Good day to you all. Let us delve further into 1 Timothy, Chapter 4, a passage brimming with challenges. The title of this chapter is: "Be a Good Minister of Jesus Christ."

Timothy was dispatched to minister to the church in Ephesus. Upon his arrival, he found a congregation of diverse individuals, each with a formidable tongue. There were elderly women, akin to Grandma Liu from the Grand View Garden. In their presence, Timothy felt overwhelmed, as if the old woman's words carried the weight of truth. This was a precarious situation.

After arriving in Ephesus, Timothy wrote to Paul, detailing the various difficulties he encountered. Paul, in response, instructed Timothy on how to proceed. Timothy discovered a group advocating against marriage. We must be cautious, for such teachings are doctrines of demons. They also promoted dietary restrictions, forbidding the consumption of certain foods.

The church also housed a contingent of muscular men, some boasting eight-pack abs, honed through rigorous training. Others were marathon runners, possessing remarkable physical prowess. In contrast, Timothy appeared pale and frail, with a delicate constitution. As you can imagine, there was quite a variety. Some suggested that Timothy should focus on physical exercise. These circumstances prompted Paul to write back, advising Timothy to "Be a Good Minister of Jesus Christ."

Of course, alongside the muscular men, there were those with ample girth, resembling Michelin tires, well-fed and robust. Can a Michelin tire be a good minister of Jesus Christ? Yes, but one must possess substance in the mind, not merely in the flesh.

Beware of Seductive Spirits and Doctrines of Demons

To be a good minister of Jesus Christ, we, brothers and sisters, must exercise caution. If you serve as a junior pastor, or indeed as any pastor, you are tasked with shepherding many. As a minister of Jesus Christ, you directly confront evil spirits and demons, entities of considerable power.

Do you imagine that evil spirits and demons resemble the specters of horror films, a skull draped in white, floating through the air with a chilling "whoosh," startling you with a sudden "boo"? Demons do not manifest in such a manner. That is not demonic; that is merely Halloween.

So, what is the work of evil spirits and demons? I will tell you: marriage. Many tragedies arise from marriage, and they forbid it, restricting food, pushing this agenda to the point of saying that one cannot marry. Brothers and sisters, know this: I have never said that you cannot marry. If you wish to marry at seventy, do so; if you do not, then do not. If you wish to marry at twenty, do so; if you do not, then do not. It is your decision. It has no bearing whatsoever on sanctification.

And you know, this prohibition of marriage is accompanied by a host of other things, pushing this issue to absurd lengths within the church. Another matter has greatly perplexed me, namely, that which is related to marriage. After marriage, people engage in that act, do they not? Is that not normal? Is that not divinely ordained? It is. Yet, they oppose God in this.

It is not easy to be a pastor, for one must contend with these demonic doctrines. People come and say, "Teacher, I am..." I ask, "What is it? Speak plainly, what is the problem?" They say, "I am... I have committed sexual immorality." I ask, "How have you committed sexual immorality? Have you slept with someone? What has happened?" They say, "No." I ask, "Then what is it?" They say, "Teacher, I... I have a reaction in my sexual organs."

Tell me, how does one discuss this? How does one address this? I wonder, if there were no reaction, would that not indicate illness? I say, "Having a reaction is normal. Would God create something without a reaction?" They say, "No, but I also have that." I ask, "Which is it?" They have a habit of self-gratification, also known as masturbation.

This has stumped me. I have searched the Scriptures from beginning to end, and I have found no mention of this. Yet, many condemn it as sin, and many churches also condemn it as sin. If you attend a charismatic church, they have a booklet, and before deliverance, you must fill out a form, ticking off the sins you have committed, one by one, and renouncing them.

Have you played this game? If you have, I tell you, it is dangerous. Why? Because many of the items on that list are not mentioned in the Bible. After ticking these things, you must renounce them one by one, and what will happen? I ask you, how much pressure will that create? People will begin to feel that these things are defiling.

They not only prohibit marriage but also abstain from anything related to sex. Can this be abstained from? If you can, I congratulate you. Ticking the boxes is useless. Someone types, "Teacher, I have ticked that box." It is useless! I like to speak bluntly. Is it not useless? Returning to the Bible, I have never seen the entire Bible teach this.

