by

A. J. Gardiner (1884 - c. 1972)

EVENTS RELATING TO CHINA.

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FOR some time prior to May, 1932, information had been circulated widely in England, America, Australia and elsewhere as to the existence in China of a work of God among the Chinese, which had taken form in a fellowship which appeared to be based on the truth, and it was accordingly resolved at that time that a number of brethren should visit China with a view to ascertaining the facts. As a result six brothers, two from England, three from Australia, and one from America, and two sisters, wives of two of the brothers, visited China during October, November and December, 1932.

They found that a number of meetings of believers were in existence in the country moving in fellowship with each other, but in separation from denominational systems, and apparently governed by the truth and supported by the Spirit. In this work of God, Mr. W. Nee, who had been marked by considerable ability and devotedness, had been much used in blessing in the gospel and in ministering to the saints. He had been helped by some ministry by Mr. J. N. Darby which had come into his hands, and it was his writing to London to enquire whether further ministry of the same kind was available that had first drawn the attention of saints in the western world to the existence of this work of God in China.

The visiting brethren, feeling assured that there was no reason why we should not be identified in fellowship with the brethren they had met in China, broke bread with them on November 6th, 1932, after having first communicated by cable with brethren at Vancouver and Brisbane, two neighbouring meetings, and been assured of their fellowship with them in so doing.

In the year 1933 Mr. Nee visited England and

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America and attended many of the meetings as one fully accredited as in fellowship. At some of these meetings he ministered the word. After he had left England for America, it came to light that, unknown to brethren at the time, he had on one occasion broken bread with an independent company of Christians in London known as The Honor Oak Christian Fellowship Centre, which, though not identified with “Open” brethren, was governed by their principles in that anyone claiming to be a believer was allowed to break bread without regard to the religious and other associations in which he was involved. During his visit to America Mr. Nee similarly compromised the fellowship by breaking bread with some who were identified with certain sectarian bodies. As a consequence letters passed between the brethren in New York and those in Shanghai, on the one hand, and between the brethren in London and those in Shanghai, on the other, seeking to enlighten the Shanghai brethren as to the principles of Christian fellowship and to help them to judge the actions of Mr. Nee above referred to. Occasion was also taken to call attention to the fact that Mr. Nee held unsound views as to the rapture of the saints, and also regarded the symbolical teaching of the book of Revelation as literal. The serious character of certain teaching which emanated from the Honor Oak Christian Fellowship Centre was also pointed out. The correspondence continued over a protracted period, considerable time elapsing between the date of each letter to China and its reply. The final letter from the brethren in Shanghai addressed to the brethren in London was dated July 2nd, 1935; in it certain principles were laid down, among which were the following:—

“We are to receive all the children of God whom He has received for Christ’s sake.”

“It is the Spirit, and the Spirit alone, who can

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decide the question of one’s fitness for fellowship. We are not sufficient for these things.”

“We must distinguish between ‘sins’ (either morally or doctrinally) that hinder fellowship with God, and ‘sins’ which do not.”

On receipt of this letter a meeting of assembly character was held in London on July 30th, 1935, at which it was decided that we could not remain identified with those who held such principles, and this decision was communicated to the brethren in China by the following letter dated August 31st, 1935.

August 31st, 1935.

To the Saints meeting in Hardoon Road, Shanghai.

DEAR BRETHREN,—Your letter dated July 2nd has been received by us with sorrow. It was carefully considered by brothers, and in view of its serious nature, saints in all the gatherings in London were specially called together as in assembly on July 30th. The letter was then read to all as thus together before the Lord. Three of the brothers who met you in Shanghai in 1932 were present.

It was at once noticed, and we call your attention to the fact, that your letter completely ignores the specific instructions as to Christian fellowship in 1 Corinthians 10, and the guidance as to it for the present day, in 2 Timothy 2, to which our letters referred. It also dismisses as of minor importance the serious errors in teaching propagated amongst you, and to which your attention has been drawn.

Your letter is, in fact, marked throughout by a failure to cut in a straight line the word of truth (2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 15), and by a grave disregard of the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ

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and of the necessity, as a principle of first importance, of obedience to His commandments. You say :—

“Without the quickening of the truth in us by the Spirit, we will not act,”

and

“It is the Spirit, and the Spirit alone, who can decide the question of one’s fitness for fellowship.”

