Introduction

Good morning. Today, we will summarise the Book of 1 Peter. If you read it aloud, you might find it well-written. However, without deeper examination, you may be puzzled as to why this pastor criticises such a fine epistle. It is not entirely without merit, but it contains certain elements that are questionable. If you have a cup of coffee with just half a rat dropping in it, would you drink it? Certainly not, right? If a pot of porridge has one rat dropping or a fly in it, would you eat it? You would not. We must be discerning in what we read. How can we read something with cockroaches and rat droppings in it?

You must know that deceivers speak very well, but is what they say true? Not necessarily, because they are deceivers. I am not saying Peter was a deceiver, but I am highlighting the importance of looking at what people do, not just what they say. My understanding of Peter has grown gradually.

Jesus said, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:15-23)

Then, on the day Jesus was arrested, we need to see what Peter said.

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. (Matthew 26:33-35)

We must understand what kind of person Peter was. He liked to talk big, didn't he? He spoke so well. He really did disown the Lord three times. Later, Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee, cooking fish and talking with Peter. What was Peter first called to do? To fish for people, right? To fish for people. And now? The Lord Jesus was gone, and he did not know where He had gone, so he went to play, to fish.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15)

Jesus asked him three times. Who wrote this? John wrote it. John did not dare to say this while Peter was alive. No one dared to write about this until Peter died, and John exposed Peter's past. Think about it, if you truly loved the Lord Jesus, would you go fishing? Why did you take these people fishing? Did not the Lord Jesus call you to fish for people?

This is Peter. He started well, in Jerusalem, praying to God and asking for the Holy Spirit to descend. After the Holy Spirit descended, he began to build the church. The church he built was rather peculiar. If we look at it with our understanding of God today, could that be called a church? Everyone contributed, all things in common, eating freely. Was that the church God told him to build? No, it was not! Do not be impressed by five thousand or three thousand people believing. They were a group of very flawed people, with various disputes arising.

Are there many disputes in the church today? Many! God's will was for Peter to be raised up to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. God truly called him and gave him opportunity after opportunity to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. But later, Peter was eating with the Gentiles, and when people from James saw him, Peter pretended, saying, "I was not eating with them." What kind of thinking is that? In the end, I tell you, our Lord Jesus looked down from heaven and thought, "Let's change someone." Right?

Changing someone was God's only option. Peter could not receive God's calling, disappointing God time and time again. Why do we single out Peter? Anyone can talk, but look at what this person did. Was he doing what was in God's heart? Today, I remind everyone that once God calls you, if you cannot deliver, if you cannot fulfil the purpose of God's calling, it is bad.

Like Saul, God called Saul and chose him as the first king of Israel. Later, God withdrew His Spirit from Saul. Why? Because Saul repeatedly missed God's heart, and as a result, an evil spirit from the Lord tormented Saul. Once a person loses God's calling, God may give you many opportunities, but repeatedly losing God's Mingding Doctrine is a tragedy.

Is there any glory in Saul's suffering? No glory. So today, we must walk in God's will at all costs. If God has called you or called me, we must be determined to walk in God's will.

What kind of Christian was Peter? Early on, he was arrested and put in prison for preaching the gospel, and an angel opened the door for him. After he came out, he went to James. Many brothers and sisters were praying for him. From then on, he became second in command. God called you, God wanted you to build God's glorious church, how did you suddenly become second in command? Who became the leader? The Lord Jesus' physical brother, Mary's other son, James, who wrote the Book of James. This is strange. Did God do that? How do we know he became second in command? Because in Acts chapter 15, James became the leader of the church.

In the end, God was forced to raise up another person, Paul, to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul had good understanding and a clear mind. If Peter repeatedly lost God's purpose, God's plan, God's calling for him, was his suffering like Saul's or David's? Brothers and sisters, do not think that suffering always brings God's glory. That is not necessarily true! Some people suffer like Saul, serving with great effort but without any glory.

