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.

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.

Brother Witness Lee traveled to Manila, Philippines, at the beginning of 1954. On January 24 he began a seven-day perfecting conference with five special fellowships concerning the subject of pursuing the Lord. After this, he initiated a service training that lasted for six months, with four meetings per week. On Wednesday mornings he gave a Bible study of the Old Testament, and on Wednesday evenings he gave a training on character, including matters such as being the proper person, handling affairs properly, and doing the proper work. On Friday mornings he gave a training on being a minister of God's word, and on Friday evenings he ministered on the proper way to meet. The number who attended these meetings varied between fifty-six and one hundred sixty. The study of the Old Testament and the training on character are included in volume 1 of the 1954 set, along with other messages given in the same time period. Brother Lee left Manila in July and traveled to Hong Kong, where he conducted ten meetings on life and twelve meetings on service, plus four gospel meetings, four young people's meetings, six fellowships on service, and six meetings for the full-time serving ones. These meetings were centered on the indwelling Christ and on the knowledge of spiritual service. They are included in volumes 1 and 2 of this set. Brother Lee left Hong Kong to return to Taiwan in the middle of August. At the end of August and the beginning of September, Brother Lee conducted a special conference in Taipei, Taiwan, that consisted of ten meetings on the subject of spiritual reality, with between one thousand six hundred and two thousand six hundred in attendance. These messages are included in the section entitled Spiritual Reality in volume 2 of this set. In the fall of 1954 Brother Lee began another extended training for serving ones like the one that he carried out in the fall of 1953. During this training he conducted a detailed study on Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus through Ezra. The messages given in this detailed study are included in volume 4 of this set. He also spoke further on the knowledge of life and the experience of life. These speakings and the speakings in the previous training in 1953 on the same subjects were combined to form the books The Knowledge of Life and The Experience of Life (see The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953, vol. 3). During this training he also released messages published in Gospel Outlines, which are included in volume 3 of this set. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1954, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee on January 1 through August 12, 1954. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1954 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into seven sections, as follows: 1. Two messages given in Manila, Philippines, on January 1 and 3. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Significance and Application of the Burnt Offering. 2. Eight messages given in Manila, Philippines, on January 24 through 31. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Living and Service of the Burnt Offering. 3. Twenty-four messages given in Manila, Philippines, in February through July. These messages are included in this volume under the title A Record of the Service Training in the Philippines. 4. Thirteen messages given in Manila, Philippines, on February 7 through July 11. These messages are included in this volume under the title Messages Given in the Lord's Day Meetings in Manila. 5. Six messages given in Manila, Philippines, in February and March. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Building Up of the Character of the Lord's Serving Ones. 6. Twenty-two messages given in Manila, Philippines, in March through June. These messages are included in this volume under the title A Record of a Bible Study on the Old Testament. 7. Eight messages given in Hong Kong on July 16 through August 12. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Spiritual Knowledge Needed for Serving in the Church.