Introduction
Good day to all of you. I am very pleased to meet everyone online. Today, with a sense of trepidation, I share with you a very difficult topic, entitled True and False Gospels, True and False Apostles. Over the past period, we have been discussing the Warfare Series. The previous lecture was Learning to be like Jesus Christ, which talked about hypocrisy. This lesson is about True and False Gospels, True and False Apostles.
Why am I sharing this with a sense of trepidation? Because I am really poking a hornet's nest; from another perspective, I may not be able to explain it clearly. Let us all think about this matter through the words of the Bible. In spiritual warfare, we must understand that this is a very brutal battle, with both defeats and victories. This matter is closely related to The Art of War.
The first chapter of The Art of War begins by saying: War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied. (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Chapter 1). That is to say, fighting with the devil is a major event in God's kingdom. The province of life or death, the road to survival or ruin - what does this mean? This is the greatest matter in God's kingdom, closely related to life and death.
We must begin to treat spiritual warfare as a very important matter. Chinese Mingding Destiny believes that building the church is building God's army, and we believe this is a matter of spiritual warfare. The last chapter of The Art of War is about the use of spies. Here it says: Hence it is that none in the whole army are more intimate relations to be maintained than with spies: none more liberal rewards to be given: no other matters should be treated with more secrecy. Only those who are wise enough can use spies, and only those who are righteous and humane can succeed in using them. Only those who are subtle can obtain the real information from them; Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business.
The meaning of this passage is that in the entire army, no one is more worthy of trust than spies, no one has a greater role than spies, and no reward is greater than the reward given to spies by the commander. The tasks that spies undertake are also top-secret tasks. Therefore, if one is not wise and intelligent, one cannot employ spies; without benevolence and virtue, one cannot drive spies; without cautious and subtle judgment, one cannot obtain the most true and useful information. Subtle, oh subtle, there is simply no place where spies cannot be used.
Not only Sun Tzu knew this, but the devil also knows it. If the devil were to reveal its true fangs, everyone would know it is the devil, but the problem is, the devil will not directly tell us that it is the devil; they specialize in disguising themselves as angels of light. The devil is very good at using spies.
No matter what you are running, you must learn to distinguish between true and false in order to continue. How did the Ming Dynasty fall? In the end, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, hanged himself on a crooked-neck tree in Jingshan Park. The reason for the fall of the Ming Dynasty was not defeat in wars with other countries, but internal factors. These officials were not really working for the country!
I once met an entrepreneur whose business spanned dozens of countries and had many branches, a scale so large it was unimaginable. He shared with me that if the company suddenly ran into trouble one day, it would not be due to external competition, but because of internal problems, because the enemy had planted their people among us. Therefore, both a church and a business must be able to distinguish between true and false.
We talk about true and false apostles, do you know that? It is said that March 15 is Consumer Rights Day; let us also fight against counterfeiting. The key to the success of e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Jingdong lies in fighting counterfeiting, which is also the most difficult thing to do. Recently, we helped a sister move, and she found that many of the things her husband bought on Taobao were unusable and ready to be thrown away. Why throw them away? Because many things are not what they claim to be. It is also difficult to say whether she bought the wrong thing or whether the product itself has a problem; we have to see it from different perspectives.
In the church, we must learn to distinguish between true and false gospels, true and false pastors, and true and false brothers. The problem of falsehood did not start today. In the days of Jesus, there were many such people. Jesus taught us about false Christs, false Jesuses. In the days of Paul, there were also many such people. Paul wrote many epistles; he fought for the pure gospel all his life, always!
Why do I still want to poke this hornet's nest? Because there are many hornets. How can we accurately find out whether it is true or false? If you buy fake goods, you should know. How can a false gospel work? How can a false gospel release people from the bondage of the devil? It will only push people into deeper bondage.
