The Lord’s Recovery in Netherlands
The Current Situation in the Churches in Netherlands
Although this introduction is a long message, may brothers and sisters read through this message with patience. Because it is difficult for us to know the actual situation in the overseas churches. Only when we know the actual situation in the churches in Netherlands can our prayers for the churches in Netherlands be desperate and to the point.
The church life in Netherlands began from two families in the Hague in 1998. In the spring of 1999, the first conference was held in Leiden. At that time all the subscribers of the The Stream were invited to attend the conference and eventually about five seeking ones came. Following that, we began to gather with these seeking ones and to contact more seeking ones by distributing the ministry books and by conducting the conferences. Due to the fact that Leiden is located in the central part of Netherlands, for the sake of the seeking ones from different cities being able to come conveniently, therefore, in 1999 we chose Leiden as the locality where the first church was established in Netherlands. In the same year, there was also the beginning of meeting in Almelo, which entered into the fellowship of the Lord’s recovery after two years. After 2000, the church in Ter Aar (2002), the church in Vlaardingen (2003), and the church in Spakenburg (2006) were established in a successive way.
By the end of 2007, the rehma cards and rehma books in Dutch language were printed in completion, and we began to distribute them to the seeking ones in Netherlands. These books included 15 books of the works of brother Nee and Brother Lee such as The Economy of God, The All-inclusive Christ, The Glorious Church, and The Knowledge of Life. In the same year, the churches in Netherlands purchased an apartment building in Delft near the campus as a base for the campus work. In 2009, in the midst of the prayers and propagation of the churches, the church in Delft was established. So far the church in Delft, whose average number of the saints attending the Lord’s Day meeting is about 30, is the church having the greatest number of saints in Netherlands.
The first photo is the map of the churches in Netherlands at present, a total of 7 local churches were established in Netherlands. The second photo shows the meeting place of the church in Leiden, which is a rented activity center and also the place for all the churches in Netherlands to blend on the Lord’s Day. Currently the average number of saints attending the Lord’s Day meeting of the churches in Netherlands is around 130, and the number of saints regularly attending the meetings exceeds 200. Since the establishment of the first church in 1999, the average yearly rate of increase among the churches is over 3%. What does “over 3%” mean? That means this average yearly rate of increase has caught up with that in Taiwan. However, the situation in Netherlands is not the same as that in Taiwan. There are very few resources in Netherlands. This shows that the propagation in Netherlands is the issue of the work of the Holy Spirit and the labor of all the saints as well.
The First Photo
The Second Photo
The third photo is the scene of the blending of all the churches in Netherlands on Lord’s Day meeting, we were breaking one bread and bearing a testimony of oneness. Meanwhile, on the Lord’s Day meeting we speak neither in English nor in Chinese, but in Dutch. This time I carried out a rather clear investigation that 75% of the saints in the churches of Netherlands are Netherlanders (the local people), which issued from the propagation of the Dutch Rehma cards and ministry books mentioned above. Two features of the propagation in the Lord’s recovery—the propagation of the truth and the gaining of the local people are manifested very clearly among the churches in Netherlands. As other Chinese Christian churches in Netherlands got the information that the Lord’s recovery could gain directly the Dutch people, they were astounded to such an extent that they could not say anything. To them, this is really hard to imagine.
The Third Photo
At present the recently established church is the church in Utrecht. As the fourth biggest city in Netherlands, Utrecht is located in the central part of Netherlands. Through the prayers of the saints and their migration to propagate, the church in Utrecht was established in December, 2014. We can say that every family coming to Utrecht was by praying to fight the battle, the Lord ordered and arranged all things that one family after another could migrate to this city. The fact that these families gather in Utrecht is not for their personal living but completely for the Lord’s testimony. In this process there were always the frustrations from Satan that saints encountered the problems concerning the aspects of work, visa, renting a house, and children, etc. However, in the prayer meetings, we, over again and again, exercised to pray with authority, declare that Christ has won the victory, rebuke the enemy, and declare to the enemy that he has been bound. Currently there are 5 families and 20 stable saints attending the meetings in Utrecht.
