The lsm/lc Cult Make Alterations to The Ministry of God's Word
They make such alterations to rationalize violent screaming mantra.
Understand the sin in violent shouting mantra of an unregenerated leeist, nicknamed loverofanotherchrist, abusing The Ministry of God's Word by Watchman Nee. MOGW (CFP) is 282 pages with larger type font and MOGW (LSM) is 338 pages with smaller type font. You get the point. There is no other explanation for this than taking liberties which then bear false witness against Watchman Nee. CFP did not leave out information. We must, therefore, conclude by the Holy Spirit the lsm/lc added to Watchman Nee's writings.
Watchman Nee writes regarding the word and feeling in Chapter 15 of The Ministry of God's Word. This chapter is not a defense of the violent screaming mantra of the lsm/lc cult, but just the opposite. Warning! Only read the white covers of MOGW (CFP, pdf).
Please pay careful attention the quotes I gave are not the quotes stated by loverofanotherchrist, when he said, "Below is the portion Troy quoted in context", for loverofanotherchrist quotes from lsm/lc version, and I did not. Also, this is deceitful, because not only does he do this, but he also makes a suggestion the quotes I made were out of context, when they were right on the mark in context, and most applicable to the very thing Nee is warning against, what you see in the lsm/lc violent screaming and repetitive mechanical mantra.
Please note the deceptions afoot by the leeist and lsm/lc member, loverofanotherchrist. With a little discernment it is easy to see.
The quote that he provided is from his cult's publishing of their version of Nee's writings, which was 1993.
The trustworthy original publication of The Ministry of God’s Word was published in 1971, at Christian Fellowship Publishers.
Make note of the reviling in the heart of loverofanotherchrist when he said, "Troy and others of his ilk". Also make note of the other accusation, "twisting the meaning of Watchman Nee's writing", which, we will see that this double accusation is not of God, not accurate, and shows how loverofanotherchrist alters in his fleshly mind, what Watchman Nee said. He changes the meaning of these pages to be about shouting with feeling, rather than the need not shout if feeling is right. It is quite unethical to rationalize the violent screaming of his cult in their mechanical rampages by misreading Nee. All he can see is that it is all about screaming - everything is about defending screaming at all costs! Read along to see.
loverofanotherchrist writes, "Watchman Ne is not speaking against the raising of one's voice at all, but against the raising of one's voice without feeling". No. That is not what Watchman Nee is saying at all. His words are very clear, that I do agree with as well. Observe the twisting. loverofanotherchrist says this is about shouting with feeling, when the topic is clearly about having right feeling, which entails no need to shout, for only those with unright feeling need to shout. That is the point, as is stated again on page 212, "Since your emotion does not correspond to the words, you try to raise your voice and shout. Many brothers shout with their voices. However they shout not to be heard by others but to be heard by themselves. You are helpless, so you shout. You are aware that your feeling is inadequate."
First there is the cause, which is "since your emotion does not correspond with your words", then "you try to raise your voice and shout" in error. You do this because you were wrong in one aspect, so then you become wrong in another. You must deal with the first part so there is no need for outbursts.
How bizarre the leeists makes this a topic of shouting when it is not at all. Watchman Nee is showing how those who shout do so because their feeling is inadequate, so in their flesh they try to overextend themselves by their inordinate and repetitive behavior. Indeed, as Nee says, on page 216, "The word of God is full of emotion. It should not be recited verbatim in a mechanical way...A loud voice is indeed nothing...There is no merit in a loud voice."
The chapter is entitled "The Word and Feeling", not "... and Shouting". It is not about shouting at all, nor defending shouting in anyway. It is about right feeling that flows from the Word, and as a result of that flow, there is no need for shouting or mechanical behavior that was touched on. Amen.
This is very unethical of loverofanotherchrist, but praise God people can read for themselves, that the claim made by loverofanotherchrist is false. Read ch. 15 of Ministry of God's Word from Christian Fellowship Publishers (Stephen Kaung trustingly translated) on The Word and Feeling.
