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In
his book Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee describes a preaching mission
to an island off the |
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The
island was fairly large, containing about 6,000 homes. Nee had a contact
there, an old schoolmate of his who was headmaster of the village school, but
he refused to house the group when he discovered they had come to preach the
Gospel. Finally, they found lodging with a Chinese herbalist, who became
their first convert. Preaching seemed quite fruitless on the island, and Nee
discovered it was because of the dedication of the people there to an idol
they called Ta-wang. They were convinced of his power because on the day of
his festival and parade each year the weather was always near perfect. |
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“When
is the procession this year?” young Wu asked a group that had gathered to
hear them preach. |
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“It
is fixed for January 11th at 8 in the morning,” was the reply. |
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“Then,”
said the new convert, “I promise you that it will certainly rain on the
11th.” |
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At
that there was an outburst of cries from the crowd: “That is enough! We don’t
want to hear any more preaching. If there is rain on the 11th, then your God
is God!” |
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Watchman
Nee had been elsewhere in the village when this confrontation had taken
place. Upon being informed about it, he saw that the situation was serious
and called the group to prayer. |
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On
the morning of the 11th, there was not a cloud in the sky, but during grace
for breakfast, sprinkles began to fall and these were followed by heavy rain. |
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Worshipers
of the idol Ta-wang were so upset that they placed it in a sedan chair and
carried it outdoors, hoping this would stop the rain. Then the rain
increased. After only a short distance, the carriers of the idol stumbled and
fell, dropping the idol and fracturing its jaw and left arm. |
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A
number of young people turned to Christ as a result of the rain coming in
answer to prayer, but the elders of the village made divination and said that
the wrong day had been chosen. The proper day of the procession, they said,
should have been the 14th. |
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When
Nee and his friends heard this, they again went to prayer, asking for rain on
the 14th and for clear days for preaching until then. That afternoon the sky cleared
and on the good days that followed there were thirty converts. Of the crucial
test day, Nee says: The 14th broke, another perfect day, and we had good
meetings. As the evening approached we met again at the appointed hour. We
quietly brought the matter to the Lord’s remembrance. Not a minute late, His
answer came with torrential rain and floods as before. |
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The
power of the idol over the islanders was broken; the enemy was defeated.
Believing prayer had brought a great victory. Conversions followed. And the
impact upon the servants of God who had witnessed His power would continue to
enrich their Christian service from that time on. |
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You
Can Win!, Roger F. Campbell, 1985, SP
Publications, pp. 35-36 |