• Bro. Lin Zilong •
Closely Following the Flow of the Holy Spirit
and setting a Good Pattern for the Next Generation
In the earthy twentieth century, God began His move of recovery in China. In this move, Brother Lin Zilong made a good testimony for the Lord. With his life of a hundred years, he testified of God’s magnanimous and great grace and life that the Lord had on him, on China, and even on the whole earth.
Firstly, Brother Lin’s personal experience of following and serving the Lord faithfully made a good testimony for the Lord, becoming a pattern for next generation to follow the Lord. Since he followed his father, Brother Lin Shaoliang, to enter into the Lord’s recovery at his young age, for more than eighty years, he had never turned from the way. He first received the perfecting of Brother Watchman Nee’s ministry, and then faithfully followed Brother Witness Lee’s ministry. Through his service, many local churches were raised up, and the work not only spread throughout the whole Fukien province but even more influenced all parts of China. During numerous trials, He all stood firm faithfully. For several times he was put into prison and went through long years there, but he still made a fragrant testimony for the Lord in prison. Hymns of The Man on the Way, written by him in prison, has become the comfort for tens of thousands of believers in suffering.
Secondly, the one hundred years that Brother Lin had gone through were just the period when the Lord had His move of recovery in the twentieth century. Throughout his life, he made a good testimony for the Lord’s move on earth and His spiritual history in this age. The Lord’s recovery began in Foochow in 1920s, went throughout the whole China soon after, and even more spread overseas to six continents. From the beginning to the end, Brother Lin all participated in it. You may say that the history of Brother Lin was the history of the Lord’s recovery. The path that Brother Lin had passed was like the path of the righteous and the light of dawn.
Thirdly, the Lord’s recovery is the recovery of the revelation of truths and the practice of the vision; in the several times’ recovery of truths and practice, Brother Lin all participated in them. From the recovery of the ground of the church in 1930s to the move of the work concerning handing oneself over in 1940s, the practice of the new way in 1980s, and the leading of seven annual feasts in 1990s, Brother Lin all took the lead to enter into these practices. In his service, Brother Lin closely followed the flow of the Holy Spirit and inherited the footsteps of the fathers of faith throughout the ages, setting a good pattern for the next generation.
Hebrews 12 mentioned that we have a cloud of witnesses surrounding us. We believe that Brother Lin’s pattern certainly has a portion in this cloud of witnesses, encouraging us to run the race which is set before us.