There are many more quotes, but this one is also very helpful, "We may raise our voice even louder, yet all is of no avail. We ourselves sense how tasteless it is". Tasteless is a most apt word to depict the violent shouting at the lsm/lc cult.
Please read it in context, and don't let the replicatory work of the leeist deter you from seeing this is not a chapter about shouting at all, but the word and feeling.
Now, as we compare the lsm/lc version, we see error in the very first paragraph of the section entitled, "Feeling Must Accompany the Word". The portions we are comparing start with page 210 (CFP).
CFP MOGW says, "Not because we have the word can we therefore begin to speak". Here is noted that the inner word (previous chapters speak about the inner word and the spoken word), which a distinction is made by Nee, and we know this because he says, once we have this word, "therefore" then can "begin to speak". Yet, we cannot speak even for this reason alone because as the next sentence states, if there is "any obstruction in the realm of emotion" our words will not be effective, and translated into the outer or spoken words. Yet, the lsm/lc MOGW says, "While a minister of the word is speaking, it is not enough for him to release words alone". While he is speaking? There has not been any mention of speaking yet. Here we see the confusion. The lsm/lc MOGW confuses the inner word and the outer word, since the lsm/lc MOGW says "while a minister of the word is speaking", when the CFP MOGW says no word has been spoken yet, referring to the inner word which has been formed. Now you can see why those considering reading the lsm/lc writings, need to avoid them like the plague, for this kind of thing goes on and on. It is like unregenerates were the translators of the lsm/lc writings.
Furthermore, in that same paragraph the lsm/lc people always add more. For example, the lsm/lc MOGW says "If the obstacles mentioned above are not dealt with, nothing will happen even if one has light, thoughts, the inner word, the memory, and the outer words; all of these will be vain." But the CFP MOGW says much more specific to the subject at hand, "If there is any obstacle in the realm of the emotions it must be removed before our words can be effective". Simple, without redundancy.
Remember, Watchman Nee is writing very specifically, and very spiritually, not to stimulate the soulical, but to affect change in our inner man when reading, so redundancy and over-placing one's statements are not helpful here, such as saying the minister is speaking when has not yet, nor that when so doing is he is a minister of God's word. He is not if he is ministering ineffectively. And the item of the inner word is the focus here, not "release words alone" since this opening sentence is referring to th inner word having been reached, not outward words released. This presents a discrepancy because the lsm/lc focuses on the outer already, when the CFP MOGW is first addressing the inner word with feeling. Again, note the excellent way said by CFP MOGW, "Not because we have [inner] word can we threfore begin to speak [outer words]". We must reject, in this context, the first notion it is "not enough for him to release words alone" in the lsm/lc MOGW, since the "have word" is referring to the inner word, not the outer word released. Just "because we have [inner word]" does not mean "we can therefore begin to speak".
The language is much more accurate, simple and in context with the CFP MOGW. If the lsm/lc member would spend less time in their screaming and shouting sessions to see the degraded translations of the lsm/lc, perhaps they could touch spiritual reality, and grace could begin to enter into their lives, leading them to walk away from this controlling cult.
Onto the next paragraph. May I say I am glad this lsm/lc person showed me the lsm/lc MOGW 1993 version that is so horrendous, because it caused me write this comparison to help that very same person. The CFP MOGW says very personally speaking to our own experience, "we have..." but the lsm/lc version says "some have" and "but they" which seems cold and distant, not personally applicable. This goes on and on speaking of "their" as well, whereas the CFP MOGW speaks to me and us when it says "our feeling", yes, the "failure of our feeling". The sense one gets is it is other peoples' problem, not our own when you read the lsm/lc version, which is somewhat pride-filled in its approach. With the CFP MOGW it is a real experience we go through and need to bear down upon to solve. Amen.
