Good day, let us turn to Colossians. After studying Colossians for two weeks, I thank God that I have finally understood it. This Gospel is truly a superb one. Today, all of you owe a debt to this Gospel, for it is a Gospel that gives hope. The grace and favour we receive from this Gospel are all because it is a Gospel that gives hope. Therefore, the theme of Colossians chapter one is Do not lose the hope of the Gospel.

I have observed a peculiar phenomenon among Christians. They start off well when they first believe in the Lord, but they stray as they continue in their faith. Initially, they are nothing, perhaps coming with depression, cancer, or ankylosing spondylitis. After being healed by the grace of Jesus Christ, they become arrogant and start pursuing various management theories, even suggesting that the church should have KPIs and strategic maps. Some even become eccentric in their faith.

Some insist on observing festivals, Sabbaths, etc., even questioning why others do not observe the Sabbath, but Jesus Christ Himself did not strictly adhere to these. Then, as things progress, some feign humility, praying in church every day and competing to see who prays more. Even worse, some even worship angels.

Especially recently, with the release of the Nezha movie, the worship of Nezha is like the worship of angels. This kind of worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of oneself completely deviates from the core of the Gospel. This behaviour is like bringing back the precepts of the Old Testament.

If you want to bring back the Old Testament, why not offer a bull or a sheep? I am not referring to the Colossians, but to us, who again think we are great and end up bringing back a whole bunch of worldly elementary principles. Some feign humility, harshly treat themselves, and even develop calluses on their knees from praying. Others boast about being circumcised, even though Gentiles originally did not need circumcision, but they take pride in it.

In fact, Abraham was justified by faith and received God's promise through faith, but the law four hundred and thirty years later confined people in sin, making them realise their inadequacy. We must know to hold fast to Jesus Christ and not be entangled by worldly elementary principles and regulations. For the salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ for us is the core of our faith.

The Problem of the Colossian Church

The problem of the Colossian church was that people became eccentric as they continued in their faith. Today, there are also many people who think angels are powerful, but actually, humans are more powerful. I often deal with things in the spiritual realm, and our relationship may even be starting to become quite good. If you have not experienced spiritual warfare, you would not know, but if you have experienced spiritual warfare, you would know that the name of Jesus Christ is extraordinary. Through Jesus Christ, we can overcome many, many dark forces. It is very powerful.

Once, when I was praying, I could see ghosts there. Don't pursue being able to see them. I never pursued seeing this, but at that time, I saw them. Later, I often could not see them anymore, because with faith, there was no difference whether I saw them or not. I saw a group of things about one meter tall, with monkey-like faces and black skin, standing on two legs. I could hear them saying, Oh no, it's bad luck to run into him. Let's get out of here quickly.

I am not exalting myself. Don't think I am great. If it were not for Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God, I would definitely be defeated. So, I thank God that through Jesus Christ fighting in the spiritual world, I have witnessed His power. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly wonderful.

I urge everyone not to lose the hope of this Gospel, and to be hidden in Jesus Christ. The moment you think you are something and establish your own righteousness, you are finished. You might say that it is okay to wander outside for a while, that it is fine to wander outside of Jesus Christ. You must know that is because it has not happened yet. If you walk by the river often enough, you will eventually get your shoes wet.

This Gospel is a Gospel that Gives Hope

I am someone who likes to do research. If I were not researching heavenly knowledge, I might have gone to study aerospace. But I am very blessed to be able to study this heavenly knowledge. The Bible says that the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead is so great for us who believe.

The power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead is very powerful. Once, when I saw my mother with Alzheimer's disease, my first reaction was that the demons had come. Most people, upon seeing their family members with such a disease, would immediately lose hope. Especially with Alzheimer's, playing with faeces, it is really terrible. But many Christians just endure all of this.

I immediately realised that it was a demon on my mother, and after dealing with it, the Alzheimer's was resolved. Whether it is Alzheimer's or cerebellar atrophy, it is all demons. One day, my mother was sitting there, and I asked her to get ready to go out for a meal, to eat something delicious. My mother said to me, How much money will that cost? I said, Hey, who else would I spend my money on if not you? My mother was very happy upon hearing this and said, That's right, who else would I spend your money on if not me?

