The Crucial Role of the Sisters in the Church Life

The sisters have a crucial role in the church life that is most highly valued. According to God’s arrangement, the sisters stand in a unique position to uphold God’s government as an anti-testimony to the rebellious disorder of the world. The sisters also have an irreplaceable role in bringing forth the church life in their […]

No Thought of Independence in the Bible

Recently the promotion of the independence, or autonomy, of a local church’s administration has reemerged. This mistaken concept is not new. For example, in the late 1980s some brothers pointed to earlier published statements referring to the administration of a local church being independent from that of other local churches and from workers, ignoring qualifiers […]

On ‘Independent’ Administration

Words have power. On the one hand, they are the means by which God has chosen to communicate His self-revelation, the Bible, to man (Heb. 1:1, 3; 2 Pet. 1:21), the means by which the Lord imparts His life into us (John 6:63), and the means by which the Lord’s servants open the Scriptures (Neh. […]

Coming to the Lord’s Table

  The Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread, and having given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body, which is given for you; this do unto the remembrance of Me. Similarly also the cup after they had dined, saying, This cup is the new covenant established […]

Concerning the Boundary of a Local Church

The boundary of a local church is one of the basic principles upon which the practice of the Lord’s recovery is based. From the beginnings of the Lord’s recovery in China, it has been our practice to have one church with one eldership in a city. In 1934, after observing firsthand the confusion among Christian […]

Quenching the Flaming Darts of the Enemy

If we want to be those who are practically part of God’s corporate warrior in Ephesians 6, we must learn how to quench the flaming darts of the enemy. Verse 16 speaks of “having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming darts of the evil […]

Authority and Fellowship

God desires to establish His kingdom on the earth through a group of people who stand against all forms of rebellion and come absolutely under His authority. Establishing God’s authority over the earth is a great matter in the Bible, but fallen men have miscast divine authority according to natural human concepts and have even […]

Obsession and Subjectivity

Obsession In the 1930s Brother Watchman Nee gave a word concerning “Obsession and God’s Light” (The Collected Works of Watchman Nee [CWWN], Vol. 36: Central Messages, 257-271). His speaking should help us discern dissenting speakings directed at the Lord’s recovery in general and at the leadership in His recovery in particular. Brother Nee began by […]

Magnifying Christ in the Midst of Turmoil

The book of Philippians shows us the great need that believers have in times of turmoil. The church in Philippi was a very good church that participated with the apostle Paul in the furtherance of the gospel (Phil. 1:5-7; 4:14-19). However, it had two problems—Judaizers who sought to bring the believers back under the bondage […]

A Balanced View of the Elders’ Authority

Every truth in the Bible has two sides that must be held in balance. This fact reflects the natural law in God’s creation, as Brother Witness Lee explained: According to the natural law in God’s creation, there is the law of balance. Nothing can exist without having two sides. For example, the earth exists because […]

Should We Not Warn One Another?

The apostle Paul told Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not tolerate the healthy teaching; but according to their own lusts they will heap up to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they will turn away their ear from the truth and will be turned aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). In […]

Being Safeguarded by the Discernment in the Body

Those who bear responsibility in the ministry, the work, and the churches in the Lord’s recovery have a biblically mandated responsibility to protect the flock (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Pet. 5:2; Titus 1:9). In performing that duty they may advise the saints not to read writings in print or on the Internet that attack the local […]

Our Basic Choice

After leading the children of Israel to the threshold of the good land, Moses recounted at length their history, including both negative and positive events, as well as God’s revelation of Himself through His laws and statutes. At the end of his speaking, Moses said, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: […]

Hiding History?

