This book is not only written for ordinary believers, but for those in the Lord's work who are younger than I am. Those who are responsible for leading others in their spiritual pursuits should be clear what we are leading others out of and what we are leading them into. We should know from where to where we are journeying. Does the Lord only want us to help others not to sin, on the negative side, and become zealous, on the positive side? Or is there something deeper than this? To me, the Bible is most clear concerning this point. God's goal is to lead His children fully out of the old creation and into the new creation. No matter how good the old creation looks in man's eyes, in God's eyes it is always condemned. If we the workers are clear what it is that we have to tear down and what it is that we have to build up, we will not lead others on in a foolish way.

Regeneration—the receiving of God's own life—is the beginning of all spiritual life. It is most useless to spend much energy in exhorting, persuading, debating, explaining, and researching and end up with nothing other than some understanding in the mind, some decisions in the will, and some activity in the emotion with nothing else being done to cause a person to receive God's life in his spirit. I wish all those who bear the same responsibility as I do in preaching God's Word would realize that unless we bring about a reception of God's life in man's deepest part, nothing is useful. If we know this, what a revolution there will be in our work. This will show us that many who claim that they have believed in the Lord Jesus have actually not yet believed in Him. Many tears and repentance and much good behavior, zeal, and work are not the characteristics of a Christian. If we know our responsibility, we will be satisfied with others receiving God's preeminent life.

Because of the limitation of space and subject material, many basic doctrines are only briefly covered here. If the Lord delays His coming, and if He allows me to remain on earth, I will be happy to put them in another book in the future. When I recall how the enemy tried to stop me from learning the truths in this book, especially those in Volume Three, I cannot help but realize that even if a believer has secured this book, Satan will stop him from reading it; and even if he reads it, Satan will cause him to forget it. Hence, I will warn the readers ahead of time that they should ask God to destroy Satan's work in frustrating them from reading this book. I hope that while they are reading it, they will pray as they read and will turn what they have read into prayer. We also ask that God put on you the helmet of salvation. Otherwise, you will either forget what you read, or your mind will be filled with endless theories.

A few more words for those brothers who have acquired the truths in this book: if God has given you the grace and has delivered you from the flesh and the power of darkness, you should preach these truths to others. Hence, after you have become familiar with this book and have received the truths in it, you should use this book as a textbook and should gather together a few believers and teach them the truths in this book. If the whole book is too much for them, you should at least teach them one or two sections. Do not let the truths of this book lie still. It is even a profitable work to lend this book to others to read.

Now I commit this little book into the Lord's hand. If it pleases Him, may He bless it so that my brothers and sisters will grow in spiritual life and overcome in spiritual warfare. May God's will be done, may the enemy's will be destroyed, and may the Lord Jesus come soon to reign. Amen.

The author
Shanghai, June 4, 1927