Introduction

Hello, everyone. Today we continue with our series, “Imitating the Giants of Faith.” This is the fourth message: Abraham. It is a difficult message to preach, because you are all too familiar with Abraham. We all know Abraham’s story. I tell you, many of us can recite it backwards. So what am I to preach? It is difficult. But never mind. I will revisit the old theme and speak of it once more, so that we may gain a deeper understanding of Abraham.

In fact, if your understanding is already deep, then live it out. Put it into practice. Once, a brother said to me, “Pastor, I do not even enjoy listening to what you preach anymore. Once you say the first sentence, I already know what you will say next.” You are very impressive.

When I heard that, I was rather irritated within, because it was not being lived out. It is like someone who has sat for university entrance examinations for many years and never passed. Ask him anything and he knows it all, but he cannot do anything. His scores fall lower every year. He amounts to nothing. Why? The reason is simple: it is not put into practice. To imitate means to do.

The greatest thing Abraham ever did was this: one day, God said, “Abraham, offer your son Isaac. Travel three days from where you are to Mount Moriah, and offer Isaac there.” Abraham then took Isaac and went.

I am puzzled. More than one thing puzzles me. Jesus said, “Come, follow Me,” and people followed Him. God told Abraham to offer Isaac, and he offered him.

If it had been me, I would have thought, “God, did I hear You correctly? Should I confirm this again? Was that really God speaking to me? I must not get this wrong. If it was the devil speaking to me, that would be trouble.” But the Bible says nothing of this. Abraham heard God tell him to offer Isaac, and he took Isaac out.

He did not tell Sarah either. If he had told Sarah, it would have been over. A mother’s love for her son is real love. So he quietly went to offer the sacrifice. Sarah did not think much of it, and Abraham went on his way.

Because of this, when I was in a local physical church, many people wanted very much to hear God’s voice. There was a training programme in Taiwan. This pastor in Taiwan taught people how to hear God’s voice and how to see visions.

At that time, I was leading a small group in church. Frankly, I was not very keen on such things. I had always found them rather mystical—too mystical, too detached from real life. Seeing things and hearing things—these are not easy matters to handle. What did I prefer? I preferred to thoroughly transform the values within people, to place our hope in heaven, and to imitate Abraham. If one day God truly speaks to me, I believe I will hear Him.

There was a girl in my small group. She was among the lowest-paid workers in Singapore. She could save hardly any money each month. Her salary was low, and Singapore is an expensive place. Yet she spent all her savings to go to Taiwan and stay in a hotel.

When she returned, she cried before me—heartbroken, torn apart. She was not crying for any other reason. She had spent all her savings, yet heard no voice and saw no vision. Other people claimed that they saw this and saw that, heard this and heard that. Whether they truly heard or saw anything, we do not know. They said it, and people simply believed it. How was I supposed to comfort her? From that time onward, I developed a prejudice against such things.

I said, “This is too much, is it not? A poor person, with hardly anything, goes to hear God’s voice. What is she hearing? Can this be trained?” What I wanted to train was this: to thoroughly demolish our worldly system of logic.

I tell you, she was very poor. If I were the pastor of that church, I would not have done this. Today, whenever I see brothers and sisters among us who are poor, my heart is deeply concerned for them.

How can a person believe in the Lord and end up in such poverty? We often encounter this sort of chaotic nonsense. What I want to demolish is worldly values. I tell you, when a person is blessed with Abraham’s blessing, what does that mean? God wants to make your name great. God wants to make you into a great nation. God wants to make you a blessing to all the families of the earth. If you are poor beyond words, how can you bless others? Of course, being wealthy does not prove very much either.

Think about it. If you go to hear God’s voice with a mind full of worldly logic, what can you hear? It is already good enough if you do not hear the voice of demons. Is that not so? Therefore, brothers and sisters, know this: “My sheep hear My voice, and My sheep know My voice.” Do you know where this comes from? The Gospel of John. Jesus Himself said in John, “My sheep know My voice.”

Why? The reason is simple. The voice of Jesus Christ belongs to an entire heavenly system. Is it not strange to carry worldly logic and then try to hear God’s voice? Can that be trained? I generally do not place much faith in these so-called prophets and such things. I must admit that I have a prejudice in this area. But the things I have experienced have made me detest it deeply.

