Books by Watchman Nee & Witness Lee

Living Stream Ministry - Publisher of Watchman Nee & Witness Lee

“Even as I exhorted you, when I was going into Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus in order that you might charge certain ones not to teach different things nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God’s economy (oikonomia), which is in faith.” (1 Timothy 1:3-4)

The word economy is derived from the Greek word oikonomia, which is composed of two words: oikos meaning house or household and nomos meaning law. God's economy refers to His household law, His household arrangement to dispense Himself as life to the members of the household of the faith, those who have been joined to God and to one another through faith in Christ. The riches that God dispenses are simply Himself, and the issue of this dispensing is the building up of the Body of Christ.

All of the books in this category develop the biblical revelation of God's economy in a simple and practical way, bringing the believers into the experience and enjoyment of our wonderful Triune God.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

The grace of the Lord is the Lord Himself as life to us for our enjoyment, the love of God is God Himself as the source of the grace of the Lord, and the fellowship of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself as the transmission of the grace of the Lord with the love of God for our participation. The biblical revelation of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—is not for theological study but for the apprehending of how the Triune God in His mysterious and marvelous trinity dispenses Himself into His chosen and redeemed people, so that we may participate in, experience, enjoy, and possess Him now and for eternity.

All of the books in this category unveil the Triune God not as a matter for doctrinal study but as an ever-present reality for our experience and enjoyment of Him.

“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages, but now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:9-10)

The first name and the last name (Rev. 22:21) in the New Testament is Jesus, proving that Jesus Christ is the subject and content of the New Testament. The Bible is a book of life, and this life is a living person, the wonderful and all-inclusive Christ. The Old Testament gives a portrait, in types and prophecies, of this wonderful person as the Coming One. Now, in the New Testament, this wonderful person has come. When Christ comes, light, life, salvation, satisfaction, healing, freedom, rest, comfort, peace, and joy all come with Him. The whole New Testament is a full expounding of this wonderful Christ, who is everything to us.

All of the books in this category present the biblical revelation concerning Christ, the anointed One, who has accomplished an eternal redemption and who is now supplying His divine life for the believer's building up.

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men....For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life....I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly.” (John 1:4; 3:16; 10:10)

In the New Testament three different Greek words (bios, psuche, and zoe) are translated as life in English. Bios refers to our physical, biological life, the life of the body. Psuche refers to our subjective, psychological life, the life of the soul. Zoe, however, refers to the highest life in the universe, the very divine life of the Triune God Himself. Christ came so that we would have and enjoy His eternal, uncreated divine life. This life is imparted into the believers through faith, causing them to be born again with the divine life. This life makes the believers children of God with the capacity to grow and mature in the divine life until they are filled unto all the fullness of God.

All of the books in this category develop the biblical revelation concerning the life of the Triune God which is the believers' portion for their daily enjoyment and supply.

“And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

The Church is Christ's own Body,
     The Father's dwelling-place,
The gathering of the called ones.
     God blended with man's race;
Elect before creation,
     Redeemed by Calv'ry's death,
Her character and standing
     Of heaven, not of earth.

One Body universal,
     One in each place expressed;
Locality of dwelling
     Her only ground possessed;
Administration local,
     Each answ'ring to the Lord;
Communion universal,
     Upheld in one accord.

All of the books in this category unveil the spiritual truths and practical principles concerning the church, the Body of Christ. The wide range of books in this category cover the church in both its universal and local aspects.

“From that time Jesus began to proclaim and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near....Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens” (Matthew 4:17; 5:3)

The kingdom of God is God's general reign from eternity past to eternity future. It comprises eternity without beginning before the foundation of the world, the chosen patriarchs (including the paradise of Adam), the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, the church in the New Testament, the coming millennial kingdom (including its heavenly part, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, and its earthly part, the Messianic kingdom), and the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem in eternity without end. If we are poor in spirit, the kingdom of the heavens is ours: we are in its reality now in the church age, and we will share in its manifestation in the kingdom age.

All of the books in this category present the biblical teaching concerning the reality, the appearance, and the manifestation of the kingdom. The kingdom is a central concept in the Holy Scriptures, and it speaks of the believers' need to live a life under the ruling and reigning of God.