How do false gospels and false apostles come about? For example, some people are defeated in battle, and then surrender and become the other party's people; some are secretly bought; and some are people secretly arranged by the devil to lurk inside the church. The most deadly thing is that if people lose the battle and continue to go on, they have to start being hypocritical. Why did the priests who served God in the temple later become Pharisees? Because they were hypocritical. Although they also served, they lost the battle, followed the will of man and the devil, and also gained many benefits.
The Christian faith, from the time of the Apostle Paul to today, has been proclaiming one thing: victory is the key! Therefore, Chinese Mingding Destiny speaks of victory. If you do not win, what will happen? If you are captured by the Japanese devils, will you surrender? Will you betray? Will you willingly be a traitor? These are all one's own choices. Before the fall of the Ming Dynasty, there were actually many people fighting on the front lines who would rather die than surrender, but there were also some who became traitors. Wu Sangui was one of the most famous.
I remind everyone that if you often have fear in your heart, you are not far from the path of a traitor. Be careful; the path of a traitor is not easy. We choose to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, and we choose this path and go all the way to the end.
Scripture
And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:12-14)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I ask You to open our spiritual eyes, so that we may have a pair of discerning eyes to judge true and false gospels and true and false apostles. Lord, work in us today, so that we may build a complete system of belief, like the Apostle Paul, serving You with a sincere heart!
Lord, today before You, I ask You to give us a resolution, to give us strength, to continually do the work of preservation in us, to save us from the dark hands of the devil! Lord! May we be continuously strengthened in You today, serving You with heart and truth. May we ultimately come before You, receiving the crown of glory You have prepared for us, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Scripture Background
If we read the context, we will know the background of this passage in 2 Corinthians, and we will find that the Apostle Paul is talking about some very interesting things here. I will read it to you, and you will know that the Apostle Paul's writing seems to be referring to certain people:
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
We need to know that the Corinthian church was established by the Apostle Paul. Who can deceive the Corinthian church? With what could the Corinthian church be led astray from the gospel that Paul preached to them? The Corinthian church was established by the Apostle Paul in Corinth with a year and a half of hard work. Later, some people came and deceived the Corinthian church. Who are these people? These people are very interesting. Let us read on carefully:
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. (2 Corinthians 11:22)
These people are Jews, claiming to be servants of Jesus Christ, but they are false. If they are obviously false, how could they deceive the Corinthian church? Who exactly are the greatest apostles? In fact, the greatest apostles should be like the Apostle Peter, the Apostle James, as written in the Bible. How did these people disguise themselves as angels of light, how did they become hypocritical?
What exactly does Paul want to do by saying these things to the people of the Corinthian church? Actually, I think that if they did not have this position, they would not be able to deceive. So recently I have been studying a lot about Peter. Peter is indeed the greatest apostle, he is Jesus Christ's great disciple. Does he have a habit of pretending? He does indeed.
In Galatians, you will see that Peter likes to be afraid of this person and afraid of that person; he has a habit of pretending. Why did he come to the Corinthian church and do these things again? Who exactly are these words that Paul wrote referring to? We need to know that some people, although they are big-name pastors, may not be preaching the true gospel.
We need to know, first, do not just listen to what people say, but look at what people do; second, look at who people are trying to please, and look at their motives for serving. Today, we want to restore Paul's belief system. We will directly answer who deceived the Corinthian church; it must be those apostles from Jerusalem. Is the greatest apostle Peter among them? There should be. James and Judas should also be there. How did these people deceive the Corinthian church?
The Apostle Paul established the Corinthian church. Paul and the apostles in Jerusalem had reached a very good agreement. Paul said that I would go to the Gentiles, and you would go to the Jews. Then Peter was called the apostle to the Jews, and Paul was called the apostle to the Gentiles. The apostles in Jerusalem came to the Corinthian church and did one thing: they forced the Apostle Paul to write 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.
When we read 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, we see that the Corinthian church went astray, going down the road of keeping the Mosaic Law again. James and Peter were very insistent on keeping the Mosaic Law, but this is not the gospel. Today, our faith is in the gospel of Jesus Christ, not in keeping the Mosaic Law. Even if you want to keep it, you cannot keep it. Today, faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ depends on faith; this is what Galatians argues.