The inaccuracy of words continues when the lsm/lc version says "if our feelings are absent" when the CFP MOGW says no such thing. The latter uses the phrase "proper emotion" speaking of neither high nor low, but just right. I recall in The Spiritual Man similar consistent words in which a person may deem himself spiritual because before whence he had a full basket of emotion, now he is without emotion; just as one who was without, now has lots. In both cases, the emotion was deemed spiritual when the person took the completely opposite emotional condition from what he had before, and deemed that to be utmost spiritual. But both in fact were being just as carnal as they were before, because it is proper emotion that matters, not necessarily absence of emotion alone, or even great amounts.
And again, Nee refers to "right feeling" in the next paragraph for the Holy Spirit to touch men. But what does the lsm/lc version do? They do not differentiate with the word "right", but say instead "The Holy Spirit touches men through feelings" as though feeling is what matters, whether right or wrong. Ergo, violent screaming is acceptable conduit of emotion for it need not be right or wrong. But, it is always wrong for repetive drone-like mantra is not right and not a practice of the church, for the church is not mindless and the teaching of the Word of God is not passivity.
Incidently, Nee started a new paragraph in CFP with "The Holy Spirit..." but the lsm/lc version just combined the last paragraph with this one, making a paragraph that is overly long here, not in proper size and scope with the other paragraphs in such heady matters.
Moving along, it is understood that emotions are expressions of feelings, so that when we communicate to another with our emotion by our feeling "we use emotion to move people AS our spirit is released" (CFP). But the lsm/lc version says "with our feelings", not making this distinction in word usage between feelings and emotion, changing the term here; not rightly dividing what Watchman Nee is saying. It should not say one thing at CFP and at LSM another thing. Watchman Nee was clear, when he wrote on page 229 (CFP), "your memory, word, emotion AND feeling". One of the three major aspects of emotion is sensing and feeling, and emotion would be the expression of such feeling. Note too, there is nothing about screaming and shouting here, but simply right delivery of the inner word with emotion to produce the spoken ministry of the word.
The next paragraph has the same problematic distant wording in the lsm/lc version speaking of "themselves" rather than the more personal touch of our experience, the "difficulty is himself" which is very close to home. In the lsm/lc version it is more of a blaming attitude towards "them" as though the lsm/lc people pridefully are not like them.
In this same paragraph observe these watered down words, "the sinfulness of sin" in the lsm/lc version, compared to CFP, "hatefulness of sin". Here it is speaking of sin coming from a heart of hatefulness, pointing out this emotion, but no such emotional point is made in the lsm/lc version. You would not know about the hatefulness of sin, and so you are left cold to hatefulness of sin in the lsm/lc version. And so as a result, Watchman Nee (CFP) says the "lack of this corresponding feeling" of sensing the hatefuleness of sin is lost, because the lsm/lc version does not even mention the word "hatefulness" at all, but instead says "grief of repentance", but my question is: if you have not appreciated the hatefulness of sin, how is that you are already grieving? This is misplaced order, because you have no yet appreciated the hatefulness, relegating it to simply sinfulness of sin. Watchman Nee (CFP) further emphasizes not the "improper feeling" (lsm/lc), but again, "the lack of feeling" of sensing the hatefulness of sin.
In a previous paragraph, the mistranslation inserted “lack of feeling”, should have been the need for “proper feeling; oppositely, here the matter is “lack of feeling”, more precisely delineated at CFP MOGW.
There is a forced teaching in the lsm/lc cult, which then states, "and we have to speak until they see the same thing that we see"; but, there is not this forcing at all mention in the CFP MOGW: there is nothing about speaking until they see which seems utterly forced. Does this ring any bells? Like that of the forced mechanical performance of the screamers? Or how an lsm'er will force themselves onto others, like suing them until they go into bankruptcy and can't afford to do God’s work in the ministry of the word.
Again a new paragraph begins, "George Whitefield...", but this new paragraph is latched again to the old one so that the lsm/lc has 3 paragraphs combined into 1 as one hodgepodge instead of dividing rightly. I am sure you are getting the sense now this is a very watered down translation leaving certain stuff out that is important, and taking liberties to be redundant as well as outright additions.