Later, Chinese Mingding Doctrine began to speak of things that can be put into practice—things that are clear, intelligible, and plainly understood. Why can God’s sheep hear God’s voice? Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Do you understand this now? If God’s Spirit can lead you, it is because you delight in God’s way, and you follow God. Is that not so?

So when God told Abraham to offer Isaac, could Abraham have heard wrongly? Is that concern not also your concern? How could he have heard wrongly? Abraham had walked with God for more than fifty years. Some say, “In all those years, God only spoke a few sentences to him.” Do not forget that Abraham had a system of logic based on faith.

Abraham had a heavenly system of logic. Therefore, the moment he heard it, he knew. If you do not have a system of logic based on faith, if what is within you is not heavenly or of God, then in spiritual matters you are deaf, and your eyes are blind. What can you hear? So this concept stands before us: What exactly have we placed within ourselves? We need not be confused. What is there to be confused about? There is nothing to be confused about.

I tell you, Abraham was remarkable. Even if he had heard wrongly, could God not take charge of it? Of course He could. The moment Abraham heard it, God could immediately say, “Be careful, Abraham. That is a lie from the devil.” Do you believe it?

Let me speak about tongues. Many people teach others to discern whether tongues come from God or from demons. I ask myself: if God cannot even manage this matter, can He still be called God? Do you understand? God can certainly take care of this.

Where then is the problem? The problem is this: what sort of system of logic does a person carry in his mind? Think carefully about what I am saying. I have studied this for many years. It is like a radio. You must tune it to the right frequency. When we used to listen to the radio, we turned a little dial. People today no longer have this habit. In our day, Singapore radio stations such as 958 and 933—these were channel numbers and frequencies.

So today I tell you: what are we training? We are training the system of logic within us. Do not assume that because God spoke to Abraham, this is something that can be trained through worldly logic. You must tune yourself to that frequency. Adjust the system of logic within you to that place, and let the Holy Spirit work in us.

Today, I want to tell you this: if you are suffering, I do not particularly enjoy praying for your suffering to end. I think you deserve to suffer. If you are collapsing, then perhaps you should collapse.

“Teacher, how can you have no compassion?” I say, thank God. If God did not allow you to suffer in this way, if He did not allow you to collapse, then my goodness—if you succeeded in doing something more, would not your tail overturn God’s throne? It would rise up and poke into heaven. Before it reaches God’s throne, an angel would cut off your tail with one stroke. If God does not deal with you, whom should He deal with?

My understanding of God is different from much of traditional theology. Some say, “God is love. He could never kill anyone.” I tell you, that is not so. The Bible says that God struck down those Israelites in the wilderness. God sent plagues to strike down those Israelites. Is that not so? God Himself sent the angel of death to kill the firstborn in Egypt. God did all these things. You need not make excuses for God.

Is it not normal for God to kill a few people? Who told you to behave this way? Remember, it was not God who killed them. They forced God to kill them. Today I tell you: if you are suffering, that is right. Before God strikes you down, hurry and suffer. Hurry and repent. Examine yourself carefully. Do not think that you are a model of faith. Abraham is the model of faith. In what way are you like Abraham? In what way are you like Isaac, Jacob, Jesus Christ, or the Apostle Paul?

Whenever I hear that a brother or sister is suffering, I thank God. God still intends to save him. Whenever I hear that someone has drifted far from God and nothing has happened, I say, “Oh dear, thank the Lord. Old Horse is about to take him away.” That is how it is.

So what are we training? We are training brothers and sisters to imitate Abraham. To imitate—that is our vision: to imitate Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why not Joseph? Joseph is too difficult. The degree of difficulty is rather high. If you can imitate Joseph, that would be extraordinary. Then we go on to imitate Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul.

When we speak of Abraham, the first thing I want to say is this word: struggle. Abraham struggled throughout his life. He had a very turbulent life. In fact, I do not particularly enjoy struggle. You know, I could have worked a job in the government, bought several properties, collected some rent, and lived quite well—very well. Then people asked, “Would you come out and become a pastor?” No. I did not want to become full-time. I only wanted to serve part-time. That was how I was then.

Then God took away my job. Ah, my job was gone. So I became a pastor. Being a pastor—what turbulence! My goodness, it was hard work. How could that compare with holding a job, going to work and coming home, and receiving a salary at the end of every month? It was hard. Along the way, there were tears. There were many things I did not know how to handle. I truly did not know. But I had faith. I had Abraham’s faith.

God did not say, “You little fellow, you do not like being tossed about? Then I will toss you about.” Now I have learned. Come then. I will struggle together with You.

Yesterday, I met an elderly brother, seventy-nine years old. In the early days when I was building this church, he came among us and prayed with me. He said, “Pastor, I saw a vision.” I asked him what vision he had seen. He said that he saw an Australian kangaroo, a very strong kangaroo, leaping a great distance with one jump, then leaping again. I asked, “How many times did it leap?” He said, “Many times.” He said that the church I was building would be like a kangaroo—constantly leaping and constantly rising.

Yesterday, as we had lunch, he asked me, “Do you still remember the kangaroo vision?” I said, “I remember. I have already leapt many times. Every leap was a struggle. Every leap was hard work.” The church has gone through transformation after transformation, demolition and rebuilding after demolition and rebuilding. Whatever is not according to God’s heart must be demolished. Thank God. Today, we are about to make another leap!

When we were deeply troubled, ChatGPT appeared. Large AI models appeared. My goodness, it was wonderful. Fortunately, we had not spent too much effort on that knowledge-graph business. With AI, it is wonderful. The things we pursue and the things we desire can now be realised. So brothers and sisters, understand this: every leap is a breakthrough, and every leap is a struggle.

Every struggle is the practice of faith. In every struggle, my heart is filled with gratitude. This time, brothers and sisters, we begin to celebrate. We joyfully welcome the road of glory. What is the road of glory? It is the road of putting faith into practice. Every practice of faith, every discomfort, every pain, is the practice of faith. Every time we practise faith, we see God’s glory.

Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid. Do not worry. If you are going through struggle, then it is right. Our God is one who causes us to struggle, is He not? He placed David in a situation where he was pursued and hunted, and He tested David for thirteen years. Joseph was tested for ten years as a slave and three years in prison. Are you willing to accept this struggle?

I gave myself a Japanese name: “Miki Struggle.” It sounds rather like a Japanese name.

If I go to Japan to preach the gospel in future, I will call myself “Miki Struggle.” I do not know how to say it in Japanese. We shall find someone who knows Japanese. Let us struggle, shall we? God, come! Let there be struggle! It is wonderful. In the past, I was passively tossed about. Now I am actively willing to be tossed about. I even gave myself a nickname—Miki Struggle.

There is no hope in this world. My hope is in eternity. This world is merely a training ground for the practice of faith. In this world, practise faith—from healing and deliverance, to healing the sick and casting out demons, to artificial intelligence. It is wonderful.

Yesterday, I showed the artificial intelligence work we are doing to that elderly brother. He exclaimed, “My goodness!” He told me, “We have a lot, a lot to work together.” And do you know what? He even introduced a customer to me. It was excellent.

He is seventy-nine years old and still struggling. He said, “Pastor, do you know? I have a very big project.” I thought to myself, “At seventy-nine, what project are you still doing?” Yet at seventy-nine, he is still doing projects. Remarkable. I said, “Thank God. A very big project.” He said, “I will share with you later.”

All right? Brothers and sisters, let us carry hope. Do you know what the next struggle is? To spread Chinese Mingding Doctrine throughout the world! The religion of this age requires reform. Today we will confront the strongest religious forces in this world, and once again bring God’s people onto Abraham’s road—onto the road of the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ. May God work with us, and may we work with God.

Can you see this glorious calling? At times I worry. I say, “I cannot even speak Indonesian. How can I pastor people?” AI can do it. There is no shortage of real-time translation now. There is no problem. Then he said, “Pastor, could you come and share among us?” He has a fellowship, and he wants me to share among them what God is doing in our midst.

I think God is opening another door. God will open more doors. This door is extraordinary. I showed him the traffic on our website, and he was very excited. There are so many website visits and clicks—tens of thousands every day. My goodness, it is wonderful! He asked, “Do you need money?” I said, “I do not need money.” What we need are people whom God can raise up to pastor Indonesian-speaking people.

We already have this content. We already have the courses we need. We can put them all online and translate them into Indonesian. It turns out that God has given us a great calling! This great calling is to practise faith while we are alive and to see God at work.

In this age, because we are going to do this, the kingdom of the devil will be shaken! The devil’s lies will be exposed. The works of the devil will be removed. People will be set free. Just as our vision and mission declare: the captives shall be released, the oppressed shall be free, and we shall become a blessing to all nations and peoples.