The fourth photo is the place for the Lord’s Day meeting of the church in Utrecht. It is the home of brother Lee, who is from Taiwan to pursue his Ph. D. at Utrecht University. The fifth photo is the small group meeting in Utrecht held in the home of brother Peter on the rightest side in the photo. Then I received in hospitality another family from Taiwan to Utrecht. Brother Huang in this family came to Netherlands to work for the purpose of answering the call for migrating to Europe for propagation and his wife was my classmate when I was in the university. This is another young couple’s family that will open their home.
The Fourth Photo
It is a very meaningful matter that almost all the meetings in this newly established church are held in this young couple’s home. Brother Huang testified to me that the threshold for a long-term residence in Netherlands is not low. Several years ago, in order to stay in Netherlands, he had experienced many miracles in the aspect of finding a job within the period of residence requirement, obtaining a good salary beyond his expectation, etc. However, this time he moved to the church in Utrecht, nothing miraculous has happened, because this is for the building up of the Body. He said: “When we were young, the Lord would arrange many particular matters for us. Yet at a certain point, nothing particular will happen. For we have grown up. Therefore, my moving here this time is with only one feeling and one purpose for the Body life and the building up of the church. ”
In my preceding postings on Facebook I had ever made an introduction of the pilgrims in Netherlands in ancient times, today I tell you that there are still pilgrims in Netherlands. These young adults with an age of over 30, which is exactly the time when they complete their study, change their jobs, and their children are still young. Although they have no property, and they need to move again after a few years, they steadfastly bear the testimony and the commission of the church. I anticipate that if they do this to the end of the course, they are not the overcomers, who can be the overcomers? Likewise, as we, the young people live in Taiwan, we have the exceedingly rich church life and possess numerous channels of support from relatives and saints, but do we pick up the commission of the church’s testimony? We have been taken care of for so many years, it is the time for us to raise up. Now is the time for us to love the Lord, please do not wait; now is the time for us to serve the Lord, please do not wait; now is the time for us to live an overcoming life, please do not wait. Because we do not know what will happen tomorrow. Now is the time for us to raise up to be the overcomers and live an overcoming life in our locality.
The place where the Lord wants me to serve, may not be across the sea,
May not be on the cliff of the high mountains, or in the dangerous foreign land;
Yet if He calls me with a quiet voice to the place that I do not know, Dear Lord, definitely I will gladly answer Thy call without hesitation, wherever Thou tells me to go, I will go.
Dear Lord, wherever Thou tells me to go, I will go, whether it is on the plain or over mountains and rivers;
Whatever language Thou tells me to speak, I will speak, whatever Thou tells me to do, I will do.
Therefore, I told brother Lee, who are pursuing his Ph. D. in Utrecht that if he is able to not come back to Taiwan, he has no need to return. Why? Please look at the last photo: “Did you hear my dream? I tell you what I dreamed. I dreamed there will be one day, up to 500000 Taiwan young saints are knocking the doors everywhere. When the 500000 Taiwan young saints are knocking the doors, Lord Jesus come!” May the Lord strengthen us. While they are knocking the doors across Netherlands, we are knocking the doors across Taiwan. We and they are joining the ranks of overcomers to wait for the Lord’s coming!
The Fifth Photo
Please pray for the churches in Netherlands:
A. Currently the seven churches in Netherlands except the church in Utrecht, most of which are located in small towns. In the first three biggest city of Netherlands—Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and the Hague, there still no lampstands. Please pray that the Lord’s recovery can establish the golden lampstands in the major cities of Netherlands.
B. The number of the saints in most of the churches in Netherlands is less than 30. Please pray for the established churches to make a breakthrough in the preaching of the gospel and be able to have a further spreading.
C. Please pray for the propagation of the campus work and the gaining of the young people in the churches in Netherlands.
D. Please pray for the saints who have migrated to the churches in Netherlands that they may experience the Lord’s provision concerning the aspects of renting a house, work, study, residence, family and children, etc.
E. Pray for all the saints that they may receive the burden to migrate to different localities in Europe to establish the golden lampstands for the spread of the Lord’s Kingdom.
Please use the following information to get in touch with the church in Utrecht, Netherlands:
