GLS Author’s Bio – Watchman Nee
Watchman Nee was born into a Christian home in China in1903, but he hadn’t received Christ as his Savior. As an educated young man, he considered Christian preaching to be the lowest occupation on earth.
In the spring of 1920, when Nee was 17, Dora Yu, an itinerant preacher was invited to hold ten days of revival meetings in the Church of Heavenly Peace in Fuzhou. Nee was determined to attend the evangelistic meetings to see what was taking place there. After returning from the meeting he accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. When he was baptized, he declared, “Lord, I leave my world behind. Your cross separates me from it forever, and I have entered into another. I stand where you have placed me in Christ!”
Nee began to preach the gospel in villages and cities at an early age. He was greatly influenced by John Bunyan, Andrew Murray, George Muller, T Austin Sparks , JN Darby, John Fox , JG Bellet, Jessie Penn Lewis, Robert Govett and Plymouth Brethren teachings.
Watchman Nee was also frequently afflicted with serious illnesses. For the first eleven years of his ministry, beginning in 1922, he suffered alone. During this time he contracted and suffered from tuberculosis for several years. In 1934 at the age of thirty, however, Watchman Nee married a true “help meet,” Charity Chang. In later years he was also stricken with a chronic stomach disorder as well as angina pectoris, a serious heart ailment. He was never cured of the heart disease; thus, his ministry was sustained by the resurrection life, not by his physical strength.
At age 22, Nee established the first assembly in Sitiawan, Malaysia and in 1926, Nee established up another local assembly in Shanghai, which became the center of his work in China, and was later known as the “Little Flock.” By 1949 the Little Flock had over 70,000 members in 500 assemblies. “Little Flock” made up 15-20 per cent of the whole Protestant church in China, and that they may have been the largest single denomination.
Nee produced more than 40 volumes of devotional, sermonic as well as theological works. His writings were translated into many Eastern languages such as, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Tagalog as well as Western languages, such as English, French and Spanish. His books continue to influence many Christian groups ranging from charismatic renewal groups to mainline churches all over the world.
On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was established. The communist government started forcefully closing churches and arresting leaders and believers. Watchman Nee was arrested in March 1952 because of his professed faith in Christ as well as his leadership among the local churches. He was falsely condemned, judged, and sentenced in 1956 to fifteen years of imprisonment and an extended term of five years.
During this time, only his wife was allowed to visit him. Although there is no way for us to know what he experienced of the Lord during his long imprisonment, his last eight letters provide a glimpse into his suffering, feeling, and expectation during his confinement. Although prison censors did not allow him to mention the Lord’s name in his letters, in his final letter, written on the day of his death, he alluded to his joy in the Lord: “In my sickness, I still remain joyful at heart.” Watchman Nee was practicing the word of the apostle Paul, who said in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” He died in labour camp on May 30, 1972. Humanly speaking, he died in misery and humiliation. Not one relative or brother or sister in the Lord was with him. There was no proper notification of his death and no funeral. He was cremated on June 1, 1972. Because his wife had died six months earlier, her eldest sister was informed of his death and cremation. She retrieved his ashes. In May 1989 the ashes of Watchman Nee and his wife were transferred to and buried in “The Christian Cemetery” in Shiangshan in the city of Soochow, Kiangsu province.
Books published by GLS Publishing:-
Release of the Spirit (This book is a compilation of messages which emphasizes one basic lesson which every servant of God must learn- without breaking of the outward man there can be no release of the spirit.)
Sit, Walk, Stand (Christian life consists of sitting with Christ, walking beside Him and standing in Him. The author affirms that a Christian begins his spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This book is a deep study of Paul.)
The Normal Christian Life (English and Malayalam) (The theme of this vital book is the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ set forth in the letter to the Romans chapters 6 to 8.)
A Table in the Wilderness (Wonder and gratitude have a high place in these meditations, which are drawn from author’s widely varied ministry in China and beyond. They cannot fail to evoke from us a fresh response to God’s superlative grace in giving us the gift of His Son.)
Twelve Baskets Full (As the title suggests, this book is reminiscent of the fragments collected after our Lord had fed the multitude. Previously published in 3 volumes, this single volume brings together some of the devotional writings of Watchman Nee.)
Watchman Nee Biography in Hindi by Bob Laurent. (Here is a Hindi translation of the book on the life of Watchman Nee – a writer, teacher and Church planter by Bob Laurent.)
Engane Athmashakthi Prapikkam (This book tells how to be filled with Holy Spirit)
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