Wachman Nee

A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF WATCHMAN NEE
Let me love and not be respected; Let me serve and not be rewarded; Let me labor and not be remembered; Let me suffer and not be regarded ‘Tis the pouring not the drinking; Tis the breaking, not the keeping — A life suffering to seek others’ blessing, A life loving and true comfort giving Not expecting pity and concern, Not accepting solace and applause; Evenlonely, even forgotten, Even wordless, even forsaken. Tears and blood my price for the righteous crown shall be; Losing all, my cost for a faithful pilgrim’s life. ‘Tis the life, O Lord, that You chose to live In those days when on earth You walked, Gladly suffering all injuries and loss So that all might draw near and repose. I cannot see how much farther I shall go; Still I press on knowing thereis no return. Let me follow Your pattern so perfect and true, Bearing ingratitudes without complaint. In this time of trial, O Lord, I pray That You’ll wipe all my hidden tears away; Let me learn, O Lord, You are my reward, Let me be others’ blessing all my days.

This maxim, which was composed by Watchman Nee around the year 1930, could very well sum up his life and ministry. Watchman Nee wasborn on 4 November 1903, in Swatow, China.

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A Short Biography of Watchman Nee

His birth was an answer to prayer. His mother, Ho-Ping, was afraid that she might bear only daughters like her sister-in-law who gave birth to six daughters. Ho-Ping already had two girls. Though she was at that time only a nominal Christian, she nonetheless prayed for a son and vowed to give him back to God.In the following year she gave birth to a boy and, following the family tradition, named him Shu-Tsu, which means, To continue glorifying the ancestors. It was not till 1925 that Shu-Tsu changed his name to Watchman (which in Chinese is To-Sheng). When Watchman was six years old the family moved back to Foochow, their native place. He received his early education through private tutoring in Chinesecalligraphy and the study of the Four Books and Five Classics which had been the foundation of Chinese culture for two thousand years. Early on he showed his adroitness in learning. As a boy Watchman was lively and active, and thus he received more chastenings than did his elder sisters. In order to protect him, however, his sisters would sometimes take upon themselves the blame for mischiefsperpetrated so as to relieve their brother of punishment. In 1916, at the age of thirteen, Watchman entered the vernacular Middle School in Foochow, sponsored by the Church Missionary Society (Anglican), to receive a Western-style education. This was a step towards Trinity College, which was staffed mainly by Irish missionaries from Trinity College, Dublin. Being brilliant, he did not need to studyhard to rank at the top of his class. Though he observed Christian traditions such as baptism, communion, Sunday School and so forth, he had nonetheless failed to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. He loved the world and sought for earthly glory. He liked to read novels and to attend movies. He wrote articles for newspapers, and with the money he received he bought lottery tickets. He wasat one time the chairman of his school’s student body.

A Short Biography of Watchman Nee

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During this period China was experiencing great national unrest. Naturally, as a young man Watchman was affected by the political movements all around him. At the same time he developed a strong aversion towards the Church and to preachers. He despised preachers, considering them as dogs to themissionaries. When he was told by his father that he had been promised to God to be a preacher, he could not have disagreed more. Not so, was his firm response, making it clear he had planned his own future in a far different direction. He would never be a preacher, vowed Watchman. In the latter part of February 1920, Miss Dora Yu, one of the first Chinese evangelists, came to Foochow to conduct...