The Experience of Life

by Witness Lee

Book by Lee, Witness

386 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Witness Lee (李常受, pinyin Lǐ Chángshòu) was a Chinese Christian preacher associated with the Local Churches movement and the founder of Living Stream Ministry. He was born in the city of Yantai, Shandong Province, China, in 1905, to a Southern Baptist family. He became a Christian in 1925 after hearing the preaching of Peace Wang and later became a close coworker of Watchman Nee. Witness Lee moved to Taiwan in 1949 as the Communists were advancing in mainland China. During the 1950s, his ministry extended throughout Southeast Asia and in 1962 Lee moved to the United States, relocating the base of his ministry to Southern California. He gave his last public conference in February 1997 at the age of 91. Many of Lee's spoken messages have been published in over 400 books and translated into more than fourteen different languages. Lee's major work is Life-study of the Bible, comprising over 25,000 pages of commentary on every book of the Bible from the perspective of the believers' enjoyment and experience of God's divine life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Lee was also the chief editor of a new translation of the Bible entitled the Recovery Version.

Reviews

[Reese Walling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without trying to sound dramatic, this book, in my opinion, is the greatest book concerning the spiritual progress, growth, and maturing of believers ever written. Throughout my reading of this book, I continually had the realization that I am going to have to read this again and again until I am raptured (or die). The clearly defined experiences that a believer must pass through in his sojourn on the earth gave me a definite compass that will guide my walk with Christ. Derived from a multitude of passages from the Bible and many experiences of mature believers, Witness Lee outlines the different major experiences a believer passes through on his journey to full maturity of Christ, laid out in four "stages." It became clear to me the exact point where I seemed to transition from having homologous experiences to then realizing my major lacks and being encouraged, "for faith has caught the joyful sound, the song of saints on higher ground." I do plan on reading this book again and again. I encourage all seeking Christians (who desire to know Christ, His cross, and the life which He truly desires to give abundantly) to read this book.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do I do now, since I am just saved? What should I expect for the rest of my Christian life?

The Experience of Life may not be what you’re thinking. No, it’s not mainly talking about the experience of our human life, but about the experience of our divine life. We received the Lord’s life, the divine life, in us once we believed into Him. Just like our human life, our divine life needs to grow; and it will manifest certain characteristic depending on its maturity. The author presents four stages of this life, and as you read through these stages, you will be able to relate to many of the points presented, if not all (yet).

As I read through the book, I would find myself exposed and matching the condition presented. The author presented some principles as a guideline to return back to the Lord’s presence. However, sometimes in this reading I questioned my growth in the Lord because I never had the experience on whatever I was reading. If you fell into the same situation as me in your reading, don’t be discouraged, as you still have a long sweet journey with the Lord. With an open heart to the Lord, we will slowly experience and witness our growth matching the stages presented.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

感谢赞美主！神作为我们的生命是何等的丰富！ 主啊，我愿作敞开的器皿，每天都进入你经历的丰富！

[Kyle Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m only halfway through this book (173/383 pages) but I wanted to write a review on it because it has already been so impactful. In this book Witness Lee lays out the major stages of our experience of Christ. He traces four major stages, viewed from their respective “dealings”, that our spiritual life passes through for our full maturity in Christ. Each chapter focuses on only one experience, presenting a thorough analysis and showing the scriptural basis, the main elements, and the connections to related experiences. Each chapter ranges from around 20-30 pages, so be prepared to dive deep! However, this book is not aimed at information, but transformation. In the Western Christian milieu where doctrinal rigor is often exclusively championed and people can be wary of subjective experience, this book adds a needed balance to our Christian pursuit. Chapter 3 on Consecration has been a highlight so far.

[Stefan Misaras · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still currently reading this book - it is a very solid exposition on the experience of life and the way God deals with our being. All the experiences we have are to perfect us, transform us, deal with us, so that we may be conformed to the image of Christ, God's firstborn Son! We need to cooperate with Christ in dealing with the flesh, the self, our conscience, the world, the natural constitution, etc.

I love this book especially since it is based on the Bible! So many Bible verses showing us how we can cooperate with God in experiencing Him as life, in experiencing the divine life!

[Iglesia Enel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al principio pensé que era un libro muy pesado para mi, y que su contenido era espiritualmente fuera de mi alcance. Pero al comenzar a leer y disfrutar, fui viendo las innumerables riquezas portadas en es libro, maravilloso e eimpresionante. Todo cristiano que desee avanzar en su crecimiento, conocimiento y experiencia espiritual, debe conocer, leer disfrutar éste maravilloso libro. El camino de la vida, a la experiencia de vida. No te pierdas éste libro.