For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2)
The jealousy that Paul felt for the people of the Corinthian church was like God's jealousy. I do not want everyone to be ignorant, nor do I want everyone to be deceived by me; it is useless for me to deceive you. We must know how they deceived the Corinthian church; these people are very good at picking faults. They picked many faults in Paul, because Paul's nature is very real. The jealousy that Paul felt for these false apostles and false gospels was like God's jealousy.
Those people who came from Jerusalem, they look gentle and refined, without any anger, they look very kind and peaceful, but they preached a false gospel. They picked on Paul's faults, saying that Paul's language was vulgar and rude, and that he did not speak like an apostle of Jesus Christ at all. They said: Look at the faults in Paul's body!
Today, there are still many Christians who use Paul's thorn in the flesh to deny that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of healing and deliverance. There are many such people. They say: Look, Paul must be acting deceitfully, he must be greedy for your money, and then they fabricate many lies. These people fabricated many lies saying that the gospel that Paul preached is false.
1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians were written under such circumstances. These people said that what Paul did was false; is this not strange? They outwardly accepted Paul, saying that Paul was good, but behind his back they said that Paul's gospel was false. They did not need to say it so clearly, they only needed to muddy the water, and this was the situation that Paul faced.
Think about how difficult it would be for Paul to talk to the people of Corinth! It would be very difficult to talk. But Peter would say: I followed Jesus; did you, Paul, follow Jesus? No, you did not. This unique condition cannot be compared! James is even more so; James is Jesus Christ's brother; his relationship with Jesus is much closer than Paul's relationship with Jesus.
But what can this prove? It proves nothing. Was not Judas, who followed Jesus, betraying Jesus? Did not Peter, who followed Jesus, deny the Lord three times? Even if you were following Jesus, Jesus' physical brother, what could you prove? These things prove nothing, but they can deceive people.
I think they are not speaking without any reason at all; these people also wrote many letters in a flamboyant manner. But are the things said in the letters the same thing? They all sound right, just like what the Pharisees said; on the surface, you cannot see too many faults. It is also difficult for us to pick faults today. It is very difficult to distinguish between true and false gospels and true and false apostles. Why do these people do these things? I guess these people also worked very hard to argue for the pure gospel. This is too incomprehensible. Is their gospel pure? Only God knows.
For us, distinguishing between true and false gospels has become a very serious problem. Until today, some of our brothers and sisters are still confused in their hearts. They still have doubts in their hearts: Are you the only ones who are right? I often hear these words. I may not be all right, but the Paul in the Bible is indeed right.
These people came to the Corinthian church. Do you think they really wanted anything from the Corinthian church? We dare not say that they wanted anything from the Corinthian church. Maybe they really wanted to serve God. In fact, even when the Pharisees nailed Jesus to the cross, they thought they were serving God. Do you think the devil is powerful or not? The devil is really powerful, making these people wholeheartedly run for a false gospel, but still thinking that they have already gained it.
In fact, until today, I still see many such situations. For example, I know a person who has cancer. He said, I believe that God will definitely heal me! He really believes, but what is the problem? If a person believes in the wrong gospel, how can he be healed? So I think it is really difficult.
It is quite deadly when a person can justify himself after believing in the wrong gospel. For example, when encountering some bad things: Ah, I am suffering for Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is testing me! We really have no way to say whether it is or not. Many things can be justified: I am the modern-day Job, and I am experiencing a test of faith! How can we argue about these things he is experiencing? It is really very difficult.
Some of our brothers and sisters came from other churches, and some brothers and sisters were led by me to believe in the Lord, and later they left and went to other churches. After they ran to other churches, they often came back and said to our brothers and sisters very seriously: There is no gospel here. This is not called the gospel. But later, after a period of time, they really could not go on, and they came back again. After he came back, he slowly received and slowly understood. As for whether he really understood or falsely understood, we really do not know, but all these things are closely related to ignorance.
