The Release of the Spirit WATCHMAN NEE Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc. New York Copyright ©2000 Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc. New York All Rights Reserved ISBN 0-935008-83-7 Available from the Publishers at: 11515 Allecingie Parkway Richmond, Virginia 23235 PRINTED IN U.S.A. Translator’s Note in the Year 2000 of Our Lord On 25-28 May 1948 at Customs Lane, Foochow, South China, Watchman Nee delivered a series of messages on the subject, “The Breaking of the Outward Man unto the Release of the Spirit.” These messages served as a prelude to, and preparation for, the First Kuling Training Session.∗ In May of 1955 the first Chinese edition of the full text was published by the Gospel Book Room, Shanghai, China. It was later translated into English and first published under the title The Release of the Spirit in 1965 by Sure Foundation Publishers, near Indianapolis IN USA. A second revised edition was published by Sure Foundation in 1976, followed by a new revision with Study Guide that was likewise published by Sure Foundation Publishers, Riverside CA USA, in 1999. Later the same year, however, transfer of copyright to the book was extended to Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc., New York (with main office at Richmond VA USA). The reader should be advised that in this first printing of The Release of the Spirit that now bears the imprint of its new publishers, the latter has retained the Prefaces and Introduction for all previous editions of the work, all of which had been prepared by the staff of Sure Foundation. It should also be noted that the three quotations appearing in the Introduction were derived in edited form from the book by T. Austin-Sparks, What Is Man? (Forest Hill, London: Witness and Testimony Publishers, 1963). ∗These Sessions of Conferences—the First and Second—were created by Watchman Nee for the training of fellow Christian workers and were held on Mount Kuling outside Foochow during the summers of 1948 and 1949, respectively. For additional information about these Conferences, the reader can consult “A Sketch of the Author’s Life,” in Watchman Nee, The Finest of the Wheat, 2 vols. (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 1992), I:25-6 In this small but precious volume by brother Nee, the author strongly recommends to all the servants of Christ that they learn a most fundamental lesson in their Christian experience; namely, the breaking of the outward man for the release of the inward spirit. Work which is out of the spirit is alone the work of God. And only through the breaking of the outward man can the Holy Spirit freely work. Preface IN READING this manuscript, we have been impressed with its vital message and the need to share it and make it known to all of the Lord’s seekers—the ones who long to be channels for His life. One cannot read very far before sensing Watchman Nee’s longing and prayer for the church to know the Lord in the fullest way. For this, He must find a minimum of hindrance in us so that He may be fully released through our regenerated spirit. Surely, this is an hour when the battleground is over the soul. The Lord is seeking to work from the inside, through the spirit, regenerated by the new birth. Whereas, Satan is attempting to work from the outside, through the soul, made corrupt by the Fall. Even in the believer, the self-hyphenated strengths of the outer man, the unbroken soul, have not yet been brought under the control of the Spirit. For this, Watchman Nee helps us to see that in order for His life-giving Spirit to be released through the channel of the human spirit, the ‘hard-shell’ soul of the outward man necessitates breaking. This is largely accomplished through the dealings of our daily circumstances which God allows and so orders. In his many years of laboring with his fellow workers in China, Brother Nee has clearly seen the absolute necessity for brokenness. Moreover, it is almost as if he were personally here upon the religious scene in America where this great need for brokenness also exists among Christian workers. There may be some who are unprepared for such a bitter dose of spiritual medicine. Yet we believe anyone with discernment and hunger will agree that the breaking of the soul-powers of the outward man is imperative if the human spirit is to express Christ as our life freely. Second Preface, 1976 Rejoice with us! One million copies in ten languages are now in print. In this present hour, when the religious scene is occupied with subjective feelings and emotional experiences, it seems even more important (than twelve years ago when this book was first published) that each one of God’s children understand his basic make-up and function of his spirit, soul, and body. For those who are truly pressing for the prize and the upward calling of God, this is indeed a truth most indispensable. We trust then that this message shall reach every part of the Body of Christ and accomplish a release of His life. May it be so for His eternal glory, praise, and honor! —The Publishers Introduction FOR THE READER to properly appreciate these lessons, perhaps a few preparatory statements will be helpful. Firstly, we must become accustomed to the terminology Watchman Nee uses. Following the pattern in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, he uses Paul’s statement describing man as spirit, soul, and body. For the purposes of this book, he has chosen to call man’s spirit the inner man. He