Leader’s guide · 13 weeks

Leader’s guide: Watchman Nee (For Teens)

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This guide takes your group through “Watchman Nee (For Teens)” in thirteen weeks, one chapter a week. It tells the story of Ni Tuosheng, one of China’s best-known Christian teachers, the voice behind “The Normal Christian Life” and “Sit, Walk, Stand,” who spent almost twenty years in a Communist prison. The book admires him without turning him into a statue, so it also gives teens practice in thinking honestly about a flawed, gifted leader. It is written for teens aged about 13 to 18 and suits a youth group, a homeschool or a small group.

Each session runs about 30 to 40 minutes. Open by saying the memory verse together. Read the chapter, either aloud together or at home beforehand if your group prefers. Talk through the chapter’s three questions, which come with answers to help you. Do the activity, which takes about ten minutes. Then close by praying the chapter’s prayer, or one of your own.

To prepare, read the chapter yourself and look over the activity; most weeks need only paper and pens, or nothing at all. Several chapters need care: serious illness, anxiety and depression, long imprisonment and grief, and disputed charges against Nee that include sexual immorality, which the book neither repeats as proven nor waves away. Keep to what the chapters say, and resist filling gaps with stories from elsewhere. The book also warns that teaching on brokenness and authority has been misused to control people; make clear that no leader has the right to break anyone, and that anyone being harmed should tell a safe adult. Personal reflection stays private, and if a teen seems troubled, follow up quietly afterwards.

Week 1 — The Sound of the Clapper

Watchman Nee was born Ni Shuzu in 1903 into a China in upheaval, where many saw Christianity as foreign because it had arrived along roads opened by Western power. He was a bright third-generation Christian who went to mission schools, yet he did not care much for the faith he had inherited. Later he took the name Ni Tuosheng, which called to mind a night watchman’s clapper, because he wanted to wake sleeping people. The big idea: faith cannot be inherited secondhand; at some point what was borrowed has to become your own.

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.” — Ezekiel 3:17 (ASV)

Memory verse

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.

Ezekiel 3:17

Talk together

  1. What does the name Ni Tuosheng mean, and why did Nee choose it?

    It called to mind the sound of a night watchman's clapper, the signal that wakes sleepers. He wanted to be someone who stays awake and calls people to be ready.

  2. Why was having a Christian grandfather not enough to make Nee a Christian?

    Because faith cannot be inherited. A family can pass on stories, habits and an example, but new birth comes from God, not from family or effort.

  3. Why did many Chinese people of Nee's time see Christianity as foreign?

    Because it arrived along channels opened by Western power, at the same time as wars, unequal treaties and foreign control of Chinese ports and politics.

Activity

Borrowed or Mine?

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Each person writes down privately three things they believe about God.
  2. Next to each, write where it came from: a parent, a church, a friend, the Bible, their own experience.
  3. As a group, talk about why receiving faith from family is a privilege, and why Nee found it was still not enough.
  4. Each person circles one belief and asks themselves, “Have I ever made this my own?”
  5. Close by explaining the watchman picture: an ordinary person who stays awake and tells the truth when it matters.

Read chapter 1

Week 2 — Not My Own

In 1920 the Chinese evangelist Dora Yu preached, Nee’s mother renewed her faith and, as the family tells it, apologised to her son. Nee saw that following Jesus meant giving up control of his gifts and future, and when he surrendered he began putting right old wrongs. He also gave up his relationship with Charity Chang, who did not yet share his faith, not knowing whether it would ever return. The big idea: you are not your own, because you were bought with a price, and surrender is an answer to love, not a deal with God.

“ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ASV)

Memory verse

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20

Talk together

  1. What did Nee see as the real cost of becoming a Christian?

    Giving up the right to run his own future. Jesus is Lord, so his gifts, ambitions and choices would belong to Christ.

  2. Why did Nee give up his relationship with Charity Chang at first?

    She did not yet share his faith, and he believed marrying an unbeliever would go against Scripture. He chose obedience over romance without knowing how it would end.

  3. How is making things right different from paying for forgiveness?

    Forgiveness is a free gift. Putting wrongs right, like Zacchaeus paying people back, is the fruit of grace, showing that it has really changed us.

Activity

Putting It Right

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Read the chapter’s point that making things right is the fruit of grace, not the price of forgiveness.
  2. As a group, brainstorm ordinary wrongs teens might put right: something borrowed and not returned, a lie that needs correcting, an apology owed.
  3. Talk about Zacchaeus and how he went beyond feeling bad.
  4. Each person writes privately one wrong they could put right this week, and how.
  5. Remind everyone that if putting it right could hurt someone else, they should ask a parent or pastor first.

