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Watchman Nee
Watchman Nee (1903 - 1972). Chinese evangelist, author, and church planter born Nee Shu-tsu in Fuzhou, Fujian, to Methodist parents. Converted at 17 in 1920 through Dora Yu’s preaching, he adopted the name Watchman, meaning “sound of a gong,” to reflect his call as a spiritual sentinel. Self-taught, he read over 3,000 books, including works by John Darby and Andrew Murray, and studied Scripture intensely, founding the Little Flock movement in 1922, which grew to 700 assemblies with 70,000 members by 1949. Nee authored over 60 books, including The Normal Christian Life (1957), emphasizing a crucified and resurrected life for believers. Married to Charity Chang in 1934, they had no children; she supported him through frequent illnesses. Despite no formal theological training, he trained thousands of Chinese workers, rejecting denominationalism for simple, Spirit-led churches. Arrested in 1952 under Communist rule, he spent 20 years in prison for his faith, enduring harsh conditions yet remaining steadfast. His writings, translated into 50 languages, shaped global evangelicalism, particularly in Asia and the West. Nee’s focus on spiritual depth over institutional religion continues to inspire millions. His words, “Good is not always God’s will, but God’s will is always good,” reflect his trust in divine purpose amid suffering.
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Sermon Summary
Watchman Nee emphasizes the importance of prayer in co-laboring with God, explaining that while God has a will, He desires His children to pray in alignment with it. He highlights that God's work will not be executed independently without the prayers of believers expressing their unity with Him. Nee illustrates this with the example of a judge who would not avenge a widow without her persistent cries, paralleling it to how God awaits the prayers of His people to act against the devil. The sermon underscores that believers have the authority to accuse Satan based on their persecution, which leads to his ultimate defeat. Ultimately, God delights in His people partnering with Him through prayer.
Scriptures
Co-Laboring With God
God has a will. Yet He wants man to pray according to His will. When man does this, He will immediately accomplish the work that His will has ordained. If there is no prayer from His children expressing their oneness with Him in His work, no matter what His will may be, He will not execute it independently. God's goal is to remove the work of the devil, and surely His will is to avenge the believers. But God is waiting for His children to pray. As the judge would not have avenged the widow without her crying out to him, in the same way, without the Satan-accusing prayer of the believers, God will not avenge them. We do not know why, but we do know that God is pleased to see His people working with Him. However, there must be a basis to our accusing. The ones who are persecuted by Satan are the believers. Hence, the believers can accuse him before God based on Satan's treatment of them. In this way, he will receive his deathblow.
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Watchman Nee (1903 - 1972). Chinese evangelist, author, and church planter born Nee Shu-tsu in Fuzhou, Fujian, to Methodist parents. Converted at 17 in 1920 through Dora Yu’s preaching, he adopted the name Watchman, meaning “sound of a gong,” to reflect his call as a spiritual sentinel. Self-taught, he read over 3,000 books, including works by John Darby and Andrew Murray, and studied Scripture intensely, founding the Little Flock movement in 1922, which grew to 700 assemblies with 70,000 members by 1949. Nee authored over 60 books, including The Normal Christian Life (1957), emphasizing a crucified and resurrected life for believers. Married to Charity Chang in 1934, they had no children; she supported him through frequent illnesses. Despite no formal theological training, he trained thousands of Chinese workers, rejecting denominationalism for simple, Spirit-led churches. Arrested in 1952 under Communist rule, he spent 20 years in prison for his faith, enduring harsh conditions yet remaining steadfast. His writings, translated into 50 languages, shaped global evangelicalism, particularly in Asia and the West. Nee’s focus on spiritual depth over institutional religion continues to inspire millions. His words, “Good is not always God’s will, but God’s will is always good,” reflect his trust in divine purpose amid suffering.