Witness Lee honored in US House of Representatives

Not that we seek the glory from government or the praises from men, but our late Brother Witness Lee received a recognition from the Congressman Joseph R. Pitts of Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives on April 29th, 2014. The original text is copied below with link to the original document. Praise the Lord!

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WATCHMAN NEE AND WITNESS LEE

HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, a little over four years ago my esteemed colleague from New Jersey, the honorable CHRIS SMITH, rose in this chamber to bring due attention to one of the great Christians of the twentieth century— the noted Chinese teacher and church-planter, Watchman Nee. Today, I rise to complete the circle on this compelling story by honoring Watchman Nee’s closest co-worker, Witness Lee. Together they labored tirelessly in China from 1932 until the conquest of mainland China by the Communist Red Army under Mao Tse Tung in 1949. Today, the story of Watchman Nee is somewhat well known, given his numerous writings that have become Christian classics, such as The Normal Christian Life and Sit, Walk, Stand. Capping his inspirational biography was his martyrdom in a Chinese labor farm in 1972.

Witness Lee’s story is less known in the West but is in no way less significant. Although Nee was the clear leader when they labored together in China, it was left to Witness Lee, to preserve and continue their work outside of China and to spread it far beyond the Chinese-speaking world. When it became apparent in 1949 that the Communists would prevail in China, Watchman Nee insisted that Witness Lee emigrate to carry on their work in Taiwan and throughout the Far East. Lee agreed. Subsequent developments not only validated Nee’s insight (he was imprisoned shortly thereafter, and the churches raised up under his and Lee’s ministry were forced underground), but also confirmed that their message and ministry had the potential to reach far beyond China.

Almost immediately Lee’s ministry began to have a profound impact in Taiwan. Tens of thousands turned to Jesus Christ for their salvation and began congregating in simple, New Testament churches, as their Chinese brethren had done in China during the previous two decades. Today, there are more than 200 such local churches in Taiwan with more than 200,000 believers. It is a similar story in the Far East and Australasia, with churches established in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

Mr. Speaker, I call upon the Chinese government today to release all those being held simply because of their faith in Christ and to abandon this national campaign to discredit and distort the record of two brave followers of the One who came with the message of salvation, forgiveness and peace, and instead, to celebrate with us the contributions of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee to believers the world over.

Some may ask why a servant of God would be both spoken against so strongly from people like RJHinds and yet also honored by others.

It was a mark of the early apostles that they had said about them good reports simultaneously with bad reports.

Second Corinthians 6:18 -

New Living Translation
We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.

English Standard Version
through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;

New American Standard Bible
by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;

King James Bible
By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

Originally posted by sonship
Some may ask why a servant of God would be both spoken against so strongly from people like RJHinds and yet also honored by others.

It was a mark of the early apostles that they had said about them good reports simultaneously with bad reports.

Second Corinthians 6:18 -

[b] New Living Translation
We serve God whether people honor us ...[text shortened]...
By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

[/b]

Originally posted by sonship

Not that we seek the glory from government or the praises from men, but our late Brother Witness Lee received a recognition from the Congressman Joseph R. Pitts of Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives on April 29th, 2014. The original text is copied below with link to the original document. Praise the Lord!

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[b] WATCHMAN NEE AND WITNES ...[text shortened]... orld over.

http://beta.congress.gov/crec/2014/04/29/CREC-2014-04-29-pt1-PgE621-3.pdf

Originally posted by divegeester
I've read several of Nee's books but not Lee's.

Nee's books are excellent.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Do you recall Watchman Nee saying the following?

[b]"THE SON IS THE FATHER, AND THE SON IS THE SPIRIT ....and the Lord Jesus who is the Son is also the Eternal Father. Our Lord is the Son, and He is also the Father."

Witness Lee, Concerning the Triune God, p. 18-19.

"The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not three separate Persons or thr ...[text shortened]... the Triune God, became flesh."

Witness Lee, God's New Testament Economy, 1986, p. 230.[/b]

Originally posted by RJHinds
If you can prove that Witness Lee was not teaching a heretical doctrine concerning the Trinity to Americans, then I will retract my so-called bad report. I gave no bad report concerning Watchman Nee, because I have no statements from Him to evaluate.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Do you recall Watchman Nee saying the following?

[b]"THE SON IS THE FATHER, AND THE SON IS THE SPIRIT ....and the Lord Jesus who is the Son is also the Eternal Father. Our Lord is the Son, and He is also the Father."

Witness Lee, Concerning the Triune God, p. 18-19.

"The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not three separate Persons or thr ...[text shortened]... the Triune God, became flesh."

Witness Lee, God's New Testament Economy, 1986, p. 230.[/b]

Originally posted by RJHinds
Do you recall Watchman Nee saying the following?

[b]"THE SON IS THE FATHER, AND THE SON IS THE SPIRIT ....and the Lord Jesus who is the Son is also the Eternal Father. Our Lord is the Son, and He is also the Father."

Witness Lee, Concerning the Triune God, p. 18-19.

"The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not three separate Persons or thr ...[text shortened]... the Triune God, became flesh."

Witness Lee, God's New Testament Economy, 1986, p. 230.[/b]

Originally posted by divegeester
And your point is what?

The Challenge:

Do you recall Watchman Nee saying the following?

