The Recovery of the Local Churches

Additional Local Church Quotes by Witness Lee on The Moravian Brethren

Early in the eighteenth century, a number of believers fled to Bohemia to escape persecution. Zinzendorf had both the love and the burden to care for these refugees. However, among them there were disputes over doctrine and practice. When these disputes made it impossible for the believers to go on together peacefully, Zinzendorf required all the leaders to sign a statement that they would set aside the differences and live together in oneness. During the next meeting for the Lord’s table, they experienced a mighty outpouring of the Spirit. In this way the practice of the church life was recovered, at least in a beginning way.

(Witness Lee, Genuine Ground, 140)

The secret of the practice of the church life is first the one accord in the local churches. Second, the secret of the practice of the church life is the oneness in the universal Body (Eph. 4:3; John 17:11, 21-23)….In the eighteenth century Count Zinzendorf had an estate in Saxony which he used as a refuge for those fleeing the persecution of the Roman Catholic Church and the state churches. The brothers who were gathered there began to disagree over their doctrinal and practical differences. One day Zinzendorf called them together and advised them to drop their differences. They all agreed. Soon after this, they experienced the outpouring of the Spirit upon them and they were increased and spread.

(Witness Lee, One Body, 18-19)

In the eighteenth century, Count Zinzendorf and other brothers in Moravia began to experience something of the church life. They probably did not have the term church life, but they certainly practiced it.

(Witness Lee, Tripartite Man, 60)

In the seventeenth century, the Moravian brothers were raised up. Because of the persecution from the Catholic Church, the state churches, and the independent churches, the brothers fled to the estate of Brother Zinzendorf. From that point on, the recovery of the church life began…

(Witness Lee, Up-to-Date Presentation, 15-16)

Main

The Reformation

The Moravian Brethren

The Plymouth Brethren

A New Beginning

Watchman Nee’s Calling

Watchman Nee’s Revelation

Watchman Nee’s Care for the Local Churches

The Local Church in Foochow, China

Witness Lee’s Revelation

The Spread of the Local Churches

Bibliography

Links