Wright Doyle's Biography of Nee

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Several commendatory biographies of Watchman Ni have added to the enormous influence of his writings. He is remembered mostly for his early emphases: life centered upon God; devotion to Christ; reliance on the Holy Spirit; the centrality of the church; memorization of, and meditation upon, Scripture; and the indigenous nature of the Local Church. Among those who knew of Ni’s serious faults and failings, there is an awareness that no mere man should be looked to as a teacher of truth or a paragon of virtue. Others see the dangers of concentrating power in the hands of a single person or small group of elite leaders.

This is the healthy take away which the Recovery in the US never received from Witness Lee. "Early-Nee" was such a blessing to so many of the God's children. Unfortunately, instead of giving glory "unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever," "Later-Nee" was excessively lifted up in China. Christ, and only Christ, is incorruptible and thus worthy to be uplifted in the church of God.

What a danger this is to both the minister and the church. Exalted men are always endangered by the lusts of the flesh. Unlimited power vested in a single individual always corrupts. What human leader in history, either secular or spiritual, has ever escaped these temptations. It was only the serious failures, known to all, that preserved the early apostles, like Peter and Paul, as our patterns. Until the end of his life, Paul reminded us that he was the chief of sinners and worthy of nothing here on earth.

By promoting an early Recovery mythology of Watchman Nee to the LC's, Witness Lee was likewise exalted by his own circle of minions. Those brothers over the years, who refused to "bow down" in adoration were branded conspiratorial rebels contaminated with leprosy and fit to be cast outside the camp, lest they poison others. Lee's own history of corruption at LSM is now well-documented. We can see how his grandiose plan of being the "Minister of the Age" has damaged him and others. Neither Nee nor Lee was ever content to be "a" minister of the gospel, rather they had to be "the" minister of the age, a title rightfully belonging only to Jesus, the Son of the living God.