Watchman Nee

Watchman Nee was born in Swatow, Kwangtung, China on November 4, 1903. His parents came from Foochow, Fukien province. Later, his family moved back to Foochow. He received his education at Anglican Trinity College in Foochow. He was saved at the age of 17 in 1920. This was because of the salvation of his mother, who confessed all her wrongs to her family. That caused Watchman Nee to go and listen to the preaching of Dora Yu. When he was saved, at that very moment he was called by the Lord to serve Him. He was baptized the following year (1921), when he saw the truth concerning the baptism of believers. In the same year, he began to live by faith in the matter of finances.

He began his ministry in 1922. He studied the Bible diligently. When he was 20 years old he read the entire New Testament once a week for about a year. In 1947 he testified that he had read the New Testament hundreds of times. The wedding gift from Watchman Nee to his wife, Charity Chang (1902-1971), was a Bible. He wrote in English on the front page of the Bible, “Reading this book will keep you from sin; sin will keep you from reading this book” (Against the Tide, p. 122, Angus I. Kinnear, Victory Press, Eastbourne). He was also diligent in collecting and studying spiritual books. At the beginning of his ministry, he spent a third of his income to buy books. He collected books from the Brethren such as J. N. Darby, William Kelly, C. H. Mackintosh, F. W. Grant, R. Anderson, J. G. Bellet. He also collected books from famous English Bible expositors such as Robert Govett, G. H. Pember, D.M. Panton, H. C. G. Moule. Other books that he collected included books from the Inner Life Christians, Andrew Murray, Jessie Penn-Lewis, T. Austin-Sparks. In fact, he collected more than 3,000 of the best Christian books, beginning from the first century, including books on church history, autobiographies and biographies of prominent Christians, as well as important messages and explanations from spiritual writers. Brilliantly, he was endowed by the Lord with the ability to select, understand, discern and memorize suitable books. In the early period of his Christian life, he received spiritual education and perfecting from M.E. Barber.

This website is a website that gives a brief overview of Watchman Nee. Watchman Nee was one of those used by the Lord in an extraordinary way, who had a unique gift and a ministry that channeled Christ.

May this website enable the truth of the Bible that the Lord opened up through Brother Watchman Nee to be shared with every Christian who is a member of His Body, the church.