“Now these people were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11)

To study the Bible, to seek out God's eternal purpose in His Holy Word, is a unique privilege for all believers. All Scripture is God-breathed, and it is possible to receive enlightenment for our path and a spiritual supply for our growth and maturity by reading and praying over God's Word. Like the open-minded Bereans, every Christian should examine and study the Scriptures daily to enter into the very thought and heart of God. We should study the Bible, not for the sake of doctrinal knowledge, but in order to be nourished up in the words of the faith, living by the very words that proceed out of the mouth of God.

All of the books in this category open up the divine revelation in the Holy Scriptures concerning God, Christ, the Spirit, the church, the believers, the kingdom, and the New Jerusalem. These topics are particularly presented from the viewpoint of the dispensing of the divine life of the Triune God into His chosen and redeemed elect.

“For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,...For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes, both to Jew first and to Greek” (Romans 1:9, 16)

The gospel involves more than just being rescued from God's condemnation and from eternal perdition; it encompasses the full range of God's saving grace, beginning with the believers' justification by faith alone and regeneration as children of God and consummating in their full conformity to the image of Christ through the operation of the divine life. The words that we should speak in season and out must reflect the deep contents of the gospel as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

All of the books in this category unveil the importance and the content of the biblical revelation of the Gospel, which conveys the power of God's salvation to all those who believe.

“And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, Praising God and having grace with all the people. And the Lord added together day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-7)

Despite loving the Lord, attending meetings, serving in various areas, reading the Bible, and praying there is a feeling that something is lacking in the church life. The practice of the new way is an opportunity to fill up this inward lack by focusing on individual homes. The new way involves going out to door-knock and to baptize people, establishing home meetings immediately in the new ones\' homes, teaching the truth in the homes to build up the new ones in the habits of reading the Bible and prayer, and bringing the new ones into the knowledge and living of the practical church life.

All of the books in this category speak of the importance of entering into the God-ordained way, which is the new way, for the growth and building up of the Body of Christ.

“Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

The Christian life is a matter of daily practice (1 Tim. 4:15). It is important, however, to have a proper understanding of the focus and content of this practice. The focus of our practice should not be on outward things such as ethical behavior, but rather on being inwardly renewed by the operation of the divine life. Similarly, the content of our practice should not be based on outward rules and procedures, but rather on the exercise of the spirit, especially in our reading and speaking of the Word of God, which releases the operation of the divine life.

All of the books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in this category speak of the importance of daily life practices and assist in bringing the believers into a daily renewing in life.

“I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)

As Christians, our service to the Lord must be in the Body of Christ. Christian service is not something individual; it is something corporate. Christian service is something of the Body, in the Body, with the Body, and for the Body. God's intention in the universe is to have a Body. There are many different words in the Bible that express this one desire—the Body, the house, the priesthood—but they signify our need as regenerated believers to be tempered and built up as one Body. If we are going to serve the Lord, we need to be very clear about this point.

All of the books in this category speak of the importance of service in the Body of Christ, both as a spiritual reality and as a matter of practical experience.

“And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Without the perfecting of the believers, all of the gifts given by Christ, the Head, will become vain because there will be nothing to cause the Body to grow in the divine life, which will enable the functions of the Body to operate for the building up of itself in love. The perfecting and training of the believers in the growth in life is crucial in order that our functions, as the members of the Body, may come out to build up the Body of Christ.

All of the books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in this category speak of the importance of training in our person and in our experiential knowledge of the truth.

“If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work. But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:21-22)

In every age and generation God comes to young people for the carrying out of His move. Both the Bible and church history show us that God wants to use the young people. It is not sufficient just to be saved, to preach the gospel to get others saved, and to be spiritual. We must realize that God has an eternal plan. For the fulfillment of this plan, there is a need for young people who are undefiled by youthful lusts, who know the Word, and who are full of the experiences of the divine life.

All of the books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in this category speak of the usefulness of and the care for the young people.

The Living Stream Ministry publishes the works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, providing the authoritative and definitive collections of treasures from these two servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. The writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee focus on the enjoyment of the divine life, which all the believers possess, and on the building up of the church, the goal of God's work with man in this age.

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