Do you know that when there was only one person or two people—when it was only us—we already longed to become a blessing to all nations and peoples? Many people poured cold water on us. It did not matter. They could not extinguish the passion within me.

Within me is like a fire in winter. May this fire burn throughout the earth. May the whole earth be filled with God’s glory! God’s people must be raised up! Brothers and sisters, let us share one vision and one mission: imitate Abraham, imitate Isaac and Jacob, imitate Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Let us be like a blazing fire in this world, removing the works of the devil and allowing this generation to see God’s glory.

There is a church in Indonesia called the Reformed Church. We too are reforming. They may reform back to Martin Luther and John Wesley, but we reform all the way back to Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We cannot do it, but God can! I become excited as I speak about it.

Do you now have this faith? Yes, you do. Even if this faith has not achieved anything yet, it will certainly achieve something in the future. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Within our faith, the future will surely be accomplished according to what we believe, because what we believe is Abraham’s faith. May God raise us up in this generation. What we need is not money. What we need is God. What we need is faith! We need that spirit which was in Abraham—the determination that all the families of the earth should be blessed through us.

Now life has meaning! Let our empty lives, lives that otherwise have no meaning at all, become meaningful. This is possible only in Jesus Christ.

Scripture

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, even when she was past the age of childbearing, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and welcomed them. They confessed that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they seek a homeland. And if they had been thinking of that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But they desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He who had gladly received the promises offered up his only son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac shall your offspring be called.” He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he also received him back. (Hebrews 11:8–19)

Prayer

God, grant us such a resolve today—to imitate Abraham’s faith. God, open the eyes of our hearts, so that we may know how to imitate Abraham; how to carry the hope of eternity while living in this world; how to be strangers in this world and dwell in tents here.

God, let us believe today that what is impossible shall become possible. Let us believe that we who are weak shall become strong. Let us believe that the faith of Abraham, which we imitate and inherit today, will also bring great grace—that all the families of the earth shall be blessed through us.

God, let us imitate Abraham. Let us know that we are sojourners on earth. Let us long for a better heavenly homeland. Let us offer up what is best and most precious to us. God, let us believe that all impossible things shall be accomplished. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Background of the Scripture

The author of Hebrews was deeply drawn to Abraham. I tell you, among those in this world who believe in Jesus Christ, there is no one who does not know Abraham. But there are not many who know Abraham’s faith, and even fewer who believe with Abraham’s faith.

There was a brother who married a wife. This wife went onto an internet celebrity’s channel to share something.

The title of that video is still there. It was called, “God Owes Me an Apology.” God has to say sorry to me. Why? She shared something there that was very interesting. She said she was suffering terribly within herself. Listen carefully: she carried this whole worldly system of logic—“I like this, I do not like that”—and then God still had to say sorry to her. I myself felt very sorry.

What kind of talk is this? She was a pastor’s wife. The comments below said, “Which church is this? If you are in this church, leave immediately.” There were many comments below. Some comments sounded very familiar to me. I thought, given the traffic on our website, these people had probably listened to my preaching.

She was not the first person to speak about God saying sorry. A prominent pastor in Singapore was the one who said such things. She imitated him. We do not imitate this.

Abraham never required God to say sorry to him. Joseph was sold into Egypt, and he did not have the audacity to demand that God say sorry. The Bible does not teach us to make God say sorry to us, because the suffering we go through is what we deserve. Do you understand?

I believe that the author of Hebrews, in writing about Abraham, gave a highly condensed summary of Genesis chapters 12 to 26. Why do I say this message is difficult to preach? Because Genesis chapters 12 to 26 record so many things about Abraham. How am I to preach all of it? It is difficult. This author gave a highly condensed summary of Abraham’s journey of faith from the age of seventy-five to one hundred and thirty. What was he trying to prove? That faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Today, how do you judge the future? You must do so by faith. When the church was still desolate, I carried a great dream within me. I believed God would accomplish it. After one year, there were still only two or three people. After two years, it was still the same. After three years, it was still the same. It was hard. Nothing suggested that the dream would be fulfilled, but I believed.

In those years, without faith, I could not have carried on. I knew the greatness of faith. I knew faith was wonderful.

Then, after some time, several brothers and sisters resigned from their jobs and came to me. “Teacher, I have resigned from my job.” “What are you going to do?” “I am coming to serve full-time.” “Did I ask you to serve full-time?” “You spoke of such great faith, and now that we have come, you say this?”

