Introduction

Hello everyone. Let us study 1 Kings, Chapter 2. The theme is clear and uncompromising: "Eliminate these men, and the kingdom will be secure." We last studied 1 Kings in 2014. My conclusion then remains exactly the same today: to secure the kingdom, you must eliminate these people.

This goes against conventional sentimentality. Did Solomon not know that executing these men meant shedding blood? Of course he knew. But we must face the hard truths. Some of you might feel uneasy about this. But the church, like the Kingdom of God, operates on realistic principles. Will everyone be saved in the Kingdom of God? No. Why? Because salvation is not everyone's core interest. For many, their core interest is purely selfish. They are not here to build the church.

Let me be blunt: to build a strong church, certain individuals must be removed. You might object and say, "This is wrong." In the early days of our church, some people asked me, "Pastor, when are we going to hold elections?" I replied, "What nonsense is this? What are we electing?" I asked myself, is building a church a matter of democratic elections? Absolutely not.

In our church, we have a strict rule: those who serve and do the actual work have the right to speak. In many other churches, I see a bizarre phenomenon. They have a board of deacons who act like financial donors—perhaps they tithe the most—and they make all the decisions. But do they do the work? No. This is absurd. Those who do the work have no say, while those who do nothing run the show. When we built this church, we decided that authority belongs to those who serve, not those who are elected through some popularity contest.

Eventually, those people left one by one. I realized that either we cast the demons out of them, or they were dragged away by those demons. It is that stark. To this day, I tell you, God demands that His church be holy. If the church is filled with such toxic people, how can it ever prosper?

It saddens me that many churches pursue numbers instead of holiness. Is a large crowd always a good thing? I have come to understand this clearly. When Peter began, three thousand, then five thousand believed. But what did that massive crowd do to the church? They turned it into an absolute mess.

If a church is to be run in such a chaotic manner, I would rather not do it. I would rather work as a carpenter or clear sewers than lead a chaotic, undisciplined church. In the end, the church in Jerusalem achieved one "great" thing: a group of Pharisees, claiming to be Christians, infiltrated the Apostle Paul's churches to cause trouble. That was their "great" contribution—sabotage. What kind of nonsense is that?

Let me tell you, by the time John wrote Revelation, the church of Jerusalem was not even mentioned. We might find this surprising. Shouldn't the Jerusalem church be there? It was not. If you read carefully, which churches survived? The ones established by the Apostle Paul. Therefore, we must plead for God's mercy upon the church.

I did not do this, nor do I have the capacity to do so. But this is how the church operates. Who did it? God did. Who did it? Satan did. I do not deny that some people once loved God. Those who built this church with me genuinely loved God at the start. But you never know when someone's mind will go astray. Who caused it? To this day, I remain perplexed.

Therefore, the church must undergo continuous purification. Long ago, our church embarked on a path of relentless sanctification. What does this path look like? The gossiping women left, and the church overcame that toxic culture. Then, a group of people who only cared about their comfortable, mediocre lives left, and the church became holier still. Another batch left, and that is how the church is purified. You may say, "Don't we want everyone to be saved?" That is a beautiful sentiment, but reality is different. I see many pastors suffering deeply because their churches are filled with spiritual rubbish. How can they not suffer?

David's Deathbed Charge to Solomon

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son: "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.'" (1 Kings 2:1-4)

This passage is straightforward, is it not? David was telling Solomon to walk faithfully before God with all his heart and soul. This is easy to understand. But the execution of this command is where the difficulty lies. How do you keep His decrees, commands, laws, and regulations? It means keeping what Moses wrote.

What did Moses do in the wilderness? He led the Israelites in circles until that entire rebellious generation died out. God struck down batch after batch of Israelites. What a grim reality. Should you keep this kind of law? It is incredibly difficult.

This is why the Israelites could not enter the Promised Land. The generation that came out of Egypt made it impossible. If you build a church, do you want to build one like Moses' congregation in the wilderness? If so, you are in for a long, painful struggle.

But here lies the problem: when God struck them down, the Israelites blamed Moses, saying, "You have killed the Lord's people." Today, it pains me deeply to see this. It pains me to see people who once experienced God's immense grace leave us, batch after batch. They may not have left the Lord, but they left us. I can only pray for God's mercy.

