20th Century Majority World Theologian-Watchman Nee by Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce

            

Introduction

The contemporary and 20^th Century Majority World Theologian- Watchman Nee’s Biblical precepts and local church development in China and Taiwan exemplifies the movement of Protestant Reformation and the reformer Martin Luther’s righteousness judged by faith.  His unique perspective of local church and movement correlates with Jonathan Edward’s eschatologies and missiology. As Apostle Paul ran the race with courageous, Watchman Nee’s evangelical movement, faith and courage outline as the contemporary and 20^th Century Majority World Theologians.                                        Watchman Nee was a Spiritual leader of Chinese local churches during 1949 to 1972. He was imprisoned and persecuted by the China Communist Government in 1952, and died in the prison on June 1, 1972. As third-generation Chinese Congregationalist, he was deeply impacted and influenced by Brethren theology (or the Plymouth Brethren) in early-nineteenth-century England (1800-1882) and Keswick movement spirituality. As resulted, he developed an anti -denominational vision of church life and motivated Chinese Christian leadership in churches as a sectarian exclusivist.                Watchman Nee’s Little Flock movement and church development emerged to his doctrine of local church (defang jiaohui) or an assembly (defang juhuisuo) and his Missiology  continually passed down to a new leader Witness Lee during 1980’s who continually established local church, developing Gospel outreach strategies, full time spiritual revival training proclaims, weekly pray and fast meeting, home meeting, cell group development, each active enabled the apostles, elders, and cell group leaders correctly view the church contextually. As Tennent says, “The Chinese missionaries both share a remarkable optimism about the advance of the gospel around the world in the period prior the millennium. The Chinese speak about missions as a “race towards the finish line”. [1] “Chinese anticipate a major global revival and the expansion of the Christian faith to accompany the latter days. “It is a necessary part of our obedience to Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and it is particularly urgent as we prepare for the return of Christ.” [2] as the “final sign” will be the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14: “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” [3]                          This research papers intends to explicate Watchman Nee’s Biblical precepts and his contextualization of church, baptism, faith, assembly, church administration, church leaders’ role, doctrine of local church (defang jiaohui) and movement in China. Emerge to discuss his missiology as contribution to fulfill God’s great Commission.

 Watchman Nee’s family background

Watchman Nee (Ni Tuosheng) was born in Swatow (Guangdong province) in China on November 4, 1903 as third –generation Anglican family, he was educated at a Christian high school and Anglican Trinity College in Fuzhou in 1920. “In 1923, he studied Christian doctrines with Margaret E. Barber (1860-1930), known as He Shou’en in Chinese.”[4] “His paternal grandfather, Ni Yucheng (d.1890) was a native of Fuzhou and baptized Chinese pastor in northern Fujian province. Nee’s father, Ni Wenxiu, was a customs official in the treaty port of Shantou in northeastern Guangdong province and a member of the Board of the Fuzhou Young Men’s Christian Association(YMCA) during the first two decades of the Twentieth century.”[5]  Nee’s earliest spiritual conversion and guidance were influenced by his mother- “Lin Heping, and the revivalist preacher Dora Yu (Yu Cidu) and independent missionary: Margaret E. Barber exposed Nee to two dominant missiologies of the time: woman's work for women (which supported education and Christianizing the home) and faith missions (which promoted evangelism independent from denominational agency).” [6]

Nee, Watchman was influenced by Brethren Theology in Early-Nineteenth Century

Nee, Watchman’s early Biblical belief of the New Testament Church was influenced by Brethren theology (or the Plymouth Brethren) which emphasis on the priesthood of all believers and rejected priestly hierarchy. “The Brethren Movement was a sectarian movement in early-nineteenth-century England that sought to recapture the outlook and beliefs of the New Testament church. The founders of the Brethren Movement envisioned their Communion service as a form of Christian fellowship that transcended denominations. Rejecting priestly hierarchy, they believed in the “priesthood of all believers.” They also shared a strong belief in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and renounced the possessions, pleasures and status of this world.”[7]            

Nee, Watchman’s vision of reformation 

 Watchman Nee dissatisfied with the hierarchy that he saw in the Catholic Church and most of the Protestant denominations in China, he challenged the division between clergy and laity. He felt that the office of the priesthood blocked believers’ communion with the Christian God and contradicted the biblical teaching that all God’s people were priests, as scripture says, “For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged”. (1 Cor.14:31). Therefore, Nee rejected the pastoral office partly, for it kept ordinary Christians from service within the church. He saw Chinese pastors served as extensions of Christian missionary enterprises, and were employed by foreign mission societies; many denominational churches demonstrated this dependent relationship of local workers on foreign missionaries. It caused Nee to exhort Chinese Christians to develop strong lay leaders and to break away from their dependence on foreign missionary enterprises for doctrinal instruction and administrative support. 

