45b tells us that the last Adam, Christ, became a life-giving Spirit. I cannot tell you how much life this one point has brought to the church!
After 1948, we began to see how to eat and drink the Lord. In other words, we began to see that we need to enjoy the Lord. This also includes the revelation of Christ as the tree of life, good for food.
In 1966 we were brought into the practice of pray-reading the Word of God.
In 1967 we saw the truth concerning calling on the name of the Lord.