Not long after she said this, I turned my head and realised something was wrong with her voice. I saw my mother rolling her eyes, trembling all over, and drooling. If it were you, what would you do? I guess you wouldn't have the guts I have and would definitely call 120. I thought, Here you go again, the demon has come again. I have to drive you out. After driving the demon out, I took my mother out for dinner as normal an hour later, and she was fine. If you believed in Jesus Christ like I do, would you not have hope?

Many brothers and sisters do not know that this is a Gospel that gives hope. We have great hope in Jesus Christ, unlike some people who become more and more desperate as they get older, worrying about who will take care of them when they get old. Do we dare to declare that the blind can see, the lame can walk, and all our needs in life have been met in Jesus Christ? This is truly a Gospel that gives hope!

If our Jesus Christ only solves the problem of going to heaven after death, it is still a bit worrying, because we can experience God while we are alive. Can we experience God after death? If we cannot see God's glory while we are alive, can we see it when we die? I believe that my God is one who can be experienced while I am alive, a God who solves my problems while I am alive.

There is no sickness in the kingdom of God. The hope of heaven is that the authority and power of heaven will be brought to earth through me through Jesus Christ, because I am a priest of the living God. This is God's glory. While I am alive, I must live out the likeness of God and live out the life of believing in the Lord. Then, from now until forever, I will stay in Jesus Christ and never come out. I will build His glorious church.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words on a small piece of parchment, in densely packed small characters, because ancient people wrote in a very condensed style, and if they didn't condense it, they couldn't write it all down. So, there was no choice, he couldn't speak like I do, otherwise how many pieces of parchment would he have needed? So, he simply wrote down the key points.

Although Paul was concise, he clearly said, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is not merely hearing, but seeing. I truly thank God for allowing me to have the opportunity to believe and practice these words, so that life is filled with hope.

If all our petty problems in life are solved in Jesus Christ, wouldn't you say that there is hope in living? If, in addition to living, the matter of death is also solved, wouldn't you say that there is even more hope? I tell you, I especially love my God, because there is really a lot of hope.

If what you believe in leads you to rush to the hospital for a bypass at the first sign of illness, to have surgery at the hospital at the first sign of illness, to undergo chemotherapy and radiation at the hospital at the first sign of illness, and to rush to the hospital to register and get an IV drip at the first sign of illness, then it is really miserable.

This Gospel is a Gospel of Grace

We are full of hope in Jesus Christ throughout our lives.

Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: (Colossians 1:6)

The Colossians are a lot like us. They had food and drink, feasting on delicacies every day, and living comfortably. Who would bother to find a Lord to believe in if they had nothing better to do? They were all tormented by demons until they saw Paul come. Paul had never been to Colossae. The church was built by Epaphras. Epaphras, Paul's disciple, built the church, and after hearing the Gospel, God healed one person and another through Epaphras, so that everyone received much grace.

The Colossians forgot everything in the blink of an eye and learned to kneel on the ground to pray, growing calluses on their knees, but it was of no use. Their brains were not working properly, and they didn't realise that this was useless. They had a reputation for wisdom, but their self-imposed worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of themselves were of no value in restraining sensual indulgence.

So, when the Colossians believed, they received grace, but then they stopped walking on the path of grace. In fact, we must strive to know that this is a Gospel full of grace. Some of our brothers and sisters are sometimes quite detestable. They stop believing as they continue to believe, and their faith becomes very eccentric.

About five years ago, there was an elderly woman in her nineties whose leg swelling I reduced. She was originally in a wheelchair, but later she could stand up. Her daughter is one of our sisters, but after taking care of her, the swelling returned, and she could no longer walk.

But in my faith, this is not the case. Her legs can still return to normal. Imagine an elderly person weighing about a hundred pounds, unable to turn over by herself, so you have to turn her over. Then she can't get up, so you have to help her up. She can't go to the toilet by herself, so you have to help her go to the toilet. She can't take a bath by herself, so you have to help her take a bath. Isn't that very tiring?

Then let's incorporate all this hard work into our prayers. So, when brothers and sisters encounter problems, they must start returning to the grace of Jesus Christ, returning to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is full of grace. We have great hope. Don't just endure it. If you keep enduring it, you won't be able to hold on.

Start to understand that this is a Gospel of grace. Don't let your faith disappear as you go along. If Jesus Christ comes today, He will still criticise our unbelief, and we don't even dare to say it out loud. To say that these are blessings in disguise is ridiculous. You must know that what we believe in is a Gospel full of hope and a Gospel full of grace.

