From the time the apostle John completed the book of Revelation until today, nineteen centuries have passed. During the past nineteen hundred years, countless numbers of Christians have been serving God. Added to this great number of Christians serving God are the Jews, who also are serving God. Of course, the Jews serve only according to the vision of the Old Testament. Some Christians are serving according to the vision revealed in the New Testament Gospels, which has to do only with the earthly ministry of Jesus. Some serve without any vision at all. In order to serve God according to the up-to-date vision, we need to come up to the level of Paul’s very last Epistles. In fact, we need to come up to the level of the epistles to the seven churches in Revelation as well as the revelation which covers all the ages, including the kingdom, the new heaven and new earth, and the ultimate consummation of the church—the New Jerusalem. Simply put, in order for us to serve God today, our vision must extend all the way from the first vision of Adam in Genesis to the ultimate vision of the manifestation of the church, the New Jerusalem. This and this alone is the complete vision. It is not until today that this vision has been fully opened to us.
In the National Palace Museum in Taipei, there is a painting on a long scroll called “The River Scene at Ching-Ming Festival.” It describes in detail the culture, life, and way of the Chinese people at the time of the painting. It is not enough to see only the first few portions of that long scroll. One has to go all the way from one end to the other end before he can have a clear picture, or “vision,” of the entire spectrum of life in China. In the same way, we have our own painting, our “River Scene at Ching-Ming,” in our service to God. It begins from Adam’s vision of the tree of life in the garden of Eden and extends all the way to the New Jerusalem with the tree of life. The New Jerusalem is the last scene of the vision. After that there is nothing more to be seen.
The problem today is, who has seen this complete vision, and who is living in this vision? During the past nineteen hundred years, many people have been serving the Lord, but how have they served? Can we say that five hundred years ago Martin Luther saw this vision and was serving according to this vision? Throughout the ages many people were serving the Lord only according to the first few scenes. I wish that all the brothers and sisters would have an enlarged and far-reaching view. I hope they will realize that all the books that we have put out cover the entire spectrum from the first scene to the last scene. We are not serving God based on the first few scenes alone. We are serving God according to the last scene which includes all the previous scenes.
Today many people have not seen what we have seen. They are merely serving according to the first few scenes, and they are even arguing with one another. The Jews are pious people; they are zealous in expounding the Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi, but they have only the Old Testament. Many Christians love the Lord and are zealous for the gospel. Yet they preach only the story of Jesus Christ. They have never progressed beyond the four Gospels. Some have seen only the vision of the book of Acts. Others have seen the vision of the Epistles. All these are fragmentary, but we should serve God according to the entire spectrum, from the first scene of Adam to the last scene in Revelation. It is for this reason that we face so much opposition. Many people say that we are wrong. They criticize us for “stealing sheep.” It is not that they do not love the Lord or serve God; it is that they love the Lord and serve God only according to the vision which they themselves have seen. Today we must be clear about the standing that we take. The goal of all our services, including preaching the gospel and edifying the believers, must be ultimately consummated in the New Jerusalem. Only then will we be unshaken in the face of any criticism.
Since we have the up-to-date and ultimate vision, we should closely follow after it. We are absolutely not following a man; rather, we are following a vision. It is grossly wrong to say that we are following a certain person. We are following a vision that belongs to the present age. It is God’s consummate vision.
The Lord’s recovery was brought to us through our dear Brother Nee. Because of this he became a target of attack. In 1934 he was married in Hangchow. Some took this opportunity to stir up a storm. He became very sad, so one day I went to him to comfort him, saying, “Brother Nee, you know that between the two of us, there is no natural relationship. I do not take the way that you are taking or preach what you are preaching out of a natural friendship with you. The two of us are widely separated from one another. I am a northerner and you are a southerner. Today I am taking the same pathway not because I am following you as a person. I am following the way that you are taking. Brother Nee, I would like you to know that even if one day you do not take this way, I will still take this way.” I said this because the storm affected some, and they decided not to take this way anymore. In other words, many people were following a man. When the man seemed to have changed, they turned away. But I told Brother Nee, “Even if one day you do not take this way, I will still take this way. I am not taking this way because of you, and I will not leave this way because of you. I have seen that this is the Lord’s way. I have seen the vision.”
