Eventually, a false rumor of two aspects was being spread. The first aspect was that Brother Nee changed his concept about the practicality of the church, the ground of the church, after the Second World War. The second aspect was that because Witness Lee is so much for the practicality of the church life, he is different from Watchman Nee. There is still a struggle and a battle concerning the practicality of the church life. When we published Further Talks on the Church Life, I documented every chapter. At the beginning of each chapter are the date and the place where the message was given. This proves that after the war, Brother Nee did not change his concept about the practice of the church. All of the messages in Further Talks on the Church Life were given by Brother Nee from 1948 to 1951. In these messages Brother Nee confirmed that what he had seen in 1937 concerning the practicality of the church life was absolutely right. He had not changed at all in his view concerning the ground of the church.

It is absolutely dishonest to give people a wrong impression that Brother Nee was only for the revelation and experience of Christ and not for the church life. I have the burden to put out all of his books on the practicality of the church life. There has been a real struggle and battle over this truth and its practice. I have been suffering for many years because of this one thing. Because of Brother Austin-Sparks' dissenting speaking in the Far East, some young people were influenced and became rebellious. They held the concept that there was no need to have a practical church life. They felt that as long as we live by Christ, we are spiritually the Body of Christ.

The battle is still raging today over the revelation and ministry of Brother Nee, which was concerning both Christ and the church. To publish merely the books by him concerning Christ, in a sense, is a help to the saints. But in another sense, it is a cheating and a deceiving. This is not fair to Brother Nee. If people are fair, they should put out all the writings by Brother Nee and let the readers have their own discernment. We all have to be clear about how subtle the enemy is. I am happy to see Brother Nee's books on Christ as life published, but it is the enemy's subtlety that the books by Brother Nee on the practicality of the church life would be hidden. It is also a devilish, subtle lie to say that Brother Nee changed his concept concerning the church and that because of this, Witness Lee is different from Watchman Nee.

It is because of the practicality of the church that I am suffering so much opposition and so many attacks. But what can I do? I have to be faithful to the Lord, and I also have to be loyal to Brother Nee's commission. We have to realize that in all the battles and struggles, the victory is the Lord's. He has won the victory. We need to see where we are standing today and the real ministry which the Lord has given us through Brother Nee. His ministry was not the ministry of Christ only. His ministry was the ministry of Christ for the church. Christ and the church—this is our vision, this is what we are suffering for, and eventually this becomes our ministry.