Peter lost God's calling, lost God's Mingding Doctrine for him. Later, Peter invented a strange logic called the logic of righteous Lot. Was Lot a righteous man? Lot was a Lot who lost his Mingding Doctrine. It was not because Lot was good enough, but because God remembered Abraham. Lot invested in real estate all day long, walking and walking until he reached Sodom. What do you think of this person? Not good. He should have inherited Abraham's values, but his values were about the love of money. Why? Because his wife was like that. The couple was very loving, and they educated their children well, but he was a Lot who lost his Mingding Doctrine. In Paul's eyes, in Jesus' eyes, Lot was never called a righteous man.

But Peter found a gene in him, the gene of righteous Lot. Righteous Lot, grieving every day for the sinners in that place. What kind of logic is that? Nonsense! Was Peter a Lot? They were both quite foolish. Today, I tell everyone, do not learn from Peter. Why? Look at what he did, look at what kind of person he was, and then ask ourselves if we should learn from him. Even if what he said sounded good, so what? It does not matter.

The Church Peter Established

How was the church Peter established? The church Peter established was not good. He made a mistake from the beginning. Why? Because he was ignorant! Peter was not a knowledgeable person. If Peter had knowledge, would he have done things this way? Actually, I tell you, Peter was not very fond of reading the Bible. He knew very little. He had a straightforward personality, but his understanding was truly lacking.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

When he wrote 1 Peter, Silas helped him write it. Did Peter have knowledge or not? He could not write or read. Was he diligent? If he were diligent, he would not be illiterate. He would not need a secretary to help him write. Would you listen to such a person?

For example, if someone writes like an elementary school student and then goes to talk to customers, claiming to be a designer, what would you think? It would be better if they did not write at all. Once they write, everything is over. With such skills, what can they design? What were they doing earlier? They are already several decades old. Were they diligent? No. Did they have knowledge? No.

Then why does he write so well? What is the purpose of writing this? To tell others, to ask others to listen. So, the church Peter established became a cafeteria. He did not have the knowledge. He turned the church into a cafeteria and could not even manage the food well. What could he do? He could not even manage something as small as food. He thought, "I am a preacher, I do not manage food, I only manage prayer and preaching." Can that work? How small is the matter of food? How many brain cells does it require? None. He had to hire a bunch of people to manage it. Peter was the first to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and he was very successful. But later? As the church grew, it could not accommodate Gentiles. He only built a Jewish church. Why? He did not know God's will. Because he did not know God's will, he messed everything up in the end.

So later, God chose another person named Paul. Paul had knowledge. He was a disciple of Gamaliel. Think about it, if you study for a doctorate with the most famous masters in China, at Peking University, you will not be bad. So, the church Paul established was pleasing to God, while the church Peter established was a very poor church, not what God wanted. Was that the body of Jesus Christ? If the body of Jesus Christ is a cafeteria, that would be too dirty.

After hearing this, you probably understand. What happened later? Later, God persecuted the church in Jerusalem. Do you think it was the devil persecuting them? It was God persecuting them, because He could not bear to see it any longer, so He struck the church in Jerusalem. Later, people scattered, and the center of Christianity moved from Jerusalem to Antioch. A man named the Apostle Paul came to Antioch, and the church Peter established later failed. I ask you, if the church in Jerusalem continued to sell property, have all things in common, eat and break bread, could that work? No, it could not, so God inflicted persecution. If the church he established was not good, but he wrote 1 Peter in a grand and beautiful style, would you still listen and believe?

Peter's Shepherding and Service

Peter's shepherding was, in truth, not up to par. We can abstract this from subtle clues. Silas and Mark were, in fact, Peter's disciples, but they later followed Paul. Silas and Mark were essentially Peter's secretaries because Peter was illiterate.

I imagine Silas's pain when he was organizing 1 Peter for Peter. Why the pain? Because Silas had to write according to what Peter said, but if he wrote exactly as Peter said, the logic seemed off. If you follow a pastor whose logic is flawed, what do you do? Could Peter shepherd Silas? Could he shepherd Mark? Mark was a university graduate. When Peter spoke with Mark and Silas, they gave him some respect due to his status as an apostle, but if they truly respected Peter from the bottom of their hearts, they wouldn't have needed to run to Paul. Today, if you followed a pastor like Peter, how long could you last? It's difficult. That's why I don't ask you to entrust yourself to your small group leader.

