I. In the sixteenth century, the Lord’s recovery came into a definite form. Martin Luther was a great servant of God. The Lord used him to recover the truth concerning justification by faith and to make the Bible open to the general public. —- Rom.3:22,26; Gal. 3:6-8, 11. 1Tim. 2:4;

II. In the seventeenth century, the Lord raised up a group of saints as a reaction to the deadness and emptiness of the reformed churches. These mystics, such as Madame Guyon, Father Fenelon, and Brother Lawrence, were used by the Lord to recover the experiences of the inner life. — Col. 3:4; 2Cor. 4:16

III. In the eighteenth century, the Lord moved among the Moravian brethren under the leadership of Count Zinzendorf to recover something of the practice of the church life. —Act.2:44-45; Rom. 12:4-5;1 Cor.12:12-13, 20, 25, 27.

A. Because of Count Zinzendorf’s love for the Lord, he received many of these seekers who came from different backgrounds, and he convinced them to drop their doctrinal disagreements.

B. Afterwards, while they were having the Lord’s table, they experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Among them there was the strongest revival in church history up to that time.

IV. In the nineteenth century, from 1825 to 1828, the Lord raised up the so-called Brethren under the leadership of John Nelson Darby. the truths that were revealed to them greatly benefited all of the Lord’s children. Over ninety percent of the theology of fundamental Christianity came from the teaching of the Brethren. — Isa. 11:9b; 1Tim. 2:4;

V. At the beginning of the twentieth century the Lord was forced to come to China because in both Europe and America the field, soil, had been fully spoiled as far as the proper church life was concerned.

A. For the church life China was virgin soil at that time. One could never imagine that in such a heathen country full of the teachings of Confucius and the religion of Buddhism, the Lord would raise up something.

B. In the first part of this century The Lord gave Brother Nee as a gift to the Body. he was standing on the shoulders of many who had gone before him.

C. He picked up good and helpful things from nearly every denomination, from every kind of Christian practice, and from all the seeking saints throughout the history of the church, and he passed them on to us.