At the time of regeneration, all believers receive the divine life and are begotten as children of God. Yet, this life most grow and it does so by regulation unto maturity and function. This regulation comes from revelation and issues in obedience. This word is crucial for our progress and training in the divine life for our maturity and function in our living and service to God.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1960, volume 2, contains messages given and articles and personal notes written by Brother Witness Lee in April through December 1960. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1960 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into ten sections, as follows: 1. Nine messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April through August. Chapters 1 through 5 contain messages given in July and August, and chapters 8 and 9 contain messages given on April 1 and 2. The dates of the messages that constitute chapters 6 and 7 are unknown. All nine messages were previously published in a book entitled The Sufficiency, Pursuit, and Learning of the Lord's Serving Ones and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Four messages given in a training for young people in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. These messages are included in this volume under the title God's Plan and Christ's Redemption. 3. Three sets of personal notes written in 1960, probably beginning on April 26. These notes are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 4. Fifteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1960; the exact dates are unknown. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Elders' Management of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. A message given in Taipei, Taiwan, probably after the messages contained in the previous section on the elders' management of the church. This message is included in this volume under the title Concerning the Arrangement of Church Meetings. 6. A message given in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1960. This message was originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in September. It is included in this volume under the title Balancing the Church Service and the Goals of the Church Service. 7. Five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan. These messages were originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in October 1960 through January 1961. They were previously published in a book entitled The Law of Revival and are included in this volume under the same title. 8. Ten messages given in New York City on October 14 through November 20. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Nature and Building Up of the Church. 9. Four messages given in New York City on November 24 through 27. These messages are included in this volume under the title Practicing the Building Up of the Church on the Proper Ground. 10. A letter and two sets of questions and answers given in Los Angeles, California, on December 5 through 7. This section is included in this volume under the title Fellowship in Los Angeles concerning the Ground of the Church.

This book presents a vision of Christ and the church. It then goes on the emphasize the need to experience this Christ as the Spirit in our spirit and to practice the church life on the ground of oneness.

Two things are the key to the real experience of [the divine] life: our flesh and our spirit. On the negative side, we have to know the flesh. On the positive side, we have to experience our human spirit, which has been mingled with the divine Spirit (Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 6:17).

This book traces "the New Testament service in the Gospel of Matthew from its beginning with the conceiving of Christ of the Holy Spirit, to finding Christ by following the heavenly living star, on to testifying of Christ in a living way, and then to the matter of following Christ. Finally, [it considers] the matter of life and the matter of work in the New Testament service according to the parables of the ten virgins and of the talents. In all these aspects, it is a governing principle in our service in the church life that the New Testament service is a service of coordination in every step to fulfill the Lord's purpose."

When God created man, He placed him before two trees: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. In warning man to avoid the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God indicated His desire for man to eat of the tree of life, signifying that man should receive God as his life supply. Witness Lee unveils in The Tree of Life that God is not looking for well-behaved Christians; He is looking for those who will experience and enjoy Christ as the reality of the tree of life.