We are not the only place where one can believe in God, and I do not claim to be. But building a church is painful, difficult, and exhausting work. Consider the church in Corinth established by the Apostle Paul. If you read 2 Corinthians, you will see his tears and prayers. What does it mean to "keep and obey"? What does it mean to "be strong and act like a man"? The following verses make it crystal clear.

"Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in war, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace." (1 Kings 2:5-6)

This means executing Joab. Eliminate him. Can you comprehend this? Joab fought alongside David for decades and achieved great military victories. Yet, on his deathbed, David ordered Solomon to execute him. Without absolute resolve, you cannot do this. My brothers and sisters, is this not difficult? How do you bring yourself to do it? You must understand that if you lead a small group and lack this resolve, you cannot lead. Why? Because if you are weak, you cannot defeat the demons. Some of our junior leaders are trapped in this dilemma.

They see a troublemaker under their care, yet they treat them with soft-heartedness. Do you think this person came to believe in God? No, he is a Joab; he is here to cause trouble. David knew very well that if Solomon spared Joab, Joab would eventually destroy the kingdom. Do you understand? Therefore, what does it mean to be strong? It means having the resolve to purge the church. Ponder this carefully. I know many of our leaders suffer from misplaced sentimentality. To this day, some cannot comprehend my actions. They foolishly believe that keeping these people will make the church prosper. How can it? These people are not here to build the church with you.

For instance, some time ago, two people left. Someone came to me and said something that chilled me to the bone. Why? It is a question of standing firm on God's word. He said, "Pastor, there were reasons behind their departure." Reasons? As if I did not know? It chilled my heart. What "reasons" could justify rebellion?

Let me tell you: if we want to obey God's will—whether in the days of the Exodus, the early church under Peter, or the churches established by Paul—we must build a church that is holy, united, and filled with God's glory. I will say this again: if you are not of one heart and mind with me to build God's church, then get out. If you do not leave, I will.

I have said this to my co-workers individually. You might think this is harsh. But indeed, if you are not here to build God's glorious church, what are you here for? To play games? To build a social club? The primary duty of the church is to deal with the flesh. A carnal person is inherently defiled. You may not have fully overcome your flesh yet, but you must fight it. How can a carnal person ever become holy?

Remember what the Scripture says. Paul made it absolutely clear: the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. What choice do you have? To be carnally minded is death; to sow to the flesh is to reap destruction. Watch me closely as well. When my own flesh reacts, when it grows strong, I feel miserable inside. But I must deal with it. I often struggle because I, too, have a fleshly nature. But we must put to death the misdeeds of the body by the Spirit. This is the fundamental work of the church.

Sometimes I ask myself: am I doing the right thing? If you ask me for an absolute answer, I do not have one. But if a church stops dealing with the flesh and its evil desires, it is finished. Do you understand? Execute Joab! That was David's command to Solomon.

Then there was Shimei. David told Solomon to execute him as well. Why did David make these arrangements on his deathbed? Because eliminating these men was the only way to secure the kingdom. If they were spared, Solomon's reign would face far more bloodshed and chaos, because these men were inherent troublemakers. They would sow discord and create endless problems. My brothers and sisters, does dealing with the flesh mean whipping people physically? No. It means when carnal behavior runs rampant, you must intervene and speak out. To remain silent is not an option.

In eliminating Shimei and Joab, David was not acting out of personal malice; he was securing the Kingdom of God. We must be clear-headed. To build God's church and bring down His kingdom, we cannot build according to our own preferences. We must build according to His will. That means keeping His decrees, laws, and commands. We must build God's glorious church with one heart and mind. Even if we have received immense grace in the past, that proves nothing. It was a free gift, not a badge of our own goodness.

In building the church, I have seen this repeatedly: you can do a thousand things right, but the moment you do one thing they dislike, everything is ruined. Do you understand? They forget all the good and only remember when I dealt with their flesh. I do not seek my own benefit; I seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, so that you may be built up. Sometimes my heart weeps. If I do not deal with the flesh, the church rots; if I do, I worry people cannot take it. It is a hard, painful road.

We have discussed Joab and Shimei. But David did not stop there; he brought up another man.