But if we could not pay your salaries, could you last for six months? What could they endure? If they could last six months, that would be good. If, after six months, we could not pay salaries, then we would simply go and do what we needed to do.

Of course, that was how I spoke, but it was also the truth. There was really no money. Perhaps there was enough for only one meal a day. Thank the Lord. Six months passed. We paid out so many salaries, yet the church’s money did not decrease. Where did it come from? It was so miraculous.

So we came forward step by step, on the road of faith. I tell you, the author of Hebrews proved this point so well: faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

My future is like this—have I seen it? No. Has it been accomplished? No. It concerns the future. Yet the future will surely be accomplished according to what we believe today. Today, we have an even greater vision and a greater dream. Is that not so? Now we have you. We have so many brothers and sisters. Should we not have a greater vision and a greater dream?

Now we must bring this reformed gospel—a gospel reformed back to Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, reformed back to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to the whole world.

The world must see God’s glory. You say, “Teacher, I want to learn English.” Forget it. AI can translate for you. Serve in this way, with simultaneous translation. You speak Chinese here, and people hear German there. They speak German there, and you hear Chinese here.

What does this mean? This is the age in which Chinese people shall preach the gospel. This is the age in which ethnic Chinese shall preach the gospel. This is the age in which Asians shall preach the gospel.

Do you understand? Be strong! Language is not a barrier. Run forward with faith. This age is our age. This is the age when the religious spirit must be thoroughly trampled underfoot. God’s kingdom shall be manifested. God’s glory shall fill the whole earth—not merely the land of China, but the whole earth!

Even if they are Africans, even if they are cannibal tribes, even if they live on islands in the Pacific—wherever there are people, wherever there is internet access, that is where we shall preach the gospel. No matter what language they speak, if AI can understand it, we shall do it! How many people are needed to serve? Many! Brothers and sisters, rise up, carrying a heavenly vision and a heavenly dream!

Look again at the little matters in your daily life—trivial things, petty disputes, small concerns. Can God not help us? What we lack today is a heavenly vision and a heavenly dream. What we lack is the willingness to labour for heavenly things. What we lack is that spirit of faith! Believe God. God’s kingdom shall come among us.

The author of Hebrews wrote in an extremely difficult environment. He did not even dare to put down his own name. Why? Because his name was Paul. Once the Jews saw the name Paul, they hated him intensely. So he did not sign his name.

Paul described faith magnificently. He hoped that those Jews would see the fruit of faith, come out of religious practices and regulations, enter the road of faith, imitate Abraham, long for a better homeland, and offer the most precious things to God while on this earth.

There were several key stages in Abraham’s faith. The first stage was his calling. Once he was called, the struggle began. Who likes a life of wandering and instability? No one. So if God is causing you to struggle, change your name quickly. You may call yourself “Four-Miki Struggle,” “Five-Miki Struggle,” “Six-Miki Struggle,” or even “Hundred-Miki Struggle.”

Why Three-Miki? Because I am the third child in my family. Do you understand? Let us struggle. Can you say to God, “Call me! I want to practise my faith on this road of struggle!” This is the first stage.

The second stage was the birth of Isaac. Why not have him earlier? It would have been good for Sarah to bear a child at forty or fifty, would it not? No. She was eighty or ninety, nearly ninety. Her menstrual cycle had stopped. She could no longer bear children. Then Isaac was born. Was this not utterly incredible?

At this stage, there was another kangaroo-like leap—one great jump. Faith leapt to another level. We are the same. When we first enter struggle, we make one leap to a certain level. The third critical moment was the offering of Isaac. Isaac was offered as a sacrifice.

These were the three major stages of Abraham’s life. From being called at seventy-five to Isaac’s birth at one hundred, more than twenty years passed. During those twenty years, he went through many things. Abimelech took Sarah away. Pharaoh took Sarah away. All sorts of dramatic events took place. When you read it, do you not feel that it is rather dramatic? “Oh, she is my sister.” Ah, so much struggle through those decades.

Then God said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Abraham replied, “But where are my descendants?” Ah, then perhaps his household servant would inherit his estate. God said no: “The one born from Sarah—Isaac—will be your heir.” When Isaac was born, wow! Faith rose again. Wow! Do you understand?

In fact, faith within us should produce a “Wow!” Is there such a response in you? Let faith be lifted again. Let God continuously cause us to practise faith in small struggles, until great things are accomplished. How wonderful! Do you want struggle? Then struggle.