I don't demand obedience; I ask people to learn to fulfill their own duties. If people don't obey you, if they don't admire you, if they can't grow by following you, if they are incompetent and speak empty words, if they say things similar to those in 1 Peter every day, what do you do? I tell you, Peter's shepherding was terrible. How could he teach others to shepherd? I don't know. Some people who believed before joining us, perhaps from other churches, have told me: "Oh, teacher, you're right! My previous pastor always demanded my obedience. I couldn't obey, I felt suffocated and exhausted."

We actually have a brother among us who was in another church and is now studying with us. This brother is a university graduate, a top-tier one, and is doing well in his company. He saw his pastor doing things that were completely off track, and he felt troubled: "Oh, God have mercy on me, I can't discern good from evil." It's hard, isn't it? So Peter was in such a situation; he ruined the church, and his service was terrible.

This afternoon, a sister called me, saying that the teaching assistant of her course kept saying that her writing was not specific enough. I said: "Of course, your writing is like 1 Peter, being unspecific is a fatal flaw." Remember, being unspecific means speaking in grand terms: "Oh, I discerned good from evil again; oh, I was emotional today, and I'll be emotional again next time, and again after a while." What is this supposed to mean? No one knows what you're talking about, right?

If you write specifically, I can see that my husband is quibbling, and I get upset, then I lose control and become emotional. Good, let's make this specific. How did it become like this? And what should we do? This is growth, isn't it? How can you grow if you're not specific? Someone says: "I don't love God enough." Then how are you not loving God enough? What exactly did you do? What's going on? Overcome one thing at a time.

Years ago, I had a friend who was also a pastor. He told me: "Pastor, what you do is very specific, what I do is very grand." Grand, right? How grand can it be if it can't be grounded? What's trained are people who are eloquent, always talking about grand principles. But let them talk. I tell you, building a church like that, it can't be built well. People's problems are very specific. In the process of serving and shepherding, grand principles can't solve any problems; it's all empty talk and slogans.

To be honest, our church is not doing well enough, far from what I imagine. Why? There are still many brothers and sisters whose problems can't be solved, and we don't know how to solve them. So we say that we are a research unit, studying these problems. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I always feel indebted; I really owe the brothers and sisters. Seeing the problems of the brothers and sisters, I wish we could make breakthroughs in this research.

Today, as we read 1 Peter, I tell everyone that our shepherding and our service must be specific. What problems have you solved? How did you solve them? Right? Our pastors, listen to this: what problems have you solved for people? How did you solve them? Don't play with empty talk. If you have solved it, you must have racked your brains and pondered it, and then you serve people and work with God, right? Don't think you're doing well. How did you solve it? What did you do?

I asked the person I serve: "How is your business?" He said: "My business is doing well." As soon as I heard this, I knew something was wrong; he was just too lazy to tell me. Then I continued to ask, I wouldn't stop there. I said: "What did you do to make it do well?" He said: "I didn't do anything." Oh, I understood, he was too lazy to tell me, because telling me would be useless. What I know and what I don't know wouldn't help him at all, right? But he is willing to share with me because what I say is specific. This is how it should be done. I will say what I know well, and I will grow well in what I don't know.

Peter's Habits and Suffering

What habit did Peter have? He was quick to speak. And what he said, he didn't know what he was saying. Peter said to Jesus: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus said: "This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven."

Is this praising you or belittling you? Everyone, tell me, is what Jesus said pleasant or unpleasant? Did Peter really know that Jesus was the Messiah? Did he really know? It was revealed to him by the Father in heaven, so Peter just said it off the cuff. Then I ask you, what if Satan comes as soon as you open your mouth? One moment God speaks, and the next moment Satan speaks. Don't you find it a bit interesting? Does Peter know God in his understanding? We don't deny that Peter has this pursuit of eternal life, which is indeed his advantage. But he doesn't use his brain, he doesn't know God in his understanding, his understanding of God is very, very superficial, and his understanding of demons is also very superficial. He is just quick to speak, right? Quick to speak, but he is indeed straightforward.