CFP MOGW says Whitefield "saw sinners falling away into hell", but no such seeing by Whitefield is even mentioned in the lsm/lc version. It just says he "spoke with such feeling", rather than speaking about actually seeing. How can you express feeling properly if you don't first see? It is very strange how the lsm/lc speak whereby the feeling induces the action: "His word on hell was full of feelings. It was as if hell was opening up for the sinners right before their eyes". This speaks of those who "were found holding tight to pillars" in the assembly, but it did not speak of the necessary seeing that precedes in the heart of Whitefield. There needs be a seeing first in both feeling and the spirit before emotion can follow the words spoken.
It is unbelievable how horrible this lsm/lc translation is of the MOGW, for I err in even calling it a translation. Notice in the next paragraph, the MOGW says "the most formidable obstacle to your word lies in our own self" (211, CFP). But look at what the lsm/lc writing says, "We will realize that the thing that hinders us the most is our feelings". So, while the lsm/lc version is focused on feelings, it totally overlooked self. Indeed, that is what we see in the false fruit of the leeists in which they are obsessed with their feelings shooting out like a rocket in violent repetitive mantra each week.
The very thing Watchman Nee (CFP) is expressing not to do, the lsm/lc people continue to do. For example, Nee expresses the inadequacy on page 212 of MOGW (CFP), "you are helpless, so you shout". MOGW (CFP) says in the next paragraph, "We need to bring our own feeling into conviction", but the lsm/lc version molests this word, by saying instead, "They have to speak until they have the feelings first". The latter approach is not representative of what Nee is saying according to CFP. Conviction must be enacted first before delivery is effective, but the lsm/lc version says to keep speaking. How odd this difference whereby leeists are compelled to keep rambling on, perhaps as a consequence of their misreading Nee and Witness Lee misreading Nee; thus, producing this bad behavior patter of screamers and shouters. I dare say that as long as you keep trying to push yourself out with force, grace will not come in.
Its amazing the things you discover in the lsm/lc writings that simply do not exist in Watchman Nee's writings. It is not a translation even, for it comes out of nowhere as for example the next bizarre thing in this same long lsm/lc paragraph that combines paragraphs again, "Words that are meant for others have to be spoken to the ministers first because they are a barrier to their word". This statement is nowhere to be found in MOGW CFP on page 212. This is intermediary priesthood: leeviticalism defined.
Make note of the belligerence of loverofanotherchrist when he makes a self declaration, “Watchman Nee wrote the following, which contradicts what Troy is arguing here”. Yet, loverofanotherchrist, does nothing but quote the lsm/lc version of MOGW (not the CFP MOGW), and doesn’t even make an attempt to explain himself (this is selfish and self-centered action in his blaming); nor show that I am arguing, for I am not. Would this then not indicate that loverofanotherchrist is arguing and misreading to defend his cult, since what I have said is fully substantiated, while the lsm/lc adherent falls back on self-declarations only? My purpose here is simple, to be helpful for the onlookers to see the sins of bearing false witness of the leeist by showing how the lsm/lc member is (1) rationalizing his violent screaming mantra unethically, (2) such lsm/lc repetitive brainwashing shouting is opposed by Watchman Nee’s own writings (CFP), and (3) how badly the lsm/lc mistranslation of MOGW (CFP) is, which induces the lsm/lc cult member to misread Nee. I do not pretend to think a leeist can repent for they are mostly unregenerates attempting to replicate the Work and the Church. These are the tares in the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven. This help is more for those who are about to be deceived or who need that added help to escape the demonic control of the demon of leeism so they can finally walk away from the lsm/lc cult.
The quote of Watchman Nee that I agree with (as I do not disagree with Nee on any points to speak of), is re-quoted here (from CFP MOGW, pp. 215-216):
“If we live with a stricken spirit we will have a wound in us and sense its pain. This pain in turn will create in us a godly fear and render our feeling delicate. After many such dealings you will be able in your feeling to express fully and exactly what your heart is. You will truly be glad when your heart is glad, and you will actually grieve when your heart is grieved. Whenever the word of God comes to you, and whatever the flavor of that word is, you will have the corresponding emotion in you. Your feeling is able to catch up with the word. How glorious this is!”