Brothers and sisters, you need to begin to know that many people serve God in ignorance! Just like at the altar, the fire of Jehovah came out and consumed Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, because they offered strange fire before Jehovah, and they did not know how they died until they died.
So never be an ignorant person. If someone picks on a few faults in me, let them pick on them. In fact, it is normal for me to have faults, and I am striving to pursue. I will tell you a heartfelt word: I have already figured out the matter of serving God. Do not just listen to what people say, but look at what people do. Look at who people are trying to please, and look at their motives for serving. Look at whether a person has a real system of belief, or whether it is a chaotic system of belief.
Do Not Just Listen to What People Say, But Look at What People Do
You will find that my sermons basically have a higher repetition rate, and everyone can easily remember them. Even if you miss a section in the middle, you will hear it again later. Do not just listen to what people say, but look at what people do. You say you are a pastor, what does that prove? It proves nothing. You say you are a Christian, what does that prove? It proves nothing. How do we know that what the Apostle Paul said is true? Because the Apostle Paul's things are done.
Everyone must remember that the Apostle Paul's things are all done. This is a very critical thing! Things that cannot be done, just talking about them, are not of much use. Do not listen to what people say. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, it says:
I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. (2 Corinthians 12:11-12)
Do you understand? That is to say, our brothers and sisters, you need to know that what the Apostle Paul did is not much different from what Jesus Christ did. The Apostle Paul clearly said in his epistles:
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)
It is best to imitate Jesus Christ. If you cannot imitate Him, you imitate me. Our brothers and sisters, do not just listen to what people say, but look at what people do, and see what the results of what people do are. For example, some of our brothers and sisters, before they came to our church, had actually believed in the Lord for many years, and had a pile of illnesses, and no pastor really cared about their illnesses. What are those illnesses if not demons? Until today, they are still fighting, until the dark forces behind the entire family are eliminated.
Those people speak so nicely! Unlike me, whose language is vulgar. We have a saying in the Northeast: Speaking better than singing. What does that mean? It means that this person can speak. In fact, among all the people who can speak, the swindlers are the best at speaking; those who sell fake goods speak especially nicely, and can make the dead speak. Do not just listen to what people say; listening to what people say is useless. Of course, what they say may not be the right way, just to deceive people. But once you see what this person does, you will know.
Today, when we carefully return to the Bible, we will see some very interesting phenomena. For example, in the days of Jesus Christ, Jesus trained Peter and the other twelve disciples, all training them to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons are the main axes of Jesus Christ's ministry.
We see in the early chapters of the Book of Acts that the apostles still cast out demons and healed the sick. However, later on, even in their teachings, these practices gradually faded into the background. Why did this happen? Because casting out demons could bring the Kingdom of God closer. But why did they stop casting out demons? It must have been due to certain life events.
I know a pastor who used to cast out demons, but later his young child died. After that, this pastor stopped preaching the gospel of casting out demons and ceased the practice altogether, because he and his wife believed that not casting out demons was better. But is not casting out demons still the gospel of Jesus Christ? We need to question this. Later, when we read the epistles, we find that only the Apostle Paul constantly says:
The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. (2 Corinthians 12:12)
If we read 1 Corinthians, we will also see the Apostle Paul saying:
My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Understand? Today, we must carefully consider that the pure gospel is not just about casting out demons. The pure gospel has other aspects; it must be a complete system. A gospel that can cast out demons, that can defeat the devil and Satan, that can subdue the old man, that can overcome the desires of the flesh, must be a pure gospel.
Only the pure gospel can thoroughly devastate the kingdom of the devil, remove the works of the devil, and release people from the devil's control. So today, we must understand what the Apostle Paul said:
But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:19-20)
If we dwell on this, we can easily get confused if we merely listen to what people say! Do you know why I detest these false gospels so much? Because these false gospels corrupt people; they are truly destructive.