A commandment of the Lord calls for action in obedience to it. (1 Cor. 5:12; 2 Tim. 2:19-22), and as it is obeyed the Spirit will support in power. Indeed, Paul challenges all who profess allegiance to the Lord by saying: “If any one thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him recognise the things that I write to you, that it is the Lord’s commandment,” 1 Cor. 14:37.

This disregard of the clear commandments of the Lord opens the door to every kind of evil, and calls in question the sincerity of your love for Christ, for the keeping of His commandments is both the test and the proof of loving Him, and alone provides the conditions in which the greatest spiritual privileges can be enjoyed, as the Lord Himself said:—

“If ye love me keep my commandments,” John 14:15,

and

“He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; but he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Judas, not the Iscariot, says to him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him. He that loves me not does not keep my words; and the word which ye hear is not mine, but that of the Father who has sent me,” John 14:21-24.

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To suggest, as your letter does, that there are sins which do not hinder, as you put it, “fellowship with God,” is an affront to His holiness. Not only are the expressions you use in this connection quite unscriptural, but they disclose grave ignorance of the truth as to the presence and service of the Holy Spirit. It is contrary to the truth to attach to the Spirit personally, as you do, the responsibility as to fellowship which the Lord has so directly placed upon the saints (see 1 Corinthians 10, and 2 Timothy 2, etc.). The practical effect of so doing is to open the door to every possible kind of independency.

We recoil from your closing suggestion that we should now set aside assembly principles and order, so clearly defined in Scripture, and thus surrender the holy heritage which has been recovered in divine mercy in these last days for the whole assembly. The long succession of attacks upon it during the past eighty-five years (Bethesda and since) have only tended to make more clear the truth as to fellowship. It is to the preservation, in the Lord’s mercy, of these very principles of fellowship which you would have us surrender, that we owe, in these last days, the rich stream of spiritual ministry from Christ as the Head of the assembly of which some of you have cognizance.

You have alluded in your letter to being guided by the Holy Spirit, but He is the Spirit of truth, and those who are guided by Him are marked by ways of truth. In this connection we feel sorrowfully obliged to refer to a lack of uprightness which has marked Mr. Nee, particularly in some of his movements, while amongst us. We must also add that such principles, as are now set out in your letter, were certainly not disclosed to our brethren who visited you in 1932. Had this been done fellowship with you would have been impossible. Your letter clearly

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indicates that you prefer to substitute for the plain teaching of Scripture, your own professed experimental knowledge, a feature which also largely characterises the teaching of the “Honor Oak Christian Fellowship Centre” to which previous reference has been made. We have humbly to confess that we grievously failed in our lack of holy care in laying hands too quickly on those with whom we were insufficiently acquainted, and whose principles as to fellowship we now find are so unscriptural, and therefore not of the Lord.

It is with sorrow that we are obliged thus to write to you, but our desire to be faithful to the Lord leaves us with no alternative. The truth, which the Lord has recovered and is preserving for His assembly, requires that our position should be set forth clearly. At the meeting referred to at the beginning of this letter, it was judged before the Lord that we must entirely repudiate, as not being of God, the principles you set out as governing fellowship, and that since you identify yourselves with these principles, we are unable to walk with you, or to receive from or commend to you. This, of course, applies also to all those maintaining links of fellowship with you.

You are, we believe, missing an opportunity afforded by the Lord, in failing to benefit by the truth set before you regarding the assembly. You also place yourselves in a position of grave responsibility before Him in rejecting as of little importance the precious truths for which many brethren in years past have stood and suffered. These truths we have proved and do still prove to be of God, and we humbly seek grace to continue in them until the Lord comes for the whole assembly.

We shall continue to pray that at least some in China may yet be found true overcomers as keeping the commandments and word of the Lord in a day

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marked by general independence and lukewarmness.

On behalf of the saints with whom we walk in London,

Yours faithfully in the Lord,

PERCY LYON.
CHAS. R. BARLOW.
ALFRED J. GARDINER.

The exercise resulting from the sorrowful events recorded in this section brought into fresh relief the sublety and pressing danger of the “open” principle, which Satan is ever seeking to introduce as his most successful means of attack on the recovered truth of the assembly.

Testimony to Conscience

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