"But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom." (1 Kings 2:7)

This shows David’s character. He did not just remember those who undermined the kingdom of God; he also remembered those who showed him grace in his darkest hours. To this day, I remain deeply grateful to those who, when this church was desolate, resigned from their jobs to serve. In those days, my constant worry was whether we could even pay salaries. Later, when we could afford to pay them, I still remembered those early days. When the church was barren and I desperately needed partners to run this race with me, they ran alongside me. They were my Barzillais.

When David was in exile and Absalom usurped the throne, bringing food to David in the wilderness was a life-and-death risk. Had Absalom discovered that Barzillai was feeding David, he would have wiped out his entire family. This was an immense act of grace. Therefore, I tell you this: I must remember the grace of those who walked the hard road with me in those early years. Although they have received far more in return, God remembers you.

These were the sons of Barzillai. Frankly, I sometimes wish the church would face trials again, just to sift out those who are truly of one heart and mind in building this church. Today, life is comfortable. But comfort has its own dangers. Why? Because you can no longer find a Barzillai. If David had not fallen into distress, how would he have known Barzillai? How would he have known Shimei's true colors? Shimei cursed David when David was down. But when David defeated Absalom and returned to the throne, Shimei rushed out to welcome him. Why? Pure self-interest. This was David’s charge to Solomon. Is this harboring a grudge? No. It was for the sake of God’s kingdom, to enable Solomon to govern Israel effectively.

Eliminating Adonijah

David did not explicitly tell Solomon to eliminate Adonijah; he only named Joab and Shimei. Yet, Adonijah was the first to go. Let me tell you, Adonijah’s stupidity was staggering. Stupidity can get a man killed. What did Adonijah do?

Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?” He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” Then he added, “I have something to say to you.” “Say it,” she said. “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord." (1 Kings 2:13-15)

Tell me, how foolish can a man get? To say this to Solomon’s mother is to court death. What level of stupidity drives such an action? The words themselves are highly insidious. When did the kingdom ever belong to him? I tell you, his self-righteousness was the height of folly.

In my years of ministry, I have seen many people who mistake their own assumptions for absolute truth. Adonijah genuinely believed the kingdom was his. But when was it ever his turn? Amnon, the eldest, was gone. The second, Abigail’s son, was out of the running. Absalom, the third, was dead. Did that automatically make it the turn of the fourth? That is not how things work. Did David ever promise you the throne? Never. When did you ever care about God’s temple? Did you think you could just slip into the vacancy?

While Adonijah was celebrating his self-proclaimed kingship, Solomon was being anointed elsewhere. By the time Adonijah finished his party, Solomon was already king. Yet, Adonijah was still muttering, "The kingdom was supposed to be mine!" I wonder, what kind of brain did he have? Then he went on to say to Bathsheba:

"Now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me." She said to him, "Say on." He said, "Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife." Bathsheba said, "Very well; I will speak for you to the king." So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king's mother, and she sat on his right. Then she said, "I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you." She said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife." King Solomon answered his mother, "And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah." Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, "God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today." So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died." (1 Kings 2:16-25)

Do you understand what is happening here? Let me ask you: will God charge Solomon with the guilt of shedding blood? Will He? Without wisdom, you cannot read between the lines. You must have some intelligence. What was happening at this juncture? Adonijah was still colluding with Joab and Abiathar. In politics, once you take a side, you are committed. They were still conspiring. Did Solomon catch the drift? Of course he did. Adonijah still claimed the kingdom was rightfully his. Why did Adonijah want Abishag? Was it because she was beautiful? No. It was because Abishag was the woman who had cared for King David.

Listen carefully, this is highly insidious. Many of you probably do not understand why Solomon had to execute him. If Solomon had actually given him Abishag, would there be a problem? It would have been a massive problem. Do you not see it? Adonijah was biding his time, waiting for Solomon to show a vulnerability so he could launch a counter-coup.

When Adonijah made this request, I tell you, his mind was set on one thing: "I must find a way to seize the throne." But who was Solomon? Solomon heard this and knew immediately that this man was courting death. Why did he insist on Abishag? Because Abishag had been intimate with David. You might ask, what does that have to do with anything? The common people of Israel would not see it as a minor matter. You must analyze this carefully; there was a hidden agenda.