In recent years a myth has been spread on the Internet that the leadership in the Lord’s recovery has systematically concealed the “real” history of the local churches. Lacking firsthand knowledge of the events in question and the objectivity to differentiate evidence and conjecture, those who have propagated this myth claim to unveil an alleged […]

Letter from the Co-workers, 3/29/21 and Ministry Excerpts

This is a further follow-up to the co-workers’ previously posted letter dated January 14, 2021. Both letters demonstrate a practical outworking of some principles mentioned in the July 5, 2019 letter also published on this site. The ministry excerpts that accompanied the January 14 letter are still available below: Letter from the Co-workers, 3/29/21 (PDF) […]

Facts Concerning Three Libel Lawsuits

Many saints do not know the story behind the libel lawsuits filed in 1980 and 2001, and some may be troubled because they do not know the facts surrounding those actions. The following factual account provides a very broad historical sketch of what occurred based on publicly available documents, including those from legal proceedings. In […]

Lawsuits and the Scriptures

On three occasions, twice in 1980 and once in 2001, some of the local churches and others filed lawsuits to obtain relief from defamatory writings, all coming from the same source but disseminated nationally and even internationally. Some have wrongly claimed that these lawsuits were filed to silence critics of our teaching. Others have claimed […]

Are the Local Churches Litigious?

A few irresponsible individuals have recently brandished, as “proof” that the local churches are litigious, a discredited list of organizations purportedly sued or threatened with lawsuits for criticizing the local churches. The charge is deceptive. To accuse a person or organization of being litigious is to accuse them of being unreasonably prone to take others […]

Preserving Human Life

Man is the pinnacle of God’s work in the old creation and as such is the most precious to God of all His creatures (Zech. 12:1). This is because God created man in a unique way. Of all the creatures, only man was created as a vessel with a spirit to contact, contain, and be […]

Assailing the Ground of Oneness (1): The Genuine Ground of the Church According to the Teaching and Practice of the New Testament

Much confusion and debate exist among Christians surrounding the definition, formation, purpose, and function of the church. In fact, the pattern of Christians meeting together in local churches is entirely consistent throughout the New Testament. Some critics admit that while the New Testament does portray local churches, this portrayal should be understood only as descriptive […]

Three Foundational Truths and Why They Matter

For decades some have opposed the teaching of the ministry in the Lord’s recovery over three vital categories of truth—the Triune God, God’s salvation in life, and the ground of the church. Much has been written to correct misrepresentations and to present the truth from the Bible concerning these three matters. For the accomplishment of […]

Our Attitude toward Ecumenism

One defining characteristic of the ministry in the Lord’s recovery is an absoluteness for the truth. If we are faithful to the Lord, we cannot compromise the truth. For that reason we can accept only what matches God’s intention as expressed in the Bible; we cannot accept manmade imitations or compromises. This is why we […]

Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 1: Maintaining the Oneness with Fellow Believers

This three-part article will address the relationship between those who meet in the local churches and fellow believers, the denominations and free groups to which they may belong, and their work. If we are not clear in these matters, we may be influenced by accusations that those in the recovery divide themselves from other Christians. […]

Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 2: The Vision of the Lord’s Recovery Being Contrary to Today’s Christianity

In the first article of this series we saw the imperative of preserving the oneness of the Body of Christ and avoiding divisiveness on our part at all costs. Our attitude toward other believers, including those who do not meet with us in the local churches, should be one of acceptance and inclusion. For the […]

Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 3: Not Entangling the Work of the Lord’s Recovery with Others’ Work

In addition to our attitude toward other Christians and toward the denominations (parts 1 and 2 of this series), we need to consider our attitude toward others’ work, and more specifically, toward the work that is being carried out today by the denominations, free groups, and parachurch organizations of Christianity. Christians all over the earth […]

God’s Government and God’s Grace

God has two complementary systems—a system of government and a system of grace— through which He accomplishes His eternal economy. A proper understanding of these two systems and how they interrelate yields great insight into the revelation of the Bible, the ways of God, and the nature of God’s salvation. It is a grave error […]

Concerning Allegorizing the Bible

From the beginning of the church age reputable Bible teachers have recognized that many portions of the Scriptures, in addition to their literal meaning, also symbolize spiritual truths. Extracting the spiritual meaning from the literal words of the Bible is called allegorizing the Bible. Some people argue that it is wrong to allegorize any portion […]

Letter from the Co-workers, 3/26/20

In light of the current pandemic the co-workers in the Lord’s recovery released a letter on March 26, 2020, to the saints in all the churches in the Lord’s recovery throughout the earth. This letter provides a timely word of encouragement concerning the sufficiency of Christ and the need to exercise mutual fellowship and care, […]

