Introduction

Today, we look at Chapter 6 of the First Book of Kings. The theme of 1 Kings Chapter 6 is clear: what God demands is that we keep and obey His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.

In this passage, we see a highly interesting response from God. Solomon was busy. He was working overtime, sweating profusely, driving the forced labourers with whips to build the temple of God. Massive logs and great stones were transported from afar, across seas and over mountains, to this very site. They laboured for years. We do not know how many died, how many families were broken up, or how much gold and silver was spent. Finally, construction began.

Once construction was underway, the word of the Lord came to Solomon. God did not say: "Solomon, you have done a good job. I praise you, and I thank you for putting so much effort into building this temple." Let me tell you, God made no mention of this. Many in our church, whether pastors or co-workers, serve and shepherd, and when they see me, I do not say thank you either. Some might go home furious, saying: "This pastor is ungrateful, what a rascal!" Do you feel the same way?

The word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, "Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel." (1 Kings 6:11-13)

What did Solomon receive? God said: "Concerning this house which you are building..." and then dropped the subject. Let me tell you, an ordinary, foolish person would find this intolerable. They would say: "What? I laboured day and night, waking up at dawn and sleeping past midnight to build a temple for You, and not even a word of thanks? What kind of God are you? 'Concerning this house which you are building' indeed!" They would expect God to say: "Concerning this house which you are building, you have worked hard, my son Solomon!" But there was none of that.

This aligns closely with my own understanding of God. In my walk with Him, I have come to a very interesting realization: serving Him is my privilege; building His glorious church is my privilege; Solomon building the temple of God was a privilege, not a burden. Later, I dug deeper into this logic and realized that the most corrupting thing is to expect praise after you finish your work, failing to realize that the work itself is the privilege! It is your turn to do it; if you refuse, God will find someone else, will He not?

If a person builds the church and still expects God to praise him, he is mistaken. There was a news report once—quite an interesting one—about a pastor who had worked very hard. On a public occasion, he went so far as to say—I saw this in a video clip—that even if God came before him, God would have to say "sorry" to him. What? What utter arrogance! In the presence of God, we are but ants. I am nothing but a piece of dung in this world. He chose me, pulled me out of the dunghill, and gave me the opportunity to serve Him. Do I expect Him to say "sorry" to me? Good heavens.

Therefore, you must always remember this logic. Remember what? Serving is a privilege. Building God's church, building His temple, no matter how hard, is our duty. When we do something good and people say, "Thank you," what do we say? "It is my duty; it is what I ought to do." That is your job! Do you understand? It is your duty.

So why build this temple at all? God used this temple to test Solomon's character, to see if he was fit, and to test his attitude in building it. If you build the temple but do not keep and obey His word, do you think you can truly keep His commandments?

From now on, if you do not want to get cancer, if you do not want to contract terminal illnesses, and if you do not want to be judged by God, you must accept that everything is by His grace. Therefore, I do not boast before God. I still view myself as nothing before Him. Whether He treasures me or not, I am but dust. God chose me from among all peoples to serve Him; what right do I have to claim credit?

Do not think too highly of yourself. If God does not find fault with me, I am already deeply grateful. I have so many flaws. Do you think I am perfectly obedient? No. Though I strive hard, I fall far short. This is my logic. Do you understand? How could I possibly claim credit before God? That would only provoke His anger.

This is of utmost importance! Whether you are a senior pastor or a junior leader, you must know that if you think you are making a contribution, you are ruined! If you think highly of yourself, as if God owes you a favour and needs to say "sorry" to you, you are incredibly bold. In terms of hard work, few can outwork me in our church. If my service is entirely by grace, how much more is yours? We must correct our mindset today.

Later, I discovered a strange mystery. There was a person who seemed very decent, serving in the church, and everyone thought his spiritual life was excellent. Yet, he contracted cancer. I reflected on this, and though I cannot be certain, one reason was that he felt he loved God immensely, that he was doing exceptionally well, and that he was highly devoted. In truth, he believed he had made a monumental contribution to God, one that surpassed all ancestors of past generations, even Jesus Christ Himself.