Furthermore, there are many dietary restrictions in the church, this is not allowed, that is not allowed. For example, some only eat organic food. What is organic? It is fertilized with natural manure. If you truly examine organic plants, you will find that they are grown with manure. Oh my, they speak of such trivial matters, forgetting our God.

I tell you, I have studied what Jesus said, and what does Jesus say? Food cannot defile a person; it enters the mouth and is expelled into the latrine the next day. Is it not? It is the thoughts and intentions of the heart that defile a person.

For example, people believe that renovations cannot be done because of formaldehyde, that is not allowed. One sister, upon entering our newly renovated house, exclaimed, "Oh, this will kill people! The formaldehyde is so strong!" Thankfully, we are all still alive today. People enjoy discussing these things, such as food that does not meet standards or is poisonous.

If I were to speak, a friend who sells building materials shared with me that building materials are now classified by formaldehyde levels, from zero to three, and so on. He told me that boards with formaldehyde can repel termites. People care about these things. But in my opinion, if you engage in the knowledge of good and evil with your colleagues, argue with your mother, quarrel with your father, or have a disagreement with your husband, the formaldehyde produced far exceeds that of an "E1" board. An E1 board cannot compare to your knowledge of good and evil, let alone E1, E2, or E3; it would be E100.

Therefore, I believe that as Christians, especially as ministers of Jesus Christ, to be good ministers, we must beware of seductive spirits and doctrines of demons.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, (1 Timothy 4:1)

Let us read further to understand what is meant by doctrines of demons.

through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:2-5)

Do you understand now? We all enjoy being particular about a multitude of things. Where does that come from? From demons. I tell you, medicine has three parts poison. Whether it is Chinese or Western medicine. Is the poison strong? It is good, using poison to fight poison, taking it every day, getting injections every day. Are you not afraid of dying? No, I am not afraid. I tell you, it is difficult for people not to fall for this trick.

Once, I ministered to a sister who came to me for deliverance, staying with me for half a month. Every morning, I would see her take out several small packets from her bag, containing powder, thankfully yellowish, not white, or it might have been heroin. She would tear them open, pour them into a cup, add hot water, and cover it. I asked, "What is this?" She said, "Organic food, powders made from various beans." Upon inquiry, I discovered that it was very expensive, a multi-level marketing product. Had she investigated it? Health care? What health care? She had been taking it for quite some time, to no avail. Her illnesses were healed through my prayers, not through that stuff.

I believe that demonic doctrines abound, such as cleansing prayers after deliverance. Some say, "Oh, I have not had a cleansing prayer!" They believe everything except how powerful God is. I believe that demonic doctrines are rampant in the church. Is that not deadly? Some pastors who cast out demons also only eat organic products. I think, I do not care whether it is organic or not, just eat it. Why? I do not care much about it. But others are different; they care about it. They must live well. But those who want to live well, I see that they have not lived longer than me.

Therefore, be careful. If you are to be a minister of Jesus Christ, do not fuss over marriage, food, and other trivial matters; that is not the truth. Remember, demons do not appear as a skull behind you, tapping you on the shoulder, and when you turn around, you see a skull. Demons do not do that; demons are in these everyday things.

Reject Worldly Fables and Old Wives' Tales

Especially you young ministers and junior pastors among us, brothers and sisters, reject worldly fables. The world is powerful. Think about who is behind the world. Behind the world are all demons. For example, when Timothy arrived in Ephesus, the church in Ephesus was severely eroded by worldly fables. I tell you, once you establish a church, you must be highly sensitive to worldly fables. Think about what worldly fables are. They do not teach you to kill or set fires, but many worldly fables are particularly corrupt, as are old wives' tales.

How can I give you an example? I tell you, there are many worldly things in the church. Once, I was listening to a church course, and the person in charge went up and spoke a lot of things. What did he say? He said that his grandmother was a Buddhist, very devout, and he admired her devotion. I was listening to what he was saying. Was he truly devout? He was truly devout. Then what? He spoke about how to learn from his grandmother's devotion to Jesus Christ. Oh my, what is this? Sigh.