Church administration: One Church in one locality

 Nee’s vision of Christian community was the “local church” (defang jiaohui) or an assembly (defang juhuisuo). He encouraged local church to develop “cell group”. He considered a local church (or an assembly) as a spiritual body of Christ, that each Christian member was called out of this world by God. His contextualization of “local church” was based on the Book of Acts in the New Testament, which emphasis on autonomous and independent local churches. He stated that there should be “one church in one locality and necessary to maintain independent local churches because on a doctrinal level, a local church could serve as a guardian of Christian teaching and contain heresy within one specific place. A church should not represent an area smaller or larger than a city; therefore, its jurisdiction should correspond with administration limits of a city. Only natural barriers and distance justified meeting in two separate churches in the same area. He allowed a local church to seek the advice of another church but asserted the final court of appeal remained in the church where the original disputed occurred. ”[8] Nee’s intention was to promote a locally autonomous and nondenominational church independent of any external control.

Church administration: Church leadership role                                           

               “Nee’s emphasis on the locality of the church to advocate the idea of a democratic religious body at the grass-roots level.”[9]  He established the Church leadership roles as a means to safeguard the local character of the church. He distinguished the leadership between apostles, elders and deacons in the area of church. The responsibility of apostles as Apostle Paul,
traveled frequently, preached the Christian message, trained elders, and full time evangelists, founded churches in different localities, and decided doctrinal matters. “Once a church was established, the apostle was expected to transfer the authority to the elders.”[10] In another aspect, “Apostles were simply wandering evangelists whose ministry and authority lay outside, not inside, the local church.”[11]  The elders’ duty was occupied by the office of leadership in the local church as Timothy who arranged the church affair. The elders’ selection, the elders must be men, and they must demonstrated spiritual maturity and a strong commitment to serve in one locality. Demonstrated good character, experience, and manifested a strong work ethic. Usually, elders must meet regularly to pray and to counsel church on Tuesday or Wednesday. Elders as fathers overseeing God’s household, and held the real authority. “While elders attended to church members’ religious needs, deacons primarily administrated the church’s practical needs.”[12] Elders must respect and honor the deacons and members’ decision in practical needs as congregation lead governing style. 

Watchman Nee’s the Little Flock movement

Watchman Nee’s Missiology (1903-72) was the most influential Chinese Protestant preacher in the early Twentieth century. At seventeen years old, he worked with Dora Yu (1873-1931, who had conducted revival meetings among Chinese Protestant congregations during the 1900s and 1910s, and founded a Bible Study and Prayer House in Shanghai for teaching women the Bible and evangelistic skills.) As Watchman Nee’s spiritual was grew, he established “The Little Flock” (xiaoqun)(the Christian Assembly). “It was not created by a foreign missionary enterprise, nor was based on the Anglo-American Protestant denomination model. He developed the Three-Self Movement, which emphasis on Christian self-supporting, self governing, and self-propagating churches.”[13]  And it “didn’t share the highly politicized anti-imperialist rhetoric of another Three-Self Movement, the Communist-initiated “Three Self Patriotic Movement” (sanzi aiguo yundong).”[14]  He refused to be controlled by the Maoist state. “He believed that they were called out of this world to follow and served Jesus Christ that they could exist outside of politics yet coexist with the Communist government in the post-1949 era.”[15]  “Three-Self Patriotic Movement raised the problem of political identification with the Maoist state. Since the state perceived ideological identification as synonymous with absolute loyalty to the new political and social order, Christian conversion was a direct attach on Maoist ideology and a protest against state intervention into church affairs.”[16]  “By rejecting Maoism, the Little Flock adhered to Watchman Nee’s theological perspective on the autonomy of the church, asserting that all churches were directly under the authority of Jesus Christ rather than any external organization; and the church should be an independent body, selecting its leaders and running its affairs. Some members chose to collaborate with the state, some members refused to do so, they were embroiled in politics. The degree of tension and conflict with the state made them as easy target of attack throughout the Maoist era.(1949-76­)”[17] Tension and conflicts with the Communist government drove the Little Flock underground throughout the Maoist era. 