Fifty-two years have passed. Today I do not regret at all what I have done. During the past fifty-two years, I have seen the same story repeat itself again and again. Some people came and left. One scene changed, and another scene came along. Since the beginning of our work in Taiwan, during the past three decades we have witnessed some major crises. Even brothers whom I led to salvation and who went through my own training have left the Lord’s recovery. The vision has never changed, but the persons have indeed changed, and those who follow the vision also have changed. I would say a sober word to all of you from the bottom of my heart. By the Lord’s mercy, I can stand here today to bring you this vision. I hope that you are not following me as a person; I hope that by the Lord’s mercy you are following the vision that I have shown you.
I have no intention to be proud. America is the leading country in this world. It is also the top Christian country. There are many theological professors there. When I went there, I spoke boldly about the vision that I saw. At the beginning their ears were pricked, but by now, some are speaking what we have seen. Up until today, they are not able to put out a proper book to refute the truth that I have released. In order for them to write a book to refute me, they must first read my books, but once they read my books, they are convinced and subdued. They cannot refute anymore. Rather, they have to admit, “If you carefully and seriously read what this old Chinese man has written, you will discover that he has a solid basis for what he is saying. It is best not to challenge him in any matter. If you do, he can come back and ask you ten questions, none of which you can answer.” They are very clear about this.
I would like to relate to you one fact. It is the Lord’s mercy that He has revealed to me the vision. I advise you not to follow me but to follow this vision which Brother Nee and all the servants of the Lord throughout the ages have left to us and which I have handed to you. This is indeed the vision that extends from the first scene of Adam to the last scene of the New Jerusalem. More than fifty years have passed. I have seen with my own eyes that those who take the way of the Lord’s recovery for a while and then leave do not come to a proper ending. There is only one way. All spiritual things are one. There is one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one church, one Body, one testimony, one way, one flow, and one work. If you do not take this way, you will have no way to take.
Some who left us once shouted and boldly declared that they had seen the vision. Today where is their vision? After so much shouting, the vision is lost. They have lost the way. To start a war one must have the proper cause. With a proper cause we have the boldness to say what we say. If we do not take this way today, what other way do we have? I speak this for myself also. What other cause can we take up? Between 1942 and 1948 there was a great storm, and Brother Nee was forced to discontinue his ministry for six years. At that time some saints who appreciated Brother Nee very much said, “Let us start another meeting.” Brother Nee said, “You must never do this. The church is the church; if it agrees with me, it is the church. If it does not agree with me, it is still the church. We can never set up another meeting apart from the church.”
Paul told Timothy, “All who are in Asia turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15), but Paul did not authorize Timothy to have another beginning. In the same way, at the time when almost everyone in China forsook Brother Nee, he did not try to make another beginning. This proves that even Paul and Brother Nee could not change the way they took. If they were to change the way, they would not have been able to go on.
This is my burden. I hope that you will clearly see the vision of the Lord’s recovery and will follow this vision. You are not following me as a person. Sister Faith Chang can testify for me. She witnessed how I followed Brother Nee absolutely, yet I was not following the person; I was following the vision that he saw. In that age, the vision that came up to God’s standard was the vision that Brother Nee saw. If you remained in that vision, you were serving according to the vision. If you did not remain in that vision, you were not serving according to the vision. Today Brother Nee has passed away. I have no intention to make a new beginning, but the Lord has commissioned me with this ministry. I can only take the lead willingly and obediently. The vision that I have brought to you today is God’s vision for this age. If you remain in this vision, you are serving according to the vision. If you do not remain in this vision, you should be aware of what your end will be.
Therefore, you are not following a man; rather, you are standing with the Lord’s ministry. You are following a vision, a vision that matches the age, a vision that inherits all that was in the past and a vision that is all-inclusive. It is up to date, and yet it builds on the past. If you remain in the book of Acts, you may have inherited everything prior to that time, but you are not up to date. Today as we stand here and ponder the revelations unveiled in the Lord’s recovery, as we read the publications that are released among us, we can see that they cover everything from the church to God’s economy to the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth. This is a bountiful and all-sufficient vision. If you remain in this vision, you are serving according to the vision. If you are not in this vision, you could still be an Apollos, expounding the Scriptures in a powerful way; you could still be a Barnabas, visiting the churches; you could still be a James, serving piously; and you could even be a Peter, who served as the leading apostle. However, you would not be in the vision.
I believe this light is very clear among us. No one can argue with this. I hope that the young brothers and sisters will all be clear about this. From your youth, while you are serving the Lord, you should understand what we are doing here. This is not a personal thing. It is absolutely the Lord’s ministry. He has unveiled the visions generation after generation to His children. All those who are in this vision now are serving according to God’s vision.