Read chapter 2

Week 3 — A Mentor Who Could Say No

Near Fuzhou an English missionary, Margaret Barber, became Nee’s mentor, asking searching questions about whether his work came from God or merely for God. She taught him to wait on God rather than let activity replace guidance, and that faith means trusting God’s character, not feeling confident. Through her he read many Christian writers and learned to look to God for provision, becoming a gifted interpreter of many streams. The big idea: everyone, especially gifted people, needs someone who loves them enough to say no.

“they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31 (ASV)

Memory verse

They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Talk together

  1. What kind of questions did Margaret Barber ask Nee about his work?

    Whether God had started it, whether he had waited on God, and whether he was after visible success or obedience.

  2. What does it mean to do Christian work “for God” but not “from God”?

    To do good religious things in your own strength and on your own initiative, instead of depending on God and following his lead.

  3. Why do gifted young people especially need someone who can say no to them?

    Because their talent can carry them a long way on its own, and people around them may be too impressed to correct them. Honest correction keeps them dependent on God.

Activity

For God or From God?

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Explain Barber’s distinction between work done for God and work done from God.
  2. In pairs, list good activities teens are busy with: serving at church, helping friends, study, sport.
  3. For each, discuss how you could tell whether it is from God or just busyness.
  4. Each person writes privately the name of one older person who is allowed to tell them the truth, or, if there is no one, a prayer asking God for such a person.
  5. Encourage everyone to ask that person this week, “Is there anything you see in me that I should work on?”

Read chapter 3

Week 4 — Right in the Argument

In Fuzhou, Nee and other young believers met in homes to pray, study the Bible and break bread, and revival spread among students. In 1922 and 1923 disagreements broke out among the workers, and Nee was pushed out; Barber did not take his side but pointed him to the way of the cross. The chapter is careful that this never means staying in danger or being silenced by the powerful, but that you can be right in an argument and wrong in spirit. The big idea: like Christ, we can tell the truth and still entrust our reputation to God.

“who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:” — 1 Peter 2:23 (ASV)

Memory verse

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 2:23

Talk together

  1. What did the young believers in Fuzhou do together?

    They met in homes to pray, study the Bible and break bread weekly, and they preached in schools, streets and homes, which helped spark a revival among students.

  2. What lesson did Barber press on Nee after he was pushed out?

    The way of the cross: you can be right in an argument and wrong in spirit, and the need to be proved right can become an idol.

  3. What does this teaching NOT mean?

    It doesn't mean a person being abused must stay in danger or keep quiet. Telling the truth, asking for help and seeking protection are still right.

Activity

Win or Resolve?

You will need: Nothing

  1. Set up two volunteers to role-play a disagreement between friends, such as who forgot to send an important message.
  2. Let them play it once with each person trying to win, extra jabs included.
  3. Play it again with both people asking themselves, “Do I want this sorted out, or do I just want to win?”
  4. Ask the group what changed, and what true things still needed saying in the second version.
  5. Talk through what this teaching does NOT mean: it never means staying in danger or keeping quiet about abuse.

Read chapter 4

Week 5 — Racing Death

In his early twenties Nee became seriously ill with tuberculosis and, fearing his life would be short, wrote “The Spiritual Man,” built on the idea that a person is spirit, soul and body. The chapter says many find this map helpful but warns that the Bible uses these words in overlapping ways and that feelings and thinking are not enemies of spiritual life. Nee recovered and prayed for healing, but never taught that faithful Christians won’t get sick, and the chapter adds that anxiety and depression are not failures of faith. The big idea: facing our limits teaches us to number our days and to depend on God.

“So teach us to number our days, That we may get us a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12 (ASV)

Memory verse

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Talk together

  1. Why did Nee write *The Spiritual Man* with such urgency?

    He had tuberculosis in the mid-1920s and feared he might not live long enough to teach the material later.

  2. What are the three parts of a person in Nee's teaching?

    Body (contact with the physical world), soul (mind, emotions and will), and spirit (conscience and fellowship with God).

  3. What does the biography warn about Nee's spirit-soul-body map?

    That the Bible uses those words flexibly, so the map shouldn't be pressed too rigidly, and that emotions and the mind are not enemies of spiritual life.