Peter said to Jesus: "Even if I have to die, I will follow you." The Lord Jesus said: "Forget it, what are you posturing for? Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." What is it? Peter is not very clear in his understanding, he is just good at talking. Then I ask you, how is the 1 Peter written by such a person? Later, Peter was far behind Paul in this matter. Paul pursued diligently in his understanding, constantly knowing God, seeking God's face, seeking God's will, and seeking God's plan for him.

I ask you, did Peter suffer? He suffered. Could he not be sad when the church was ruined? The church was ruined, and the church in Jerusalem was so poor that the Apostle Paul had to raise donations from the Gentile churches for the church in Jerusalem. After the donation was completed, he was arrested. What kind of brains do these people have?

It was not others who arrested Paul, but the Christians in Jerusalem, those under James and Peter. How do you think this work was done? Not well, really not well. The church was ruined, the church was poor, and it used to be very rich. Where did all the money go? I don't know where it went, right? Then they raised a group of Pharisees who went everywhere to corrupt the church, going to the Corinthian church and the Galatian church. They were all people who came from James and Peter. Why did they do these things? Because their understanding was not clear, they still thought they were serving God. Then do you think it's bitter? It's very bitter, how can it not be bitter? Then I ask you, is this suffering similar to Saul's suffering?

They were constantly causing trouble in other people's churches, and Paul had to set things right, right? Some of the believers in Corinth belonged to Peter, some to Apollos, and some to Paul. These people were super good at忽悠, they had no substance but were very good at忽悠. I tell you, many people have no substance but are very good at speaking, they just have a few tricks and忽悠 those people. Do you think he can not suffer? How can he not suffer if he is constantly causing trouble? Even if the demons don't come down, I ask you, will God send a demon to mess with him? I think so. Should you believe what Peter says? Moreover, after carefully analyzing this 1 Peter, we find that it is full of big talk, and we can't find too many faults, which is very hard.

The Purpose of Peter Writing 1 Peter

Why did Peter write 1 Peter? How many people's problems did he solve? How many troubles did he create? Peter is often mentioned in Paul's letters: "Don't I have the right to take a believing wife along with me, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter?" When Paul wrote this about Peter, he was actually saying that Peter was living quite comfortably. Do you think he really suffered? Right? Which church doesn't receive him wherever he goes? Which church doesn't give him some money? Right? He gives a sermon on the stage, and the slogans are very loud. There are many brothers and sisters below, right? There are brothers and sisters, maybe more sisters, rushing up to give red envelopes and love offerings. Peter lives quite comfortably, so what suffering does he endure?

He wrote this 1 Peter for fan management. He has to maintain his popularity and maintain his number of fans. Everyone, think about what he wrote 1 Peter for? It was for those who had given him love offerings, and he knew these people as he walked around. He had his own fans, but those fans were probably also people like Peter, not very smart. Peter wrote to these people, wrote to many churches, why? There were still many of his fans there. Peter's speeches must have been great, maintaining his popularity and maintaining his due halo, right? I say this is a reasonable inference, but I also have to forgive myself, maybe I am wrong, but is his motive really to build the church?

Peter's Writing

Peter's writing is actually very beautiful. These days, I have been listening from the first chapter to the fifth chapter, and I feel that it is very well spoken.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)

If you don't know Peter as a person, if you don't know this person, how well the writing speaks, right? It's like some corrupt officials who are still fighting corruption on the stage the day before they are arrested, right? Big corrupt officials! But that high profile, right? How well they sing the high profile, resolutely following a lot of things, but in fact, what they do in their bones and behind their backs is not good. Everyone can shout slogans, everyone can speak official language. That's why, brothers and sisters, I really hope that brothers and sisters become smart. If you are not smart, you think that the liar is bringing you a good opportunity, and you only know it is a pit after you have been cheated.

