The Lord's Recovery
The recovery of the Lord (Chinese主 的 恢复/主 的 恢复, Pinyin zhǔ de Huifu, English The Lord's Recovery ) is a declining on Watchman Nee and Witness Lee theological concept. He refers to both a flow in the Chinese house church movement as well as basic theological statements of these important for the Chinese Protestantism flow. With " recovery " of the claim is referred to have recovered among others in the local churches early Christian truths that had been lost since the 1st century due to the decline of the ( early Christian ) community. More " recoveries " connect Nee and Lee with the Reformation, since Martin Luther. The related ideas were for the development of an independent Chinese Protestantism and its national cohesion is important.
Background
The Chinese Protestants began to achieve greater mission success until the beginning of the 20th century, especially in Henan and Hunan. Persecution by nationalists and representatives of a rationalist worldview oppose something, they then attempted to Sinicisation of Christianity. Watchman Nee evangelical church plants that spread in the 1920s in China, were characterized by a quite xenophobic attitude. The recovery theology is regarded as expression of a specific Chinese Protestantism and a tradition of secret, remote from the official Three-Self Church System Christian practice. In Whenzhou it is closely associated with Christian entrepreneurs who support and promote the local house churches.
The recovery theology emphasizes the unity " of the church" across provincial and territorial boundaries. Formal and theologically there are parallels to the Brethren movement, the charismatic movement - which is why their followers as a shouter ( " screamer " ) are referred to - and to a lesser extent, to the Pentecostal movement. However, it is heterodox, and in 1995 banned by the regime as a sect; and the traditional churches they eyeing suspiciously. The recovery theology has acted beyond China.
The corresponding translation of the Bible, the recovery version is banned in China. 2002, a businessman was just before a state visit by George W. Bush arrested in China from Hong Kong, Li Guangqiang, the thousands of Bibles into China had tried to smuggle. It was not the Bible texts controversial as such, but the extensive comments Lees, who attack other denominations partly solid.
The principle of recovery
Witness Lee taught that God continually " go ahead " to build something. If it will be damaged by Satan, God go ahead a second time to " recover " what had been lost. This was first done in creation. After God created heaven and earth at the beginning ( Gen 1:1 NIV ), ( Gen 1:2 NIV ) is the earth " without form and void " become what indication that something has been lost from the original creation. In six days the heavens and earth were then " recovered " by " God moved Rising above the surface of the water." Likewise, the Jewish Temple of Solomon was built, destroyed and then " recovered " was when the Jewish remnant from Babylon returned to Jerusalem (cf. the books of Ezra and Nehemiah ).
Historical Overview
According to Lee, there was even before the Reformation " recoveries ", but the " recovery of the Lord" begin mainly with Martin Luther's doctrine of justification by faith alone. They sat down with the Anabaptists continued to baptize those who were justified by faith, with John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian Church, Philipp Jakob Spener, who introduced his successor in the practice of 1 Corinthians 14 ELB, Christian David, Nicholas Ludwig Zinzendorf and the Moravians, who were the first to evangelize the world, and other precursors. Nee and Lee saw themselves as beneficiaries of these " recoveries " and believed that they were a part of their continuation.
Others who are considered part of the " recovery of the Lord," are Johann Arndt, Theodore Austin-Sparks, Bernard of Clairvaux, Jacob Boehme, Peter Boehler, Brother Lawrence ( Nicholas Herman), George Henry Lang, Dwight Lyman Moody, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe, Aiden Wilson Tozer and many others.