Activity

Name It, Bring It

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Read the chapter’s note that anxiety and depression are not a failure of faith, and that anyone struggling should tell a safe person.
  2. As a group, list common strong feelings: anxious, angry, lonely, jealous, discouraged, excited.
  3. Talk about the difference between obeying a feeling blindly, pretending it isn’t there, and bringing it honestly to God.
  4. Each person writes privately one feeling they’ve had this week and a one-sentence prayer bringing it to God.
  5. Encourage everyone to practise naming and bringing a feeling to God each day this week.

Read chapter 5

Week 6 — The Church in the City

By 1928 Nee’s work was centred in Shanghai, and gatherings outsiders called the “Little Flock” spread across China, wanting no name but to be the church in their city. Ordinary believers prayed, preached and carried responsibility, and Nee wanted Chinese churches to be led and supported by Chinese believers. His fellowship with the Exclusive Brethren broke down because he would not cut himself off from other genuine Christians at the Lord’s table, yet his own movement later faced the danger of treating other Christians as second-class. The big idea: Christ is not divided, so treat other believers as brothers and sisters.

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof.” — 1 Corinthians 12:27 (ASV)

Memory verse

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

1 Corinthians 12:27

Talk together

  1. Why did the Little Flock not want a denominational name?

    They believed all true Christians in a city make up one church, so they wanted to be known simply as the church in their locality, not by a founder's name or a special doctrine.

  2. Why did Nee's fellowship with the Exclusive Brethren break down?

    They expected him to keep away from Christians outside their circle at the Lord's table, and he refused to cut off believers he saw as genuine members of Christ.

  3. What danger does the biography see in Nee's “one city, one church” idea?

    That a group claiming to be the only true church in a city can end up treating other faithful Christians as second-class, becoming exclusive itself.

Activity

One Body

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. As a group, list the churches and Christian groups you know of in your town.
  2. Next to each, write one thing you think Christ is doing through them.
  3. Discuss the chapter’s warning that every renewal movement can become the thing it protested against.
  4. Ask: when do we treat other churches or youth groups as competition?
  5. Choose one church on the list to pray for by name as a group before you finish.

Read chapter 6

Week 7 — Know, Reckon, Present

After Charity Chang became a Christian, she and Nee married in 1934, though a relative attacked him in the press. Talks he gave on Romans 5 to 8 became “The Normal Christian Life,” teaching that the cross deals with both our guilt and our old self, and that we are to know, reckon and present ourselves to God. In “Sit, Walk, Stand” he taught that we rest in what God has done before we walk and stand, and the chapter warns that counting yourself dead to sin is not pretending pain isn’t real. The big idea: you don’t fight sin to become God’s; you fight it because you already are.

“Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 6:11 (ASV)

Memory verse

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:11

Talk together

  1. How was *The Normal Christian Life* put together?

    It was compiled from talks Nee gave on Romans 5 to 8 around the time of his 1938 trip to Europe, not written by him as one continuous book.

  2. What do “know, reckon, present” mean in Nee's teaching?

    Know what God has done in joining you to Christ, count it as true the way you count on money really deposited, and give yourself to God as someone alive from the dead.

  3. What is the order of *Sit, Walk, Stand*, and why does it matter?

    First rest in what God has done, then live it out, then stand against evil. Reversing it turns the Christian life into trying to earn what God has already given.

Activity

Know, Reckon, Present

You will need: Index cards and pens

  1. Explain Nee’s three words and his banking picture: counting on money that has really been deposited.
  2. Ask the group to put “sit, walk, stand” in order and explain why getting the order wrong leads to trying to earn a seat you already have.
  3. Each person writes Romans 6:11 on a card.
  4. On the back, they write privately what they will do the next time they fail: read the verse, confess, thank God they still belong to him, and get up.
  5. Encourage everyone to keep the card somewhere they will see it this week.

Read chapter 7

Week 8 — Six Years of Silence

In the early 1940s Nee became involved in a pharmaceutical business linked to his brother, partly to support Christian workers, and the Shanghai elders opposed him amid accusations about the business, his ministry and his conduct. He was shut out of public ministry for about six years, and the chapter says the sources split sharply, with no simple verdict possible. It draws lessons about keeping money clear and accountable, and about identity when a role is taken away. The big idea: we are called first to be with Jesus and only then to be sent, so we are never just the thing we do.

“that they might be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach” — Mark 3:14 (ASV)

Memory verse

And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach.

Mark 3:14

Talk together

  1. Why was Nee shut out of public ministry in the early 1940s?

    His deep involvement in a pharmaceutical business connected with his brother caused a major conflict with the Shanghai elders, with accusations about the business, his ministry and his conduct.