    In 1928, “Watchman Nee went to Shanghai, where he built a three-thousand -seat assembly hall in the city center. He also published his most famous theological work at that time, “the Spiritual Man”, which shaped Chinese Christians’ understanding of spirituality in the early twentieth century. Watchman Nee, in his late twenties, had become one of the most celebrated Protestant evangelists and writers in China.”[18]            

    In 1942, “he returned to take charge of the Little Flock by declaring that the Fuzhou Assembly would be called the “Little Flock’s Jerusalem” which dismissed the original principle of one church per locality. Instead, he created a national center for coordinating evangelistic work across China.”[19]  “The Little Flock experienced a rapid growth of its church membership during 1927-1949. the Shanghai Assembly was the de facto headquarters of the Little Flock Movement in China. The authority was concentrated in the hands of “God’s apostles”(shen de shitu). His female co-workers, Li Yuanur, Wang Peizhen, and Yu Chenghua, who were famous evangelist before joining the Little Flock. The Home of Deacons (zhishi zhijia)at Guling in Fuzhou was the national training center of Little Flock leaders while the Gospel Bookstore in Shanghai published Christian pamphlet.”[20] “The Little Flock leaders divided China into thirteen ecclesiastical districts (jiaoqu), indicating that the Movement was widespread across the country. By the early 1950s, each assembly had a wide range of staff: secretary, treasurer, librarian, cleaner, youth workers, and workers dealing with the Three Self Patriotic Movement and local government officials. ”[21]

The Communists Maoist ideology and TSPM                                                                                “The Communist policy towards the Little Flock Movement is the ideological conflict between state and religion. Through the Maoist ideology was installed as the new national faith, Christian churches, Buddhist, and Taoist institutions and other sectarian societies continued

 to operate at the grass-roots level.”[22]  “Under the Communist Party’s united front polity, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement was designed as a mass organization to sever the Churches’ ties with foreign missionary enterprises and to legitimatize the state’s intervention into Chinese church affairs.”[23] The Communists leaders Mao Zedon(Tse-Tung) as the People’s Republic of China rule thousands of foreign missionaries and forced them out of China. “In 1951 the Communist Part set up the Religious Affairs Bureau to oversee and supervise what it anticipated to be the final death throes of theistic religion in China. The TSPM closed the majority of churches and forced all pastors in China to acknowledge that Christianity in China had largely been used as a force for imperialism and Western aggression against China.” [24] “The TSPM claimed that the legacy of Protestant missions in China was a church divided hopelessly into a multitude of denomination. The TSPM ostensibly sought to unite the church under a single “patriotic” banner. Any pastor who refused to sign a statement of patriotic loyalty to China, which included a denunciation of all expressions of Protestantism other than those registered by the TSPM and controlled by the Religious Affairs Bureau, would result in imprisonment, beating, and public shaming.”[25] “In January 1956, Watchman Nee was accused of espionage, licentiousness, and stealing of church founds.  Most of the Little Flock leaders across the country were arrested and denounced as “reactionaries” and “counter-revolutionaries”. They were charged with crimes against the state. Most of the Little Flock members appeared to distance themselves from Watchman Nee’s teaching.”[26] Watchman Nee was imprisoned and persecuted by the China Communist Government in 1952, and died in the prison on June 1, 1972.  

           However, Gospel is power of God, in 1978 the Little Flock had begun to restart their activities in public, the new leader Witness Lee in Taiwan took leadership continually developed local church and cell group. By the full time spiritual revival training program to increase full time Gospel outreach evangelists to build the local church, and developed Cell group, Bible study, prayer meeting, home cell group meeting, and the membership were increased amazingly during 1980s to 90s.  