“The effectiveness of being stricken is shown in our oneness with God’s word. What God intends to say is matched by a kindred feeling of yours. As soon as God’s word comes, you immediately sense it. When God moves, you respond. Your feeling is able to follow God’s word right up to this point. And as the Lord increases His dealings, you are progressively being ground until all your emotions are made suitable to God. After you have been so trained in the area of feeling, you will discover a marvelous thing, which is, that you not only speak God’s word, you also begin to feel God’s word.”
“With the feeling within there comes the expression without. Peter ‘lifted up his voice’ when he addressed the audience at Pentecost. His voice was raised because his feeling was deep. Perhaps some have never once lifted up their voice while preaching, showing how inadequate were their feelings. The depth of emotion in Peter made him lift up his voice."
“The word of God is full of emotion [the lsm/lc version, instead of saying 'full of emotion', it says 'God's word has feelings' as if to be hurt]. It should not be recited verbatim in a mechanical way. It ought to be pressed out through deep feeling. Paul exhorted the church at Corinth “with many tears.” Some may never have shed any tears in their preaching, for their sensitivity is inadequate. A loud voice is indeed nothing; tears too are nothing; but if one never lifts up his voice nor sheds tears, something inside must be wrong. There is no merit in a loud voice, neither is there any special credit in tears; but it is an indication of unbrokenness if one has never raised his voice or shed his tears. “
“One’s emotion must be so refined that he can rejoice when God’s word is joyful and wail when the word of God is sorrowful. His feeling follows the word of God closely. This is not performance. Please never learn to perform. People with discernment immediately recognize a performance that has been falsely manufactured by man. There ought never to be any human manufacturing because it invariably spoils the word of God. What we stress is the need for feeling. Whatever feeling the word of God has, we must have the same feeling. Joy and sorrow are two distinctive examples. When the Bible says rejoice, let us be joyful; when it indicates sorrow, let us be sorrowful. This is normal and proper. Some have been tightly bound in their emotion all their lives. They are so cold that they cannot dance when piped to and cannot weep when wailed at. Because their feeling lags behind, God’s word is obstructed in its delivery.”
As is noted many times before, the leeist needs to add things that are not there, taking liberties in mistranslation and misreading. Another example is found in the chapter, The Word and Feeing in MOGW: nowhere can be found on pages 215-216 (CFP) the additions by the lsm/lc cult that says, “until we have a wound and a scar in our body”. There is no mention of the body at all here, yet it is an addition by this cult to focus on the physical, when the matter here is about the word and feeling. Feeling is of the soul as is the word by revelation and enlightenment in the inner man. Incidentally, that was two paragraphs in one by the lsm/lc cult again. The next three paragraphs discussed above are again compressed, into one lsm/lc paragraph undiscerningly.
Did Watchman Nee actually give the verse number, Acts 2.14, itself? I don’t think so. He simply gave the quote. The lsm/lc version adds the verse number presumably to be helpful, but is it not better for the person to search out (sometimes) the verse of that quote as originally intended by Watchman Nee? Now the issue is not about raising or not raising one’s voice, but to have right feeling with the word. If you do raise your voice, does it show something wrong with your feeling? In the lsm/lc repetitive violent screaming mantra, it shows something is wrong with the feeling, because there is something wrong with the inner man, for it is so forced outwardly, and has a zombie-like droning effect. Indeed,
Watchman Nee is right, when he says, “once lifted up their voice while preaching, showing how inadequate were their feelings”. Is this not the case for the lsm/lc cult member? Absolutely! No such practice as they exhibit is found in the church, not the first century, nor any century as an expression of the church. Mind-droning is not of God! It is neither prayer, nor reading, yet they call it prayer-reading. Prayer is sweet and struggling and interactive with God in communion in the spirit, and reading is by sentences, not by three or four words at a time repeated over and over like robots. This is not learning by rote, for three or four words at a time are not that hard to remember. A sentence and a paragraph is much more difficult to remember, which requires repetition to recall.
