Sit, Walk, Stand is a small book with a big message. It’s sold as a study of Ephesians, but it’s much more than that. In 78 short pages the author describes the three aspects of the believer – to God, to man, and to the enemy. The best summary of the book is the one the author provides on the last page…“The Christian life consists of sitting with Christ, walking by him and standing in him. We begin our spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. That rest is the source of our strength or a consistent and unfaltering walk in the world. And at the end of a grueling warfare with the hosts of darkness we are found standing with him at last in triumphant possession of the field.” (p.78)This is boot camp Christianity, the sort of book every new believer needs to read.That said, I have just come away from my latest reading of Sit, Walk, Stand wondering how I could have missed so much good stuff the first time around. About seven years ago I got our church in Hong Kong to study this book. To be honest, we weren’t ready for it. We were wearing the wrong glasses. It is only since I have learned to read everything through the lens of Jesus and His finished work that this book really begins to make sense.Incidentally, this is a very common experience for me – reading old books as if for the first time.Perhaps you’re like me – you read Sit, Walk, Stand many years ago and thought it was good but not great. If so, can I encourage you to take another look? To whet your appetite, here are 12 of my favorite sound-bites from the book. (Longer quotes will appear on GraceQuotes.com.)On Sitting“All true spiritual experience begins from rest.” (p.27)“Whereas God worked six days and then enjoyed His sabbath rest, Adam began his life with the sabbath; for God works before He rests, while man must first enter into God’s rest, and then alone can he work.” (p.16)“God is waiting for your store of strength to be utterly exhausted before He can deliver you. Once you have ceased to struggle, He will do everything.” (p.23)“Just you stop ‘giving’ and you will prove what a Giver God is! Stop ‘working,’ and you will discover what a Worker He is!” (p.25)Our Walk“The all-important rule is not to ‘try’ but to ‘trust,’ not to depend upon our own strength but upon his… Too many of us are caught acting as Christians. The life of many Christians today is largely a pretense. They live a ‘spiritual’ life, talk a ‘spiritual’ language, adopt ‘spiritual’ attitudes, but they are doing the whole thing themselves.” (pp.38-9)“Too often we think that the actual doing is what matters. We have to learn the lesson of not doing – of keeping quiet for Him. We have to learn that if God does not move we dare not move… The abiding principle of all true Christian work is: ‘In the beginning God…’ … You ask me what I mean by natural power. Put very simply, it is what we can do without the help of God.” (p.67)“Have we discovered how good the Lord is? Then in us He is as good as that! Is His power great? Then in us it is no less great! Praise God, His life is as mighty as ever, and in the lives of those who dare to believe the Word of God the divine life will be manifest in a power not one whit less mighty that was manifest of old.” (pp.39-40)“The question is one of practical sonship. True, God has ‘foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ’ (1:5), but we make the mistake of thinking that we have already ‘come of age’ – that we are already mature sons… All will reach ripeness somehow. But the Lamb is seeking firstfruits. The ‘wise’ in the parable (of the wise and foolish virgins) are not those who have done better, but those who have done well at an earlier hour.” (pp.33,44)Taking a Stand“Armies march into other countries to occupy and subdue. God has not told us to do this. We are not to march but to stand. The word ‘stand’ implies that the ground disputed by the enemy is really God’s, and therefore ours. We need not struggle to gain a foothold on it.” (p.54)“Today we do not fight for victory; we fight from victory… When you fight to get the victory, then you have lost the battle at the outset.” (p.55)“Because victory is His, therefore it is ours.” (p.56)“If we believe the Lord, we shall not pray so much but rather we shall praise him more. The simpler and clearer our faith in him, the less we shall pray in such situations and the more we shall praise. Let me say again: In Christ we are already conquerors. Is it not obvious then that, since this is so, for us merely to pray for victory – unless that prayer is shot through with praise – must be to court defeat by throwing away our fundamental position?” (p.57)___