Dispensational Discipline

Dispensational discipline refers to God’s discipline of His children in the next age. The New Testament shows that God judges His own children (1 Pet. 1:17; 4:17), and the Lord Jesus makes it abundantly clear that His followers will be rewarded or disciplined at His return (Rev. 22:12; Matt. 25:14-30). Therefore, those who claim that […]

Words That Spread Death and How to Stop Them

In the Bible the words of three parties—God, Satan, and man—are very significant. As the Word of God, the Bible speaks forth God’s person, intent, and work. By His word He framed the universe (Heb. 11:3). When God came in the person of the Lord Jesus, His words were spirit and life (John 6:63). The […]

Questions versus Questionings

Some have claimed that questions are not allowed in the local churches. On the one hand, this should not be true in any local church. On the other hand, all the saints must discern between proper and improper questions and between questions and questionings. A proper question takes as its goal receiving an answer that […]

Questions and Answers about Apostles and Co-workers

Who has the authority to appoint and remove elders? According to the New Testament, apostles, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, have the authority to appoint elders in the churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Acts 20:28) and to remove elders when the need arises. If an elder becomes a problem, an accusation against him can […]

Twisting Ron Kangas’s Words

Context and balance are critical to evaluating words fairly. Recently, a short excerpt from a message given by Brother Ron Kangas was mischaracterized as his demeaning his wife in front of thousands of people. This misrepresents Brother Ron’s attitude toward his own wife and toward marriage in general; moreover, it neglects the context of his […]

Concerning Turmoils

Some saints are troubled when turmoils happen. They feel that if the local churches are part of God’s move today and under His blessing, such things should not occur. This view, however, does not match the Bible, which records turmoil after turmoil among God’s people. The book of Numbers is filled with records of turmoils […]

A Christian’s Attitude toward Reforming Society

In 1950, in a time of great social upheaval in China, Watchman Nee, in a series of messages for new believers, said, “Today the world is full of all kinds of problems. How will these problems be solved? What should be our attitude towards these problems?” (Messages for Building Up New Believers: Volume Three [hereafter, […]

A Christian’s Attitude toward Government and Politics

In recent years many nations have been sharply divided over political controversies. As Christians, we should understand two key points related to government and politics. First, we should know what our attitude toward existing governments should be. Second, we should know what our attitude should be individually as Christians and corporately as the church toward […]

The One Unique New Testament Ministry

Based on the New Testament, Witness Lee taught that there is only one unique ministry. Some have twisted his teaching to slanderously claim that Witness Lee was referring to his own ministry. This is a gross mischaracterization. The One Ministry of the New Testament The word ministry means “service.” Properly speaking, the Bible contains only […]

Were Max Rapoport and John Ingalls “Forced Out”?

A small but persistent group has propagated a false narrative that leading brothers who brought “concerns” to Brother Lee in the 1970s and 1980s were subsequently forced out of the Lord’s recovery for doing so. The facts of history tell a different story. 1970s – Max Rapoport In February 1978 some brothers informed Brother Lee […]

Covering, Not Covering Up

By misrepresenting Witness Lee’s teaching concerning Noah and his three sons, some have falsely claimed that he justified covering up gross sins, particularly if the sinning one occupies a position of authority. Any who appeal to his teaching on Noah and his sons to justify covering up gross sins are abusing his ministry. In Genesis […]

Handling Allegations of Abuse

Developing, updating, and implementing policies to handle a variety of issues, including deterrence strategies and response practices related to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse or harassment, has been an ongoing process among the local churches. Similar efforts are ongoing among those who take the lead in extra-local work among the children, young people, and college […]

Does the Ministry Replace the Bible?