Furthermore, to substantiate this point, Nee writes, “The word of God is full of emotion. It should not be recited verbatim in a mechanical way”. Note that the leeist, loverofanotherchrist, quotes in bold font the part about Peter’s voice being lifted up and strong feeling, but the very next sentence, he did not bold this part at all about being mechanical. He can’t see this mistaken, so he will keep being mechanical by verbatim, loudly and violently. Whether he is unconscious of this or not, it is still wrong. The term used by the lsm/lc here is “strong feeling”, but in CFP MOGW, the term is “deep feeling”. One can have strong feeling that is not deep at all. That part which is in bold type, by the leeist they try to rationalize with their non-deep strong feeling impersonally through repetitive mantra. They believe the louder they scream, the stronger they get, but to what? Again, the verse number, 2 Cor. 2.4, is hand fed in the lsm/lc version, whereas in the CFP version Nee seeks the reader to search out this verse, and to think for himself.
Next, Nee (CFP) well states, “Some may never have shed any tears in their preaching, for their sensitivity is inadequate”. Whereas, the lsm/lc speaks of the reason being “because their feelings are too short”. Short feelings? This would agree with the lsm/lc teaching to shout and keep speaking until you have done enough damage. Make your feelings longer; keep shouting and screaming and finally you will be morphed into something else so that you can be molded and controlled by the lsm/lc system. Indeed, the feelings of the lsm/lc are not only inadequate, but also insensitive to God.
Just as there is no problem with an appropriate loud voice, so there is not “any special credit in tears” (p. 216, CFP MOGW). The question then has become why are you still shouting? Since, the need should have left you by now if it was of God, as a burden shall be lifted. By taking spontaneous moments and turning them into regular legalistic screaming sessions, an ungodliness and unholiness abounds; it is like the Pharisees adding to God’s law.
Just like in the altered book, The Spiritual Man, where the lsm/lc version confuses soulical and soulish, the original does not (CFP white covers only); MOGW confuses “feeling” for “emotion” and vic versa. In another instance, this is seen when the CFP MOGW reads, “The word of God is full of emotion” on page 216 showing the expression of feelings. There is much expression of feelings in God’s Word. But the lsm/lc version replaces the word emotion for “feeling”. Emotion flows from feeling. First you must have sensing and feeling, or desire and affection, before there can be the emotion that flows from feeling since emotion is the expression of our feelings. These are the three aspects of emotion from which the function of emotion of the soul is expressed.
The “manufactured” activity of the lsm/lc cult member, in their conscience, does not register that this behavior is not of God. They can’t. You may request the audios to hear for yourself. There are two possible reasons for this: (1) unregenerate tares with a spirit dead to God, trying to replicate the church; (2) carnal Christianity. I can not say what percentage of lsm/lc cult is carnal Christianity and what percentage portion is because of the unregenerates. I only note the fact of the matter in the false teachings.
“Most people’s emotions are spent only on themselves” (217, MOGW, CFP). Violent repetitive shouting is not as loverofanotherchrist needs to believe, the Biblical example of Peter lifting up his voice when loverofanotherchrist said “Obviously to ‘lift up one's voice’ means to speak with a strong spirit and a strong voice. This might include shouting!” Neither did Peter act mindlessly nor repetitively. He had “deep” feeling, not necessarily strong feeling, for strong feeling can be inaccurate and undependable as is the case with a voice that is strong, but also wrong. Shout repetition therefore, is excluded from the meaning of this passage of Acts 2.14, and not how Watchman Nee applied this quote either, for remember what Nee said: “how inadequate were their feelings” (216, MOGW, CFP). In no way was his statement pertaining to the justification of shouting. Do you see how the leeist twists things? Therefore, loverofanotherchrist is wrong to rationalize his violent repetitions, when he says, “And, of course, on the day of Pentecost it did include shouting, because Peter was speaking before a large audience!” Again, there was not these mindless repetitions at Pentecost, nor was the speaking that took place, having any notion of violence.