When Timothy arrived in Ephesus, how many worldly fables were there? The church criticized him, saying, "Look at Timothy, he did not study at a good university and followed Paul. What can he achieve by following Paul?" Timothy heard this and thought, "Oh my, they are talking about me. I need to get a degree and a doctorate." I am telling you an extra story about Timothy. He asked the Apostle Paul, "Do I need to go back to the Pharisees and get a degree?" How corrupt is that? Timothy felt that he needed a doctorate. If he did not have a doctorate, how would he minister in the future? It is all a worldly logical system, the customs of this age.

What did Paul write in Ephesians? Paul wrote in Ephesians: following the customs of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the evil one in the air. Is that not powerful? How many people have been corrupted by the customs of this world? So, reject worldly fables. We do not know why Paul wrote this, but worldly fables must have entered Timothy's heart. Otherwise, why would he tell him to reject them? Paul told him, "You cannot go down this path!"

There are even more old wives' tales. When the old women saw Timothy, they said, "Hey, your yellow beak has not faded yet." Timothy's yellow beak immediately appeared. Do you know what a yellow beak is? When a bird hatches from its shell, the sides of its beak are yellowish, meaning that the person is very naive, the yellow beak has not faded. The old women thought that Timothy was a young whippersnapper, that they had eaten more salt than he had eaten rice. These old women are very powerful, saying, "Timothy, you do not know, it is not as you say, it is like this." This one "I do not know" drained Timothy of all his energy.

Although Timothy was a minister at this time, what happened to him? Between the lines, we see that he may have had a girlfriend. In his girlfriend's family, there were these old women who were very talkative. Timothy was drained of all his energy by these old wives' tales. The old women said, "Timothy, listen to your wife, listen to your wife, and there will be money to spend at home." They said all these things. The old women accumulated a lot of absurd words. If you search online, the old women in Northeast China are very good at speaking, saying things in a set, such as "Those who are afraid of their wives will get rich." Who are these old women? Are they his girlfriend's grandmothers? Possibly. This is rejecting worldly fables and old wives' tales.

I tell you, being a Christian, if you are contaminated a little on the left and a little on the right, you will accumulate a lot of garbage. How can you be a minister of Jesus Christ? Not to mention serving the old women, it would be good if the old women did not lead you astray, listening to the doctrines of demons. The old women said, "Look at others, if you want to be my granddaughter's husband, build up your muscles, take off your vest, let me see if you have eight-pack abs." Upon seeing him, good heavens, he had three-pack abs. What do you think he should do? Timothy went to the gym and started working out every day.

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Paul's letters are most insightful: "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." An old woman might say, "How can you marry my granddaughter without a six-pack? You must train!" These words alone could send Timothy straight to the gym. "You're short on funds? I'll pay for a coach." Alas, my goodness. Money spent, would you not go? And so Timothy goes to sculpt his six-pack. Ah, I tell you, it is all too easy to be swayed, and he went to train.

Paul, hearing this, would object: "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness."

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. (1 Timothy 4:7-9)

Are these words weighty? Indeed. Whether Timothy took up boxing or ran marathons, we do not know. The old woman might think: "How can you manage? How will you protect my granddaughter? To be my grandson-in-law, you must acquire some martial skills, perhaps at the Shaolin Temple." But the Shaolin Temple would be even worse.

Thus, I say to you, brothers and sisters, is this not misleading? Running marathons is certainly good for the body, and bodybuilders display their muscles on stage. Timothy, in contrast, would have nothing to show. Alas, a servant of Jesus Christ does not need a six-pack, nor does he need to run marathons. A servant of Jesus Christ needs only to discipline himself for godliness.

Why godliness, I ask? Simply put, when you are godly and obedient to God's truth, your physical condition should not be poor. Why? Because you have not mistaken good for evil, nor indulged the flesh, nor conformed to the customs of this world. Can the demons you attract be many? No, not many. But do those who conform to the world attract many demons? Yes, many. And if you attract demons, you will fail to achieve your other goals. Whom will you teach? If you serve as a deacon of Jesus Christ and preach health products, or fitness and bodybuilding, or insurance, how can you succeed? It cannot be done!