This Gospel has God's Glory and Power

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (Colossians 1:11)

Because Paul's parchment was too small, he couldn't explain everything, so he said that you must know that this is glorious power. Paul spoke very plainly in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

We must add strength to this faith and not lose the hope of this Gospel. No matter what situation we see, we must always believe that Jesus makes the blind see and the lame rise up and walk. Even if one's legs are not very good as one gets older, they can definitely be healed. Because He is a God of great power, great and awesome.

Don't think that it is too difficult. What you cannot do, you can accomplish through Jesus Christ, because all things are possible with God. So, in my faith, the elderly's legs must regain strength, so that even though the body is declining day by day, they can still take care of themselves. In their remaining days, perhaps only the last few days will require care, perhaps the last few days will become one day, or perhaps one day will become a few hours.

Like Jacob, after worshipping God, he put his feet on the bed and ended his life. Moses climbed the mountain at the age of one hundred and twenty and then ended his life. If we do not have this power as humans and only go to heaven after death, then believing is indeed quite difficult. In this world, we have to earn our own money, eat our own meals, and worry about who will take care of us when we are old and what to do if we don't have money. So, when people leave God's glorious power, they can't do anything.

Some brothers and sisters are not very bright, thinking of believing when they are not busy and can't work anymore. But if you don't believe well now, how will you believe then? I marvel at how good it is to have God! Faith can draw on God's power, but this power must be in the church. Why are some people not effective? Because they practice alone. They do not build God's glorious church with their hearts, but build a club or a matchmaking agency, and that place will not have God's power and glory.

So, when we first established the church, we wanted to build a church full of God's glory, so that our faith would not stand on the wise and persuasive words of men, but on the demonstration of the Spirit and power. When I was looking for a church early on, I didn't like finding someone who would say, Brother, you are sick, so I will introduce you to a doctor. It was not only expensive, but they also wanted to earn a referral fee from me, which was quite bad, and in the end, no problem was solved. So, I wanted to find a God of great power.

Many people have believed in this Gospel of great power and God's glorious power as a powerless Gospel and still think they are orthodox. Do not lose hope. I have learned a lesson from the Colossian church, which is Do not lose the hope of this Gospel. This is good news. Is God not able to solve our problems with food? Is God not able to solve our problems with life, work, and illness? Such a powerful and loving God is able to do all things.

Like the words I used to say, He can be taken as medicine, as food, and as money. Many people say that I am too worldly. But I need these things too much when I am alive. If you don't need them, try it out! All of our brothers and sisters whose legs and feet are not very good, where is your hope? If your hope is not in Jesus Christ, how long can you hold on? Some people think that they can just exercise more. Although you have to move around, that doesn't solve the problem. Only the glory and power of Jesus Christ can solve it.

This Gospel Solves the Problem of Sin

Why are people susceptible to demonic influence? Because they are born into sin, and thus, they are vulnerable to manipulation by evil spirits.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)

This addresses the issue of sin. If no one pays the price for your sin, the devil gains legal access to inhabit you. Without the Spirit of God within you, you cannot overcome the sinful desires of the flesh. Consequently, these sinful desires are internal, while evil spirits are external, forming a coalition that corrupts you. The internal lusts of the flesh, combined with external demonic forces, work together to bring you down.

Therefore, this Gospel resolves the problem of sin. Jesus Christ died on the cross, bearing our sorrows and carrying our curses. As a result, demonic influence becomes illegal. The Gospel we believe in is a Gospel of expelling demons. It's not about demons leaving simply because you believe; they must be cast out and destroyed.

Then, by the glorious power of the Holy Spirit, deal with the sinful desires of the flesh. On the other hand, relying on God's great power, cast out and eliminate the demons. You will then realize how wonderful this Gospel is. It turns out that our poverty is a deception by evil spirits. Therefore, getting rid of the spirit of poverty makes things much easier.

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, (Colossians 1:20-22)

Through Jesus Christ and our faith, the problem of sin is solved, and we are reconciled to God. Your faith begins to draw on the power of God to resolve the issue of sin, deal with the lusts of the flesh, and cast out demons. God has forgiven our transgressions, allowing you to be reconciled with yourself and with God, becoming holy, blameless, and above reproach because our transgressions are imputed to Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel.