Your boss challenges you. Your boss creates many difficulties for you. Practise faith. Do you understand? Then the road you walk will be filled with “Wow!”—filled with the “Wow!” brought about by faith.

I tell you, when I pray for people, I do not give up on any illness, and I do not give up on any difficult problem. Of course, I certainly give up on those who love the world. But when someone is ill, I may pray and minister for one month, two months, three months. When God sets that person free, I say, “Wow!” In fact, it is no longer “Wow.” It becomes the crying of “wah, wah.” Tears fall.

Applause rises! Thank our God! Let all the likes go to our God! Applause and tears—that is no longer merely “Wow.” It is crying out in gratitude. Thank God!

When there was a first co-worker, a second co-worker, a third co-worker, I cried. At last, the days of one person going to work and one person coming home were over. Thank God! Today, I no longer cry over that matter. But when God accomplishes His work and we become a blessing to all the families of the earth, we will still cry in gratitude to God.

The author of Hebrews described Abraham’s faith in these three stages so clearly. It is excellent. The key logic is this: Abraham was a stranger and sojourner on earth, because he sought a better homeland. Abraham was extraordinary! Why could he endure such struggle? Why could he see God’s presence in the practice of faith? Because his hope was in heaven!

I do not know how to tell you this. I am so anxious that I could cry. I have not been to that place either, I tell you. If you ask me, “Have you been there?” No. But in faith, I believe. I know that all things in this world are vanity of vanities. Therefore, I hope for a better homeland. Though I cannot see it, I still believe.

This is the foundational logic! Therefore, the author of Hebrews wrote these words twice in this passage. The first time was in verse 9: by faith Abraham dwelt in the promised land as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. For he waited for the city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Then in verse 13, he said: they confessed that they were strangers and sojourners on earth. Those who say such things make it clear that they seek a homeland. If they had longed for the homeland they left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But they desired a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, because He has prepared a city for them.

Truly, when I see the suffering that brothers and sisters endure, I dare not speak too harshly. It is painful and difficult. I long for brothers and sisters to hear what I am saying: thoroughly change the foundational logic within us, and look lightly upon the things before our eyes. The problems you hold tightly in your hands cannot be solved simply by holding them tightly. You might as well turn back to God and hold tightly to Him.

God will truly raise you up. God will truly make you like Abraham. God will truly prepare a city for you.

This world is merely an exercise in practising faith. It is merely a training ground for learning to trust God. It is an examination. If we take university entrance examinations so seriously, should we not take this heavenly examination seriously? Can we put more effort into this heavenly examination today?

When our children cannot enter university, we become anxious. But if we fail the heavenly examination, we may cry to heaven and receive no answer, cry to earth and receive no response. Even if one attends the best university, what ultimate meaning is there? Do you understand?

Therefore, the suffering we endure is not because God does not know. It may be because we do not know. Today, because of God’s calling, let us change the logic within us and set our hope on our heavenly home. Do not enter this examination full of self-confidence. Enter it with reverence and trembling. If you fail, it is because you have failed to practise faith. Therefore, the author of Hebrews wrote very well. He was speaking of Abraham’s foundational system of logic.

Imitating Abraham’s Faith (1): Struggle

“Teacher, you have already spoken about this.” Yes, I have. Do you know that I repeat things three times in my sermons? Three times. I say it once in the introduction, a second time in the background of the Scripture, and now I say it a third time. Important matters must be said three times. Do you understand? Important matters must be said three times, in the hope that you will truly hear them.

“Teacher, you have already said it.” I said it, but you still have not understood it. “Teacher, we understand.” Understand what? Even after hearing it three times, you may not understand.

When Abraham was called, the first thing he did was sell his possessions. Abraham had a large household and great wealth. He had three hundred and eighteen trained men capable of fighting—not counting the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. These three hundred men were trained and able-bodied warriors.

Abraham was seventy-five years old. That old man was certainly a master of combat. He trained regularly. Why? In those days, power came from the strength of arms. If you could not defend yourself, then you could not survive. If you were weak and someone came to rob you, what would you do?

He took with him large and small, families and households—two thousand people. Try travelling with two thousand people. You hold up a little flag, and two thousand people follow you. Transportation is a problem. Food, drink, toileting, sleeping—everything is a problem. Supplies are a problem. Water is a problem. It was not very different from the journey out of Egypt. It was hard.

