• Bro. Zilong Lin •
Chapter 13: Literature Service
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth.
I’ve served in the church for several decades, not much on the literature aspect of service. In 1949, after I’ve attended the Kuling training, At that time, the gospel work was very prosperous for all the churches in Fuxing county, there are many new believing saints, so I wrote a “Bible-Study Textbook for New Believers” for all the new believers to learn from. The content of the book from “Baptism” to “New Heaven and New Earth” has a total of fifty-three lessons. At that time due to budget difficulties, only printed several hundred copies. Later on, Brother Denming Wang of Xiamen saw that the content of this book is great, and printed another several hundred copies, to help new believing saints.
In the October of 1973, I returned from suffering a second time, that time the Cultural Revolution has not ended, but the gospel work in Fuxing has another start, there was a huge lack of Bibles, even less spiritual literature. So I wrote “Words of Comforting”, “Words of Perfecting” and “Important Passages in the Bible” these little booklets for supplying the saints. These little handbooks were printed in oil, so it wasn’t spread widely.
As for those that were printed overseas, those spread more widely, are these messages below:
- “Spiritual Poverty and Wealth”
In the May of 1957, I went to Shanghai to attend the national co-worker’s meeting for the Christian meeting Hall. I stayed for seven weeks in Shanghai, staying in the meeting hall on Nanyang road. On the last Lord’s Day, the responsible brother of the Church in Shanghai invited me to take the burden of the podium on Lord’s Day, so I used “Spiritual Poverty and Wealth” as the topic and spoke one session. The contents can be divided into three:
- God’s perspective is different from man’s perspective, man sees what’s outside, God looks within. I give the example of the tax collector and the Pharisee going up to the temple to pray, the poor widow and the rich man’s offering, the contrast between the Church in Smyrna and the Church in Laodicea as examples, to describe the difference between the perspectives of God and man.
- We ought to ask to be rich in faith (James 2:5) and rich in good things. (1 Timothy 6:18) We not only need adequate faith, but also have good conduct, faith without conduct is dead, good conduct must also come out of faith.
- Concerning how to attain spiritual wealth, I mentioned 2 Peter chapter 1, Psalm 66, Colossians 3:16 to describe the way to pursue the riches.
After I finished, Shanghai’s leading brother asked me to transcribe everything I’ve spoken and give it to him. Not long after, this message was published in the ninth volume of “Twelve Baskets” that is published by the Shanghai Gospel bookroom. After many years, in the overseas “Young people for the Lord” published the book, “Important Speeches”, I saw this speech of mine again. That book is an anthology of speeches made by the likes of Brother Watchman Nee, signed as “Written by Watchman Nee and peers”. Don’t know why, this speech of mine was included.
- “Sister Peace Wang’s Service Speaking for Young Brothers in the House of Ministry”
The content of this speaking material is provided by Brother Deen Huang of Nanchang, I cleaned and fixed it up into an essay, and added some subheadings, and had mailed a copy to Sister Cuihan Ke of Hong Kong; Sister Ke gave this in turn to Brother Zexing Chen, and Brother Chen put this essay in “Sister Peace Wang’s Biography” anthology. Many brothers and sisters got life supply from this essay.
- “The Worthy Worker”
In the July of 1989, I and Brother Junru Chen went to Xiamen to have two days of fellowship with a brother. After returning, I put everything we have fellowship into an essay, made several copies and mailed it out. In 1991 after I returned from prison, Sister Ru Chang showed me a book, said to me, “One of the essays in here is written by you.” I opened it, and turns out that the speaking record I had was titled as “The Worthy Worker”, collected in the book called “A Letter by Prisoners of Christ”. Due to the tone being very similar to what Brother Nee has, at that time some people overseas thought that was Brother Nee’s speaking. Later on, I find out that this essay has been published in many other publications, and circulated very well among oversea saints, giving many life supply. This essay has five major points: 1. The Man must be correct, the Life is even more important; 2. The church and the service; 3. The leading for the young people; 4. Pay attention to the living of the worker; 5. Receiving the dealing of the cross. Below there are two words, which were particularly helpful for me.
- We do not work for work’s sake, but working according to God’s will. We cannot live in the work, but we need to live in the life of Christ. The foundation of our work is life, the way of the work is the cross. If not in the life, and not passing thru the dealing of the cross, then there’s no worthy work. So do focus on the outside work, over Christ’s life within. The true service, the true supply, is in life.
- A brother asked me: “How to pursue the crown of glory?” I said, “Do not pursue, because doing that is pointless. Just be willing to receive the crown of thorns today, then in the future there will be the crown of glory; if one rejects the crown of thorns today, then even if you pursue the crown of glory in the future, you will not get it.”
“There’s no other way today, only the way of the cross. Today the main less is to carry the cross day after day, die daily; without death there is no resurrection, without suffering there is no glory.”
- Several Recollections of Saints who Loved the Lord
During the 1980, I write three essays: “Brother Youzhao Gao, the Martyr who Bled for the Lord”, “Brother Chunfa Lee, the Martyr”, “Brother Wenqou Zheng that has Suffered for the Lord Many Times”. The saints in Fuxing are all very familiar with how these brothers loved the Lord. These three brothers had once had close coordination and suffered together with me, now they have all went to the Lord. I write about how they got saved, how they have faithfully served in the church after being saved, how they loved the Lord and loved the brothers. And in the end, about how they become martyrs, and offered up their lives for the Lord. The content is way more detailed than in “My Coworkers”. These few essays have been published in “The Tree of Life” publication by the Church in Hong Kong in 1983, but without my name as the author on it.
In addition, I’ve helped Sister Ru Zhang to write five messages about Ruth Shu of Xiamen and several other sisters’ tales of loving the Lord. After they were imprisoned for the Lord, still maintained their faith in prison, bravely without faltering. Among them, there was ine particular sister that became a martyr for the Lord in Youxi Felon’s Hospital. If the first drafts of these messages can be found, can be collected into a book along with the recollections of the three brothers of Fuxing, and can be called “The Rainbow Clouds”, meaning that these people are like beautiful clouds surrounding us, encouraging us to run the race before us better.