Let me give you an analogy. Suppose you live in a small town south of the Yangtze River, and the Emperor bestows upon you a feather duster from the imperial palace. If you show this feather duster to the locals and say, "Look, this was given to me by the Emperor himself," what happens? You instantly gain immense clout and authority, do you not? It is like taking a photograph with the President of the country and bringing it back to your small hometown. You become a big shot. Even the county magistrate would tread carefully around you.

If Adonijah secured Abishag, what would follow? The people of Israel would begin to think: "Perhaps Adonijah is the rightful king. How did Solomon end up on the throne? Solomon must be a usurper." Do you understand? This would lead to regional rebellion and civil war. Adonijah, Joab, and Abiathar would carve out their own territories. That is a recipe for disaster. You must realize that at that level of statecraft, it is no longer about trivial matters; it is no longer just about Abishag. Solomon was exceptionally sharp. By executing him, he nipped the problem in the bud.

Now, what if you have an Adonijah in the church? He spends his days talking nonsense and stirring up trouble. Why are there constant power struggles in many churches? Let me make this absolutely clear: as long as I am alive, there will be no such power struggles among us. Why? Because we only want those who are single-mindedly committed to building God’s glorious church. We are not interested in gathering a crowd of troublemakers. I am extremely vigilant about this.

Building a church is a highly demanding task; it requires meticulous care at every turn. If I were to judge our zone pastors solely by the size of their congregations, everyone would chase numbers. You would end up bringing in rubbish. Do you think we are school children collecting manure, competing to see who can gather the most? What is the use of collecting ten baskets of manure?

I have no interest in building a church like the one in Jerusalem—a disorganized rabble of people who merely want a free ride. I want what is precious in God’s eyes: individuals who are willing to lay down their lives for Him. If people are greedy for this or that, constantly causing division, it will only lead to trouble.

This is why, though it may seem like a trivial matter, I do not care about financial offerings, church attendance, cell group sizes, or zone numbers. What I care about is what you actually do in your pastoral care. How many problems have you solved? Most importantly, can you propel these people into their Mingding (destiny)? Can you sift out the rubbish? Do not bring back manure. Manure is just fertilizer. I do not want fertilizer; I want treasure. That is how you build a church.

There are many Adonijahs in churches today. Some ask, "Pastor, when are we holding elections?" That is the talk of an Adonijah. We do not run on elections; we ask whether you can shoulder more responsibility. If someone says, "Pastor, I want to shepherd more people," that is fine. If someone says, "Pastor, I am facing a specific problem with someone I am shepherding," that is a person who wants to solve problems thoroughly. Do not play games or ask for "Abishag." There is no Abishag for you; there is only the elimination of Adonijah. In the church, we must eradicate these Adonijahs. Tell me, if a leader is not strong and resolute, can he do this job?

Deposing Abiathar

To Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not put you to death today, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you shared in all the hardships my father endured." So Solomon deposed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken at Shiloh concerning the house of Eli. (1 Kings 2:26-27)

Abiathar could no longer serve as priest. However, because of his past merits—having carried the Ark of the Lord and stood by David during his trials—Solomon showed him mercy. Indeed, the church is a place of great grace. Abiathar was not a political dissident bent on opposing God; he simply lacked the right heart. Yet, because he had once carried the Ark and walked the hard road with David, Solomon told him to return to his own fields. Thus, Abiathar was deposed from the high priesthood, and a new high priest was appointed.

My brothers and sisters, did Abiathar love God? If you say he did not, he would not have accompanied David through those perilous times. But if you say he did, why did he side with Adonijah? This may seem perplexing. How does a man who loves God end up on such a path? The reason is simple: once in a position of power, he became consumed by that power and sought to form cliques.

Did Abiathar know that Adonijah had absolutely no interest in God’s temple? He knew. Why then did he follow Adonijah? It is baffling. It comes down to a failure of judgment. But the test is simple: look at a man’s core interests. Abiathar’s interest was once to serve God. But when he perceived that his core interests were threatened, he chose to take sides and aligned himself with Adonijah.

Was Abiathar committed to building God’s temple? Did he know that Solomon was the one destined to build it? Yes, he did. Why then did he act this way? It is indeed puzzling. But when a man allows self-interest and personal ambition to cloud his judgment, he is never far from making a catastrophic mistake.

