Since 1984 when I returned to Taipei, I have been very clear that the Lord’s changing of the system must start from Taiwan. If the Lord’s recovery is without such a change, and if there are no full-timers raised up, there will gradually be no way to go on. The way of Christianity eventually leads to a dead end. For this reason, the Lord raised up His recovery among us. We have to admit that we have had our shortcomings and weaknesses in the past sixty plus years. We have fallen short and become loose. But there is a fact, which even those who disagree with us or oppose us cannot deny, that in the Far East, and especially among the Chinese-speaking Christians, we bear a great influence. In many things they follow us to improve, but their rate of improvement is very slow because they do not have an absolute heart. This is one difficulty that exists.
Such a difficulty has occurred again and again in history. For example, during the time of the Reformation by Luther, the Roman Catholic Church had been in existence for about a thousand years. One can imagine the greatness of her power and influence. Had it not been for what Luther saw, and for his courage and boldness, he would never have dared to rise up to initiate the Reformation. Those who were closer to Luther were more faithful; and those who were farther away were less faithful. Gradually, the farther they moved away, the less absolute they became. Throughout the ages, the Lord’s way on this earth has always encountered such difficulties. Although many may say that they are in the Lord’s recovery, the degree is quite different. Today, whether Christianity likes to hear it or not, I have to speak again and again concerning the vision I have seen. I have been speaking on this vision for over fifty years. I am not stubborn, nor am I proud. But I have to declare to the universe that I am a person who has seen the vision. I must admit that I am chosen by the Lord; I am called by the Lord.
Due to the Lord’s sovereignty, I was born into Christianity. Even though I had not yet been saved, I defended Christianity quite often. One day, a young lady preacher came to our hometown to preach the gospel. Out of curiosity I went to listen. I heard her speak, based on the story of Pharaoh’s ruling, dominating, and enslaving the children of Israel, that the whole world was under the domination of Satan and men became his slaves to serve him. At that time, the Lord caught me with this word. I was deeply moved. Spontaneously I had a longing and a deep sensation that henceforth I should not be under Satan’s enslaving any longer. When I walked out of that big chapel, I remember clearly that on the way home, I lifted my head and looked toward the heavens and said in my heart, “O God, even if the whole world were offered to me, I would not want it. From this day on, I just want You. I would be a poor preacher carrying my Bible bag and preaching the gospel from village to village for You.”
From that day on, my whole being was changed completely. I gave up all my past desires and pursuits. I was only interested in studying the Bible. Very quickly, I finished reading through the whole Old and New Testament once. Later, I heard that there was a place that had the most excellent Bible exposition, a meeting of the Brethren assembly. I went to join them. Because I had just been saved and knew practically nothing, I was immediately attracted by them. Daily I loved to study the Bible and listen to expositions on it. After seven years, the Lord showed me clearly the way of the recovery. I then determined to leave that place, and began to cooperate with the Lord and be used by Him. By 1932, a church was raised up in my hometown, Chefoo. That was the first church in northern China raised up in the Lord’s recovery. From that time until now, for fifty-five years, I have never changed the tone in my speaking. If I could liken the church in the Lord’s recovery to a ship and myself to a pilot, I can say that I have never given up my compass, neither have I changed my direction. However, during this period, I have seen many wavering and staggering in this way of the recovery, some even wandering hesitantly along the border.
In 1949, I began to speak for the Lord in Taipei. Today it has already been thirty-eight years. You have never heard me change my tone. This does not mean that I have never gone through any storm. On the contrary, the more fierce the storm is, the clearer my direction is. From the first day that we began our work here, we made the decision not to touch Christianity, but to concentrate on the preaching of the gospel, bringing people to be saved, to love the Lord, and to grow in life and in truth. We had a good beginning here. Within a short period of six years, a great revival was brought in. At that time, the brothers desired to seek spirituality. They invited an outsider to visit us. This caused a big problem among us. Later, I was forced to release thirty-six messages concerning the matter of the church. All those messages were put into a book entitled The Testimony and the Ground of the Church. Because of this, the truth was further established and brought to light. In 1962, I began to work in the United States. For the last twenty years, I have also seen many being unsteady and uncertain. But I have always remained the same. The reason for this is that I have had a clear vision within.