Again, as always, the leeist is trying to manipulate Watchman Nee’s writings, both in mistranslation and misreading, to rationalize violent screaming mantra. It simply does not justify these weekly screaming sessions that are so cold.
Now, regarding loverofanotherchrist’s closing remarks, notice the sin bearing false witness, when he writes, “Watchman Nee never opposed the raising of your voice in a meeting, or in the context of enjoying Christ!” Did I say Nee opposed raising one’s voice or the lowering of it? No. Or to not enjoy Christ? No. What have all these words I have written indicated? They have stressed time and again, and Nee agrees that wrong feeling will produce wrong emotion and wrong emotion generates wrong outbursts.
In conclusion: Nee does not condone the violent screaming repetitive mantra of the leeist or the conscience of a person that goes along with it. Nee does not once in this chapter speak about defending shouting. Quite the contrary, when he says, “A loud voice is indeed nothing” just as “”tears too are nothing”, but if one never expresses himself in voice, quietly or by lifting up his voice, or with tears, “something inside must be wrong”. These are very reasonable statements, but when compared to the actual bad behavior of shouting sessions of the lsm/lc we can see Nee is talking about something else - spiritual life. Such words should never be used to defend the repetitive screaming at the lsm/lc cult.
Nee’s words do though indicate he would not approve of the lsm/lc screaming because he had said back on page 212 (CFP), “Since your emotion does not correspond to the words, you try to raise your voice and shout…you are aware that your feeling is inadequate”. This does not condone shouting, but rather points out the improper reaction to having inadequate feeling, and this shouting is not helpful. That is what the lsm/lc screaming is all about, their trying to make up for their inadequate feeling with “performance” and “mechanical” “verbatim”.
The next chapter is entitled “The Word and the Release of the Spirit”, which has nothing to do with “mingled spirit” (according to loverofanotherchrist) as to make man’s spirit undifferentiated from the Spirit of God for which only a mingled spirit could be. Rather, Watchman Nee writes on page 229 (CFP white covers), "Your spirit must be mingled with your words". Nor did Watchman Nee ever call himself “God” or a “God-man”, both words used by the lsm/lc cult profusely of themselves. It is so unethical to change the meaning of the word God so that now you can be God. It is so unethical to call yourself God and then say you are not God. Be "not doubletongued" (1 Tim. 3.8). Don't debase God into offices of people. God is uncreated. We are the creation, not God. Crazy stuff!
Please stick with Watchman Nee’s writings from Christian Fellowship Publishers only. There is no need to read these degraded and altered writings at the Living Stream Ministry. May I quote another well read reader of Watchman Nee on the other side of the globe from where I live, who says to me, “I don’t need to read any of Watchman Nee’s writings past the 55 books at CFP”, presumably including the few books at CLC as well of course; excluding the 30% longer liberties and additions and alterations at the lsm/lc cult. There really is nothing to be gained from anything to do with the lsm/lc cult and the unregenerate Witness Lee.
Read chapter 15 of The Ministry of God’s Word from Christian Fellowship Publishers.
Not because we have word can we therefore begin to speak. If there is any obstruction in the realm of the emotions it must be removed before our words can be effective. It presents a real difficulty if God’s word requires one kind of feeling but we have in us another kind of feeling. Today we are not touching the feeling of the Bible from the outside; we are speaking the words of the Bible from the inside, out from our feeling. God’s feeling is embodied in His word; He demands us to have the same feeling in ourselves. Then as we speak, our feeling will be one with our words. Thus shall we be able to impart our feeling to others. Hence our feeling goes out with our words and the Holy Spirit goes out with our feeling.