Once, when I was ministering deliverance to a person suffering from depression, the pastors from his original church desperately tried to prevent him from being delivered, preventing the demons from being cast out of him. However, after months of back-and-forth struggle, I finally cast out the demons of depression from him completely.
I cast out the demons of depression, but there were those who were unhappy about it, insisting on labeling me a heretic. I don't really care about being labeled a heretic. Why? Because I am finally able to set these brothers and sisters who are oppressed by demons free!
We must understand that from the time of Jesus, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a gospel of setting the captives free and releasing the oppressed. So what do these false gospels do today? They want to put people back under the yoke of slavery, to be controlled again, leading those who have found freedom in Jesus Christ to put on a yoke of the law.
So we must be aware that the false gospel is nothing more than the devil planting spies among us, throughout the Christian church. This is all too common. Why are they willing to be the devil's spies? Because they are ignorant, feeling that they cannot admit they were wrong, so they continue to rationalize their position.
Let's start considering one thing: we must look at what people do. If what they do is not like Jesus, it cannot be the true gospel. If what they do is not like Jesus, they cannot be true apostles. In the Christian environment, if brothers and sisters are not sick and are just blending in at church, it’s ok. But when they get sick or are oppressed by demons, we can see what's really going on.
For example, recently, a sister from a very large church came to us. We knew she had a strange illness. She went to her cell group leader and pastor, but they introduced her to multi-level marketing health products. It is now very common for churches to promote MLM; brothers and sisters are immediately introduced to MLM products when they have any problem.
But can MLM products replace Jesus Christ? Are they preaching MLM products or the Kingdom of Jesus Christ? Are they preaching healing and deliverance? Some churches, as they grow, become skewed and start leading the brothers and sisters into MLM. They even rationalize it by saying: The chairman of this company is a Christian.
But what does that prove? Even if the chairman of that company was the greatest apostle in Jerusalem, what does it prove? He creates a product, promotes MLM, and MLM replaces preaching the gospel. Jesus Christ never engaged in MLM.
Who should we emulate today? The previous chapter talked about emulating Jesus Christ, bearing His yoke, which is easy. Therefore, those who are weary and burdened will find rest in Jesus Christ, because this gospel is the power of God to save everyone who believes.
This gospel can solve many problems in our lives. This gospel can release people from the control of the devil. If people do not believe in God, they do not know that God can solve our problems. When faced with financial problems, they use financial solutions, but can they really solve them? No, they cannot.
Brothers and sisters, do you know that to maintain the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, we must hold onto one thing: rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to release all who are oppressed and bound by the devil. This is the key. If we want the Kingdom of God to come, we must do this.
I will tell you my own resolve: the only way to stop me from casting out demons is to kill me. I will be a warrior who strikes the enemy, the devil and Satan, for all my life. I am determined to cast out demons through the power of God, to let the Kingdom of God come. I will never engage in these murky things.
Brothers and sisters, have we begun to have a new understanding of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ today? War is a vital matter of state, a road to survival or ruin. Therefore, today we must build a mighty army of Jesus Christ. To build a church, we must build an army of Jesus Christ. To build an army, we must build a victorious army that inflicts a heavy blow on the kingdom of the devil!
To be a Christian, be a resounding, Jesus-like Christian. To be an apostle, be a resounding, Jesus-like apostle! Not seeking the approval of men, but seeking only the approval of God, with not even 10% or 1% of seeking the approval of men. Even if 90% is pleasing to God, adding that 10% of pleasing men makes it fake. Even if 90% is the Word of God, adding that 10% of catering to men's desires turns it into Satan.
If we introduce pleasing men into the faith of Jesus Christ, won't that be troublesome? If we seek the approval of men, what will we do? We will do many things that are unacceptable to God.
Look at Whose Approval People Seek, Look at the Motivation of People's Service
Hypocrisy is definitely not a virtue. What is the purpose of hypocrisy? Isn't it to please people? Is it normal for subordinates to always want to please their bosses? If the boss says something wrong, and they follow the wrong instruction, can that work? Ultimately, the task must be done correctly.