In Christ, we go forward from the position of victory. We have victory now in Christ. But, so often we act/think as though we still need victory in some way or another. Mr. Nee, the father of the house Church movement in China, who died in prison in China, wrote this wonderful and profound book over fifty years ago, and it still holds profound spiritual insight for today's reader. In it he encourages believers to be ever aware that the only essential need of the believer is to always be resting in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus. This resting, in the book called sitting, is first and foremost, and nothing else means anything without the restful trust in the finished work of Christ. He reminds us that Christianity is the only religion that does not require the impossible, that man work and earn his salvation. Watchman Nee reminds us to stay sitting in the finished work of Jesus, because it is indeed the only position from which a Christian can grow and mature. It is from the resting in Christ, the Heart of God toward mankind, that one can then proceed to walk in faith and purpose and also stand against the wiles of the enemy. The book is divided into three sections aptly titled sit, walk, stand. But, always return to the most important, the foremost for all Christians is the sitting in Christ only, which is resting, trusting, relying on, having confidence and courage in Him alone, not self or others. Remembering this throughout the day so as to be able to then walk and stand.Then walk in strength because of the sitting. It is about not wasting time anymore on pride, it is about surrendering self and sharing the Gospel without self interest involved. The sooner I can let go of me doing the work, of proving something, the more then I can just share the Love of God. It is a matter of not wasting time, Mr. Nee says. Let God work in you then through you.The third section is about standing up to the enemy. Again,strength and wisdom come first by trusting (sitting) in the finished work of the Cross. Meditating on Christ, not the shock of evil circumstances, gives strength to know what to do, how to respond. And if an answer does not come quickly, do nothing, again going back to simply resting in Christ. Christ in me, my hope of glory. This is a given, a gift, not to be forced. Not by might, but by Spirit.This unique and awesome book of commentary of Paul's letter to the Ephesians is encouraging, comforting, and profoundly simple in pointing to Truth, to Christ Jesus.
What do You think about Sit, Walk, Stand (1977)?
This short book doesn't waste any of your time. The author assembles a little analogy from the book if Ephesians for us when considering our spiritual life: We first need to sit and rest in what Christ has done for us. Only then are we able to walk the life he has called us to. And after this, we are able to take our stand against the enemy's attacks.He discusses common problems such as human effort, legalism, and preferring what is fair to what is gracious. Only by resting in Christ are we able to live sacrificially, trust Him, and live in power.As we take a stand against the devil, we must realize that it is not our role to attack. We merely need to hold the ground that Christ has already gained for us.
—Tim
Watchman Nee was a Christian in China in the pre-WWII, and postwar years of China.This book is a compilation of sermons from the book of Ephesians given at conferences- sit (rest) on the work of Christ- walk (live) out your life in line with the finished work of Christ in mind, trusting in the promises of Christ- stand (your ground) in Christ, based on what He has done and in His power not your ownIn Nee's words: "Let us first remind ourselves of the order in which Ephesians presents us with these things. It is 'sit...walk...stand'. For no Christian can hope to enter the warfare of the ages without first learning to rest in Christ in what He has done, and then, through the strength of the Holy Spirit within, to follow Him in a practical, holy, life here on earth. If he is deficient in either of these he will find that all the talk about spiritual warfare will only be talk; he will never know its reality..."Good to remember and remind oneself.
—Reid
It was a good book because it's short (64 pages) and very much to the point. He kind of reminds me of Joyce Meyer in that they're both "Here's what you need to do; do it." kind of people. Although when Joyce says it it's more like, "Stop being an idiot and do what you're supposed to do." The premise of this book is basically Christians should first learn how to sit (or rest) with God. Then they should learn to walk (live a righteous life in Christ) with God, and finally they should learn to stand with God. The standing business pertains to spiritual warfare. All of this he gleans from Paul's letter to the EphesiansI kind of wish I had read this book 5 years ago.Then again, I never would have read this book 5 years ago.
—fleegan