Where does our problem arise today? It is this: that we have both revelation and word and yet we see no fruit. Why is this so? Because our spirit fails to go forth. This in turn is due to the failure of our feeling. The Holy Spirit does not find the proper emotion in us upon which He “may ride.” There can be no fruit if the emotion is unusable, even though we may have light and word. Bear in mind that feeling is most necessary in the delivery of the word. Before the delivery, we touch enlightenment, thought, inward words, memory, and spoken words; later, at the time of delivery, feeling must follow suit.
The Holy Spirit touches men through right feeling. We would repeat that trying to move men with only our emotion is a mere performance, resulting in a dead ministry. Yet we use emotion to move people as our spirit is released and as the Holy Spirit too is released. To put it another way, the going forth of the word is powerful only when it is coupled with a corresponding emotion, for then the Holy Spirit will work in people. The first hurdle for a minister of the word to overcome when speaking lies within himself—his own difficulty in the matter of feeling.
A brother may stand up to speak when he has a burden to discharge, yet he meets his first hindrance in himself. His word does not go far; it is obstructed; it is not free; it has no outlet. His main difficulty is himself. He may be speaking on the love of the Lord, yet he does not feel the love. The question is not as to whether he has seen the Lord’s love but whether he senses the loveliness of the Lord while speaking. Or, to take another example, he may have seen the hatefulness of sin, but when he stands to speak on it he lacks a corresponding feeling. His emotion is not one with his word. The lack of feeling on his part will result in a lack of feeling on the part of his audience.
Just precisely what is the purpose of supplying people with words? Is it not because they are lacking in a particular feeling, thought, light? You have seen the abhorrence of sin; they have not; and you want them to see it. Even so, unless you have the sense of the abhorrence of sin as you speak, your words will not produce the same sense in others. You purpose to try to get through to their feeling that they too may see. How can you pierce their feeling, though, if you yourself lack this feeling or if your feeling is not usable?
George Whitefield specialized in the topic of hell. Once he was speaking on that subject at a certain place. Before he had finished his message some were found holding tight to the pillars of the hall lest they fell into hell. This was because when he spoke he saw sinners falling away into hell. As his words were sent out with his feeling, the Holy Spirit as well as his own spirit sallied forth to convict people of hell.
If you are careless about speaking you will not sense the inadequacy of your feeling, for everything is basically wrong. But if you truly come to minister the word you will see first of all that your feeling will not do. You will then know that the most formidable obstacle to your word lies in your own self. You may have a weighty word in you, yet you find yourself defeated as you speak on, since your feeling lags behind. Your words may be serious, nevertheless the longer you speak the less serious they become. You simply are lacking in that serious feeling. As you continue on you seem less and less concerned. Since your emotion does not correspond to the words, you try to raise your voice and shout. Many brothers shout with their voices. However, they shout not to be heard by others but to be heard by themselves. You are helpless, so you shout. You are aware that your feeling is inadequate.
Many spend half their strength convincing themselves while speaking on the platform. This is because their feeling is so unusable. We need to bring our own feeling into conviction before we can communicate God’s word to others. Though our words seem to be directed at them we are actually speaking to ourselves, because we are the real obstacle to that word. How necessary it is for us to discover on the platform that we are the hindrance. We truly wish to deliver God’s word; but we lack its corresponding feeling. Our feeling is unusable, with the result that we hinder the word from going out.
How absolutely needful a usable feeling is to a minister of the word. Any inadequacy there will hinder the outgoing of the word. This is most serious. Frequently the trouble is that though we have the word, our feeling is at variance with that word. We know quite well the seriousness of the word, yet our feeling is not so serious. In speaking, the feeling ought to come forth with the words; but our feeling fails to follow. Who will believe us if we speak without feeling it? We may raise our voice ever louder, yet all is of no avail. We ourselves sense how tasteless it is; we may even feel like laughing, for it appears to be a performance. How, in that event, can we expect others to believe in our words? Only when we feel our own words and believe our own words can we hope that others may do so also. Otherwise our words are powerless; neither the Holy Spirit nor our spirit is released.