 Nee’s contextualization of faith and righteousness correlates to Luther’s doctrine of Justification by faith

Flemming, Dean states, “Holy Spirit inspired ‘contextualization. It allows the one gospel to be expressed and applied in a variety of way, using language, images and ideas that make sense to the audience.”[27] Nee’s contextualization of faith and righteousness emphasis on the vision in Rom 3:28 and Rom. 5:1. Faith is one’s acceptance of God’s fact that we are “justified by faith” in him (Rom.3:28;5:1). the forgiveness of our sins, and peace with God are all ours by faith, and without faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ none can posses them. Faith is my acceptance of God’s fact. It always has its foundations in the past. What relates to the future is hope rather than faith, although faith often has its object or goal in the future, as scriptures in Heb.11 perhaps for this reason the word chosen here is reckoned. ”[28] Nee’s contextualization of faith correlates to Luther’s doctrine of “justification by faith”. “The message of God’s forgiveness does not imply that God is indifferent to sin. It is not simply that God forgives us because after all our sin is not of great consequence. On the contrary, God is holy. And sin is repugnant to the divine holiness. God speaks a word of forgiveness- forgiveness so tied up with

the divine holiness that sometimes the same word is both judgment and grace.”[29]

Nee’s contextualization of Baptism exemplifies the Luther’s theology of baptism

             Nee’s contextualization of Baptism emphasized, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mk.16:16). He expressed, “All Protestants are a litter afraid of this verse. Therefore, they dare not read it. Whenever they read this verse, they change it to, “He who believes and is saved shall be baptized.” But the Lords word does not say this. In order to avoid the error of Catholicism, the Protestants deliberately go around God’s word. However, as they evade the error of Catholicism, they fall into another error. The Lord’s word is clear. “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” Man has no authority to change it to, “He who believes and is saved shall be baptized.”[30] As for Baptism, he said, “we need to be clear about two steps concerning baptism. First step, before we are baptized, in front of the baptism pool and the water, we need to be clear as to what baptism can do for us.  Second step, after we are baptized, we need to look backward and ask, “What is the significance of Baptism?” “What is the meaning of my baptism?””[31] In another word, the one who want to be baptized, he or she must clearly understand and acknowledge the meaning of baptism and what baptism does for a person? By faith and believe that “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned (Mark16:16). This verse shows what baptism does for a person. As German reformer Luther’s theology of baptism “is first of all a sign of the believer’s death and resurrection with Jesus Christ. But is much more than a sign, for by its power we are made members of the body of Christ. Baptism and faith are closely tied, for the rite itself without faith is not valid. Baptism is not only the beginning of the Christian life but also the foundation and the context in which the entire life of the believers. ”[32]                                              

Nee’s contextualization of the Church

 Nee’s contextualization of church affirmed the Bible’s guideline in the Book of Acts.  The Churches are divided, "One locality, one church", the boundary of the church is the city.  He stated,   

“If we read the beginning verses of the epistles, the acts, and the first chapter of Revelation, we meet such names as the church which was in Jerusalem (Acts.8:1), the church of God which is at Corinth (1 COr. 1:2 , 2Cor.1:1), and “the seven churches that are in Asia (Rev.1:4), which are the church in Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Philadelphia, and the church in Laodicea (Rev. 2:1 8,12, 18,3:1, 7,14). In the Bible the churches are divided.” “The Bible permits the church to be divided solely on the ground of locality. Corinth is a city, so are Ephesus, Colossae, Rome and Philippi. All the churches are divided wholly according to locality. In other word, churches can only be divided according to locality, not by any other factor. A locality, a city, is the unit. As Corinth, Ephesus, and Colosse are all cities, so the boundary of the church is the city. Locality constitutes the basic unit.” [33]

Nee’s precept of Church assembling was also built on the New Testament in 1 Cor. 1.  It indicates the church in Corinth, some people in the church at Corinth identify themselves as of Cephas, of Paul, of Apollos, and of Christ, the church was divided into four parts. It results the church too small; therefore, Paul rebuked them for their divisions and urged them the church may be divided not according to the apostles rather, according to locality. In other word, the smallest church takes a locality as its unit, anything smaller than a locality may not be considered a church, nor can it be so recognized if it is bigger than a locality.     

   Nee’s contextualization of assembly gathering                                                                                   Nee’s precepts of church assembly emphasis on persistence without be interrupted or  discontinuity according to Matt18:20 1 Cor. 14:23,26 Heb.10:25.  He stated,                               

            “The word of God exhorts us not to forsake assembling together, for God’s grace to men is of two kinds first is personal, second is corporate. If being a Christian were only a  personal matter, one could stay home and personally receive grace from God. However, God gives corporate grace as well as personal grace, and this corporate grace can only be obtained in the assembly. God’s corporate grace is only granted in the assembly. Many prayers can be offered privately. God answers if one prays with faith and doubts not.  However, there is another kind of prayer. And this kind must be offered in the assembly  if it is to be heard. It must be prayer in the name of the Lord by two or more people.”[34]

Watchman Nee’s contribution in early Twentieth Century  

 Watchman Nee’s contribution during 1949-72, first, his reformation movement and church development exemplifies German Reformer Luther’s theology, whose rejected priestly hierarchy, and believed in the “priesthood of all believers.” Emphasis on doctrine of “Justification by faith”, and Baptism is first of all a sign of the believer’s death and resurrection with Jesus Christ. But is much more than a sign, for by its power we are made members of the body of Christ. Baptism and faith are closely tied, for the rite itself without faith is not valid.”[35] For scripture says, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark16:16).

