Witness Lee: Answering the Lord’s Calling to Serve

Just as Witness Lee desired to spend his life preaching the gospel on the day he was saved, so after he graduated from college, the Lord reminded him of this same thing. But he took the excuse that he had to help his younger brother finish his college education. After he graduated from college, Witness Lee was again reminded by the Lord that he should give up his occupation and spend his full time preaching the gospel. At that time Witness Lee knew that his destiny was to give his life to serve the Lord. However, he did not have a faith bold enough to perform it.

Just as Witness Lee desired to spend his life preaching the gospel on the day he was saved, so after he graduated from college, the Lord reminded him of this same thing

After the church in Witness Lee’s hometown was raised up, he still kept his occupation and at the same time cared for the meetings. By 1933, just one year after the church began, the work was booming. There was a great demand upon his time. During the three weeks between August 1 and August 21, he struggled much with the Lord. He deeply sensed that He was calling him to give up his occupation and serve Him by faith, but he dared not take definite action because of the lack of faith.

Among all the brothers in the church at that time, only Witness Lee and his younger brother made what would be considered good money in their occupations. For this reason most of the needs of the church were taken care of secretly by the two of them. Therefore, when the call of the Lord came to give up my occupation, Witness Lee considered all the needs. Not only would the amount being offered to the church be lessened if he gave up his employment, but others would have to care for him. He struggled with this matter.

After three weeks of struggling with the Lord, Witness Lee simply could not go on; so in the evening of August 21, following the prayer meeting, he explained his situation to the two leading ones and asked them to pray for him. After eleven o’clock that night, he went to the Lord and knelt before Him in his reading room. The Lord immediately rebuked him: “You have an evil heart of unbelief in falling away from the living God!” (Heb. 3:12). Witness Lee said in his heart, “I have a wife and three children to take care of.” The Lord responded, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ..and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:32-33). At that time he became clear that he had to spend his full time serving the Lord. The only factor which caused him to hesitate was lack of faith. He deeply sensed that the Lord was there. His presence was so real that he could not deny it. But up to this point he could not pray. Then He warned him, “If you will take My word, take it; otherwise, I am through with you.” Immediately following that word, Witness Lee felt that the Lord departed. He could pray no more; he could not even say “Amen”. Tears filled his eyes. Finally he said, “All right, this is it.” There was no other way. The next morning both of the two leading ones came to him and told him that after praying they felt it was of the Lord that he should leave his occupation and give his full time to serving the Lord.

At that time he became clear that he had to spend his full time serving the Lord

The next day Witness Lee went to resign from his job. After resigning, he went to the post office and found a letter awaiting him from Ch’ang-ch’un, the capital of Manchuria under Japanese occupation. Opening it, he found to his surprise the first invitation he ever received in his entire life calling him to go to another place to speak for the Lord. It was immediately after his resignation that he received this letter. It seemed to be a definite confirmation of the Lord regarding his resignation, and he was much strengthened and encouraged. Witness Lee accepted the invitation and went. Through his visit an assembly was raised up there. The preacher, the elders, the deacons, and others of the Presbyterian denomination, close to twenty, all turned to the Lord’s recovery and were baptized by him in the river in one day.

Witness Lee spent seventeen days in that place. While he was there, a letter arrived from the general manager of the company in which he had been employed, telling him that they would not let him go but would promote him and increase his salary. The time was late September. Witness Lee began to consider; it was the policy of his company to give the employees a bonus at the end of the year. He was tempted by the thought that if he would work for only a little more than three months he could still get that bonus and then quit.

Confirmation by Watchman Nee

Upon returning to his hometown, a letter was awaiting Witness Lee from Watchman Nee. He looked at the envelope, noticing it was mailed from Shanghai. He opened it and read it. It was dated August 17, exactly in the midst of the time he had been struggling with the Lord. The letter said, “Brother Witness, as for your future, I feel that you should serve the Lord with your full time. How do you feel? May the Lord lead you.” It is impossible to tell what strong confirmation he received by receiving that short note from him. That little note simply annulled the letter from his general manager. He was leaping in his heart. He said to himself, “This matter is settled. Even if someone would offer me the whole world, I would not take it. Tomorrow I will go to the office and tell the general manager that I reject his good offer.” The next day he did exactly that. Then Witness Lee felt that he must go to Shanghai to see Watchman Nee and discover why he wrote him that note at that particular time, August 17.

Brother Witness, as for your future, I feel that you should serve the Lord with your full time. How do you feel? May the Lord lead you

In Shanghai Watchman Nee related to him the following story. He told Witness Lee that while he was returning to China from Europe his ship was sailing on the Mediterranean Sea. One day while in his cabin, burdened and praying for the Lord’s work in China, he felt he should write Witness Lee a note telling him that he should spend his full time serving the Lord. When he told Witness Lee that, Witness Lee was fully convinced that Watchman Nee was a person wholly with the Lord. Otherwise, how could Witness Lee be thousands of miles away struggling with the Lord and Watchman Nee be on the Mediterranean Sea receiving a burden to write Witness Lee concerning this matter at the very instant God was dealing with him? Witness Lee was persuaded that Watchman Nee was a man of God. He did not need to ask Witness Lee to work with him; Witness Lee had already made the decision. He had to follow him and work with him. This incident became the basic factor in their working together for the Lord.