The Word of the Cross

The Collected Works of Watchman Nee #2

by Watchman Nee

In his first letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul wrote: “And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (2.1-2). This same spirit overshadowed the life and ministry of Watchman Nee. From his early Christian years he embraced the cross of Christ and proclaimed the Christ of the cross. He never moved away from this foundation throughout his many years of faithful ministry. This present volume is comprised of his early writings from the years 1922-1927.∗ Though young in the Lord, he was given much because he loved much. His first love towards the Lord was pure and warm, and his grasp of the truth was firm and solid. In reading these writings it uplifts our hearts and deepens our faith. The readers will find this book divided into three parts. Part One, Musings Under the Cross, unveils the innermost thoughts of a man in first love. Part Two is The Word of the Cross which lays a firm foundation of our faith. Part Three is on Faith and other related subjects that deal with the subjective aspects of the Christian life. The combination of all three parts offers up a balanced picture of normal Christian living. May the Lord who fed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish feed us today with this small collection.

179 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

Watchman Nee (Chinese: 倪柝聲; pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng; Foochow Romanized: Ngà̤ Táuk-sĭng; 1903–1972) was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. Together with Wangzai, Zhou-An Lee, Shang-Jie Song, and others, Nee founded The Church Assembly Hall, later which would be also known as the "Local churches" (Chinese: 地方教會). or more commonly as (聚會所) meaning "assembly hall"

Born into a Methodist family, Watchman Nee experienced a religious revival, and joined the Church of Heavenly Peace, Fuzhou in 1920 at age 17 and began writing in the same year. In 1921, he met the British missionary M. E. Barber, who was a great influence on him. Through Miss Barber, Nee was introduced to many of the Christian writings which were to have a profound influence on him and his teachings. Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes. His knowledge was acquired through studying the Bible and reading various Christian spiritual books. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee traveled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972.

Reviews

[Esther Hong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dying with the Lord to sin
Rom. 6:6
One fact - "that our old man has been crucified with Him"
One result - "that the body of sin might be made of none effect"
One goal - "that we should no longer serve sin as slaves"

Dying with the Lord to self
Gal. 2:20
Luke 9:23
There are many things which seem to contradict one another in semantics and which seem utterly incompatible. Yet they fit very harmoniously together and have no awkwardness of any kind in the realm of the spiritual life.
Luke 9:23 - the three things we ought to do are actually not three but one thing divided into three steps. The first step is to deny the self. Denying means rejecting, discarding, ignoring, and not acknowledging one's demand. In order to maintain the work of this step, we must carry out the second step, which is to "daily" take up the cross. Denying the self should be "daily" and uninterruptedly. This matter of denying the self cannot be accomplished once for all. The Lord must give us a daily cross for us to bear daily. The third step is to follow the Lord; this is to positively honor the Lord as Lord and to completely obey the Lord's will.

[Reese Walling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sort of compilation of miscellaneous works of Watchman Nee from his early ministry.

Excellent exposition of the Scriptures, showing that the fight of the Christian isn't solely against sin, but even against His very self. The cross of Christ didn't just crucify the Savior, it terminated all the sinners as well (Rm. 6:6). We must live a life of putting to death the practices of the body that we may bear the fruit of eternal life like our Savior (Rm. 8:13; c.f. Jn. 12).

Watchman Nee really unpacks the message Christians should be bearing in all it's rich significances, namely, "Christ, and this One crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2b). He then gets into the dire need to not only be heralds of the cross of Christ, but even crucified persons if our message is to be effective.

Nee then really unveils a variety of helpful matters in helping believers know the will of God for their lives, along with about 26 Bible Study outlines and a "Read the Bible in a Year" plan. This book has a ton of surprising treasures and I highly recommend.

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is an essential read for the Christian who wants fulfillment
in walking with God
an excellent explanation of scripture concerning dying to one's self and Christ living within