I love to read books. I love to give books away. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for reading. I get that. But I still share it, especially with my family. And it’s easiest to share when I find little books with big ideas. The latest treasure is Sit, Walk, Stand: The Process of Christian Maturity by Watchman Nee.  

I had heard of Watchman Nee but knew very little about him. This short book makes me want to know more. When I heard the title from a friend, I immediately thought it was about Psalm 1, which starts out with the words walk, stand and sit in the first verse.  

But that’s not it.

This little book (about 70 pages of text) captures three big ideas from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Here’s his simple outline.  

1. Our position in Christ – “SIT” (1:1 – 3:21) 

2. Our Life in the World – “WALK” (4:1 – 6:9) 

3. Our Attitude to the Enemy – “STAND” (6:10 – 24) 

It’s a quick, easy read, and its powerful! I ordered a copy for every member of our family and shared the big ideas with them for our family worship time just recently. We took turns reading the book of Ephesians and discussing Paul’s encouragement for the church to… 

1. SIT – Be still and understand who they are and what they have in Christ.  

2. WALK – Live out their faith in a counter-cultural way.  

3. STAND – Hold their position while enduring Satan’s attacks.  

Our discussion was rich and insightful. I read some quotes from Nee’s book that impacted me, and I am hopeful they will pick up the book and take a deeper dive at some point. But, even if they don’t, they have another resource that will help them better understand and apply God’s word when they need it.  

You may not consider yourself a reader; I get that. At a minimum, you should be reading the Bible faithfully. But I also recommend that you have a go-to resource book that you share with others.

A book is a simple gift that could unlock opportunities for gospel conversations.

In the coming months, I’ll talk about some other small books with a big impact. In the meantime, what’s your favorite resource like this?  

If you don’t have a go-to, why not order 5 copies of Sit, Walk, Stand? Read and mark one up, then look for opportunities to give the others away. I bet you’ll have some great gospel conversations!