Watchman Nee the Christian – Loved by Millions Died for his Faith in a Chinese Prison Wrote,“In my sickness, I still remain joyful at heart.”

Watchman Nee was born in1903 and became a Christian in mainland China in 1920. He was in his teens,  but he began writing in the same year. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith and remained in prison until his death in 1972.

Watchman Nee’s words remain an overflowing source of spiritual inspiration to Christians to this day. His followers describe Watchman Nee as being “a force of nature.” Watchman Nee wrote many books and was known to be among the most gifted and insightful Christians in the 20th century.

Nee Shu-Tsu (Watchman Nee) did not attend theological schools or Bible institutes. He received revelation through his diligent study of the Bible.

In the early days of his ministry, he spent a third of his income on his personal needs, a third on helping others, and the remaining third on spiritual books.

He acquired a collection of more than three thousand of the best Christian books, including nearly all the classical Christian writings from the first century forward.

Watchman Nee help from other Christian writers related to the points of truth.

When watchman Nee was arrested and cast into prison the guards did not allow him to mention the Lord’s name. But in his letters,  and in his final letter, written on the day of his death, he alluded to his joy in the Lord: He wrote, “In my sickness, I still remain joyful at heart.”

Watchmen Nee died in misery and humiliation in the human world. Not one relative or brother or sister in the Lord was with him. There was no proper notification of his death and no funeral.

Watchman Nee was beloved by many. He was cremated on June 1, 1972.

The following statement is an account from Watchman Nee’s grandniece, who accompanied Mrs. Nee’s sister to the labor farm to pick up his ashes:

“In June 1972, we got a notice from the labor farm that my granduncle had passed away. My eldest grandaunt and I rushed to the labor farm. But when we got there, we learned that he had already been cremated. We could only see his ashes…Before his departure, he left a piece of paper under his pillow, which had several lines of big words written in a shaking hand. He wanted to testify to the truth which he had even until his death, with his lifelong experience.

She said, ” My granduncle had passed away and he was faithful until death.”