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Sunday November 8, 2026…WATCHMAN NEE AND THE REVIVAL ACTS — 1903 - 1972Watchman Nee was a great General of God from China, a prophet of the inner life and one of the deepest teachers of the spiritual man the church has ever known.He was born on November 4th 1903 in Foochow, China. His original name was Nee Shu-tsu. His mother was a Methodist who had prayed for a son and dedicated him to God. As a young man he was intelligent, ambitious and proud.His revival act began in 1920 when he was 17 years old. In February 1920 he was invited to an evangelistic meeting by Dora Yu, a famous Chinese evangelist and was convicted of his sin and gave his life to Jesus Christ. His conversion was dramatic and complete. From that day he became a new man. He took the name Watchman Nee, because he felt called to be a watchman for the people of God.In 1921, at 18 years old, he began to preach the gospel. In his first year he led many of his schoolmates to Christ, including his future co-worker Witness Lee.In 1922, at 19 years old, he moved to Shanghai and began to publish and teach. He started editing a magazine called The Present Testimony, later called The Christian.Watchman Nee began to hold meetings in Foochow that became known as the Little Flock, which was the beginning of the house church movement in China.In 1928, at 25, he published his first major book The Spiritual Man, a three volume classic that taught the division of spirit, soul and body. This book became the foundation of his teaching and is still read around the world today. He brought deep teaching of the cross and the spirit. While many preached only salvation, Watchman Nee taught how to live by the life of Christ within, how to walk in the spirit, how to know God inwardly. His message was that Christ is our life.He established hundreds of local churches. Between 1923 and 1949, and planted over 700 local churches across China, independent, self governing, self supporting, meeting only in the name of Christ. This became the great indigenous church movement of China.He lived a life of suffering and sacrifice. Nee was often sick, suffered from tuberculosis, stomach problems and persecution, yet he kept laboring, writing and teaching.Watchman Nee wrote many powerful books. Between 1928 and 1952 he wrote The Spiritual Man, The Normal Christian Life, The Release of the Spirit, The Glorious Church, Sit, Walk, Stand, The Breaking of the Outer Man, and many more. His books have been translated into many languages and have discipled millions.He showed the power of spiritual authority and submission and taught the church about the Body of Christ, that we must be members joined together, not independent.He endured great persecution. In 1952, after the Communist takeover of China, he was arrested for his faith and for refusing to join the state controlled church. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in prison.From 1952 to 1972, for 20 years, he suffered in prison camps, doing hard labor, beaten and denied medicine. He never denied Christ. Even in prison he secretly wrote letters encouraging the saints. He died on May 30th 1972 in a labor camp in Anhui Province, China, at 69 years old. His last note found under his pillow said Christ is the sum of all spiritual things.After his death, his churches that he planted survived the persecution and became the foundation of the great house church revival in China, now numbering over 100 million believers.#gospel #truth #watchman #revivalEvangelist Tim HallNancy Ky 42544