I tell you, if it were me and God said, “Rise up, leave your father’s house,” I would say, “God, two thousand people? Are You kidding?” God would say, “Yes, go travelling. This is not a self-drive tour. This is a self-walking tour.” My goodness, it was hard.

Abraham was seventy-five. What if he met bandits on the road? He would deal with them. What if he met local strongmen? There were too many unpredictable things. When I was in university, my family gave me some money, and I sewed a pocket inside my underwear to hide it. Why? Because people would demand money on trains. That was the era in which we lived.

It is difficult for people today to imagine it. If you did not give them money, they might stab you. This was no joke. It was struggle. Abraham struggled. He struggled when he arrived in Canaan. He struggled when he went to Egypt. Is that not so?

Suppose you passed through a place like Liangshan Marsh, where there were also one hundred and eight warriors. They surrounded you from every side. What would you do? It was difficult. Without faith, you cannot walk this road of struggle.

This was Abraham. Yet he believed! Could God not resolve these problems? Brothers and sisters, tell me: could God not deal with robbers on the road? Could He not deal with these local strongmen? Could He not deal with Pharaoh of Egypt? Could He not deal with Abimelech? He could! This faith was powerful!

So when brothers and sisters encounter struggle and difficulties, do not be afraid. God is behind you. Trust Him and watch what happens.

When you first encounter difficulties, the first thought should be: “My God! My God is great and awesome, mighty in power! God will surely accomplish it!” Of course, you must first change the logic within you. Then you will see the accomplishment of faith. You will say, “Wow!” Then you will give thanks. Then you will cry in gratitude, thanking God.

This was how Abraham walked through life. I have always liked him. I like Abraham very much. He had such character! I tell you, Abraham was a very remarkable man—very remarkable indeed.

Imitating Abraham’s Faith (2): Living as a Sojourner on Earth

Do you know that when Abraham was in Ur of the Chaldeans, Lot’s father died? Abraham may have thought, “My younger brother has died. I have money. I will find the best doctors and buy the best medicine for him.” But it was of no use. He died.

I tell you, Lot’s father must have loved the world very much. He had roots in this world, did he not? Abraham also loved this younger brother deeply. In fact, Abraham himself probably loved the world rather much at that time too. Otherwise, how did he make so much money?

His brother’s death greatly affected him. Abraham’s father, Terah, was also deeply affected. So they left Ur of the Chaldeans. Then they went on, struggling, living as strangers on earth.

Suddenly, Abraham realised that life had no meaning. Do you understand? Living is a futile struggle. If you struggle in God, it is called struggle. If you struggle on earth without relying on God, it is called blind struggle. “Ah, I will die on earth too!”

I tell you, when Sun Wukong saw a monkey die, he suddenly sought eternal life and went to find Patriarch Bodhi. Yet when people see people die, they feel nothing. How strange! I say, “This fellow is worse than a monkey.” Even monkeys know to seek eternal life. Do people not know? “Ah, no. I too will die on earth. I must seek.” What did they seek? They sought an incorruptible blessing. They sought to turn an otherwise meaningless life into a meaningful one.

They found it because they realised that life on earth had no meaning. They were merely sojourners. This is foundational. Brothers and sisters, we must not lack this foundation. If you think that what you do today is some great work, it is not great at all. It is merely small and trivial—petty matters and insignificant concerns. Do you understand? If we can see through the matter of living today, then we are right.

Over these past years, several people have died before my very eyes. It was deeply sobering. The oldest sister among us was baptised a few months before she died. I led her to believe in the Lord, to receive Holy Communion, and she departed peacefully, as if she had fallen asleep. She was over ninety years old, the oldest member among us. Thank the Lord!

Every time I see someone die, I become sober within. So I particularly like attending funerals. Every time I see death, I become more clear-headed, because one day I too will walk this road.

Therefore, I seek eternal life. I seek a better homeland. I seek to return to God. This is my central pursuit. Brothers and sisters, never take worldly affairs too seriously. If you do, you will be controlled by them and deceived by lies. You will become miserable and weary.

Look at how many worldly things we pursue. They all appear natural, justified, and reasonable, yet they are meaningless. A pastor went to South Korea for a large gathering, contracted COVID, and later died. His body looked like the colour of chocolate. He lay in a coffin, and I went to see him. Once again, my spirit was shaken.