If you seek the approval of men, regardless of who they are, the motivation of your service will be problematic. Especially in an environment of political struggle, factionalism, pleasing the big boss means you cannot please the second boss; pleasing the second boss means you cannot please the big boss. We, as brothers and sisters, live in this complex ecosystem. No matter who they are, as long as we do things right, people will like us. We must do things right; don't be hypocritical!
There is a person; I'll give him the name Dede. This person is always being a hypocrite. Why does he have to be a hypocrite? Because he is afraid of Gege. He has to please Gege. A person wants to please his boss, his wife, God, and the people around him. How complicated is that! I don't know what to do.
This brother Dede likes to be a hypocrite. He is being a hypocrite in this matter today, and he is being a hypocrite in that matter tomorrow. How can this gospel go forward? It can't! This brother Dede was in Jerusalem, and he got bored, so he ran to Antioch, the headquarters of the Apostle Paul. He wanted to please the Apostle Paul, so he ate, drank, laughed, and joked with the Gentiles.
When Gege's people came, he wanted to please Gege. Gege didn't like him eating, drinking, laughing, and joking with the Gentiles, so he started to be a hypocrite. Being a hypocrite is contagious. At that time, there was a good person, Barnabas. You must know that being a good person is a very troublesome thing. When Barnabas saw that Dede was being a hypocrite, he had to be a hypocrite along with Dede. Otherwise, he'd be offending Dede, and what if Dede got upset?
When a person begins to seek the approval of men, he immediately becomes a spy of Satan who has infiltrated the revolutionary ranks. Can he preach the pure gospel? It is very difficult! Dede and these people from Jerusalem went to the church in Corinth and did this very thing. I don't know why they did it, but they also slandered Paul. Then Paul wrote 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, exposing all these ugly things.
I want to tell you that the motivation of a person's service, we dare not say that 100% is for himself. As long as 10% is for himself, and 10% is for pleasing men, that's deadly! You don't have to leak information to the enemy every time; a few times are enough to ruin you. That's practically a spy! Paul deeply hated this. Paul said:
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)
Today, we must know that when we serve people, serve God, all our problems are solved as long as we please God alone. It is enough for us to please God. This is the most loyal expression of a servant of Jesus Christ. Today, we don't see a rich man and try to please him, and when we see a poor man, we ignore him. It's not like that. No matter who he is, we do not try to please him, because once you try to please him, you cannot serve God, and you will only preach what he likes to hear.
How many of us like to say things that people like to hear? If that is the case, you cannot be a servant of Jesus Christ. As you serve, you will be captured by the devil. Dede only said one sentence to Jesus:
But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.' (Matthew 16:23)
So, catering to men's desires is very troublesome. Catering to your wife's desires, catering to your family's desires, is very troublesome. Even catering to the desires of Jesus' mother is very troublesome. Jesus told us long ago:
For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)
Today, we carefully examine people's motives for service. When you read 2 Corinthians, you will see:
“I am ready to come to you for the third time. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps? Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is before God that we speak in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.” (2 Corinthians 12:14-19)
I want to say to our pastors, we, as servants of Jesus Christ, hope to edify people through our service. The authority that God has given us is for edifying people, not for destroying people. Do these people know that they are false apostles? They do not know. These people do not know that they are being used by the devil; they even think that they are serving God, which is very troublesome.
Restore the Theological System of the Apostle Paul
A person who does not know that he is a false apostle, does not know that he is catering to men's desires, does not know whether he is serving demons or serving God, and even thinks that he is serving God, is like the Pharisees who crucified Jesus Christ. They all thought they were serving God. Why? The reason is very simple: they do not have a complete theological system of Jesus Christ.
In fact, in the Bible, from Moses to John, who wrote Revelation, they were all revealing one thing: to establish a complete theological system. In the time of Jesus, what did Jesus say?
