The Collected Works Of Witness Lee 1953 Volume 3

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953, volume 3, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in 1953 through 1968. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1953 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into three sections, as follows: 1. Fourteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1953 and 1954. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Knowledge of Life and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Nineteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1953 and 1954. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Experience of Life and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Seven messages given in Manila, Philippines, and Taipei, Taiwan, in 1953 through 1968. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Character and are included in this volume under the same title.

Brother Witness Lee traveled to Manila, Philippines, on December 10, 1952, and stayed there until June 30, 1953. During this time he released messages that compose the first six chapters of The Bridge and Channel of God, which appears in volume 1 of this set. A collection of his personal notes written in January is included in volume 1 of this set. On June 1 through 14 he conducted a training on service in the mornings with brothers who attended from the Philippines as well as from other Southeast Asian countries. The main subject of these meetings was on the conditions for God to use man and on the knowledge needed for those who serve the Lord. In the evenings he spoke to the whole church on God's need for man and the life of service. After this, he conducted meetings in Baguio, Philippines, for three days beginning on June 15, with two meetings every day. The subject of these meetings was on the life and living of the Lord's serving ones and the revelation and way for service. These messages were originally published in The Ministry of the Word, Issue Nos. 27 and 28, and are included in volume 1 of this set under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1953. After returning from Manila on June 30, Brother Lee remained in Taiwan for the rest of the year. Beginning on August 9 he conducted an eleven-day conference on life and the church with over two thousand in attendance. These messages are included in volume 1 of this set in the section entitled Knowing Life and the Church. The most significant event of this year was a sixteen-week training that began in September and ended in the middle of December. This was the most crucial training during the first few years of the work in Taiwan. All the sections in the remainder of the 1953 set are from messages released during this training. These include The Knowledge of Life and The Experience of Life, both of which have become crucial books in the Lord's recovery since that time. Some of the messages in these sections were given in 1954. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953, volume 1, contains messages that Brother Witness Lee gave in 1953. This volume also includes notes, articles for publication, and an outline written in the same year. Additionally, prayers offered by Brother Lee in meetings from 1953 through 1957 are included in this volume. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1953 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into nine sections, as follows: 1. Eight messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, and Manila, Philippines, in 1953. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Bridge and Channel of God and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. A collection of personal notes written in January 1953. These are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 3. Two messages given in Manila, Philippines, on June 12 and 13, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Concerning the Lord's Work and God's Move. 4. Twenty-three messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in August 1953. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Knowing Life and the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Nine articles and reports that appeared in various issues of The Ministry of the Word in 1953. They are included in this volume under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1953. 6. Four messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 18 and 20, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Fellowship in Preparation for the Service Training in Taipei. 7. A detailed outline written in 1953 showing the subjects that were covered in the training on service in Taipei, Taiwan. This outline is included in this volume under the title Outline of the Service Training in Taipei. 8. Five messages given during an intensified sixteen-week training on service in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 1 through December 18, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Human Conduct and the Ministry of the Word of the Lord's Serving Ones. Most of the content of the service training and the fellowship that followed the training is published in volume 2 of this set in the section entitled Messages and Fellowship Given during the Service Training in Taipei. 9. A collection of nineteen prayers offered by Brother Lee in meetings held in Taipei, Taiwan, and Hong Kong from 1953 through 1957. They are included in this volume under the title A Collection of Prayers.