Does this not provoke God's anger? There are many such people. Consequently, I dare not view myself as a good person. Do you know that? I dare not! Even if I were given a hundred times more courage, I would never dare to consider myself a good person before God. Do you understand? When I come before God, I am a sinner with many flaws. "Lord, have mercy on me." To say I love Him with all my heart, soul, and strength—I am still far from it.

Our brothers and sisters must understand: God does not want the church I built, nor does He want the Chinese Mingding Doctrine I founded. What God wants is a heart that keeps and obeys His word. "If you will walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments"—this is what God desires!

This is the difference between King Saul and King David in the Bible. King Saul served with all his heart, soul, and strength, and he believed he was doing so. But as we know, that was precisely where the problem lay. Samuel said: "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?"

I have many reflections today. If you want to be wise, remember that to obey is better than sacrifice. Building the church is a high-risk endeavour. Remember, serving God in this world is far more dangerous than managing a nuclear power plant, handling nuclear warheads, or working with high-voltage power lines. One careless move can lead to death, and a miserable one at that. If one day I meet a miserable end, you do not need to defend me and ask, "How could such a good man die so miserably?" It would be well-deserved. Do you understand?

Today, all of us must have this heart—a heart of reverence before God, keeping and obeying His word. This is the heart God desires. This attitude is crucial. My logic is simple: my service before God is never good enough. Yet, the people I see often think they have done well enough, and they end up foolish. What a tragedy. I observe those around me, and I have concluded: I dare never claim credit before God in my entire life.

If you observe closely, you will see that those who think highly of themselves fail; those who think they are doing well stumble; and those who think they love God deeply falter.

Solomon's Attitude in Building the Temple

Why did God have Solomon build this temple? God did not need the physical building; He wanted to see if people had a heart to keep and obey His word. Consider how good our God is. He drew up the blueprints, and all you had to do was build according to them. That is remarkable.

This means that if you precisely cut the materials and assemble every piece strictly according to the blueprint, the structure will be flawless, far superior to any human design. We must realize that Solomon was highly meticulous. Every stone had its designated place and precise dimensions; they were numbered and laid stone by stone with great rigour. Do you think God actually dwells in this physical temple? No.

In building this temple, whether working with stone or timber, Solomon lined the walls with cedar boards. First came the stone, then the wood paneling. After the paneling, it was overlaid with gold, decorated with carvings of cherubim, and finished with intricate details. In every aspect, Solomon made no compromises; he was meticulous. The precision involved was extraordinary.

If we build a nuclear power plant today, we cannot do the job without precision. If it is built poorly, it will leak or explode. You cannot build a nuclear warhead or fly an aircraft with a careless attitude; pressing the wrong button could eject you. Many such disasters happen. If a person is careless, sloppy, and muddled, they cannot build a temple, let alone do any proper work. Why? Because a lack of precision is fatal!

Building a church carelessly is nonsense and will lead to ruin. It would be better not to build a church at all than to build one that brings a curse. You must understand that it is better not to serve God than to serve in a way that brings a curse, because of a wrong attitude, wrong motives, and a lack of diligence.

I have my small merits, though I know I have many flaws. In the beginning, when I started building the church, I simply copied what others did—organizing outings, dinners, and social gatherings, spending money and effort. Consequently, I fell under a curse. It was a miserable time. I realized something was wrong; I had not done it right. Why did I think this way? Because of what is written in the Bible.

I knew clearly that Solomon, David, and Moses built according to what God revealed to them, with a meticulous attitude. I had known this for a long time. Yet, I used to think: "Well, if you just preach Jesus to people, will they come? That seems impractical."

Listen to this—I am speaking the truth; that was indeed my mindset. God was merciful not to slap me. To think this way is to provoke His anger. Can preaching Jesus truly draw people? Surely we need roast chicken, roast duck, and spiced beef to attract them! But is that what God wants? Doing things that way, while thinking highly of myself because I spent money and effort, only brought a curse.