This is the core theory for solving problems. You must have a core theory to solve this problem. Jesus Christ shed His precious blood for us. Whenever you clothe yourself in Jesus Christ, you can be victorious. The moment you take off Jesus Christ and start establishing your own righteousness, thinking you are great, you are finished.

Therefore, let us rely on Jesus Christ, not on ourselves. When you are old, you will not know whether you will be lying in bed or sitting on the ground. Some elderly people suddenly fall, not knowing how they fell. In fact, it is the demons pushing them. Therefore, the Gospel solves the problem of our sin.

Our Lord Jesus, Whom We Believe In, Transcends All Things

Behind our office is the temple of Nezha, the Third Prince, and not far away is the temple of the Monkey King. This area is the temple of Jesus Christ. The temple is just that, whether in Chinese or English. It’s just that we Chinese feel that the word temple does not sound right.

We are the temple of the living God, the sanctuary of the living God, the temple of Jesus Christ. This place is quite good, with Nezha, the Third Prince, behind us, the Monkey King on this side, and Jesus Christ on our side. The Lord Jesus transcends all things, so you don't need to be afraid. Maybe when passing by their temples, they might even salute us.

I am saying this as a joke, but you know, when the Apostle Paul said this, he was not joking. The Apostle Paul was very powerful; miracles and wonders followed him wherever he went. Therefore, the books written by Paul are particularly good. Let me read to you,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

When we read, we often do not understand it clearly. In fact, Paul was a person who entered the spiritual realm. He was caught up to the third heaven and saw secret things that cannot be told, right? Once you enter the third heaven, you understand everything. These demons, gods, and all these earthly, ruling, governing, powerful, and mighty beings were all created through Him.

Our Lord Jesus transcends all things. If you are not constantly fighting with these beings in the spiritual realm, you would not know that you are number one in the world. I often fight with people in the spiritual realm. Which oppression to liberation is not a battle with demons? In the end, I find that I am not powerful, but my Lord Jesus is truly transcendent over all things and very powerful. When you practice God's word, you will find it to be very powerful.

Some people like to distort things, for example, saying that you cannot cast out demons, you can only be driven out by demons, undermining people's faith. We cast out demons not because we are so good, but because we have so much faith. As long as you believe, all things are possible for those who believe. Not believing guarantees suffering.

The Jesus Christ we believe in transcends all things, this is what Paul said. Because Paul was caught up to the third heaven, he told us this, and it was also something he practiced. Indeed, nothing can overcome our Lord Jesus. If you are unwilling to believe, you will suffer.

God's plan is to unite all things in Jesus Christ through Jesus Christ, and to unite all things in Jesus Christ through the Church. What does it mean to be in Jesus Christ? That is the Church. The Church is the body of Jesus Christ. So never practice alone, because solitary practices can eliminate the power of God.

Our Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, (Colossians 1:18-19)

This is particularly good. All the fullness of God is pleased to dwell in Him, so being in the Church is the key. Throughout the entire Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Church is His body, Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, and the affairs of the Church are particularly important. The tabernacle built by Moses was built according to the revelation God gave him on the mountain, so God's glory filled it. The temple built by David and Solomon was built according to what God told David how to build, and then God's glory filled it. Therefore, when the Church is built according to God's revelation, it will be filled with God's glory.

If you build a church not according to God's revelation, but according to other revelations, and hang up a sign of a church, disasters will run rampant. A person who does not believe in the glory and power of God builds a church without the glory and power of God, then the devil must be in control of the church. This explains why many pastors of churches die of cancer, because they are not built according to the word of God.

There are many people in the church who get cancer, and everyone thinks they will go to heaven when they die. Do you think they can go up? When they are alive, they have the devil with them, and when they die, they are with the devil. When they are alive, they have God with them, and when they die, they are with God. It is a very lethal thing for people not to build the church according to God's word. When I first started building the church, I foolishly started messing around and was immediately hit.

Then, the smartest thing I did was to often feel that I had not done this right. I did not feel that I was wronged, I deserved it. See how smart this is, I deserved it. Then I studied the word of God well and built God's glorious church according to the word of God.

Know that our Jesus Christ whom we believe in transcends all things, and our Jesus is also our head, the head of the church, so build His church according to God's revelation. Almost the entire book of Genesis comes from God's revelation. The Church is key, and when the Church wins, you will see the brothers and sisters receive grace and favor.