Therefore, bodily training is of some value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both this life and the life to come. If we believe health comes from exercise, we must be cautious. If we believe health comes from nurturing life, we must be cautious, for many health experts do not live to fifty.

One day, a health expert, also an official, shared these concepts with his colleagues, discussing how to nurture life, even undergoing blood transfusions, nearly replacing hearts and other organs, grafting parts here and there, all transplanted components. Before sixty, before retirement, he died. Those who listened said, "Ah, what you preached was nonsense, a cultivation of demonic lies."

So, brothers and sisters, ponder this: we must begin to reject these things and discipline ourselves for godliness. What is disciplining oneself for godliness? It is striving for truth and growing continuously. I reflect, how does cancer arise? Did they not nurture themselves? Yes. Did they not care for their bodies? Yes. Did they not exercise? Yes. Why, then, did they get cancer? Because their minds were not godly, filled with worldly doctrines, leading to illness. Now, to minister to these people, I must reorient myself. Why? Their minds are exceedingly defiled. How should I minister to them? If you tell them, they will be displeased.

Brothers and sisters, we must discipline ourselves for godliness, knowing God in truth. Knowing the lies of demons and walking the path of godliness, understanding the spiritual world, I tell you, the problems you solve will be significant, and you will surely be healthy.

Our Hope is in the Living God

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)

Our hope is in the living God. Those in the world live in the flesh, concerned only with matters of the flesh, focused on this life. But have they gained anything in this life? Not much. Our hope, however, is in the living God!

Why do we toil and strive? They ask, "Why follow Paul? Why not be an adopted son-in-law? My family has plenty of money." Timothy struggles. So Paul says, "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."

"We have money, why toil so hard? What's the point?" This is critical. Even now, some sisters among us are filled with worldly ideas because their hope is not in God. They seek a wealthy husband, only to become spinsters, filled with despair. They consider being mistresses, but find it dishonorable. If the world allowed polygamy, they would settle for being concubines. Those they admire are old, while the young, inexperienced ones are not interested. Alas, how difficult!

Our hope is in God. Do not only listen to my anecdotes; our hope must be in God, or we are in trouble. A descendant of a famous person, a university classmate of mine, has been advocating for the legalization of polygamy since his youth. Actually, there is no need. In Malaysia, under the "Second Home" program, one can become a Muslim and practice polygamy. Simple, is it not? No need to push for any movement; it is too difficult to promote polygamy in China.

But the Apostle Paul toils and strives. I do not want to be idle; I want to toil and strive so that the effects of my service on earth may continue into eternity. Our hope is not in this world; our hope is in the living God. Now you see, "Ah, that is the truth." Reading this, "Ah, Timothy's situation is precarious." Do not think the old woman has no influence on Timothy; she does. Perhaps her granddaughter is even a Christian.

Now, I tell you, I feel that marrying a Christian is not necessarily the best choice, as Christians are too easily corrupted. You must open your eyes wide. When choosing someone, we will not discuss these matters. What will we discuss? The Apostle Paul. My purpose in living is not for this life, but to be saved by God, awaiting His salvation, to be rescued from the power of darkness, from death, from all spiritual evil, so that I may come boldly before God and receive His crown of glory.

Toil is normal. Is it not normal to toil in service? Laziness is a detestable habit. A slight digression: I have found that lazy people find it difficult to believe, and those who indulge in pleasure find it difficult to believe. They are devoted to their hobbies, while we are devoted to serving, to toiling and striving.

I suspect that Timothy was looked down upon and was not strong internally, and perhaps a bit clumsy in his work. He thought, "Being an adopted son-in-law might be the best choice; I would not have to toil so hard." But we must remember, as servants of the living God, as good deacons of Jesus Christ, we must live and toil for this purpose. I am willing! This is my purpose in living. This is what it means to be a good servant of Jesus Christ.