  2. How does the full biography handle what really happened?

    It says the sources disagree sharply, sympathetic and hostile accounts tell it differently, and the evidence doesn't support a simple verdict either way.

  3. What does Mark 3:14 teach about identity when a role is taken away?

    Jesus called the disciples first to be with him and only then to be sent out. Belonging to Christ comes before any job or role.

Activity

Who Tells the Story?

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Read the chapter’s advice to ask who is telling a disputed story, and why.
  2. In small groups, take a simple made-up event, such as a school fundraiser where money went missing, and write a short friendly account and a short hostile account of it.
  3. Compare the versions: what did each leave out or stress?
  4. Talk about practical ways to keep shared money clean and clear, even a class fund.
  5. Each person writes privately one thing they are known for, and under it: “Before I was useful to anyone, I was loved.”

Read chapter 8

Week 9 — A Grain of Wheat

Nee returned to public ministry in 1948, and his preaching now centred on “the breaking of the outer man”: the natural self must be broken, like a grain of wheat, for Christ’s life to come through, as with Jacob and Peter. The chapter draws a firm line that this teaching has been badly misused, and that God’s breaking never means destroying personality, losing your conscience, obeying a leader no matter what, or suffering abuse in silence. Real brokenness makes a person more tender, teachable and honest, not more afraid. The big idea: like a grain of wheat, our self-reliance must fall and die for Christ’s life to bear fruit.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.” — John 12:24 (ASV)

Memory verse

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

John 12:24

Talk together

  1. What did Nee mean by “the breaking of the outer man”?

    That the natural self, the independent mind, will and self-protection, can block Christ's life from flowing through a believer, and God deals with it the way a seed's shell breaks so it can grow.

  2. What does the biography say brokenness is NOT?

    It isn't the destruction of personality, giving up your conscience, obeying a human leader no matter what, or accepting abuse in silence. No leader has the right to break another person.

  3. How can you tell real brokenness from a harmful version?

    By its fruit: real brokenness makes someone more tender, teachable and honest, able to apologise, not more fearful or controlled.

Activity

Real or Fake?

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Read the chapter’s list of what brokenness is NOT, and say clearly that anyone being controlled or harmed by a leader should tell a safe adult.
  2. In small groups, write six short statements a leader might make, some healthy and some controlling.
  3. Swap with another group and sort them into “real humility” or “misuse of brokenness,” explaining why.
  4. Discuss the chapter’s tests: can you be talked round, change your mind and apologise?
  5. Encourage everyone to make one apology this week without adding “but.”

Read chapter 9

Week 10 — He Went Back

In 1949 the Communist Party took power and Protestant leaders were drawn into the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, whose words sounded like Nee’s own teaching but served state control. In 1950 Nee chose to return from Hong Kong to share the future of the Chinese churches, and the chapter notes he and his church also joined some patriotic demonstrations. Denunciation campaigns followed, and in April 1952 he was arrested at forty-eight. The big idea: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, and real heroes are more complicated than the posters.

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.” — John 10:11 (ASV)

Memory verse

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:11

Talk together

  1. Why did the Three-Self Movement's language sound familiar to Nee?

    Self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating churches were close to what he had taught for decades, though for him the goal was Christ's rule, while for the state it was political control.

  2. What choice did Nee make in Hong Kong in 1950?

    He had the chance to stay outside mainland China, and colleagues urged caution, but he chose to return and share the future of the Chinese churches.

  3. Why does the biography say his early years under Communism are complicated?

    Because recent scholarship shows he and the Assembly Hall joined patriotic demonstrations and supported parts of the new government, rather than resisting from the start.

Activity

Same Words, Different Masters

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Write the words “independence,” “unity” and “patriotism” where everyone can see them.
  2. Explain how the same words meant one thing to Nee and another to the state.
  3. In small groups, think of good-sounding words used today by schools, brands or movements, and ask what is actually being done with them.
  4. Read Romans 13:1 and Acts 5:29 aloud, and discuss why knowing which one applies is so hard.
  5. Pray together by name for your country’s leaders, and for Christians under pressure from their governments.

Read chapter 10

Week 11 — How Long?

Nee waited years for trial, and in 1956 he was condemned as head of a “counterrevolutionary” group and sentenced to fifteen years, on charges including economic, political and sexual misconduct. The chapter refuses both to erase the charges and to treat them as proven, noting forced confessions on one side and serious evidence argued on the other; what is certain is that he was imprisoned in a campaign to control religious leaders. His wife Charity suffered too, and the churches carried on because ordinary believers had learned to pray and teach. The big idea: Christ, not any leader, is Lord, and we are free to ask God, “How long?”

