The normal Christian life

I have just started reading a book by Watchman Nee called The Character of God's Workman. It is one of those books, the reading of which convinced me that indeed, one can read a book only at a proper time in one's life. I remembered that I tried reading one of his books in my 20s and could never get into it. But now, as I read this book of his, everything is so clear, everything is so real and everything is so of God. In the book, Watchman Nee exhorts us to develop qualities that would indicate that one is a workman of God. I thank God that I am already blessed even as I have just read the first chapter. There is so much to absorb and so much to think about, which I would put down in future posts. Tonight, I went to find out who Watchman Nee was and realised through this website what a spiritual giant he was in China.

His background: Nee Shu-tsu, whose English name was Henry Nee, was born of second-generation Christian parents in Foochow, China in 1903. His paternal grandfather studied at the American Congregational College in Foochow and became the first Chinese pastor among the Congregationalists in northern Fukien province. Nee Shu-tsu was consecrated to the Lord before his birth. Desiring a son, his mother had prayed to the Lord, saying, “If I have a boy, I will present him to You.” The Lord answered her prayer with the birth of a son. His father later impressed this point upon him, saying, “Before you were born, your mother promised to present you to the Lord.”

His ministry: Watchman Nee’s rich ministry was the issue of both revelation and suffering. He carried out this ministry by preaching the gospel, teaching the Bible, traveling, contacting people, corresponding with people, holding conferences, conducting trainings, and producing publications. Watchman Nee not only spoke frequently both privately and publicly, but he was also a prolific writer. His publications included gospel tracts, periodicals, papers, newsletters, books, hymnals, and a chart of biblical prophecies. His writings are contained in a set of sixty-two volumes, entitled The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, which span from his first publication in 1922 to his final recorded speaking in 1950.

His legacy: During Watchman Nee’s imprisonment he was confined, but his ministry was not bound (2 Tim. 2:9). Under the Lord’s sovereignty, his ministry has spread throughout the entire world as a rich supply of life to all seeking Christians.

His ultimate burden was the spread and the building up of the church as the house of God, God’s tabernacle. Although his own earthly tabernacle (physical body) has been taken down, the building of God obtained through his ministry remains and still is growing and spreading throughout the earth. By the time Watchman Nee was arrested in 1952, approximately four hundred local churches had been raised up in China. In addition, over thirty local churches had been raised up in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Today there are over twenty-three hundred local churches worldwide because of the rich and faithful ministry of Watchman Nee.

To Watchman Nee, his life was a normal Christian life. 

A poor life this is...

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare. 

William Henry Davies

Love God first above all

Gratitude

Gratitude - Jaeson Ma

follow twitter: @jaesonma
website: www.jaesonma.com 

Lyrics: 

I'm thankful, thankful for life
Thankful for my health, thankful for my family and my friends
Thankful for the good things in life and thankful even for the bad
Because everything in this life, is a gift and I don't take it for granted
I don't understand it all, but I am thankful because everything I've been given
Has made me the person I am today and I might not be what I wanna be
But I thank God, I'm not where I use to be
I am thankful for who I am and I don't want to be anyone else, but myself
I can't change my circumstances, but I can change my attitude, to one of gratitude

Chorus: 
Thank you for every day you give me, thank you for every opportunity
Cause your my strength when I'm weak and for that I want you to know
That I'm thankful, that I'm thankful
And it's all because of you, so this is my gratitude to show you
That I'm thankful

Verse 2

Thankful for my mother for raising me up all these years, as a single mom
Thankful for my father, who wasn't perfect, but I know he tried
Thankful for my brothers and sisters
Who believed in me when no one else would
I'm thankful for my education, thankful for my clothes on my back
Thankful for the food that I eat, I'm thankful that I am alive and breathing
Because you are the reason, I am thankful
I'm thankful for my friends
Who loved me, when I didn't deserve it
I thank you for listening
Because not everyone in this world is given a fair chance
And for those without a voice I speak for you, I've got nothing but gratitude

Verse 3

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage, to change the things I can, and the wisdom, to know the difference
I am thankful, thankful that you lifted me up, when I was down
I am thankful that you were there for me, when I was sick
I thank you that you comforted me, when I was lonely
That when everyone left me, you were still there„, carrying me through
I am thankful for every relationship given
For no person is a failure, if that person has friends
True success is not what you achieve it's being faithful to your values and convictions
I love you, you love me. That is success, and success is having GRATITUDE