But he answered, 'It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”' (Matthew 4:4)
What is every word that comes from the mouth of God? What if there are many words? Every word is the theological system. Why did the Apostle Paul clearly know that this was a false gospel and that was a true gospel? Because the Apostle Paul had a complete theological system; he did not live in ignorance.
Brothers and sisters, you must know that ignorance is a very terrifying thing. Why do we call it Mingding Destiny? Because we have built up the entire theological system. You will find that we are not talking about this one thing or that one thing, this stroke or that stroke. We are talking about a complete theological system.
The impact of Chinese Mingding Destiny on future generations will far exceed what we see today, because Paul's system came from Jesus. Our system came from Paul, and of course, it also came from Jesus. We must begin to know that this system is a system of paying the price. Why do people become fake? Because they cannot afford to pay this price. How many people can afford to pay a price like the Apostle Paul? Brothers and sisters, if we cannot pay the price, how can we run this race? If we cannot pay the price, how can we fight this battle with the devil?
Brothers and sisters, why do I tell you that all the things that people live for in this world are vanity of vanities? It is to allow you to learn to let go and value what God has entrusted to you. Since our affairs in this world are vanity of vanities, we begin to live for God today, we begin to pay the price for God, even if we die, we must be people of Jesus Christ. This is the system of paying the price.
If a person cannot pay the price, he likes to play fake, relying on deception, and cannot do real work. So whether in a company or in a church, you look at what people do. They can do a few days of work for a few months, and a few months of work can be done for a few years. A few years of work is not as good as a few days of work for others. If they don't rely on deception, how can they live? They have to rely on deception; they don't have that ability; they rely on deception, playing all fake.
If we brothers and sisters want to pay the price, we will invest our price, pay the price. Striving to grow is real, not just shouting slogans, talking big, talking empty. But truly solving people’s problems through the gospel of Jesus Christ, releasing the oppressed and releasing the bound. I don't know if I have spoken clearly. If you can remember a few words, you have understood.
First, don't listen to what people say; look at what people do. No matter how good they sound, no matter what their origin is, even if he is Jesus Christ's brother, it is useless. Besides being able to deceive people, this thing is useless; you have to look at what people do. Second, see whose approval people seek, look at their motivation for serving. Do you understand? If he is a hypocrite, he cannot be a hypocrite in this matter and be real in other matters.
So look at whose approval people seek. If a person is not simply seeking God's approval, it is all deadly. If he is seeking the approval of men, he cannot seek the approval of God. So the first point, don't just listen to what people say; look at what people do. The second point, see whose approval people seek. The third point, be sure to establish Paul's theological system.
If you carefully read Paul’s epistles, you will find that Paul speaks of very specific things, without shouting slogans, without talking big, without talking empty, and without talking about angels. Paul speaks of things that can be implemented, things that can solve people's problems, and what Paul does is what he says.
Summary
Today, we are facing a battle, a battle that began in the time of Jesus Christ. It is a battle between true and false gospels, between true and false apostles. Brothers and sisters, do you know that in the time of Jesus, Jesus did not fight against the Roman Empire, did not oppose the Roman Emperor, nor did he oppose the Roman Governor Pilate. But Jesus targeted these hypocritical Pharisees, constantly exposing their evil deeds, constantly revealing information about them, until Jesus Christ was crucified in Jerusalem. What did Jesus say?
Nevertheless, I must go on my way, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem. (Luke 13:33)
Let's begin to know, brothers and sisters, that the battle we face today is such a battle of false gospels, false brothers, false apostles, false pastors, and false Christs. Some people may challenge us, some people may slander us, and some people may say: Is what you say true?
So today, brothers and sisters, let us begin to build a complete theological system, fully equip our minds with the Word of God in the Bible. We ourselves know best in our hearts whose approval we want to seek and what the results of our actions are.
We pass on the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of Jesus Christ. I believe that in the generations to come, if we live long enough, we will see that the gospel of Jesus Christ that we have passed on and restored will have a profound impact on future generations. May God bless everyone!