The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972, volume 3, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from July 3, 1972, through January 1, 1973. During the first two weeks of July, Brother Lee ministered in Chicago, Illinois. From July 21 through August 13 he was in Los Angeles, where he spoke the messages on the kingdom published in The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972, volume 2. From late August through the middle of October Brother Lee traveled up the West Coast, visiting San Francisco and San Jose, California; Seattle, Washington; and Portland, Oregon. There is no record of his speaking in these cities. From the middle of October through the first week in November he traveled to Seoul, Korea, and Taiwan. The only record of his speaking is in Taipei, Taiwan. After returning from Taipei, Brother Lee visited San Diego, California; Denver, Colorado; Indianapolis, Indiana; Akron, Ohio; Arlington, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Phoenix, Arizona, before returning to Los Angeles in the middle of December. He visited San Francisco at the end of the year. The contents of this volume are divided into eleven sections, as follows: 1. Thirteen messages given in Chicago, Illinois, from July 3 through 9. These messages are included in this volume under the title Life and Building in the Bible. 2. Eight messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, from October 29 through November 5. They were previously published in a book entitled The Consummation of God's Salvation. 3. Five messages given in San Diego, California, from November 10 through 12. These messages are published in this volume under the title Enjoying the Riches of Christ to Become the Church as the Fullness of God. 4. Five messages given in Denver, Colorado, from November 17 through 19. These messages are included in this volume under the title Enjoying Christ as the Life-giving Spirit for the Building Up of the Church. 5. Six messages given in Akron, Ohio, on November 25 and 26. The first four messages were recorded in handwritten notes. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Recovery of Enjoying Christ with His Riches for the Producing of the Church and the Keeping of the Oneness of the Spirit. 6. Five messages given in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from December 1 through 3. They are published in this volume under the title The Recovery of Eating and Enjoying Christ for God's Building. 7. Five messages given in Atlanta, Georgia, from December 5 through 7. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Christian Life and the Church Life in Galatians and Ephesians. 8. Five messages given in New Orleans, Louisiana, from December 8 through 10. The record for the first four messages consists of handwritten notes. These messages are included in this volume under the title Eating Christ for the Building Up of the Church as His Body. 9. One message given in Los Angeles, California, on December 17. This message was previously published in The Ministry magazine, volume 2, number 8, August/September 1998, in a chapter entitled "Migration in God's Move." 10. Eight messages given in Los Angeles, California, from December 22 through 25. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Greatest Prophecy in the Bible and Its Fulfillment. 11. Six messages given in San Francisco, California, from December 29, 1972, through January 1, 1973. They were previously published in a book entitled Enjoying Christ as the All-inclusive Spirit for the Practical, Genuine, and Real Church Life.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from January 15 through July 2, 1972. At the beginning of January Brother Lee traveled to San Francisco and then returned to Los Angeles. The messages that he gave in San Francisco are published at the end of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1971, volume 4. From the end of January until the end of March 1972, Brother Lee was in the Far East. During that period he visited Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, as well as Manila, Philippines; Singapore; Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; and Tokyo, Japan. There is no record of his speaking in any city except Taipei. He returned to Los Angeles at the end of March. With the exception of a brief visit to San Francisco near the end of May, he remained in Los Angeles until the beginning of June. He traveled again in North America for the next five or six weeks, visiting Houston, Texas; Toronto, Canada; Akron, Ohio; and Chicago, Illinois, before returning to Los Angeles. The messages given in Chicago are included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972, volume 3. The contents of this volume are divided into ten sections, as follows: 1. Two messages given in Los Angeles, California, on January 15. These messages are included in this volume under the title Christ as Life to Us for the Reality and Practicality of the Church. 2. Four messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in January. The exact dates are unknown. They were previously published in a book entitled Eating the Lord. 3. Five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in January. The exact dates are unknown. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Lord's Recovery of Eating. 4. Nine messages given in a young people's training in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 8 through 12. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Four Men in the Bible. 5. Eight messages given in Los Angeles, California, on March 30 through April 2. They were previously published in a book entitled The Living and Practical Way to Enjoy Christ. 6. Sixteen messages given in Los Angeles, California, from April 18 through June 7. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs. 7. Two messages given in Los Angeles, California, on May 14. They are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Messages Given to the Church in Los Angeles. 8. Seven messages given in San Francisco, California, on May 26 through 29. These messages are included in this volume under the title Preparing for the Lord's Return. 9. Six messages given in Houston, Texas, from June 9 through 14. They are included in this volume under the title The Kingdom as the Spreading of Christ. 10. Fifteen messages given in Akron, Ohio, from June 23 through July 2. They are included in this volume under the title The Growth and Spread of Christ within Us for the Kingdom of God.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, Letters and Gleanings, volume 3, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from 1972 through 1996. The contents of this volume are divided into twenty-four sections, as follows: 1. Six messages given in various locations in 1972. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Gleanings, 1972. 2. Seven messages given in Toronto, Canada, on June 16 through 21, 1972. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Kingdom as the Growth of Christ within Us for the Building Up of the Church. 3. A message given in San Jose, California, on an unknown date. This message is included in this volume under the title Christ--God, the Redeemer, the Life-giving Spirit, and the Body of Christ. 4. Three messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, between January 24 and February 18, 1972. These messages are included in this volume under the title Growth in Life in the Book of Ephesians. The three messages were combined into one chapter. 5. Six messages given in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 30 through December 3, 1972. These messages are included in this volume under the title Enjoying the Riches of Christ to Produce the Fullness of Christ. 6. A message given in the Magnolia House in Los Angeles, California, in August 1973. This message is included in this volume under the title Fellowship with Saints Migrating to New York City. 7. A message given in an unknown location in 1973. This message is included in this volume under the title The Indwelling Christ. 8. A message given in an unknown location in 1974. This message is included in this volume under the title Our Commission from the Lord. 9. Three messages given in an unknown location in 1974. These messages are included in this volume under the title Building the Church as the House of God with the Seven Spirits. 10. Six messages given in Taiwan in 1975. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Gleanings, 1975. 11. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on June 27 and 28, 1978. These messages are included in this volume under the title Additional Messages for The Testimony and Way of Life in the Lord's Recovery. The four messages under the title The Testimony and Way of Life in the Lord's Recovery are included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1978, volume 2. 12. Two messages given in San Jose and San Francisco, California, respectively, on January 12, 1979. These messages are included in this volume under the title Messages Given in San Jose and San Francisco. 13. A message given in Anaheim, California, on February 8, 1979. This message is included in this volume under the title Fellowship concerning Training and the Two Aspects of Spiritual Experience. 14. Two messages given in San Francisco, California, on February 17, 1980. These messages are included in this volume under the title Gleanings on Galatians. 15. Three messages given in Berkeley, California, on July 18 and 19, 1981. These messages are included in this volume under the title Christ as Revealed in 1 Corinthians. 16. A message given in Irving, Texas, on December 6, 1983. This message is included in this volume under the title Our Consideration, Attitude, and Ways to Contact Christians. 17. A message given in Anaheim, California, on May 19, 1984. This message is included in this volume under the title A Married Life in Spirit. 18. A series of fellowships given in Anaheim, California, from November 1991 through July 1993 to the co-workers serving in Russia. This series is included in this volume under the title Practical Fellowship concerning the Lord's Move in Russia. 19. A fellowship given by telephone in Anaheim, California, to a group of responsible brothers in Toledo, Ohio, on January 19, 1992. This fellowship is included in this volume under the title Seeing the Body of Christ, Caring for the Oneness of the Body, and Carrying Out the God-ordained Way. 20. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on March 16 and 17, 1993. These messages are included in this volume under the title Building Up the Vital Groups to Gain the Increase. 21. A message given in Anaheim, California, in 1996. This message is included in this volume under the title Crystals in the Book of Romans and Christ's Threefold Ministry. 22. A message given in Anaheim, California, on July 11, 1996. This message is included in this volume under the title Entering into a New Age to Work Together with the Lord. 23. Five messages given in various unspecified locations and on unknown dates. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Gleanings, Unknown Dates. 24. Two messages given in unspecified locations and on unknown dates. These messages are included in this volume under the title Questions and Answers concerning the Ground of the Church. 25. Two messages given in an unspecified location and on unknown dates. These messages are included in this volume under the title A Brief History of the Lord's Recovery in China and the United States.

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.