calls man’s soul the outer man. And for the body he uses the term, the outermost man. In the diagram below we have pictured this. It will also help us to realize that God, in designing man originally, intended for man’s spirit to be His home or dwelling place. So the Holy Spirit, by making His union with the human spirit, was to govern the soul. Then further, the spirit through the soul would use the body as the means of expressing God’s life and purpose. Secondly, when Watchman Nee speaks of destroying the soul, it may seem as if he is using too strong a word—as though he is implying annihilation. Actually, the whole substance of his message clearly points out that the soul is stubbornly independent, that the soul must become the broken organ or vessel for the release of his spirit, and that the soul becomes the functioning channel through which the Spirit of life seeks to flow out. So it is the independence of the soul that must be destroyed, or broken. Then his soul becomes dependent, and his spirit is liberated. As T. Austin-Sparks has wisely pointed out: “We must be careful that—while recognizing . . . the soul has been seduced, led captive, darkened, and poisoned with self- interest—we do not regard it as something to be annihilated and destroyed in this life. This would be asceticism. . . The result of any such behavior is usually another form of soulishness to an exaggerated degree. . . Our whole human nature is in our souls, and if our nature is suppressed in one direction, she will take revenge in another. This is just what the trouble is with a great many people if only they knew it. There is a difference between a life of suppression and a life of service. The life of Christ, in His submission, subjection, and servanthood before the Father, was not a life of soul-destruction. His was a life of perfect rest and sweet delight. Slavery . . . is the lot of those who live wholly in their own souls. We need to revise our ideas about service. It is becoming more and more common to think of service as bondage and slavery when it is really a Divine thing. Spirituality is not a negative life of suppression. Spirituality is a positive life of newness and surplus. It is not the old life striving to get the mastery of itself.” Thirdly, we must see how the soul has to be smitten a fatal blow by the death of Christ as to its self-governing strength. As with Jacob’s thigh, after God had touched it, he walked to the end of his life with a limp. His life would illustrate clearly, and be forever registered in the soul, this indelible fact: The soul must never act out of itself as an independent source and never draw upon its own independent resources . Again, T. Austin-Sparks writes: “The soul as an instrument has to be won, mastered, and ruled in order to submit to the higher and different ways of God. It is spoken of so frequently in the Scripture as something over which we have to gain and exercise authority. For instance, note the following verses: ‘In your patience ye shall win your souls’ (Luke 21:19). ‘Ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth’ (1 Pet. 1:22). ‘The end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls’ (1 Pet. 1:9).” Finally, in these lessons we must see why Watchman Nee insists that the soul—the outer man—be broken, be mastered, and be renewed for the spirit’s use. T. Austin-Sparks has well said: “Whether or not we are yet able to accept it as the way of going on with God fully, the fact is that all of the soul’s energies and abilities for knowing, understanding, sensing, and doing will come to an end. And subsequently, we will stand bewildered, dazed, numbed, and impotent. Then, we will discover that only a new understanding, only another constraint, and only the Divine energy will give us the strength to keep us going. In such times, we shall have to say to our souls: ‘My soul, be thou silent unto God’ (Ps.62:5)—‘My soul, come thou with me to follow the Lord.’ But what joy and strength there is when the soul has been constrained to yield to the spirit. Eventually, the higher wisdom and glory, derived from such a suffering experience, will be recognized as its vindication. Then it is that praise and worship will break forth: ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior’ (Luke 1:46). First, the ‘spirit hath,’ and then the ‘soul doth’—note the tenses.” As we approach the end of these lessons, we will discover the secret of fruitful living unto Him. Do not fall into the snare, as so many have, of trying to suppress your soul, or of despising it. But be strong in spirit so that your soul may be won, saved, and made to serve His fullest joy. The Lord Jesus has planned for you to find rest unto your souls. And this, He says, comes by way of His yoke—the symbol of union and service (Matt.11:28-30). We shall then appreciate how the soul will see that its greatest value is in serving, not in ruling. True, until broken, the soul wants to be its own master. Thus, it is through the cross that it can become a very useful servant. CONTENTS 1 The Importance of Brokenness 13 2 Before and After Brokenness 25 3 Recognizing “The Thing In Hand” 37 4 How To Know Man 45 5 The Church and God’s Work 57 6 Discipline and Brokenness 67 7 Dividing and Revelation 77 8 What Impression Do We Give? 89 9 Meekness And Brokenness 99 10 Two Very Different Ways 107 Study Guide 115 11 The Importance of Brokenness ANYONE who serves God will discover sooner or later that the great hindrance he has in the Lord’s work is