Like Jacob of old, Watchman Nee passed through many dealings in the Lord's hand. Following the long period of trial during which his ministry was discontinued, in our fellowship with him in Shanghai he frequently referred to the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He learned the following lesson by experience: While God's children are seeking after Him, whatever happens to them, whatever the source, whatever the nature of the dealing, and no matter how it happens, everything is arranged by the sovereign hand of God. This sovereign arrangement of our circumstances is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God disciplines us by the things which happen to us.
Watchman Nee saw that what we are by nature means nothing; only what the Spirit constitutes within our being counts. Whatever we are by birth, whether good or bad, whether useful or not, is natural and altogether a hindrance to the Holy Spirit in constituting the divine life into our being. For this reason our natural strength, natural wisdom, natural cleverness, natural disposition, natural shortcomings, natural virtues, and natural attributes, plus our character and habits, must all be torn down in order that the Holy Spirit may form in us a new disposition, new character, new habits, new virtues, and new attributes. In order to accomplish this work of reconstitution, the Holy Spirit of God moves within us to enlighten, inspire, lead, and saturate us with the divine life. He also works in our environment to arrange every detail, person, matter, and thing in our situation to tear down what we are naturally. He may arrange to place a certain person in our home in order to tear down our natural quickness or slowness. He may arrange certain matters to abolish our natural cleverness or dullness. He may arrange another situation to tear down our natural wisdom or folly. He uses all kinds of persons, matters, and things to tear down all aspects of our natural being in order that He may conform us to the image of Christ.
Watchman saw in Romans 8 that, on the one hand, the Spirit of God works within us that we may realize our sonship, and that, on the other hand, all things work together for good in our environment that we may be conformed to the image of His firstborn Son. All persons and all situations related to us are arranged by the Spirit of God to match His work within us that we may be conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God. The work of the Spirit within is to constitute a new being for us; whereas the work of the Spirit without is to tear down every natural aspect of our old being through our environment.
Watchman Nee stressed how vital this is. All things of our natural life must be torn down, that our being may be reconstituted by the Holy Spirit with the divine life. Through all the things that happened to him through the years, he learned that God's children need the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He learned to accept all kinds of circumstances without complaining, blaming, grudging, or criticizing. He considered everything a discipline of the Holy Spirit. Everything benefited him spiritually. He would not miss any opportunity to learn a lesson and gain profit. His frequent question to those who were suffering was, "What lesson have you learned? What profit have you gained?" He did not instruct any one of us to improve our character or correct our behavior; he helped all of us to learn the lesson of the Holy Spirit's discipline.
He continually reminded us that to improve character or correct behavior is simply to make the natural being better, whereas the discipline of the Holy Spirit tears down our natural being to constitute a renewed being.
I never saw or heard him condemn anything or anyone. He was always calm, peaceful, and willing to accept any kind of environment. Regardless of the situation, he gave the Holy Spirit every opportunity to tear down some aspect of his natural life and renew him with the divine life. He was always ready to cooperate with the indwelling Spirit to carry out His discipline through outward circumstances. For this reason, he was always at peace with others, at rest in the Lord, and growing in life.