Brothers and sisters must understand that it is easy to fall under a curse even while believing in the Lord. I repented. My greatest strength is that when I realize I am wrong, I change immediately. Once I realized my error, I knelt down, prayed, confessed, and repented. I did not view myself as Job; I saw myself as a sinner. God tests our attitude. The reason our church has come this far is that we must maintain this attitude. Without it, you cannot go on. If you think you are doing well, what is there left for you to keep and obey?

Why do people feel aggrieved? Because they feel they have made a great contribution. If God had said of Solomon's temple, "Concerning the temple you built, you have worked hard, comrades," and Solomon replied, "Lord, You have worked hard too," that would be a joke. That is not what God wants.

Why was such a precise temple required? Because God wanted to dwell among His people. How does God dwell among them? Through the temple they build. If the temple we build lacks God's presence, why build it at all? It is just empty labour. If we build a church today but lack God's presence, what are we doing? If a person believes in the Lord only to end up under a curse, what is the point? I do not understand it.

Therefore, remember, let all brothers and sisters align with this same resolve: to maintain a rigorous attitude before God. If not, repent quickly. Believing in the Lord is a high-stakes matter.

Some time ago, I met a brother who was judging his leader. I took over his pastoring, but he was unpastorable. He was incredibly self-righteous. That is not the right path. In the end, he fell into calamity; the curse bore its fruit. God tests our attitude. Do you understand?

In our faith, we must never think we are making a grand contribution to God, nor should we assume God needs us. God does not need us. What He requires is that we keep and obey His word, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. Building His temple is simply a test of this obedience.

The Stonework Must Be Highly Precise

And the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. And for the house he made windows of narrow lights. And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about: The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house. And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third. So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar. And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar. (1 Kings 6:2-10)

There is a profound passage here. You might find one detail puzzling: "there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building." Stonework is typically a noisy, rough process. However, these stones were prepared at the quarry. For instance, stone number 159, designated for a specific spot, was carved with precise grooves and projections to fit perfectly before being transported to the site.

Read this: "In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built." What does this mean? It means there was no need for on-site modifications. The stones were transported from the quarry, and they fit perfectly—block number one went to position one, number two to position two, and number three to position three. 

Why did they fit so perfectly? Because Solomon was extremely rigorous! He had a sharp, disciplined mind, unlike the sloppy minds we often see today. My brothers and sisters, you must know that I am an engineer by training, and I carry this rigorous training in my bones. For those who study aerospace engineering, the very first lecture in university is a sobering one. The instructor tells you about a plane that crashed from the sky, killing the pilot, simply because a single rivet was not properly secured. It is the same at a Canadian school of architecture, where a bridge collapsed due to a minor oversight. If you are not rigorous, it will cost lives!

Many of our brothers and sisters lack this disciplined attitude; they are highly undisciplined. Can you survive being sloppy? Yes, you can survive, but you cannot be used to build the church. Do you understand? This level of rigour means the stones were pre-numbered before they arrived. It was not a case of arriving at the site only to find that the pieces did not match or the joints could not connect. What would you do then? What I dread most is when people come to work, and the moment they start, they mess things up. They keep accounts in a chaotic, muddy mess. How do we fix that? We have to waste time clearing up their rubbish. Why not just get it right the first time?

God had already revealed all the details of the stones to Solomon. When Solomon inspected the work, if he found a mistake, he would reject it and demand it be redone. If it was wrong, it was discarded, and they started over. You might ask, "Isn't that too tedious? Can't we just make do with it?" No, you cannot just "make do." For example, if you buy a bolt and a nut of different sizes, can you screw them together? Even a tiny discrepancy will prevent them from fitting. Building the temple is exactly the same.

This is the fundamental principle I hold fast to: to build God's church rigorously according to His revelation. When brothers and sisters come here, you will surely see God's presence. But if some people lack this attitude, thinking they are good enough while constantly making mistakes, how can we build? Therefore, no on-site modifications should be needed. An undisciplined person can hardly build the temple of God.