Eliminating Joab

When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar. King Solomon was told, "Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord and is surviving beside the altar." Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, "Go, strike him down!" Benaiah went into the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, "The king says, 'Come out!'" But he said, "No, I will die here." Benaiah reported this to the king, "This is how Joab answered me." Then the king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my royal house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. The Lord will return his bloodguilt on his own head, because without my father David’s knowledge he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better and more righteous than he. May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But for David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever." So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his own home in the wilderness. The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest. (1 Kings 2:28-35)

Let us analyze this passage. Adonijah was executed. When Joab heard of this, he panicked. Let me ask you: who was behind Adonijah’s demand for Abishag? It is highly probable that Joab and Abiathar engineered this plot. Their objective was simple: to use a trivial pretext to assert authority, entrench their own factions, bide their time, and instigate a civil war. That is the cold reality of the situation.

Why? Adonijah believed that because Abishag, the woman who kept his father warm, was now his, he held a powerful political chip. He thought this leverage would work. Instead, it cost him his life. When Joab saw this, he was stunned. Solomon was formidable, decisive, and far tougher than anyone had anticipated. Joab, a battle-hardened veteran, saw this young, inexperienced boy ruthlessly execute his older brother Adonijah. Joab realized he was in deep trouble. He saw that Solomon possessed a superior, calculating intellect.

Today, brothers and sisters, let me be frank. I do not claim to be exceptionally brilliant, but I have a deep respect for intelligence. I have never been interested in remaining stagnant in my own ways; my lifelong pursuit has been to acquire wisdom. David was shrewd; therefore, I emulate David and discard my own foolishness. Solomon was wise; therefore, I learn from Solomon. Moses was wise; I learn from Moses. Paul was wise; I learn from Paul. My entire life has been an ongoing process of learning from the best.

But here lies the problem. I have observed a peculiar phenomenon: many people do not appreciate a sharp, intelligent pastor. I urge you to understand this reality. When a person is constantly aware of his own shortcomings, he is easy to guide; because he recognizes his own ignorance, he has the capacity to become wise. In my experience, truly intelligent people always consider themselves lacking in wisdom, which is precisely why they continue to grow smarter. Conversely, foolish people are utterly blind to their own foolishness.

Reflect on this carefully. I do not say this to insult anyone. My deep, earnest desire is for every brother and sister to receive wisdom from God. The outcome of your life is determined entirely by your internal cognition—by how you perceive reality. What is the quality of the intellectual and spiritual material inside your mind? If your mind is filled with flawed, dysfunctional logic, failure is guaranteed. Why? Because behind foolishness lies a demonic force, and that force is highly destructive.

Men like Joab, Adonijah, and Abiathar calculated and plotted, but their calculations failed completely. Why? Because their adversary was Solomon. Let me tell you this: the most intelligent endeavor on this earth is to build God’s glorious church. Think about it. If you operate with divine logic to build His glorious church, you cannot fail to be wise.

But if you carry your own carnal, fleshly agenda, you are doomed to fail. This is not my personal opinion; it is the verdict of Scripture. Why do people become foolish? It is because of carnal logic. Carnal logic reduces human intelligence to the level of a beast. Do you understand this? It is the intellect of an animal. It is like asking someone, "What do you want to be in your next life? A bird-man?" or "What do you want to be? I hope I don't reincarnate as a pig." Joab calculated and miscalculated. If he had been realistic, stopped playing foolish games, and recognized that Solomon was the one chosen to build God’s temple, he would have aligned himself with Solomon. That would have been the logical, survival-oriented choice.

Some time ago, I reflected deeply on our journey. Our church was beginning to experience revival. Before this revival took off, one of our leaders came to me and said, "Pastor, my destiny (Mingding) is in Singapore." I replied, "Very well, if your destiny is in Singapore, what is your plan?" He said, "I will join a local church in Singapore. I have no regard for this online church model you are running." So he left and indeed became a staff member at a local church there. Serving God in that capacity seemed good, and I thanked God for it. Later, I even went to visit him, meeting his pastor, whom I already knew.

Recently, however, he lost his job. Let me tell you the hard truth: many churches are ruthless. The moment you are no longer useful, they retrench you. In our church, I have practically never laid anyone off. I do not have the heart to do it, because my focus is not on money. I genuinely do not care about money; provision comes from God, and we cannot measure ministry by financial metrics. You must understand why: because I value people. Now that he is unemployed, having been a preacher, what viable options does he have in the marketplace?