Some falsely claim that the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee has replaced the Bible in the local churches. In making this claim, they set the ministry against the Bible, the Word of God, as if these two things are in rivalry with each other. They have created a false dichotomy. The ministry is […]

Concerning the Church of Almighty God/Eastern Lightning

Some with cursory knowledge have wrongly associated The Church of Almighty God (CAG), commonly known as Eastern Lightning, with the local churches and the ministry of Witness Lee. This misunderstanding derives from ignorance of the differences in their teaching and a superficial knowledge of history. Teaching Witness Lee affirms, while The Church of Almighty God […]

Following the Vision or Following a Man

Some have asserted that the saints in the Lord’s recovery merely follow men—Brothers Watchman Nee and Witness Lee—rather than God. This claim denigrates the saints, who are said to exalt Brother Lee above the headship of Christ, and it falsely accuses Brother Lee of seeking a personal following. However, the real objective of such an […]

Concerning Hierarchy and Organization

The local churches in the Lord’s recovery function according to the principles of the Body of Christ as an organism, not as a hierarchical organization as some have mistakenly claimed. We should not confuse the proper organic order of the Body with worldly hierarchical organizations. To say that the church is an organism does not […]

A Response from the Church in Houston

The church in Houston has issued a statement to correct factual errors and misrepresentations that have recently arisen concerning an event that occurred there: THE CHURCH IN HOUSTON September 10, 2019 On behalf of the church in Houston, we are compelled to correct factual errors and misrepresentations in a recent public account that criticized the […]

Spiritual Authority and Its Misuse

Spiritual Authority, a book translated and published by Stephen Kaung, became popular among Western believers in the early 1970s. Since then it has been misused by some to assert themselves as authorities and criticized by others who blame it for such abuse. Both the misuse and the criticism miss the mark. The book consists of […]

A Specious Claim of Racism

On a couple of occasions spurious and egregious allegations surfaced tarring Witness Lee by associating him with racist justifications of slavery based on his interpretation of Noah’s cursing of the descendants of Ham (Gen. 9:25). There are at least three problems with this criticism: Witness Lee’s interpretation of this prophecy is descriptive, not prescriptive, that […]

Some Questions and Answers Regarding Deputy Authority

Because the matter of deputy authority has been misrepresented and maligned, the following questions and answers seek to clarify what it is, what it is not, and the principles that govern it. Is deputy authority biblical? Deputy authority is not only biblical; it is a vital part of the divine revelation concerning God’s government among […]

Concerning Having One Publication Work

The churches in the New Testament were established by and continued in the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). The apostles’ teaching brought them into the apostles’ fellowship, which was the unique fellowship of the Body of Christ in and with the Triune God (1 Cor. 1:9; 1 John 1:3). Only one teaching was recognized in the […]

Concerning the Ministry’s Attitude toward Sisters

Some on social media have used a short out-of-context excerpt from Witness Lee’s Life-study of First Peter, omitting both context and balance, to support a spurious claim that he denigrates women. These sources begin with a sentence from the middle of a paragraph in his message that says, “Therefore, as a household servant submits himself […]

The Minister of the Age, Not Infallibility

The term the minister of the age in reference to Brothers Watchman Nee and Witness Lee does not imply that we hold them to be infallible. Rather, it means that we acknowledge them as particular vessels used by the Lord to advance the recovery of the truths in the Bible. We should not be misled […]

Facts Concerning Daystar Motor Homes

Daystar Motor Homes was established in January 1972 to generate funds to support full-time workers and build church meeting halls. Throughout the United States and overseas many were seeking help in practicing the New Testament pattern of the local church. Witness Lee had observed Watchman Nee using profits from a business to meet the financial […]

Facts Concerning Statements Attributed to Max Rapoport

Max Rapoport, an elder in the church in Anaheim, walked out of a meeting on August 13, 1978, and never returned. Although he had been informed six months earlier that Rapoport was attempting to undermine his ministry and foment a “revolution,” Witness Lee took no action publicly or privately toward him. Rather, Witness Lee travelled […]

Facts Concerning Lily Hsu

Readers of a self-published book by Lily Hsu that accuses Watchman Nee of immoral activities should know the story behind the book. Lily Hsu was a new serving one among the young people in the church in Shanghai in the early 1950s with little direct knowledge of the things she claims as “memories.” When the […]

Letter from the Co-workers, 7/5/19

A letter circulated in 2019 has become the subject of social media postings and emails that purport to expose wrongdoings, including abuses and cover-ups, among the churches in the Lord’s recovery. Despite the seriousness of such accusations, careful examination of the letter has shown it contains numerous factual errors and unproven allegations, as well as […]