Command and Teach

Command and teach these things. (1 Timothy 4:11)

Paul's demands on Timothy are interesting, quite demanding. Not only must you understand these things yourself, but you must also be able to teach and command them, enabling others to understand. Marriage is not a sin, and normal marital relations are not a sin. It is fine; it is created by God, but one must have a godly heart.

Do not worry about what to eat or drink, nor about worldly things, for these things will pass away. Only God is eternal.

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Timothy 4:12-14)

Teach and command. Brothers and sisters, as we discipline ourselves for godliness, we have many stories to tell. We can teach people to discern. Why? Because the Jesus Christ of Christianity teaches us how to live as humans. Do not live a life that is neither human nor demonic; do not become a parasite, becoming a parasite after being an adopted son-in-law is meaningless.

What should we teach people? To live out the glorious image of God! Not to live out the Michelin Man, nor to sculpt a six-pack, but to live out the glorious image of God. Whether in the marketplace or in officialdom, the rules are complex and difficult to escape, but we have been graced and freed in Jesus Christ. Why? In Jesus Christ, we lack nothing. What do we lack in Jesus Christ? Nothing. Jesus Christ can be taken as medicine, as food, as money, and as our crown of glory.

Living out the glorious image of God, we are no longer controlled by worldly things. Let no one despise you for your youth. If they say, "You are just a greenhorn," I would say, "I am the one who should be teaching you!" Indeed. Did Timothy know Qin Shi Huang? No. Did he know Emperor Wu of Han? No. Did he know Genghis Khan? No. Like many of us preachers, we do not know much. Those seasoned veterans teach people about Emperor Wu of Han and Genghis Khan. Did they live well? No, they lived miserably.

Genesis 5 speaks of a culture of strongmen. Later, we realized that being a strongman is not good. We always thought heroes were good, and the teaching of heroism is deeply ingrained, but consider whether you want to be Guan Yu, who was defeated at Maicheng. Or Zhang Fei, who died tragically.

What do we teach people to do? To be examples to the believers, setting an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Do you understand? If we are to compare, let us compare our love, faith, and purity. We do not need to compare who earns more, for we do not covet those things, as we do not rely on them for our lives. If you do your work well, you will lack nothing in life. If you do your work well, what will you lack? Nothing. Moreover, God will bless the work of your hands.

Be Diligent, Focused, Progressive, Cautious, and Persevering

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. (1 Timothy 4:15)

Practice these things diligently. Was Timothy not diligent enough? If he were already diligent, Paul would not say this. Paul calls, "Where are you?" He replies, "Uh... I am in the park." Paul asks, "Who are you with?" You must be diligent and focused, so that all may see your progress. Do not just sit on a park bench. What are you doing? Are you square dancing when I call?

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16)

Was Timothy not cautious enough? Yes. Was he not persevering enough? Certainly. Paul says, "For by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." These are weighty words.

If you were Timothy, reading this, you might say, "What is wrong? I am having a passionate romance; why must you stop me? What progress?" We do not know what happened later, but we know that Timothy did not leave behind much writing, a regrettable case.

We Chinese have a saying, "May your son be like Sun Zhongmou." Some might say, "May your son be like Timothy," but perhaps we should not name him Timothy. God, through Paul, wrote to Timothy, encouraging him to be diligent, not lazy; to be focused, not distracted. Whatever distracts you, get rid of it. To be progressive; to be cautious, because there were problems with his teaching; to be persevering, not trying to become fat in one breath; not to be hasty, lest he serve with struggle. Is time spent in service or in romance? Timothy's girlfriend's grandmother calls him over for a lecture, while he listens to Paul's teachings on one side and the old woman's teachings on the other. How difficult, how very difficult.

So, we must be deacons of Jesus Christ, good deacons, diligent, not lazy; focused, not distracted; progressive, not regressive; toiling and striving, normal; cautious in teaching, not speaking nonsense. Timothy, having just listened to his girlfriend's grandmother's nonsense, goes to the stage to preach. Is this not absurd? And to be persevering. I hope we, brothers and sisters, will all learn how to be good deacons of Jesus Christ.

May God bless you all!

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