These stairs and joints were all spiral staircases, entirely carved out of stone. The dimensions had to be absolutely precise. If it was meant to be twenty cubits, it was twenty cubits; ten cubits was ten cubits; five cubits was five cubits. Let me tell you, God is a God of rigour. Look at those among us who are self-righteous, thinking so highly of themselves. If stonework requires such rigour, how much more does woodwork? This is why the Bible speaks of both stonemasons and carpenters.

## Woodwork Also Demands Rigour

**Solomon built the temple and completed it. He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of pine. He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long. The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. (1 Kings 6:14-20)**

My goodness, look at this woodwork. Paneling walls—let me ask you, even with today's technology, is paneling easy? With modern technology, how do we secure panels? We use hammer drills and expansion bolts. But they had none of these, nor did they have modern adhesives. And these walls were over ten meters high! How did they do it?

Let me tell you, Solomon possessed a rigorous attitude that overcame every obstacle in craftsmanship, materials, and tools. You have to produce the boards, mount them, and ensure there are no gaps. It cannot be uneven or misaligned. If you leave wide gaps, even lizards can crawl through. Are you building a crude peasant house? Even the modern peasant houses in Zhejiang are highly sophisticated now.

The carpentry was executed with extreme rigour. Of course, the text does not detail how many tools Solomon had to invent. In China, we have a legendary carpenter named Lu Ban. His greatest genius lay not just in making things, but in inventing the tools themselves. Imagine how much unwritten work lay behind the brief words written about Solomon. How did they saw the wood? We do not even know if it was the Bronze Age or how advanced iron tools were, but making those tools must have been incredibly difficult. Though, surely they had iron tools of various kinds.

If we were asked to do this, how would we fare? We would fail! "Ten meters high? Where do I get the scaffolding? How do I manage? I cannot do it!" Isn't this how many of us react? When a boss tells a subordinate, "Let's do this," the subordinate immediately replies, "I cannot do it!"

Once, I explained to an employee exactly how to complete a task. He told me, "I cannot do it!" I said, "Nonsense!" I do not mince my words. I told him, "By this time next week, I will show you how it is done." What do you mean "cannot do it"? What kind of attitude is that? Of course, I only assign tasks that I know are doable. If I deem it impossible, I will not assign it. Therefore, woodwork requires great rigour. To what extent? In the end, Solomon was able to make the joints fit seamlessly.

For Solomon to achieve such seamless joints, he must have developed a complete system of tools and techniques. Let me give you an extra lesson: tools, materials, techniques, and skills—if you master these four elements, you will excel in whatever you do.

Consider the doors and the carved flowers. Let me tell you, if you were working there and Solomon came to inspect, he would say, "Tear this part down and redo it! Tear that part down and redo it!" If you asked, "Boss, what about my wages?" Solomon would reply, "You ruined my materials, and I haven't even fined you yet, and you dare ask for wages? Do you think I pay you to make mistakes? Beat him!" If you did it wrong, you got a sound beating. Adoniram was in charge of forced labour. To manage forced labour, you had to be tough and unyielding. I could never do that job; I am too soft-hearted.

## Interior Furnishing Was Also Highly Rigorous

After the stonework and wall paneling were completed, they moved on to the interior furnishing—overlaying everything with gold. My goodness! Just hammering gold into gold leaf thin enough to apply like wallpaper to cover walls and pillars—it was mind-blowing!

When you walked in, you would be absolutely stunned. The wood was carved with gourds and open flowers, and there were large cherubim made of olive wood. The doorposts were also made of olive wood, which took a lot of work. The doors were carved with cherubim as well. All of these were built precisely according to God's revelation.

Think about how many blueprints Solomon received. David had already drawn up all the plans before he died—explaining how every single detail should be done. That is how I like to work. You make a design, prepare the materials, and know exactly how each piece fits and assembles. Today, we apply gold leaf as our interior finish.