Do not be swayed by flowery language, my brothers and sisters. Observe actions, not just words. I earnestly desire that you all grow in wisdom. When someone writes things like angels being willing to investigate these matters, ask yourself: Why did Jesus not say these things? Why were these things not mentioned by the Apostle Paul? It is rather peculiar. If these things were not said, what would the angels be investigating? Ah, I will tell you why: it is to attract followers. They think, "Look, Peter knows more than Paul; he even knows about angels!" What do you think? Isn't it? It is for gaining followers. The language is beautiful, isn't it? Full of grand terms. But what problems does it solve?

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

My goodness, how impressive these words are! One cannot say they are wrong. However, we must understand that the Pharisees also spoke in such elegant terms.

Contents of 1 Peter

When we strip away these grand terms and beautiful phrases, we find that the concepts are unclear. On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong, but upon closer examination, it is full of loopholes. This is why we need to train ourselves, lest we be deceived. I do not want to deceive you, but I want to tell you, do not be deceived.

I often say, do not listen to what I say, but look at what I do, isn't it? Observe my actions, not just my words. Although sometimes my service to you may be severe and lack flowery language, my heart truly desires that you attain salvation. This is no deception, but you must still examine it. Later, I discovered a crucial concept: read God's Word and put it into practice, do not just explain the problems, but solve them.

In reality, 1 Peter, and especially James, is even more far-fetched. James, 1 Peter, and 2 Peter are difficult to put into practice. Do not blame me for saying this. I initially accepted these epistles. I put in a great deal of effort, especially into James. After reading it, I did not understand what it was saying, so I read it again and again. I also put a lot of effort into 1 Peter, even more than I put into reading Genesis.

Am I serious? Yes, I am. Why? Because when I read Genesis, I had the attitude of reading God's Word and putting it into practice. But many things in 1 Peter and James cannot be put into practice; they are not grounded. If you can put them into practice, tell me, and I will humbly learn from you. Can you put them into practice? How? Many things are strange, very strange.

For example, it says that your good deeds can silence the mouths of others. It cannot! Can you silence them? Can doing good deeds silence their mouths? How? For instance, when you go home and chat with your uncles, aunts, and cousins, and you say, "Because I believe in the Lord, look how good I am now," they will think, "How good are you? You are still the same as when you were a child, growing up together wearing open-crotch pants. What has changed? You still do not make your bed in the morning; you are still as useless as ever, aren't you? Have you changed? You still think you are so great."

"Look how good I am since I believed in the Lord!" This statement sounds odd, do you understand? That our good deeds can silence their mouths? How? I am just giving an example. If you read it, you will find the logic extremely confusing. Even if you do well, does it silence their mouths? First, it does not silence them. Second, your virtue may not even be considered good deeds. Therefore, we must read God's Word and put it into practice, and you will find that James and 1 Peter are very difficult to practice, impossible to practice.

Why Included in the Bible?

Many people ask, why are they included in the Bible? I tell you today, the Bible is inspired by God. When was it written? Around 60 AD, by the Apostle Paul. At that time, what was the Bible? The Bible was the Old Testament; the New Testament did not exist yet. If you had Paul compile some epistles into the Bible, he would never include 1 Peter. Paul said, "I know Peter; he was always causing trouble in the churches of Galatia and Corinth, do you understand?" The Bible is inspired by God, written by Paul. Did Paul write about Peter's teachings? No.

Why? Because after 400 AD, some archbishops included Peter's epistles. If Paul had compiled it, he would not have included them, absolutely not. Fortunately, Paul did not participate in compiling the Bible; it was compiled after 400 AD. What was the situation like after 400 AD? Christianity became the state religion of Rome, like joining the party. The church and state were united, and Christianity became the state religion of Rome. Then these archbishops gathered together to compile the Bible. Of course, I was not there, I am just relaying what I have heard about the Bible being compiled after 400 AD.

At that time, the church was deeply influenced by Peter. It was because of this that the church entered the Dark Ages. I ask you, whose fault was that? Peter's! It is truly regrettable. Christianity, for thousands of years, has reached our time, and Peter has been criticized by me. Of course, I may not have the right to do so, but you must understand me. I cannot find anything in his teachings that can be put into practice, and moreover, much of what he said is toxic.

