The Christian life is a matter of the divine, eternal life. The Lord came that His flock might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). In His resurrection He sent His apostles to feed His sheep (John 21:15, 17), again taking the principle of life. The Apostle Paul also followed this pattern. He considered his words not merely as teachings, but also as food to the church (1 Cor. 3:2) and to his fellow workers (1 Tim. 4:6).

However, in order to reach its full potential, life requires training and discipline. The higher the expectation is, the more training is required. For this reason the Lord charged Peter not only to feed but also to shepherd His sheep (John 21:16). God uses discipline to bring forth the peaceable fruit of righteousness in His children (Heb. 12:7, 11), and He continually breathes His word to convict and correct us (2 Tim. 3:16).

In this little book we consider the Lord's servant, Miss Margaret E. Barber, who became a seed of the divine life in China. She learned the lessons of life, strictly disciplining herself to follow the Lamb in detailed obedience while also becoming a pattern to train the younger believers. Through this process she became a faithful steward, committing her learning to faithful men who later became competent teachers also (2 Tim. 2:2). Perhaps the most notable of those under her training hand was Watchman Nee.

By taking up the burden to move from Great Britain to China for the Lord's interest, Miss Barber deeply experienced the cross and learned to live by faith. Her poems, some of which are included in this volume, exhibit her deep experiences of Christ. She was very much in the Lord's presence, and she eagerly anticipated His coming back.

In China she lived in a suburb of Foochow, traveling little and receiving no publicity. She simply prayed for the Lord's move and helped those who sought her counsel in seeking after the Lord. Through Miss Barber, Watchman Nee obtained a foundation for his spiritual life. When the young Brother Nee would admire the eloquence, knowledge, ability, zeal, or natural power of persuasion shown by a Christian speaker, Miss Barber would point out that these things were neither of life nor of the Spirit. They could stir people up but could never minister life to people. She paid more attention to life than to work. She also warned the young brothers against doing a popular work, which would bring shipwreck to their spiritual life. By deliberately putting himself before Miss Barber's instruction and strict rebukes, Brother Nee received much help.

In Witness Lee's biography of Watchman Nee (Watchman Nee: A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1991, 18), he mentions the help Watchman Nee got from Dora Yu and Margaret Barber: "He frequently told others that it was through a sister [Dora Yu] that he was saved and that it was also through a sister [Margaret Barber] that he was edified." It was Sister Barber who introduced Watchman Nee to the writings of D.M. Panton, Robert Govett, G.H. Pember, Jessie Penn-Lewis, and T. Austin-Sparks.

For this web-site we have put together a brief biography of Miss Barber along with several of her poems and letters and some words spoken in memorial to her going to be with the Lord. The biography was translated from a source found in Mainland China which does not give its author. It has been edited and corrected in some points. The poems were collected from The Dawn magazine (edited by D.M. Panton), from The Overcomer (edited by Jessie Penn-Lewis), and from Witness and Testimony (edited by T. Austin-Sparks). Twenty-two other poems of hers can be found in Hymns (published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California).

The compiler expresses his appreciation to many who helped put this information together. May the Lord use this volume to instruct His children for the fulfilling of His purpose in this age.