Brother Witness Lee traveled to Manila, Philippines, at the beginning of 1954. On January 24 he began a seven-day perfecting conference with five special fellowships concerning the subject of pursuing the Lord. After this, he initiated a service training that lasted for six months, with four meetings per week. On Wednesday mornings he gave a Bible study of the Old Testament, and on Wednesday evenings he gave a training on character, including matters such as being the proper person, handling affairs properly, and doing the proper work. On Friday mornings he gave a training on being a minister of God's word, and on Friday evenings he ministered on the proper way to meet. The number who attended these meetings varied between fifty-six and one hundred sixty. The study of the Old Testament and the training on character are included in volume 1 of the 1954 set, along with other messages given in the same time period. Brother Lee left Manila in July and traveled to Hong Kong, where he conducted ten meetings on life and twelve meetings on service, plus four gospel meetings, four young people's meetings, six fellowships on service, and six meetings for the full-time serving ones. These meetings were centered on the indwelling Christ and on the knowledge of spiritual service. They are included in volumes 1 and 2 of this set. Brother Lee left Hong Kong to return to Taiwan in the middle of August. At the end of August and the beginning of September, Brother Lee conducted a special conference in Taipei, Taiwan, that consisted of ten meetings on the subject of spiritual reality, with between one thousand six hundred and two thousand six hundred in attendance. These messages are included in the section entitled Spiritual Reality in volume 2 of this set. In the fall of 1954 Brother Lee began another extended training for serving ones like the one that he carried out in the fall of 1953. During this training he conducted a detailed study on Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus through Ezra. The messages given in this detailed study are included in volume 4 of this set. He also spoke further on the knowledge of life and the experience of life. These speakings and the speakings in the previous training in 1953 on the same subjects were combined to form the books The Knowledge of Life and The Experience of Life (see The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953, vol. 3). During this training he also released messages published in Gospel Outlines, which are included in volume 3 of this set. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1954, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee on January 1 through August 12, 1954. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1954 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into seven sections, as follows: 1. Two messages given in Manila, Philippines, on January 1 and 3. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Significance and Application of the Burnt Offering. 2. Eight messages given in Manila, Philippines, on January 24 through 31. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Living and Service of the Burnt Offering. 3. Twenty-four messages given in Manila, Philippines, in February through July. These messages are included in this volume under the title A Record of the Service Training in the Philippines. 4. Thirteen messages given in Manila, Philippines, on February 7 through July 11. These messages are included in this volume under the title Messages Given in the Lord's Day Meetings in Manila. 5. Six messages given in Manila, Philippines, in February and March. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Building Up of the Character of the Lord's Serving Ones. 6. Twenty-two messages given in Manila, Philippines, in March through June. These messages are included in this volume under the title A Record of a Bible Study on the Old Testament. 7. Eight messages given in Hong Kong on July 16 through August 12. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Spiritual Knowledge Needed for Serving in the Church.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in September through December 1953. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1953 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into three sections, as follows: 1. Thirty-six messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 1 through October 30, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Blessings and Position of the Church in Christ. 2. Twenty-two messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on November 3 through December 8, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Living and Responsibility of the Church in the Holy Spirit. 3. A summary report, which appears in the preface of this section, followed by fourteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, from September through December 1953. The report and messages are included in this volume under the title Messages and Fellowship Given during the Service Training in Taipei.

Brother Lee arrived in Taiwan from mainland China in May 1949 and started the work there on August 1 of that year. He remained there until February 1950. During that time he conducted a three-month study of the crucial truths in the Scriptures (see volumes 3 and 4 of the 1932-1949 set). Up to the end of the year, four baptism meetings were conducted, and the number of saints increased from around thirty to over nine hundred. On February 16, 1950, Brother Lee traveled to Hong Kong to join Watchman Nee in the work. He stayed until April 1, at which time he returned to Taiwan. The messages released during this period are included in volume 1 of this set, in the section entitled The Recovery of the Church according to the Pattern on the Mountain. After returning to Taiwan, he continued to lead the church in preaching the gospel and perfecting the saints. A total of one thousand two hundred twelve people were baptized in that year on nine occasions. The church met in twelve homes (that is, districts), six of which were in the city of Taipei and six in the suburbs. Some of the messages given during that time are included in the sections In Spirit, Not in Letter; The Pursuit of a Christian; and The Pure in Heart (see volumes 1 and 2 of this set). He also conducted trainings for the serving ones, but no record has been found of these trainings. On November 17, 1950, Brother Lee visited the Philippines for the first time and stayed for five and a half months, after which he returned to Taiwan on May 1, 1951. The only record of his speaking consists of a talk that he gave in January 1951 in Manila to those who wished to serve (see his personal notes and diaries in volume 2 of this set). After returning to Taiwan, Brother Lee stayed for only two months and returned to Manila quickly. From June 26 through July 24 he was in Manila and held an eight-day conference beginning on July 8. No record has been located of this conference. After returning to Taiwan from Manila, he held a conference on August 5 on "A Christianity of Religion versus a Christianity of Revelation." No record has been found of his speaking in this conference. On September 19 he visited Manila for the third time and did not return to Taiwan until the end of the year. The church in Manila was subdivided into four district meetings, and new arrangements were made in the way of the preaching of the gospel and the edification of new believers. In 1951, during his brief times in Taiwan in May, June, and August, there are records of some of his speakings. These are published in volume 3 of this set. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1950-1951, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in 1950. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry during the period of 1950-1951 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into three sections, as follows: 1. Thirty-eight messages given in Hong Kong in February and March 1950. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Recovery of the Church according to the Pattern on the Mountain. 2. Ten messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April and May 1950. These messages first appeared in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in volume 4, numbers 6 and 7, and in volume 5, numbers 1 through 6 and 8 and 9. They were also previously published in Chinese in a book entitled In Spirit, Not in Letter and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Eight messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the summer of 1950. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Pursuit of a Christian and are included in this volume under the same title.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1959, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in June 1959 through September 1961. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1959 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into five sections, as follows: 1. Fourteen messages given in Manila, Philippines; Hong Kong; and Taipei, Taiwan, on June 14 through December 14, 1959. Chapters 6 through 9 consist of messages given in Manila on June 14 through July 7, chapters 1 through 5 consist of messages given in Hong Kong on July 27 through the first part of August, and chapters 10 through 14 consist of messages given in Taipei on August 19 through December 14. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Christ Making His Home in Our Heart and the Building Up of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Fourteen messages given in Hong Kong on July 27 through August 8, 1959. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Knowing and Experiencing God as Life and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Fourteen messages given in Hong Kong on July 31 and August 1, 1959 (chapters 13 and 14), and in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 10 through September 1, 1961 (chapters 1 through 12). These messages were previously published in a book entitled Leading the Young People with the Word and the Spirit and are included in this volume under the same title. 4. Six messages given in Hong Kong on August 12 through 16, 1959. These messages are included in this volume under the title Questions and Answers concerning Life and Service. 5. Thirteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 31 through October 1, 1959. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Christ Being the Burden of the Gospel and are included in this volume under the same title.

Regarding Brother Witness Lee's travel and his ministry, 1958 can be divided into approximately three periods. The first period is the three months from January through March, during which Brother Lee was in Manila, Philippines, in January and returned to Taipei, Taiwan, via Hong Kong in February. He then conducted three conferences and a few co-workers' meetings in March. The second period consists of the next six months, from the beginning of April through mid October. During this period Brother Lee traveled around the world, passing through Tokyo, Osaka, and Shenyu in Japan (April 8 through 22); Honolulu, San Francisco, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Toronto in the United States and Canada (April 23 through August 1); London, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Zurich, Geneva, Rome, and Athens in Europe (August 2 through September 21); Beirut, Jerusalem, and Tehran in the Middle East (September 22 through 28); Karachi, Rangoon (now Yangon), and Bangkok in South and Southeast Asia (September 29 through October 3); and Hong Kong (October 4 through 15) before returning to Taiwan on October 16. The third period consists of the last three months in Taiwan, during which time he conducted various conferences. For the first period we have records of Brother Lee's meeting with district responsible ones in Hong Kong on February 12. The three conferences that Brother Lee conducted in Taiwan in March were on the subject of enjoying God. This is the first time that Brother Lee released the light concerning this subject. In addition to the three conferences, Brother Lee conducted a number of meetings with serving ones on March 4 through 8. He also gave a series of messages on reading the Bible and another series of messages on the vision of the tree of life. The messages given during this period are included in volume 1 of this set. For the second period we have records of Brother Lee's speaking in Tokyo in April in a conference on enjoying God and records of a few private talks. There are two records of his speaking in New York and four records of his speaking in Denmark. In addition, he wrote long letters that reveal some of the meetings that took place during his trip. These letters are published in Church News in volume 1 of this set. After his visits to the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, he returned to Hong Kong in October. There he held two weeks of conferences on God's building. In the third period, upon returning to Taiwan in October, Brother Lee conducted a conference on God's building, with meetings in both the morning and the evening. In addition, he conducted various meetings with serving ones. After the conference, on Mondays and Wednesdays he gave additional messages on the subject of God's building. Almost all the messages given in the second and third periods of 1958 are included in volume 2 of this set. Some of his speaking in October and November is included in volume 1 in the section entitled The Perfecting of the Saints and the Building Up of the House of God. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1958, volume 1, contains messages, personal letters, and reports by Brother Witness Lee from February through December 1958. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1958 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into seven sections, as follows: 1. A message given in Hong Kong on February 12. This message is included in this section under the title Building and Perfecting. 2. A short speaking in an unknown location in February or March. This speaking is included in this volume under the title "The Son of Man." 3. Ten messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in March. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Reading the Bible to See Its True Meaning and Central Thought and are included in this volume under the same title. 4. Thirteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in March, October, and November. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Perfecting of the Saints and the Building Up of the House of God and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Eighteen personal letters and reports that appeared in Issue Nos. 1 through 18 of Church News from April 6 through December 18. They are included in this volume under the same title. 6. Twenty-one messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in March. These messages were previously published in a book entitled How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God and are included in this volume under the same title. 7. Six messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in March. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Vision of the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and are included in this volume under the same title.