 Second, Nee’s contextualization of church affirmed the Bible’s guideline in the Book of Acts.  The Churches are divided, "One locality, one church", the boundary of the church is the city. Watchman Nee’s ecclesiastic theory and doctrine of “local church” (defang jiaohui) or an assembly (defang juhuisuo) Gospel outreach strategies, full time training spiritual revival proclaim, outreach program, weekly prayer and fast meeting, home cell group meeting and development and so on… these actives enabled the apostles, elders, and cell group leaders correctly arrange the church contextually.          

Third, “the most significant achievement of Watchman's ecclesiology lies not in his advocation and implementation of the "three-self," but in his provision of a full-orbed system of ecclesiology with strong missionary emphasis. He has offered a complete and coherent system out of a Sitz im Leben in the missionary life of the church, which Western missionaries failed to do. The Glorious Church, Holy and Without Blemish as the central message of Watchman's ecclesiology, has provided eschatological hope and strength for Chinese Christians in their sufferings amidst multidimensional turmoil and chaos. It can also cure the Christian churches today of their myopia and amnesia.”[36]  

Conclusion

             Watchman Nee’s ecclesiology and missiology played an important role and great influence among the Evangelists in early Twentieth Century. His movement reflected Christ –central and obedience to the Great Commission for Christ’s second coming. His movement exemplifies German Reformer Luther’s theology, whose rejected priestly hierarchy, and believed in the “priesthood of all believers.” Emphasis on doctrine of “Justification by faith”, and “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark16:16). Baptism is first of all a sign of the believer’s death and resurrection with Jesus Christ. Baptism is much more than a sign, Baptism and faith are closely tied, and for the rite itself without faith is not valid.”[37]    

                 Watchman Nee’s the Little Flock movement emerged to ecclesiastic theory and doctrine of “local church” (defang jiaohui) (or an assemblydefang juhuisuo). Churches are divided. "One locality, one church" the boundary of the church is the city. Watchman Nee’s local church development, Gospel outreach strategies, full time spiritual revival training proclaims, weekly prayer and fast meeting, home meeting, cell group development, each active enabled the apostles, elders, and cell group leaders correctly arrange the church contextually. “Watchman's ecclesiology lies not in his "three-self," but in his provision of a full-orbed system of ecclesiology with strong missionary emphasis.”[38]  As Jonathan Edwards says, “the Chinese missionaries both share a remarkable optimism about the advance of the gospel around the world in the period prior the millennium. The Chinese speak about missions as a “race towards the finish line”. “Success means nothing less than the fulfillment of the Great Commission and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [39] “Chinese anticipate a major global revival and the expansion of the Christian faith to accompany the latter days. Chinese do not anticipate any necessary collapse of Roman Catholicism, instead, they understand that “it is a necessary part of our obedience to Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and it is particularly urgent as we prepare for the return of Christ.” [40]  Edward repeatedly links his missiology with his eschatology as do the Chinese. “For the Chinese, the most important portent that will mark the “end of the world” is not wars or natural disasters or the establishment of the nation of Israel; rather, the “final sign” will be the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14: “and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” [41] Watchman Nee’s the Little Flock movement emerged to ecclesiastic theory and doctrine of “local church”, it seems correlates to Jonathan Edward’s eschatologies and missiology.  

Bibliography

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 Goncalez,  Justo L. “The Story of Christianity: the reformation to the present day: volume II.” New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.

Kinnear Angus I. “Watchman Nee: The normal Christian life.” Carol Stream,Illinois : Tyndale house Publishers, Inc.1977. http://books.google.ca/books?id=091Cgt1MqXwC &printsec  =frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false  (accessed, November 14, 2013).

Lee, Joseph Tse-Hei. Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Maoist China

Church History”, Vol. 74, No. 1 (Mar., 2005), pp. 68-96 URL: http://www.jstor.org /stable /4146313  (accessed November 14,2013).