“How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou forget me for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?” — Psalm 13:1 (ASV)

Memory verse

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

Psalm 13:1

Talk together

  1. What was Nee convicted of in 1956, and what was his sentence?

    He was publicly condemned as the head of a counterrevolutionary group, with charges of economic misconduct, political crimes and sexual immorality, and sentenced to fifteen years.

  2. Why does the biography neither erase the charges nor accept them as proven?

    Because the trial happened in a system that used coerced confessions and political show, yet some sources argue there was real evidence of wrongdoing, so the full truth remains disputed.

  3. What does Romans 3:4 teach about leaders who are accused?

    The truth of the gospel doesn't depend on any messenger. If a leader sinned, it should be faced; if falsely accused, he should be defended; either way Christ is Lord.

Activity

Christ, Not Them

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Read Paul’s line from the chapter: “let God be found true, but every man a liar.”
  2. As a group, discuss how the Bible tells the truth about David and Peter rather than airbrushing them.
  3. Talk about how to respond when a respected Christian is accused: without denying everything, and without assuming the worst.
  4. Each person writes privately the name of a Christian they admire and finishes the sentence, “My faith rests on Christ, not on them, because …”
  5. Close by reading Psalm 13 together.

Read chapter 11

Week 12 — Fifteen Became Twenty

Little is known of Nee’s prison years, and the chapter says the honest thing is to stop where the facts stop. He generally kept the prison rules but would not deny Christ, and while he was silenced his books spread far beyond China. His fifteen-year sentence ended in 1967 without release, his family suffered in the Cultural Revolution, and there are reports he regretted how long Charity had spent alone. The big idea: endurance is not feeling strong all the time but still belonging to Christ through the dark.

“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10 (ASV)

Memory verse

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Revelation 2:10

Talk together

  1. How did Nee behave in prison, according to recent scholarship?

    He generally kept the prison rules while refusing to renounce his Christian faith.

  2. What happened when his fifteen-year sentence ended in 1967?

    He was not released. Accounts commonly report that release depended on renouncing his faith, which he would not do.

  3. What was happening to Nee's teaching while he was in prison?

    His messages were being translated and published around the world, and *The Normal Christian Life* reached readers far beyond China.

Activity

Not Forgotten

You will need: Paper and pens or phones

  1. Remind the group of the chapter’s encouragement: anyone in a long, dark stretch who feels there’s no point going on should tell a safe person this week.
  2. Read Hebrews 13:3 from the chapter: “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them.”
  3. As a group, think of the kinds of people stuck in long, hard seasons: sick, grieving, lonely, far from home, imprisoned for their faith.
  4. Each person writes or drafts a short note to one real person in a hard season, telling them they haven’t been forgotten.
  5. Pray together for Christians imprisoned for their faith today.

Read chapter 12

Week 13 — Treasure in Clay

Charity died before her husband, and Nee grieved her in prison. He died in custody in Anhui on 30 May 1972, aged sixty-eight, and a short statement of faith reportedly found under his pillow simply confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for sinners and rose again. The chapter weighs whether he was a martyr and traces his worldwide influence, then uses Paul’s picture of treasure in clay jars: value what God gave through him without pretending the vessel was flawless. The big idea: the watchman dies, but Christ remains.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;” — 2 Corinthians 4:7 (ASV)

Memory verse

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

Talk together

  1. How and when did Watchman Nee die?

    On 30 May 1972, in Anhui province, still in state custody after nearly twenty years in prison. He was sixty-eight.

  2. What did his last written statement of faith say?

    In substance: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he died for sinners and rose again, and Nee died believing in him. Different English versions circulate, so the exact wording is uncertain.

  3. What does “treasure in earthen vessels” teach about how to remember Nee?

    Christ is the treasure and Nee was a breakable human vessel. We can value what God gave through him without pretending he was flawless, and without letting him replace Christ.

Activity

Four Lines

You will need: Paper and pens

  1. Read the substance of Nee’s last statement of faith and notice what it leaves out: none of his famous vocabulary.
  2. Each person writes their own statement of faith in four lines at most, with no religious jargon.
  3. Invite volunteers to read theirs aloud if they wish.
  4. As a group, name one thing to thank God for in Nee’s life and one place where the book says his ideas needed questioning.
  5. Encourage everyone to keep their statement somewhere they will find it on a hard day.

Read chapter 13