Our original idea in coming to Nanchang was to serve with Brother Hsu during
"O Lord! Keep my consecration, that I would not be shamed by these words. Lord, You know our weakness and that it is possible for anyone to deny You three times. Lord, I truly dare not trust in my consecration. I put this consecration into Your hands. May You accomplish it. Make me burning but not foolish; make me willing to die but not live lightly. May You gain something in me whether through life or death. Amen." O brother! My heart feels as if it has been stabbed by a knife! The Lord's love is like red-hot burning coals within me! We will fellowship more later! Tears! Lee Tien-giao January 29, 1950
1. Map of the Churches in Manchuria FELLOWSHIP MEETINGS (NANCHANG) Our original idea in coming to Nanchang was to serve with Brother Hsu during the Nanchang conference so that the brothers from Nanchang would not be distracted by anything else. After we arrived, we found that Brother Hsu unexpectedly was unable to come. At first we thought we should return immediately, but inwardly we felt that this would cheat the brothers and sisters in Nanchang. After praying on the spur of the moment, we decided to continue in our responsibility of our service. We had three fellowship meetings beginning the first day of the Chinese New Year. Thank the Lord! He blessed His children. Many brothers and sisters gained some knowledge concerning the church and consecrated themselves to the Lord. They are also willing to coordinate with the church and to learn to serve the Lord together. There are almost thirty brothers and sisters here in college. Their spirits are very clean. I hope some brothers and sisters who are strong in the truth would migrate to Nanchang soon to give them some good help. Thank the Lord! He has heard our prayer and given us some farmland near the Tungjia Railway Station. It is twelve li from Yingtan and eighteen li from Kueixi. It can be reached by a fifteen-minute train ride. Tien-giao February 24, 1950
DOING OUR BEST TO SOW (K'UN-MING) I have been in K'un-ming for almost half a year learning to serve God with Brother Dao-sheng under the leading of Brother Ruo-tien. Brother Ruo-tien is
mostly responsible for edification. Brother Dao-sheng and I are responsible for preaching the gospel on the Lord's Day afternoon. We are very busy in the gospel work in K'un-ming. The brothers and sisters are very burning for the gospel. In addition to the large weekly gospel meeting on the Lord's Day, there are two or three home gospel meetings or outdoor gospel meetings. We are doing our best to sow the seeds of the gospel, leaving it to the Lord to do the work of bringing in the harvest. We went to Mongtze County recently and stayed there for two months. We preached the gospel for twenty days. Some were saved, and they have begun meeting and having the table. We feel really ashamed that we have not met the people's needs enough! May God have mercy on us. We hope you could instruct us more. Your brother, Shao-zu February 19, 1950 FEELING ALONE (PINGYUAN, HONAN PROVINCE) When I returned from Shanghai, I went home quickly because my father was ill. After several days my father recovered. Then it snowed, and I was trapped in the house. At the time of the Chinese New Year, I touched something of the world which bothered my spirit. Therefore, I left home on the second day of the Chinese New Year and went more than two hundred li to Handao to visit the brothers. At Chingfeng I saw that the brothers were blessed through tribulations, and I rejoiced very much. I personally felt, however, that I was set aside by the Lord. While I was at the North China Seminary in Teng Shian in 1940, I read The Normal Christian Church Life. Since then I returned to this region to preach the gospel. In the past two years, I have felt a deep need—I am lonesome and without a partner. I have read the messages in The Ministers concerning the coordination between the co-workers. This is my need. If the work is regional, there must be a local church like Antioch as the center of the work. I feel that it is very difficult for me to be alone here. The churches in this region all need edification for new beginners. The distance between churches is over one hundred li. How can I do the work? How should I choose the way ahead of me? I am praying to see how the Lord would lead. I hope the leading brothers could give me some direction. Oh, I am really not worthy to preach the word!
Your little brother, Wu Tong-tang March 23, 1950 (Please refer to the map of the churches in Honan on page 142.—Editors)
A CHRISTIAN'S OCCUPATION After God created man, He gave Adam and Eve the occupation of caring for the garden of Eden. After man fell, God's ordination was that man would eat bread in the sweat of his face. Later Abel was a herdsmen, and Cain was a farmer. As the human race multiplied, different skilled tradesmen developed. Later, men like Abraham, Jacob, and the Israelites were either farmers or herdsmen. This shows us that God's desire is for man to be in a farming or ranching profession. We should produce things by our hand. In the New Testament the Lord often gave parables about sowers and shepherds. Most of the twelve apostles were fishermen. Paul was a maker of tents, and Luke was a doctor. These all show us the following basic principle: Production through labor increases the quantity or value of the commodity. It takes things from nature and adds labor and strength to give them value. Farming and ranching increase the quantity of a commodity. Tent making increases the value of a commodity. Laboring and practicing medicine require effort and time for wages. A proper occupation for a Christian must be one which requires labor and is productive. Everyone knows that commerce comes from Satan—it begins in Tyre and culminates in Babylon (Ezek. 28; Rev. 18). Its end is judgment and condemnation. Therefore, Christians should not be engaged in pure commerce. Buying and selling which does not increase the quantity or value of the commodity but only makes a profit through the trade is pure commerce. Pure commerce has only one thought in mind—making money off of people. Thus, it is easy to become evil in heart and in practice. It is not easy to be delivered from money, either. If we want to serve God, we cannot engage in such professions. We must see that a producer takes something from nature, not from man. A laborer does not take anything from nature, nor does he take anything from man. A person engaged in commerce, however, does not take anything from nature, but takes from man. Our principle is that we must expend energy to earn money. We must increase in physical riches, not in money. Therefore, we hope that the