My point in sharing this is that I want you to understand my genuine intentions. I am invested in your personal growth and destiny; this is the absolute truth. No matter how weak a brother or sister may be, our church’s objective is to build value in the weakest among us. This is why we undertake so much work. My vision is vast, but I cannot achieve it alone. My goal is simply to ensure you understand this earnest intent. Therefore, it is highly practical and beneficial for our brothers and sisters to make tents while serving God. God will surely bless your path ahead.

Solomon eliminated Joab because Joab aligned himself with the wrong leader. Today, brothers and sisters, you must open your eyes. A person who builds God’s glorious church must be someone who has looked past life and death, and looked past material wealth. He must be single-minded, determined to be a blessing to many, rather than pursuing personal gain or building his own petty kingdom. I want you to understand this: align yourselves with those who build God’s glorious church.

Eliminating Shimei

Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head." Shimei answered the king, "What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said." And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves fled to Achish son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, "Your slaves are in Gath." At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. So Shimei went and brought his slaves back from Gath. When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, 'On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die'? At that time you said to me, 'What you say is good. I will obey.' Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?" The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure before the Lord forever." Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon’s hands. (1 Kings 2:36-46)

Thus, Solomon executed Shimei. The method of his execution was highly strategic. Solomon simply drew a boundary for him, forbidding him to leave. Shimei was free to visit nightclubs in Jerusalem, sing, or do whatever he pleased within the city. But one day, Shimei lost his focus. Two of his slaves fled to Gath. In his anxiety to secure his property, Shimei forgot the boundary. Analyze this carefully: what caused his death? A man dies because of the material interests he values most.

If your primary concern is your assets—like those two slaves—you will lose your vigilance and perish. If you value those slaves because you cannot bear the financial loss, and you cross the border to retrieve them because you see them as money, you expose your true nature. Why did Shimei curse David in the first place? Because he wanted to curry favor with Absalom for personal gain. When David returned, he tried to curry favor with David. What kind of character is this? An opportunist. In the church, such individuals will inevitably fail.

Brothers and sisters, reflect on this. What we are discussing may run contrary to conventional human thinking, but it is the word of God. Solomon executed Shimei. You might ask: why not spare him? What harm could he do? The text gives us the answer: by eliminating Shimei, Solomon’s kingdom was firmly established.

Let me tell you why the author of 1 Kings recorded this event in this manner. It is because Shimei was a traitor, a political opportunist. Do you understand? You can never trust such a man; he bends with the wind. He is a political weathercock, pledging allegiance to whoever happens to hold power at the moment.

When the Japanese invaders arrived, he would join the puppet administration; when the Nationalist forces arrived, he would join the Kuomintang. Can such a person build a church? Does he possess vision or mission? Absolutely not. He has no vision, no mission—only a singular desire to extract personal benefit.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, I believe it is necessary for the church to undergo trials before God. While we do not seek hardship, it is highly beneficial. Through persecution, we test and identify who possesses a true destiny (Mingding), who is a Shimei, who is a Joab, who is a Solomon, and who is genuinely committed to building God’s glorious church.

By eliminating these elements, Solomon’s kingdom was secured. When I read this passage, it resonated deeply within me. This is how God operates. Do not presume to tell God that He has made a mistake, nor should you think Solomon was wrong. This is the hard reality of building a church.

This is why I never invite those who leave our church to return. I have no desire to beg them to come back. Let them go wherever they please. The church does not lack people; what the church lacks are individuals with vision, mission, and a clear destiny (Mingding)—those who are prepared to die for Jesus Christ and live for His glorious church. That is the crux of the matter.

I am fully aware that we may not build a congregation of tens or hundreds of thousands. But if you ask me whether I envy those large numbers, my answer is no. My objective is to build a church of elite soldiers, where every brother and sister is capable of spiritual warfare, or at the very least, willing to undergo rigorous training.

The church must achieve another breakthrough. In this generation, God will raise up many Solomons—many who are willing to build His glorious church. I know there are many, even if we do not yet have that scale. Let us purify the church once again, allow God to work among us, cleanse His house, and firmly establish His kingdom.

May God bless you all.