Book Description

According to the available records, Brother Witness Lee ministered in the Philippines until near the end of January 1957. After Brother Lee returned to Taipei, Taiwan, Brother T. Austin-Sparks visited Taiwan in February for the second time (his first visit was in 1955). After visiting Taiwan, Austin-Sparks went to Hong Kong in March for a short visit. Brother Lee accompanied him during the entire time. The result of these visits caused much confusion concerning the practice of the church, in particular concerning the truth of the ground of the church. After Austin-Sparks left the Far East, Brother Lee spent about six months in Taiwan, where he conducted conferences and trainings on the truth concerning the church. Near the end of September he went to the Philippines and spent about a month there. At the end of October he traveled to Hong Kong again and stayed until the end of December, conducting various conferences and fellowships, many of which were to clarify the confusion concerning the truth of the church. In January 1958 he again visited the Philippines and remained there about a month before returning to Taipei via Hong Kong. In the 1957 set, volume 1 comprises Brother Lee's messages and personal notes given during his travels in Taiwan and throughout Southeast Asia, including fellowship and messages given during the visit of T. Austin-Sparks to Taiwan and Hong Kong in February and March. Volume 2 continues with Brother Lee's speaking in Taiwan on topics related to the church. Volume 3 is composed of his speaking in Manila, Philippines, and in Hong Kong from the end of September through December. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1957, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in January 1957 through January 1958. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1957 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into ten sections, as follows: 1. Eighty-seven personal notes written by Brother Lee during his travels in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong from January 1957 through January 1958. These notes are divided into seven chapters and are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 2. Seven messages given in 1957. The place and time of the speaking of the first three messages are unknown. The last four messages were spoken in Taipei, Taiwan, in January 1957. These messages were originally published in The Ministry of the Word in February through August 1957 and were previously published in a book entitled God's Need and God's Goal. They are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Eight messages and private talks given in Taiwan and Hong Kong in February and March 1957. These messages and talks are included in this volume under the title Fellowship Given during the Visit of T. Austin-Sparks. 4. Two messages given in Hong Kong on March 31 and April 4, 1957. These messages are included in this volume under the title Messages Given during the Visit of T. Austin-Sparks. 5. A letter written probably in Taiwan on April 25, 1957. This letter is included in this volume under the title A Letter concerning the Ground of the Church. 6. An article written in 1957 and published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word. This article is included in this volume under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1957. 7. Five messages given in 1957. The place and time of the first three messages are unknown. The last two messages were given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. The five messages were published in 1957 in the periodical The Ministry of the Word and were also published in a book entitled God's Plan concerning the Church. These messages are included in this volume under the same title. Portions of the last two messages are included later in this volume in chapter 2 of The Ground of the Church and the Service of the Body. 8. Seven messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in May 1957. These messages were originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in 1958 and were also previously published in a book entitled The Faith, Testimony, and Ground of the Church. They are included in this volume under the same title. 9. Eleven messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in May 1957. These messages were originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in 1958 and are included in this volume under the title The Recovery and Practice of the Testimony of the Church. 10. Nine messages given in the Philippines and in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1957. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Ground of the Church and the Service of the Body and are included in this volume under the same title.