The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit - Watchman Nee

The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit
Watchman Nee
1997 Living Stream Ministry


Chapter 1 The Importance of Breaking

Many people think that their outer man is more precious than their inner man… We may treasure our own wisdom and think that we are quite superior. Another person may treasure his emotions and also think he is quite outstanding. Many people treasure themselves; they think that they are much better than others.

They think their eloquence, their ability, their discernment, and their judgment are better. But we are not antique collectors; we are not admirers of alabaster flasks… If the outer part is not broken, the inner part will not be released. We will have no way to go on, and the church will have no way to go on. We no longer should be so protective of ourselves.


Chapter 2 Before and After the Breaking

Many people have to be brought to the end of themselves and realize the vanity of their work before they see the futility of their many thoughts and feelings. No matter how many people can be gained through our thoughts and feelings, the result is vain. Sooner or later we have to confess, “It is the Spirit who gives life.” Only the Spirit can give life. Even our best thoughts and feelings cannot give life. A man can have life only through the Spirit. Many workers of the Lord have to go through many pains and failures before they see this fact. Since the Spirit alone gives life, it is only as the spirit is released that sinners are regenerated and believers are built up. .. Without the Spirit there can be no regeneration, and there can be no building up.

God has installed a spirit within us to respond to Him. The outer man, however, only responds to outward signals. A man loses God’s presence and the enjoyment of it because his outer man is constantly responding to outside activity. .. If the outer man is not broken, we will reach whenever something happens outside of us. We cannot enjoy God’s presence calmly and continually because the outer man is constantly reacting. God’s presence is based on the breaking of the outer man.

… But if God is merciful to us, He will break our outer man, and our inner man will no longer be touched when many things happen to us. We will remain calm, and God’s presence will abide with us.


Chapter 4 How to Know Men

We have to ask the Lord not to release us from His hand. May He work on us time after time. .. May we realize before the Lord that the more dealings we receive, the more knowledge we will acquire concerning men and many things, and the more we will have to offer others. In order to expand the sphere of our service, we must expand the sphere of our dealings.

Chapter 5 The Church and the Work of God

Many people have the wrong concept that a man believes in the gospel because he has heard the right teachings, or because he is touched in his emotion. Those who base their acceptance of the Lord on emotional impulses will not last, nor will those who are convinced by persuasion in the mind…A man is not saved through emotion and thought. A sinner falls at the Lord’s feet because the speaker’s spirit has released light through his speaking. As soon as our spirit gushes out, others are struck. This is the reason we need a released spirit to preach the Gospel.


Chapter 7 Separation and Revelation

God’s light divides us. We boast of our zeal, but God’s light will reveal this zeal as nothing but activities of the flesh. We preach the Gospel and think that we love sinners, but when light comes, we will see that our preaching of the Gospel was the result of our restlessness and talkativeness; it was only our natural inclination. When light comes, the motives and thoughts of our heart are exposed. We think that our thoughts and intentions are of the Lord, but when light comes, everything is exposed, and we will find that these were all of ourselves, not of the Lord at all.

We foolishly claim that such and such is for the Lord, but when the light comes, we will realize how little of what we have done was for the Lord. Most of the things were done for ourselves. We think that many works have been done by the Lord, actually they all have been done by us.

This revelation of our true state of affairs and the confrontation of reality become light to us. Then we will realize how much of what we have is of ourselves, of the soul and how much is of the Lord and of the spirit.