not others, but himself. He will discover that his outward man (soul) is not in harmony with his inward man (spirit). Both tend to go toward two opposite directions from each other. He will also sense the inability of his outward man to submit to the inner control of his regenerated spirit, received through the new birth. Thus, he is rendered incapable of obeying God’s highest commands. He will quickly detect that his greatest difficulty lies in his outward man, which hinders him from using his spirit. Many of God’s servants are not able to do even the most elementary work. Ordinarily, they should be enabled by the exercise of their spirit to know God’s Word, to discern the spiritual condition of another, to send forth God’s messages under the anointing, and to receive God’s illumination. Yet due to the distractions of the outward man, their spirit does not seem to function properly. It is basically because their outward man has never been dealt with. For this reason, excitement in revivals, pleading prayers, and zealous activities are but a waste of time. As we shall see, only one kind of basic dealing can enable man to be useful before God—brokenness. The Inward Man and the Outward Man Notice how the Bible separates man into two parts: “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man” (Rom. 7:22). Our inward man delights in the Law of God. “To be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man” (Eph. 3:16). And Paul also tells us, “But if indeed our outward man is consumed, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). 14 The Release of the Spirit First of all, when God comes to indwell us by His Spirit with His life and power, He comes into our spirit at the time when we were born again (Jn. 3:6). This regenerated spirit located at the center of man’s being is what we call the inward man. Secondly, outside the sphere of this inward man indwelt by God is the soul. Its functions are our thoughts, emotions, and will. Thirdly, the outermost man is our physical body, characterized by its external instincts of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We thus will speak of the spirit as the inward man, the soul as the outer man, and the body as the outermost man. We must never forget that our inward man is the human spirit where God dwells, the place where the Spirit of the Lord is joined to our spirit (1 Cor 6:17). Just as we are dressed in our clothing, so our inward man wears an outward man—i.e., our spirit wears the soul. Moreover, the spirit and soul similarly wear the body. It is quite evident that men are generally more conscious of the outer man and the outermost man, but they hardly recognize or understand their inner man, their spirit. We must know that he who can work for God is the one whose inward man can be released. The basic difficulty of a servant of God lies in the failure of his inward man to break through his outward man. Therefore, we must recognize before God that the first difficulty to our work is not in others, but in ourselves. Our spirit seems to be wrapped in a covering which cannot easily break forth. If we have never learned how to release our inward man by breaking through the outward man, we are not able to serve. Nothing can so hinder us as this outward man. Whether our works are fruitful or not depends upon whether our outward man has been broken by the Lord so that the inward man can pass through this brokenness and come forth. This, in a statement, specifies the basic problem. The Lord wants to break our outward man in order for the inward man to have The Importance of Brokenness 15 a way out. When the inward man is released, both unbelievers and other Christians will be blessed. Nature Has Its Way of Breaking The Lord Jesus tells us in John 12: “Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bears much fruit” (v. 24). Life is within the grain of wheat. But there is a shell, a very hard shell on the outside. As long as the shell is not split open, the wheat cannot sprout and grow. “Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die....” What is this death? It is the cracking open of the shell through temperature and humidity working together in the soil. Once the shell of the husk is split open, the wheat begins to grow. So the question here is not whether life exists inside the shell, but whether the shell on the outside is cracked open. The Scripture continues by saying, “He that loves his life (Greek ‘psuche’—‘soul’) shall lose it, and he that hates his life (Greek ‘psuche’—‘soul’) in this world shall keep it to life eternal “ (v. 25). The Lord shows us here that the outer shell is our own life identified as our soul life, while the life within is the eternal life which He has given to us. To allow the inner life to come forth, it is imperative that the outward life be replaced. Should the outward remain unbroken, the inward would never be able to come forth. It is necessary (in this writing) that we direct these words to that group of people who has the Lord’s life. Among those who possess the life of the Lord, they can be found in two distinct conditions: One includes those in whom life is confined, restricted, imprisoned, and unable to come forth. The other includes those in whom the Lord has forged a way out, and life is thus released through them. The question is not how thus to obtain life, but rather how to allow this life to come forth. When we say ‘we need the Lord to break us,’ this is not merely a style of speaking, nor is it only a