The Recovery of the Local Churches

The Spread of the Local Churches

2. In the Far East

The local churches then spread from China to a number of other countries in the Far East. Witness Lee states:

In addition, over thirty local churches in the southeastern Asian countries of the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia were directly or indirectly raised up through Watchman Nee’s ministry.

(Witness Lee, Seer of the Divine Revelation, 277)

Elsewhere, Witness Lee says:

Within about one year, over forty local churches were raised up in Inner Mongolia through seventy who migrated there from Chefoo. In 1948 and 1949 after the war, there was a great revival among us. Through that revival the church life spread into most of the cities. By 1949 there were hundreds of local churches in China. There were local churches in each of its thirty-three provinces and in all the leading cities.

It was also in 1949 that the Communists took over mainland China. About three hundred fifty to five hundred saints among us went to the island of Taiwan from mainland China. Some went there in 1947 to begin the church life with a very small number. In 1948 the number was strengthened. In 1949 I was also sent by the work to Taiwan. Within the next six years, our number grew from about five hundred to about twenty thousand. Now on the island of Taiwan there are about seventy local churches. The church in Taipei today has over twenty-one thousand saints meeting in fourteen halls (editor’s note—this was in 1973).

The Lord also moved in Southeast Asia through Brother Nee. In 1924 at the age of twenty-one, he went to Malaysia…. He went to a city called Sitiawan to visit with his mother. Through that visit the first local church was raised up in Southeast Asia. From 1931 through 1933 the church life spread from China through the immigrating Chinese to places such as Singapore and other cities of Malaysia and Indonesia. Then in 1950 the proper church life went to the Philippines in Manila. In 1957 the church life spread to Japan.

(Witness Lee, History of the Church, 59-60)

One of the countries in the Far East to which the local churches spread was Taiwan. Witness Lee comments:

Similarly, from 1927 to 1952, Brother Nee remained in Shanghai, and the church in Shanghai was under his leading for twenty-five years. Not only so, but in 1948 he established me as an elder in Shanghai. He did not stay away from the church there; rather, in his caring for the church, he appointed me as an elder. The next year, 1949, because of the political situation, Brother Nee sent me out of China to Taiwan.

(Witness Lee, Church Life, 16)

The spread of the local churches in the Far East continues today, as Witness Lee remarks:

The Lord’s recovery among us was initiated through Brother Nee approximately seventy years ago. Also, the Russian revolution to bring in Communism began approximately seventy years ago. The czarist rule in Russia was replaced by Communism under Lenin. Around the same time, the first local church in China was established in Brother Nee’s hometown. Today Communism has been proven a failure, but the recovery of the practical church life is still prevailing. The Lord initiated His recovery among us in the Far East, and it is still growing there.

(Witness Lee, Direction of the Lord’s Move, 13-14)

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