Today, I tell you why: God deliberately did this, so that those who seek may understand. Once you seek and establish a theological system, not just hearsay, piecing things together haphazardly. That is why I tell you to establish a system, because faith is a system, a complete system, not a mess. That is why God wants you to seek Him.
I know deeply that Peter's teachings are not within the system of Jesus Christ. Whose are? The Apostle Paul's. Why are the Apostle Paul's? Because God originally chose Peter to do this work, but he messed it up, so He had no choice but to choose the Apostle Paul. Fortunately, otherwise we do not know what the church would have become today.

Establish a System

Is my explanation reasonable? Seek, establish a system. Where to start building the system?

Start from Genesis, because we inherit the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Today, we enter into the blessing of Abraham through faith, into the promise of Abraham. We receive not another covenant, but the covenant that Abraham received. You say that is the Old Covenant? No, the covenant of Mount Sinai is the Old Covenant, the covenant of Jesus Christ is the New Covenant. Before Jesus Christ and Mount Sinai was the covenant of Abraham. Today, through faith in Jesus Christ, we become descendants of Abraham, do you understand now? What kind of faith is the faith of Abraham? Then we have a root to follow. That is why the Apostle Paul immediately brought up Abraham, because Abraham received a promise, a promise obtained after victory.

Abraham is the father of faith, so the path of faith he opened is not a path of works. What kind of faith is Abraham's faith? Abraham, because he felt hopeless while living, saw his brother Lot, his dearest brother, get a fatal disease. He desperately hoped that his brother could live, but his brother died. It took Abraham a long time to come out of that grief. After coming out, he found that life is vanity of vanities, so he began to seek the meaning of life. If you do not feel that life is vanity and do not seek the meaning of life, you will not walk the path of Abraham. Abraham's faith is because life is meaningless, so he sought God, and found that the meaning of life is God.

God gave Abraham a Mingding, to make him the head of all nations on earth, and all nations on earth would be blessed through Abraham. Today, through faith in Jesus Christ, we enter into the blessing of Abraham. If you have seen life and death, are you still afraid of this and that? Some people are still afraid of the dead, which I find strange. It is because people are afraid of this and take the small things of the world so seriously, so they are afraid of everything, because they are not on the path of Abraham. Because Abraham saw through life and death, he willingly offered Isaac. Isaac saw through life and death and offered himself. Therefore, God will greatly bless you, and you will possess the gates of your enemies. This is the blessing of Abraham.

So, starting from the root of Abraham, we must establish a system. What Abraham had in his mind was actually the vanity of vanities spoken of in Ecclesiastes. So he sought eternity, sought blessings in eternity, sought Mingding in eternity, sought glory in eternity. If a Christian is not like this, then it is all in vain. Thank the Lord. If you ask me, does Peter have this drive of Abraham? He does, but his understanding is not clear. So God gave him an opportunity to be martyred. Do you understand now? Peter was pursuing eternity, pursuing the glory in eternal life. But his understanding was not clear, so he had difficulty learning and recognizing words, like some of us. So until his death, he did not recognize many words, and his understanding was limited.

We must conform to the line of Abraham, conform to Isaac and Jacob, then Moses and David, and walk down to Jesus Christ. Then, from Genesis to today, in one continuous line, you will establish a system. Once you have established a system, I must tell you, was Abraham poor? No. Was Abraham miserable? No. So I tell you, Abraham was truly a blessed person. When you begin to establish a system, you begin to overcome these forces of darkness, and begin to let the god of this world have nothing in us, how can you be poor?

So seek and know God well, that is truly a wonderful blessing in life. Today, I tell you, Genesis is the foundation, read Genesis well. And our Chinese Mingding Doctrine's Genesis is truly powerful, explaining it, at least in my opinion, since the Apostle Paul, no one has explained Genesis as clearly as we have. I also desire to be a blessing to many people on earth, and I hope that Christians, no matter which denomination you belong to, can seek God and establish a system of faith. Not believing confusedly, doing this and that, but establishing a complete system, with roots and foundation.

May God bless you all!