If you are in Jesus Christ, in God's Church, building the Church according to God's revelation, then you will experience all the benefits, grace, promises, and favor. From now on, no longer lose the hope of this Gospel, our Gospel is so good. There is a church that is quite interesting. One of our sisters came out of there and came to us. Her previous leader later got a serious illness and died, it seemed to be cancer, it was quite tragic.

Then another person rushed up to be the leader of that church, and as a result, there was either a stomach hemorrhage or a car accident, anyway, there were quite a lot of things happening. When things were not going well again, they let our sister rush up to be the leader. She thought about it and decided to forget it, this would cause something to happen, so forget it. This kid is quite smart.

This is not a cancer-riddled church, this is a church where cancer is healed. Our brothers and sisters are starting to return to Jesus Christ. Having the same vision and the same mission as me, building God's glorious church. Because in Jesus Christ, our Father God is pleased to have all the fullness dwell in Him. We receive this fullness.

Some time ago, I also liked this kind of testimony. A sister got a raise in the current market situation, how great. So brothers and sisters, the mentality of poverty in us is inherently detestable, do not have a mentality of poverty.

Establishing the Church is a Ministry Received by Paul

Therefore, Paul wrote the letter to re-establish the hearts and minds of the brothers and sisters in the Colossian church to build up the church. I, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, am a church builder, and church builders are also called apostles.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, (Colossians 1:24-25)

Paul suffered, he did not suffer from a lack of money or something like that, but from the kind of suffering of lamenting that the brothers and sisters had gone the wrong way, the suffering in his heart. Because he did not want the brothers and sisters to fall, did not want the brothers and sisters to fall short, and did not want the brothers and sisters to go astray and lose God's grace.

Paul, in building the church, had the heart of a father and mother, Jesus suffered affliction to lay a good foundation for the church, but the work of building up the church was handed over to the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul took over the baton from Jesus Christ and began to build the glorious church, working hard for it. I am willing, because this is a glorious ministry.

the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:24-28)

I am deeply influenced by Paul. Once I read the Bible, it said: For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. I was very moved because the process of believing in the Lord in the past few years was very hard, and I did not meet a good pastor. How much I longed for a good pastor to shepherd and help me. But thank God, God guided me step by step. Because of this, I said to God: God, may you have mercy on me and let me have the heart of Paul, serving with the heart of a father and mother.

The affairs of the Church are not only for the Jews, do not go back to the Mosaic Law, but go back to Abraham, this is the hope of glory for all mankind. Let us truly know how rich His glory is. Brothers and sisters, you must also have the same heart, because there are still many problems we need to solve.

We must return to that faith of Abraham, what a glorious hope this is. No longer pursue those solar terms, new moons, food and drink, and Sabbath days. Today, there are still many Christians who pay attention to these things. What enters the mouth does not defile a person, but what is in the heart defiles a person. We are connected to each other in Jesus Christ, and we grow by the grace of God.

We died with Jesus Christ and were freed from the elementary principles of the world, why do we still live according to worldly customs? These things are useless and fruitless, why believe in something useless? Our Jesus Christ is truly powerful. If we can build God's glorious church together today and receive this ministry, what a wonderful Mingding Doctrine this is.

Thank God for letting me know that this is a glorious ministry. Even if I suffer for it and lay down my life, I am willing, because this is the truth. Because I have experienced God's grace and favor in the past and have passed it on, I know that a crown of glory is reserved for me. One day, I will come before Jesus Christ and receive His grace and receive His crown of glory. Paul has such a heart, and I have it, and I hope you have it too.

Therefore, I urge everyone to persevere in the faith, do not think that you will become special once you believe, but strive to persevere in the faith. Do everything worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him, bearing fruit in every good work, and gradually increase in the knowledge of God.

Because you will be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. So that you will not lose this hope of glory, as long as you persevere in the faith, be firmly grounded, steadfast, and unmovable, so that you will not be led away from the hope of the gospel. This gospel you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.

Although the road ahead is full of challenges, it is also full of God's glory. The Church will re-enter a stage that is more pleasing to God, and we must hold on to our faith and continue to grow. Just like I persisted until today to see so much of my God's glory. Do not pursue it all at once, but gradually believe, and one day you will become more and more like Jesus. One day, God's glory will fill us. Just as Jesus is among us, Amen.

May God bless you all!

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