Further Revelations: 1937 - 1950

At the end of December 1936, Witness Lee received a cable from Watchman Nee asking him to come to Shanghai immediately for an urgent conference of all the co-workers. Peace Wang, Chang Yu-tzu, a third co-worker, and Witness Lee arrived at Shanghai early on the morning of January 1, 1937. Watchman Nee met them at the station, and the conference started the same day. In that conference, messages were released which now form the substance of the book entitled The Normal Christian Church Life. During the conference Watchman Nee became ill with a cold. He called Witness Lee to his bedside and charged him to deliver the message that he intended to release on Acts 13. After receiving all the points from him, Witness Lee did as Watchman Nee desired and delivered the message, but Witness Lee confessed that “it was very inadequate.” Eventually, after he recovered, he gave that message again himself.

One day during this conference time, Watchman Nee took Witness Lee to see the construction work of the training center he had planned to build at Chenru, a suburb of Shanghai. He related to Witness Lee how he was burdened to pass on to the Lord’s young seeking ones some practical training on life, on the church, and on the work. The construction work of the training center was damaged by the invading Japanese in August 1937 before it was completed.

Witness Lee Sent to Northern China in 1937

At that time the decision was made that Witness Lee should travel throughout all the provinces of northern China to preach and teach in the denominations. They felt at that time that they should pass on all the light the Lord had given them to the denominations. In the summer and in the fall of that year, Witness Lee did much traveling in the northwestern provinces of Suiyuan, Shansi, and Shensi with Sister Peace Wang and others.

In that summer Japan invaded China, and many of the co-workers fled from the coast to the interior. At Sian, the last station of their journey in the northwest, they received a cable from Watchman Nee that they should go to Hankow in the central part of China to meet with him and the co-workers for a co-workers’ conference. Peace Wang and Witness Lee proceeded there by train. While waiting in Hankow for Brother Nee to arrive, Witness Lee received a cable from the elders in Chefoo urging him to return to care for his family because of the Japanese invasion. After Witness Lee left Hankow, Watchman Nee arrived and delivered the messages of The Normal Christian Church Life the second time in the co-workers’ conference. After returning to Chefoo, Witness Lee could not leave again because of the war, so for a period of time he was retained in northern China while most of the other co-workers were in the interior.

Watchman Nee Gives a Conference Regarding the Body of Christ in 1939

In August 1939, after Watchman Nee came back to Shanghai from London to hold a conference concerning the Body of Christ, he cabled Witness Lee to attend this conference. At that time Witness Lee was traveling and working in the central part of his province with four young co-workers. All five of them proceeded to Shanghai for the conference. In all the meetings of the conference, Witness Lee was invited by Brother Nee to read the Scripture verses before he spoke. It was during that conference in 1939 that his eyes were opened to see the Body of Christ.

As his guest at this conference, Witness Lee was again brought into close contact with Watchman Nee. He related portions of his European trip to Witness Lee, making him clear concerning the real situation of the Lord’s interest in England and in northern Europe.

Following the conference Witness Lee returned to Chefoo, intending to come to Brother Nee’s training in Shanghai. The following April, he and a few others attended the training and stayed there for approximately two months.

One day while walking with him down the stairway of the meeting hall, he said to Witness Lee, “We have the blueprint of God’s plan in our hand.” That puzzled Witness Lee. “What is ‘the blueprint’?” he said to him. As time went on Witness Lee discovered what Watchman Nee was practicing in Shanghai concerning the practicality of the church life. Witness Lee took “the blueprint” back to the north and put it into practice in Chefoo for about two years.