According to the available records, Brother Witness Lee ministered in Taiwan during the first half of 1956. In July he was in the Philippines. In August he traveled to Hong Kong, and he ministered there until early October before returning to the Philippines, where he remained until the end of January 1957. The contents of the ministry of Brother Witness Lee in 1956 are divided into three volumes. The first two volumes consist of his speaking in Taipei, Taiwan, in the first half of the year. The third volume is composed of his speaking in Taipei, his speaking in Hong Kong from August 15 to the first part of October, and his speaking in the Philippines until the end of January 1957. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1956, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in February through May 1956. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1956 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into two sections, as follows: 1. Twenty-one messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in February. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Church as the Body of Christ and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Thirty-nine messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in March through May. These messages are included in this volume under the title Revelations in the Books of Poetry: Seeing the Experiences of God's Holy People.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1956, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee mainly in April 1956. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1956 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 four sections, as follows: 1. Four messages published in The Ministry of the Word in 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1956. Chapter 1 was previously published in a booklet entitled A God Who Hides Himself. An unabridged version of this message is included in volume 3 of this set as chapter 1 of the section entitled A God Who Hides Himself. 2. Seventeen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Three Aspects of the Church, Book 1: The Meaning of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Nineteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Three Aspects of the Church, Book 2: The Course of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 4. Eighteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Three Aspects of the Church, Book 3: The Organization of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1956, volume 3, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from May 2, 1956, through January 21, 1957. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1956 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 eleven sections, as follows: 1. Two messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 2 and 3, 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title Comments on the Testimonies of the Trainees. 2. Two messages published in The Ministry of the Word in 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title A God Who Hides Himself. Chapter 1 of this section is an unabridged version of the message included in volume 2 as chapter 1 of the section entitled The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1956. 3. Two sets of personal notes written in July 1956 and in October through December 1956. These notes are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 4. A talk given in Hong Kong on August 15, 1956. This talk is included in this volume under the title A Talk concerning Wedding Meetings. 5. Eight messages given in Hong Kong on August 21 through 30, 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Inner Operation of God and the Salvation of Man's Tripartite Being. 6. Nine messages given in Hong Kong on August 22 through 30, 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title Transformation and Conformation in God's Salvation. 7. Five messages given in Hong Kong beginning on September 2, 1956. These messages, which appear as four chapters and an appendix, were previously published in a book entitled The Meaning and Purpose of Prayer and are included in this volume under the same title. 8. Fourteen messages given in Hong Kong on September 5 through October 4, 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title Guidelines for the Experience of Life. 9. Ten messages given in Hong Kong in September and October 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title Guidelines for Service. 10. Ten messages given in Hong Kong in September and October 1956. These messages are included in this volume under the title Critiques Given during the Practice of Giving Messages. 11. Six messages given in Manila, Philippines, on December 31, 1956, through January 21, 1957. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Testimony of Jesus and Our Overcoming.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, Letters and Gleanings, volume 1, contains letters written by Brother Witness Lee from October 23, 1937, through October 15, 1994, and miscellaneous messages given from 1948 through 1964. The contents of this volume are divided into ten sections, as follows: 1. One hundred nineteen letters written to Brother Liu Suey on June 3, 1947, through October 5, 1981. These letters are included in this volume under the title Letters to Liu Suey. 2. Eight letters written to Brother Weigh Kwang-hsi (K. H. Weigh) on September 25, 1961, through October 3, 1974. These letters are included in this volume under the title Letters to K. H. Weigh. 3. Three hundred thirty-one letters written from an unknown date in 1948 through October 15, 1994, to various churches and individual saints; five letters written on April 20, 1967, through March 14, 1968, to Brother Carl Althaus; a letter written on February 8, 1992, to Brother Benson Phillips and all the full-time serving brothers and sisters in Moscow, Russia; a letter written on August 7, 1992, to the young brothers and sisters in the church in Moscow; and a letter written on January 29, 1993, to the saints who completed the first term of the full-time training in Moscow. These letters are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Letters. 4. A letter written on October 23, 1937, and published in the periodical The Open Door, Issue No. 2; five letters written on September 6, 1962, through April 9, 1963, and published in Church News, Issue Nos. 53 through 55; four letters written on December 4, 1963, through November 6, 1964, and published in The Ministry of the Word, Supplementary Issues, 1964, Issue Nos. 1, 10, and 12; and thirty-six letters written on April 25, 1968, through April 6, 1977, and published in Church News, Resumed, Issue Nos. 12 through 51. These letters are included in this volume under the title Published Letters. 5. A message given in Swatow, China, on January 17, 1948. This message is included in this volume under the title Fellowship concerning the Gospel, Revival, Life, and Loving the Lord. 6. A message given in an unknown location in 1956. This message is included in this volume under the title Recovering God's Temple, God's City, and God's Word. 7. Four messages given at a location believed to be San Francisco, California, in 1963. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Gleanings, 1963. 8. A message given in a location believed to be Los Angeles, California, in 1963. This message is included in this volume under the title Abiding in Christ by Denying Ourselves and Opening Ourselves to Him. 9. Two messages given in uncertain locations in 1964. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Gleanings, 1964. 10. A message given in an uncertain location in 1964. This message is included in this volume under the title The Use of Marriage in God's Hand.