**He also made four-sided doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall. He also made two doors of pine, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings. And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams. (1 Kings 6:33-36)**

Can you picture this? Four panels, opening two by two—folding doors. Folding doors require hardware, don't they? In those days, Solomon had to invent the hardware and the hinges! Can you imagine? Three thousand years ago! This shows we must overcome every difficulty to get things done.

Through building the temple—the stonework, the woodwork, and the interior furnishing—Solomon invented a series of techniques and overcame countless obstacles. The level of difficulty was comparable to China developing its own microchips or jet engines today. It was packed with proprietary innovations. What happened to these patents later?

Once these craftsmen mastered these patented techniques, any neighbouring country wanting to build a palace would have to turn to them: "We have the patents, the techniques, the craftsmen, and the tools." Solomon made a fortune. He organized engineering teams and sent them to Ethiopia, Tyre, and Sidon. It is just like today. If you have core skills and technologies, you will be highly sought after everywhere. It is not that people do not want to spend money; they simply cannot find competent people to do the job.

Today, if you can develop AI, build large language models, or master deep search like DeepSeek, or develop platforms like Yuanbao or Doubao—or even a basic AI—would you ever worry about your livelihood? But if you are incompetent at everything yet have a massive temper, you are ruined.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, let me tell you: once the work is completed, it is all grace. These patents, techniques, craftsmen, and skills were all revealed by God for the building of His temple. It is incredibly powerful! Does God need to thank you? No, He does not. You are the one who needs to thank God. Today, as we build the glorious church of God, we must thank Him. Every single thing we produce is a treasure.

## The Temple Is Secondary; the Human Heart Is Primary

Is it hard work? Yes, it is. But God does not value the physical structure itself. Building a temple is bound to be hard work, but what God wants is your heart. Are you willing to pay the price? I have observed that the ministry can easily spoil a person. If a preacher does his work sloppily, he will excel at nothing. If you are a preacher listening to this, this message is for you. I tell you earnestly: a preacher must possess the rigorous spirit of a master craftsman.

Building the temple of God is a complex and highly precise engineering project. God demands this rigorous attitude. He does not care for the physical building; He cares for the human heart. If you are sloppy with the stones, the wood, and the furnishings, how can you rigorously keep and obey God's word? I am not mistaken. I encourage every brother and sister to have a heart of reverence.

Do not think, "I will just get by in this world. I'll do a little bit of work when asked, just enough to get by." It saddens me, and sometimes I feel hurt. If people are not rigorous with God's promises, they end up building a church that is merely about making dumplings, roasting chickens, or going on sightseeing trips and singing a few worship songs. Is that the temple of God?

Such a temple is a grotesque imitation. You do not even know if the wall panels exist, and even if they do, they look deformed. Is there any gold? They might be dirt-poor, with no gold in sight. Spreading a cheap straw mat fit for a doghouse and calling it a temple? That is a doghouse, not a sanctuary. Can God dwell there? If God is absent, will demons come? Absolutely. This weighs heavily on my heart.

I have a resolve within me. Brothers and sisters must know: our Chinese Mingding Doctrine will only accept treasures. May God have mercy and cleanse His church once again. When we build rigorously according to God's word, His presence will never leave us. In this chapter, God says:

**"As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." (1 Kings 6:12-13)**

Speaking of this, may God grant me the strength, courage, and resolve to prepare the materials well, master the techniques, and build rigorously according to His word. Thank God! Although we do not easily accept financial offerings, our church never lacks anything, because we stand on God's word. Some preachers are dirt-poor, constantly scheming to get offerings but receiving nothing. We do not focus on collecting money; we focus on building His church rigorously according to His word to be a blessing to all nations, and as a result, we lack nothing.

If you are a preacher listening to this, ponder on it. I am not boasting. The promises of our God are faithful and will never fail; He has established His promises in the heavens. Whoever keeps His word and trusts in Him will never be put to shame. Amen! If you are struggling financially and failing in everything you do, you should reflect on this today. Blessing is very near to us; being blessed is simple. It is not about how much you do, but your attitude—you must have a rigorous attitude. That is, to diligently keep and obey the decrees, laws, and commandments of the Lord God.

May God bless you all!

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