"THE SON IS THE FATHER, AND THE SON IS THE SPIRIT ....and the Lord Jesus who is the Son is also the Eternal Father. Our Lord is the Son, and He is also the Father."

Witness Lee, Concerning the Triune God, p. 18-19.

"The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not three separate Persons or thr ...[text shortened]... the Triune God, became flesh."

Therefore, Jesus the Nazarene came and bore our sins in His body onto the cross. God Himself came to bear our sins. Our sins were judged by God in the person of Jesus Christ. The blood of the Lord Jesus shed on the cross is proof of this judgment.

The cross is also the place where God's love is manifested. The burden for our sins should be on us. If we do not bear it, it is unrighteous. But to bear such a burden is too much for us. For this reason, He came and bore it for us. That God was willing to bear the burden shows His love. That God actually did bear the burden shows His righteousness. For God to have us bear the punishment is righteousness without love. For God to have us not bear the punishment is love without righteousness. Because He takes away the punishment and bears it for us, there is both righteousness and love.

THE LORD JESUS BEING BOTH GOD AND MAN
FOR THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF REDEMPTION

The first thing we have to see is that the Lord Jesus is God. We may say that only God can bear man's sin. Never consider the Lord Jesus as a third person coming to die a substitutionary death. Do not think that God is one party, we are another party, and the Lord Jesus is a third party. The Bible never considers the Lord Jesus as a third party. On the contrary, it considers Him as the first party. You may have been told that the gospel is like a debtor, a lender, and the lender's son. The debtor has no money to pay back his debt. The lender, being very severe, insists on the payment. But the lender's son steps forth to pay the debt on behalf of the debtor, and the debtor becomes free.

his is the gospel that man preaches today. But this is not the real gospel. If this were the case, at least two points would not be fair and would be contrary to the Bible. First, this kind of understanding makes God the mean One and the Lord Jesus the gracious One. In such an illustration, we do not see God loving the world. Rather, we see only His righteous demand and the demand of the law. We see a severe God, One who is without grace and One whose words to man are always harsh. We see that the Lord Jesus loves us and gives grace to us. This is a wrong gospel. However, although this is a wrong gospel, God still uses it. Actually, I was saved through this kind of illustration. But although I was saved, during the first three years I could never praise God. I always felt that the Lord Jesus was good, that I should thank and praise Him, that without Him everything was hopeless, and that it was fortunate that He came.

Originally posted by sonship
You referred to a book [b]"Concerning the Triune God" on page 18-19.

Make sure you have the proper title. I do not find that specific title.
Please verify that that is the proper title.[/b]

Originally posted by RJHinds
Actually the title of the book is "Concerning the Triune God: The Father, the Son, and the Spirit" 1973. It is the first book listed here:

http://an-open-letter.org/resources/the-triune-god/

1.) A MYSTERY OF MYSTERIES

2.) NOT UNDERSTANDING BUT ENJOYING

3.) GOD BEING UNIQUELY ONE

4.) GOD SPEAKING AS "I" AND ALSO AS "US"

5.) THE MATTER OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT

That section seems to be the longest in the book

6.) ALL THREE -THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT- BEING GOD

Looks like a well balanced and well rounded presentation to me.

7.) THE SON BEING THE FATHER, AND THE SON BEING ALSO THE SPIRIT

This comes to the portion which is hard for some too objective people to handle. But this book is well rounded and presents God from the varied angles revealed in Scripture.

8.) THE SON WHO PRAYS BEING THE FATHER WHO LISTENS

Looks to me that Witness Lee was not about to neglect this side of the mystery, namely that there is a distinction between Son and Father.

Are you sure your critics didn't just isolate one "shocking" quote to form their kangaroo court ?

WHY would Witness Lee have included a section on the Son praying and the Father hearing if he intended to teach heresy that Modalism makes it impossible to tell distinction between Son and Father ?

9.) THE REASON GOD IS THREE-IN-ONE

Thank God the REASON is not just so men can have a perplexing theological doctrine only for the objective mentality.

10.) THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT ALL BEING IN US

11.) “CHRIST IS THE SPIRIT”—THE SCRIPTURAL SAYING

12.) THE TRIUNE GOD BEING WHOLLY A MATTER OF THE SPIRIT

Originally posted by sonship
You referred to a book [b]"Concerning the Triune God" on page 18-19.

Make sure you have the proper title. I do not find that specific title.
Please verify that that is the proper title.[/b]

"THE SON IS THE FATHER, AND THE SON IS THE SPIRIT ....and the Lord Jesus who is the Son is also the Eternal Father. Our Lord is the Son, and He is also the Father."

Witness Lee, Concerning the Triune God, p. 18-19.

"The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not three separate Persons or thr ...[text shortened]... the Triune God, became flesh."

Originally posted by sonship
This is what you are concerned with.

[b]"THE SON IS THE FATHER, AND THE SON IS THE SPIRIT ....and the Lord Jesus who is the Son is also the Eternal Father. Our Lord is the Son, and He is also the Father."

Witness Lee, Concerning the Triune God, p. 18-19.

In the book that you referenced there is a section on the Son praying TO ...[text shortened]... this is born out that the three of the Godhead can never be separated though they are distinct.[/b]