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.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from January 3 through September 21, 1985. In 1985 Brother Lee spoke fifty-five messages that were published in The Conclusion of the New Testament. These Life-study messages are not included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. In early January Brother Lee returned to Anaheim, California, from Irving, Texas. He visited Irvine, California, on January 5, and then returned to Anaheim before traveling to Taipei, Taiwan, a few days later. He returned to Anaheim near the beginning of March and remained there until the beginning of April, at which time he went again to Taipei for about two months. At the beginning of June he returned to Anaheim and, except for a brief visit to Berkeley, California, at the end of August, he remained in Anaheim until the end of September. The contents of this volume are divided into five sections, as follows: 1. Five messages given in Anaheim, California, in various meetings with elders and responsible brothers on January 3 through September 21. These messages are included in this volume under the title Principles for Practicing the New Way. 2. A message given in Irvine, California, to Chinese-speaking saints and gospel friends on January 5. This message was translated into English and is included in this volume under the title The Church Life Being the Highest Social Life. 3. Twelve messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 14 through 19. These messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 4: The Increase and Spread of the Church. They are included in this volume under the same title. 4. Eighteen messages given in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on February 4 through May 9. These messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 5: Concerning Various Aspects of Church Service. They are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Fourteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 10 through April 12. Twelve of the messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 6: Everyone Functioning for the Increase of the Church. They are included in this volume under the same title. In the course of compiling The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985, two new messages were identified in this series and were added to the original twelve.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1954, volume 3, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in 1954 through 1956. 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 volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into three sections, as follows: 1. Seven messages given in 1954. The place and time are not accurately known. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Dead to Law but Living to God and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Six messages given in Manila, Philippines, and Taipei, Taiwan, in 1954 through 1956. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Service for Building Up the House of God and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Two hundred sixty-six outlines compiled from messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in October 1954 on gospel subjects from the Old Testament and the New Testament and various special topics. These outlines were previously published in a book entitled Gospel Outlines and are included in this volume under the same title.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1982, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from October 11, 1982, through June 15, 1983. From December 22, 1982, through January 1, 1983, Brother Lee spoke twenty-nine messages that were published in Life-study of 1 Peter, Life-study of 2 Peter, and Life-study of Jude. The Life-study messages are not included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. From the beginning of August until the end of November 1982, Brother Lee remained in Anaheim, California, except for one-day visits to the nearby localities of Cerritos and Huntington Beach, California, at the end of October. At the end of November he traveled to Irving, Texas, and remained there until the first week of January 1983. The contents of this volume are divided into four sections, as follows: 1. A message given in Anaheim, California, on October 11. This message is included in this volume under the title Fellowship concerning the Translation of Watchman Nee's Writings. 2. Six messages given in Irving, Texas, on November 28 through December 27. These messages are included in this volume under the title Experiencing the Processed, All-inclusive, Life-giving Spirit and Raising Up the Young People and the Children for the Increase of the Church. 3. A message given in Cerritos, California, on October 28. This message was translated from Chinese and is included in this volume under the title Eating and Drinking in Remembrance of the Lord and Six Items Related to the Church Life. 4. Sixty-three messages given in Anaheim and Huntington Beach, California; Irving, Texas; and Stuttgart and Tubingen, Germany, on October 31, 1982, through June 15, 1983. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John and are included in this volume under the same title.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1971, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from early January through April 11, 1971. In 1971 Brother Lee spoke twenty-four messages that constituted The Visions of Ezekiel, which were later published in Life-study of Ezekiel. These Life-study messages are not included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. From the middle of October 1970 until the middle of January 1971, Brother Lee was in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Then he visited Manila, Philippines; Singapore; Surabaya, Indonesia; and Melbourne, Australia, before arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 1. Brother Lee traveled to San Francisco on March 17 and then went to Los Angeles at the beginning of April, where he remained until the end of May. The contents of this volume are divided into six sections, as follows: 1. Ten messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in January. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Shepherding the Church and Perfecting the Young People. 2. Ten messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, from January 5 through 9. They were previously published in a book entitled The Meaning of Human Life and a Proper Consecration. 3. Three messages given in an unknown city and in Singapore from the end of January to the beginning of February. The date and place of the first message are uncertain. The last two messages were given in Singapore in February. They are part of an eight-day conference held in Singapore at the end of January and the beginning of February. The records of only two of the messages given during that conference have been located. The three messages in this section are included in this volume under the title The Abolishing of Ordinances and the Making of Peace. 4. Twelve messages given in Palmerston North, New Zealand, on March 12 through 16. These messages are included in this volume under the title Experiencing Christ for the Church as the New Man, the Body of Christ, and the Bride of Christ. 5. Five messages given in San Francisco, California, on March 19 through 21. They are included in this volume under the title Experiencing 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 April 8 through 11. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Life for the Preaching of the High Gospel.

Brother Witness Lee traveled to Manila, Philippines, on December 10, 1952, and stayed there until June 30, 1953. During this time he released messages that compose the first six chapters of The Bridge and Channel of God, which appears in volume 1 of this set. A collection of his personal notes written in January is included in volume 1 of this set. On June 1 through 14 he conducted a training on service in the mornings with brothers who attended from the Philippines as well as from other Southeast Asian countries. The main subject of these meetings was on the conditions for God to use man and on the knowledge needed for those who serve the Lord. In the evenings he spoke to the whole church on God's need for man and the life of service. After this, he conducted meetings in Baguio, Philippines, for three days beginning on June 15, with two meetings every day. The subject of these meetings was on the life and living of the Lord's serving ones and the revelation and way for service. These messages were originally published in The Ministry of the Word, Issue Nos. 27 and 28, and are included in volume 1 of this set under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1953. After returning from Manila on June 30, Brother Lee remained in Taiwan for the rest of the year. Beginning on August 9 he conducted an eleven-day conference on life and the church with over two thousand in attendance. These messages are included in volume 1 of this set in the section entitled Knowing Life and the Church. The most significant event of this year was a sixteen-week training that began in September and ended in the middle of December. This was the most crucial training during the first few years of the work in Taiwan. All the sections in the remainder of the 1953 set are from messages released during this training. These include The Knowledge of Life and The Experience of Life, both of which have become crucial books in the Lord's recovery since that time. Some of the messages in these sections were given in 1954. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953, volume 1, contains messages that Brother Witness Lee gave in 1953. This volume also includes notes, articles for publication, and an outline written in the same year. Additionally, prayers offered by Brother Lee in meetings from 1953 through 1957 are included in this volume. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1953 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into nine sections, as follows: 1. Eight messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, and Manila, Philippines, in 1953. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Bridge and Channel of God and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. A collection of personal notes written in January 1953. These are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 3. Two messages given in Manila, Philippines, on June 12 and 13, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Concerning the Lord's Work and God's Move. 4. Twenty-three messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in August 1953. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Knowing Life and the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Nine articles and reports that appeared in various issues of The Ministry of the Word in 1953. They are included in this volume under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1953. 6. Four messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 18 and 20, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Fellowship in Preparation for the Service Training in Taipei. 7. A detailed outline written in 1953 showing the subjects that were covered in the training on service in Taipei, Taiwan. This outline is included in this volume under the title Outline of the Service Training in Taipei. 8. Five messages given during an intensified sixteen-week training on service in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 1 through December 18, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Human Conduct and the Ministry of the Word of the Lord's Serving Ones. Most of the content of the service training and the fellowship that followed the training is published in volume 2 of this set in the section entitled Messages and Fellowship Given during the Service Training in Taipei. 9. A collection of nineteen prayers offered by Brother Lee in meetings held in Taipei, Taiwan, and Hong Kong from 1953 through 1957. They are included in this volume under the title A Collection of Prayers.