Human beings must think carefully about this life: how to live out God’s glory, how to live out God’s image, how to see through the matter of living, and how to practise our faith in God.

Imitating Abraham’s Faith (3): Believing the Impossible

Do you know what it meant to offer Isaac? To burn Isaac until he became ashes—can you understand that? Abraham received his son back, as it were, from the dead. Why? Because God had said that it was through Isaac that his descendants would be named, and his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.

Now Abraham was to offer Isaac. These two things appeared contradictory. Therefore, he could only deduce one thing: God would cause Isaac to rise again from the ashes.

But the Bible says this: God provided His own lamb. God Himself gave His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. So when we are willing to offer our most precious possession, God gives His Son to us. If you have such faith, Jesus died for you. His precious blood will have great effect upon you.

The birth of Isaac, and the offering of Isaac. What was the birth of Isaac? God waited until they could no longer bear children. He waited until they were beyond childbearing, and then He allowed Isaac to be born. Why? God wanted to tell us that nothing is impossible.

Today, remove the word “impossible” from your dictionary. But do not ask for worldly things. Seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness.

In future, I will share more deeply with you what it means to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness. It cannot be explained in just a few sentences. If I continued speaking about God’s kingdom and righteousness now, this message would become a Sunday service, and we would be here until the evening. Truly, it would be something.

Imitating Abraham’s Faith (4): Offering What Is Most Precious to God

I tell you, if God had said to Abraham, “Offer yourself to Me,” Abraham would have resolutely walked the road of offering himself. But God did not say, “Offer yourself to Me.” He said, “Offer your son Isaac to Me.” My goodness! I tell you, parents are willing to die for their children, but to offer their children—it is extremely difficult. Do you understand? Yet Abraham gladly agreed.

To offer what is most precious to God—this is what all the great men of faith in the Bible did.

If we do not have enough time, then offer our time to God. If we do not have enough money, then offer our money to God. If our lives are not going well, then offer our lives to God. You ask, “Is that true?” I tell you, I once calculated the investment and return.

At that time, my salary was less than two thousand dollars—just over one thousand. I thought, “With just over one thousand dollars, I can never become wealthy in this lifetime. What should I do? Invest.” Invest in what? Find the best investment.

I went online and listened to a lesson taught by an elderly man. He taught me to give tithes. My goodness! If I gave my tithe, I would have nothing left for the month. But if I did not give it, I would remain poor forever.

I made a decision. It was an investment decision. I gave the money I loved to God—one tenth, then one tenth it would be. Later, my offerings were generally about twenty percent. I gave from the total amount, before deducting taxes and CPF contributions. In fact, that was a considerable proportion. But God gave me more, because that was an investment.

Have faith to invest. Have faith to invest in God. If you lack time, invest your time in God. If you lack time, I tell you, you may rush about endlessly. Today, set apart your time and offer it to God. I believe this is a good choice. It is not that attending Sunday service is so important. What matters more is faith in God.

Abraham offered what was most precious to God. Thank God, he lacked nothing. In fact, because I trust in God, you will never see me flustered, panicky, or neurotic. Why? First, I have seen through the matters of this world. There is nothing so great about them. Second, I have offered my time to God, and God will certainly give me more time. That is why I do an extraordinary number of things.

A friend of mine, who was once my boss, said, “Where do you get so much time?” No, this time comes from God. God can give me time, and He can also give me money, because I offer what is most precious to God. What I imitate is Abraham.

Once, in a very difficult season, God’s word came to me. Truly, I heard an audible voice: “Are you willing to die for Me?” At that moment, tears flowed.

God had actually noticed me. He actually asked me such a question: whether I was willing to offer myself to Him. I said, “I am willing.” I said, “God, if You want me to return to You today, I do not want to wait until tomorrow.”

From that time onward, signs and wonders followed me. Everything I did was blessed, because I wanted to offer what was most precious to God. I know that this is faith. Religious conduct is of no use. Shouting empty slogans is of no use. Do you truly believe?

How Do We Imitate Abraham’s Faith?

First, struggle. Practise faith in the midst of struggle.

Second, change our values. Change our worldly values. Begin to seek an eternal homeland, and you will certainly experience God.

After you have experienced God, you will certainly begin to believe that impossible things will become possible. In my life, impossible things becoming possible are an everyday occurrence—absolutely an everyday occurrence.

Then offer what is most precious to God.

May God bless you all!