In addition to the attacks Brother Nee suffered, Christianity also spread rumors concerning him. Paul called these rumors an "evil report" in 2 Corinthians 6:8. The opposers did their best to defame Brother Nee. I would like to relate an illustration of the many false rumors concerning him. One day Miss Barber's co-worker, Miss Gross, came to visit Brother Nee. By that time, Miss Barber had gone to the Lord, but Miss Gross still lived in Shanghai. She heard some rumors about Brother Nee, and she came to see him. Brother Nee was single at that time, and Miss Gross, along with Miss Barber, had helped him spiritually. Miss Gross had the position to rebuke him. She spoke to him in a rebuking tone and said, "I heard that you have a woman living with you." Brother Nee answered, "Yes." Then Miss Gross said unhappily, "How could you do such a thing?" She was very disappointed and left after a short time. As Brother Nee related this story to me, he said, "Witness, do you know who was staying with me? That woman was my mother. Because I was so sick, my mother came from a distance to take care of me. Then the rumor went out that I had a woman living with me. Yes, I did have a woman living with me." Being bothered, I asked Brother Nee why he did not tell Miss Gross that his mother was staying with him. He said, "She didn't ask me who the woman was." Then he said, "Witness, we have to learn never to say anything to vindicate ourselves. We should just tell people the truth." When Miss Gross confronted him by asking if a woman was living with him, all Brother Nee said was "yes." He was learning the lesson not to vindicate himself, so he had to suffer the rebuking from Miss Gross. He said, "If she would have asked me who was living with me, I would have told her. But she did not ask, so I did not need to tell her. If I had told her, I would have been vindicating myself."
This shows us how Brother Nee, through his sufferings, was a man who was always learning spiritual lessons from the Lord. I believe that in this century he became the most useful vessel in the Lord's eyes. We have seen that in 1942 the enemy stirred up a big rebellion against him. Nearly all the co-workers and leading ones were against Brother Nee. There was a saying then that only "two and a half" persons among the co-workers and leading ones were not opposing him—one sister and "one and a half" brothers. I was the one brother of this "one and a half." I told people that I did not care how much they told me Brother Nee was wrong. I could never forget the lessons I learned from him. I was with him day by day for a long period of time. I could never deny the solid things he learned and passed on to me. I did not care what others said about him. Some in Christianity said to me, "You are just following a man—Watchman Nee." I said that it was a glory to me that I could have such a man from the Lord to follow.