 Lee, Ken Ang. "Watchman Nee: A Study of His Major Theological Themes." Order No. 8920089, Westminster Theological Seminary, 1989. In PROQUESTMS ProQuest Dissertations & Theses  http://search.proquest.com/docview/303742001?accountid=12085. (accessed December 11,2013).

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http://search.proquest.com/docview/304008074? accountid=12085.(accessed, December 11,2013)

May, Grace Ying. "Watchman Nee and the Breaking of Bread: The Missiological and Spiritual Forces that Contributed to an Indigenous Chinese Ecclesiology." Order No. 9972179, Boston University School of Theology, 2000. In PROQUESTMS ProQuest Dissertations & Theses  http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/304671544 http://search.proquest.com/docview/304671544?accountid=12085. (accessed, December 11,2013)

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 Nee, Watchman. “The spiritual man: volume one.” Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry,1998. http://liiberty.summon.serialssolutions.com/document/show?id =FETCHMERGEDliberty_catalog_5162951&s.cmd=nextPage()&s.fvf=ContentType%2CNewspaper+Article%2Ct&s.light=t&s.pn=3&s.q=Nee%2C+watchman (accessed December 11,2013).

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[1]               Timothy C. Tennent, Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church Is Influencing the Way We Think about and Discuss Theology. 1st ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007),241.

[2]               Ibid.

[3]               Ibid.

[4]               Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Maoist China

Church History,  Vol. 74, No. 1 (Mar., 2005), pp. 73. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4146313  (accessed November 14, 2013).

[5]             Ibid., 72.

[6]               May, Grace Ying. "Watchman Nee and the Breaking of Bread: The Missiological and Spiritual Forces that Contributed to an Indigenous Chinese Ecclesiology." Order No. 9972179, Boston University School of Theology, 2000. In PROQUESTMS ProQuest Dissertations & Theses http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy. liberty.edu:2048/docview/304671544  (accessed, December 11,2013)

[7]             Lee,73.

[8]                Lee, 75.

[9]               Lee.,75

[10]             Ibid.

[11]             Ibid.

[12]             Ibid.,76

[13]             Lee, 68.

[14]             Ibid.

[15]             Ibid.,69.

[16]             Ibid.,68.

[17]             Ibid.,69.

[18]              Lee.,77.

[19]              Ibid.,78.

[20]             Ibid.,79.

 [21]            Ibid.,80.

[22]             Lee,81.

[23]             Ibid.

[24]             Tennent, 234.

[25]             Ibid.

[26]             Lee,92.

[27]              Dean. Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns of Theology and Mission. 1st ed. (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2005), 297.

[28]             Kinnear Angus I. Watchman Nee: The normal Christian life. Carol Stream,Illinois : Tyndale house Publishers, Inc.1977.   http://books.google.ca/books?id=091Cgt1MqXwC&printsec =frontcover#v =onepage&q&f=false (accessed November 14, 2013).

[29]               Justo L. Goncalez. The Story of Christianity: the reformation to the present day: volume II. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010,)51. 

[30]             Watchman Nee, “Baptism: New believers’ series”. Anaheim, A: Living Stream Ministry, 1997. http://books.google.ca/books?id=mPoOC_2qihgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Nee+Watchman&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lFKEUsqrNuGh2gXW4ICgBw&ved=0CFwQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=Nee%20Watchman&f=false (accessed November 14,2013)

[31]             Ibid.

[32]             Goncalez,53-54. 

[33]            Watchman Nee.Assembling together: Basic lesson series-volume3. (New York: Christian Fellowship     Publisher, Inc. 1973), 14-48. https://lucas.liberty.edu/vwebv/briefHoldingsInfo?searchId=989&recPointer

=0&recCount=10&searchType=7&bibId=177878  (accessed December 11,2013)

[34]             Nee, 47-48.

[35]             Goncalez.,53-54. 

[36]           Luke Pei-Yuan Lu. "Watchman Nee's Doctrine of the Church with Special Reference to its Contribution to the Local Church Movement." Order No. 9224638, Westminster Theological Seminary, 1992. In PROQUESTMS ProQuest Dissertations & Theses  http://search.proquest.com/docview/304008074?

      accountid=12085.

[37]             Goncalez.,53-54. 

[38]          Lu.

[39]             Tennent.,241.

[40]             Ibid.

[41]             Ibid.