The Present State of the Lord’s Testimony (Part 1): From the Plymouth Brethren to Watchman Nee

What is the present state of the Lord’s testimony on earth today?

In this sobering and deeply personal message, Gene Edwards traces the spiritual history of the church from the early 1800s to the modern era, beginning with the rise of the Plymouth Brethren and moving through Pentecostalism, Azusa Street, the Latter Rain movement, and the powerful influence of Watchman Nee and the Little Flock.

Starting around 1820 in Plymouth, England, Edwards examines the legacy of leaders like John Nelson Darby and the doctrinal divisions that fractured the Brethren movement. Though they preached the church and the cross, he challenges whether they practiced what they proclaimed. The introduction of dispensational theology, the concept of the “overcomers,” and the misuse of the “ground of unity” are explored as pivotal turning points in church history.

The message then moves into the birth of Pentecostalism, referencing the Welsh Revival and the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles. Edwards suggests that what many experienced as “tongues” may have actually been a rediscovery of authentic church life—later institutionalized into movements and programs.

From there, the teaching examines the rise of the “overcomer” doctrine in multiple streams—Brethren, Pentecostal, and independent movements—and how it shifted from a spiritual reality to a tool of exclusion and fear.

A major portion of the message focuses on Watchman Nee. Edwards speaks with reverence for Nee’s contribution to church life—especially the recovery of “one church per city”—while also candidly addressing the doctrinal and practical tensions that emerged from his movement. The strength of locality, the concept of the Philadelphia church, and the pressure surrounding exclusivity are all addressed with historical clarity.

This is not merely a history lesson. It is a call to examine what has been built—and what remains. Edwards challenges believers to “eat death and live on it,” to endure, to remain, and to be a testimony for this generation and the next.

The question that frames this conference—and this message—is simple:

Where do we go from here?

The pages beyond the year 2000 are blank.

Will there yet be a testimony worth passing on?