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.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1973-1974, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from February 20, 1973, through March 21, 1974. In 1973 and 1974 Brother Lee spoke seventy-one messages that were published in Life-study of Ephesians, Life-study of Genesis, Life-study of Matthew, and Life-study of Romans. These Life-study messages are not included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. At the end of December 1972 and the beginning of January 1973, Brother Lee traveled to San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, and Santa Cruz, California, and then returned to Los Angeles. The messages that he gave in San Francisco are published at the end of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972, volume 3. There is no record of his speaking in the other three cities. From January 22 through February 15 Brother Lee remained in Los Angeles. From February 16 through 19 Brother Lee visited Seattle and Spokane, Washington. There is no record of his speaking in those cities. From February 20 through March 28 Brother Lee ministered in Los Angeles. From March 30 through April 1 Brother Lee ministered in Houston, Texas, after which he spent the next month in Los Angeles. From May 4 through 24 he traveled to Taipei and Taichung, Taiwan, and to Manila, Philippines. The only record of his speaking during those dates was in a meeting with the serving ones of the church in Taipei on May 5. At the end of May Brother Lee visited Sacramento. There is no record of his speaking in that city. He returned to Los Angeles at the end of May and ministered there until the end of the third week in October. Then he traveled to Vancouver, Canada; San Francisco, California; and Spokane and Seattle, Washington, until the end of November, after which he returned to Los Angeles and remained there until the middle of December. From the third week in December through the first week in January 1974, Brother Lee visited Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and New York City. He returned to Los Angeles and remained there through the third week in March. The contents of this volume are divided into thirteen sections, as follows: 1. Ten messages given in Los Angeles, California, from February 20 through March 21, 1973. They were previously published in a book entitled The History of the Church and the Local Churches. 2. Three messages given in Los Angeles, California, on March 27 and 28 and April 27, 1973. They are included in this volume under the title The Kernel of the New Testament--the Divine Spirit with Our Human Spirit. Chapter 1 was spoken immediately after the messages published in The History of the Church and the Local Churches. 3. Four messages given in Houston, Texas, from March 30 through April 1, 1973. They were previously published in a book entitled The Enjoyment of Christ for the Body in 1 Corinthians. 4. One message that summarizes fellowship given in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 5, 1973. This message was originally published in Chinese in the July 1973 issue of Church News as "The Way for the Church to Go On Today" and is included in this volume under the same title. 5. Three messages given in Los Angeles, California, on July 30 through August 5, 1973. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Enjoyment of the All-inclusive Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ and the New Man. 6. Seven messages given in Los Angeles, California, on August 6 through 19, 1973. They are published in this volume under the title Enjoying Christ and Ministering Him in the Local Churches. 7. Three messages given at a young people's conference in Los Angeles, California, on October 20, 1973. They are included in this volume under the title Life and Building as Revealed in Peter's Epistles. 8. Three messages given in Los Angeles, California, on October 14, 16, and 21, 1973. They are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Messages Given to the Church in Los Angeles. 9. Four messages given in Vancouver, Canada, on October 26 through 28, 1973. These messages were previously published in volume 12, number 1 of The Stream magazine and are included in this volume under the title Life and Building in 1 and 2 Peter. 10. Five messages given in San Francisco, California, on November 2 through 4, 1973. The first four messages were previously published in volume 12, number 2 of The Stream magazine. The five messages are included in this volume under the title Grace in the New Testament. 11. Five messages given in Spokane, Washington, on November 15 through 17, 1973. No audio recording is available of the message given on November 15. The remaining four messages are included in this volume under the title Participating in the Riches of Christ and Being Mingled with the Processed Triune God for the Church. 12. Six messages given in Seattle, Washington, on November 22 through 25, 1973. They were previously published in a book entitled The Vision and Experience of the Corporate Christ. 13. Sixteen messages given in an informal training in Los Angeles, California, on January 10 through March 21, 1974. They were originally published in volume 12, numbers 3 and 4, and volume 13, number 1 of The Stream magazine and were also published in a book entitled The Indwelling Christ in the Canon of the New Testament.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from July 21 through August 13, 1972. During this period Brother Lee remained in Los Angeles, where he gave a lengthy series of forty-eight messages on the kingdom of God, mainly from the perspective of life. This volume is composed of these messages, which were published in 1980 in a fifty-chapter book entitled The Kingdom.