Brother Witness Lee was in Taiwan at the beginning of 1952. In the middle of January he conducted a seven-day conference in Taipei, Taiwan. We do not have a record of the messages given at this conference. Beginning on February 3, he conducted a ten-day special conference. These crucial messages are included in the section entitled Serving according to Revelation in volume 2 of the 1950-1951 set. On February 27 Brother Lee went to Manila, Philippines, and he returned to Taipei on June 17. During his time in Manila he conducted a conference on March 30 through April 4 on the subject of life and service. We do not have a record of the messages that he gave during that conference. However, we have Brother Lee's personal notes on various other meetings during his visit to Manila. They are included in the section on Brother Lee's personal notes that he made in 1952. After returning to Taiwan from Manila, Brother Lee conducted a two-week special conference beginning on July 13. The general messages are included in the section entitled Christ and the Cross in volume 1 of this set. There were also special messages for responsible ones on how to work, how to administrate the church, and how to conduct meetings. After the conference, beginning on July 28 Brother Lee conducted another two-week series of meetings on what the church is, the knowledge of the Son of God, Christ as the building material for the church, knowing the self and the natural man, the character needed for a worker of the Lord, the exercise of the spiritual life, and how to conduct meetings. These messages for the serving ones are included in the sections entitled Guidelines for the Lord's Table Meeting and the Pursuit in Life; The Crucified Christ; The Vision, Ministry, and Leading of the Lord's Serving Ones; and How to Administrate the Church, which are in volumes 1 and 2 of this set. Beginning on September 22 and ending on November 7, Brother Lee conducted a study, which took place five days a week, on the book of Romans. This study brought in a consecration of between four hundred and five hundred saints. The messages given during the study are included in the section entitled Revelations in Romans: Seeing God's Complete Salvation in volume 2 of this set. On November 12, at the conclusion of the study on Romans, a love feast was held with over two thousand in attendance. At the end of the love feast Brother Lee gave the following word: "A normal Christian must pursue equally in four things: life, truth, the gospel, and service. Most people pay attention to the first three things but neglect the last. This is why we need to make this up. We need to realize that all the services and expenses should be borne by all the saints; no one is in charge of everything or responsible for everything. All those who are called by the Lord to work for Him are in the Lord's work. Although they minister and lead in spiritual affairs and help the churches, they do not burden the churches materially. They look directly to the Lord in faith for all their needs. The Lord has cared for them." On December 10 Brother Lee left Taipei to visit Manila. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1952, volume 1, contains messages given or published by Brother Witness Lee in 1952. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1952 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into five sections, as follows: 1. A collection of personal notes and diary entries written in 1952. These are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 2. Five miscellaneous articles and reports that were originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in 1952. They are included in this volume under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1952. 3. Twenty-two messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the summer of 1952. These messages originally appeared in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in 1952 and 1953. They were also previously published in a book entitled Christ and the Cross and are included in this volume under the same title. 4. Twelve messages given in a training in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1952. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Guidelines for the Lord's Table Meeting and the Pursuit in Life and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Fourteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the summer of 1952. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Crucified Christ and are included in this volume under the same title.