Introduction
Today's testimonies are remarkable. Every week, we are inundated with a multitude of testimonies because God is among us, hence the abundance of witnesses. Sister Esther's testimony is one in which I personally participated in the ministry.
Just now, this child was living in utter despair. He could not count; 5+4=8, he did not know what 1+1 equals. In such a state, when going out to buy something, he would pull out a wad of cash and hand it over without knowing the amount, how much he should pay, or how much change was due. He had no concept whatsoever. For a child like that, survival, let alone making a living, was a problem. Without spiritual insight, all we see is hopelessness.
However, I have God, and I know that the God I serve in spirit and in truth will accomplish what I face. Because our God holds the universe in His almighty hands, not just one person, but the entire universe. Solving our small, lifelong problems is a breeze for our God. I participated in ministering to this child with intellectual disabilities, with a faith that was barely alive.
A few months ago, I taught him to count and do single-digit addition and subtraction. In the process, without the Spirit of God, no one could possibly teach him. But we had a major breakthrough! Many of us live and forget who we are, find a job at McDonald's, and lose sight of ourselves. This is the case for many people today, not just one or two. I minister to so many, and many have earth-shattering testimonies, but then they forget they are human, forget there is a God in this world, forget that without God, man cannot go on.
We solved the problem through God, and a job at McDonald's has bewildered this young man. How malicious is the devil! When man becomes arrogant, how can God help him? The curses in a man's life come from God, but it is not that our God curses us. Our God holds the universe together with His almighty word. For example, if a hot stove is not to be touched, and you insist on touching it, won't your hand be burned? Today, we must not disobey God's word; man must know God in understanding.
In ministering to this child and his mother, I faced tremendous challenges. I could speak pleasant words, but pleasant words do not solve the problem at all. I could speak less pleasant words, but speak according to truth and God's word. I knew I was taking a risk, the risk of offending her, but I still insisted on saying what was beneficial to them.
Our sister here divorced her ex-husband and always thought she was the problem when communicating with him. I taught her step by step that as spiritual people, we must see through all things, that we must know that things are closely related to the spiritual realm, whether we like it or not, these are the realities. But when people do not know God, they speak hesitantly, as if we have done something wrong that is unscientific.
We must remember, if doctors could solve the problem, why would you come to me? If what the doctor said was the truth, the child's problem would have been solved long ago. If the doctor's words do not solve your problem, what does that indicate? Not only can he not solve your problem, he cannot even solve his own. I have a classmate whose father is the director of orthopedics, and he is also the director of orthopedics. As a result, his father has been paralyzed for several years, and he has to take care of his father in bed.
Do people really know the root of the problem? Do we think that becoming the director of orthopedics is something great? In the eyes of people, becoming the director of orthopedics is indeed something great. Of course, I personally owe him a favor. But I still have to tell everyone that doctors cannot solve their own problems either.
A job at McDonald's has bewildered this child, and in his bewilderment, he complains to his father. Know that our problem is ourselves, but he went back and had fun. I gave them a two-week break, but he played for a month. If he were studying at Peking University, he would have been expelled long ago. Playing like this at my place would also have him expelled. But how would I explain it to his mother? I had to do it this way.
Later, this child came to me to admit his mistake. Did he think admitting his mistake was the end of it? I asked him two questions: First, do you know how much our service to you is worth? Later, this child showed these words to his father, and the father and son probably said a lot of harsh things. This is just my guess. My purpose was to edify the child, but he stopped contacting me.
Second, why should I teach you? You have to answer me this question. As time went by, my heart was tormented every day because I didn't know if this matter could pass. With a faith that was barely alive, I kept encouraging the child's mother, giving her confidence.
Many things are not in my control because I do not know how they will make decisions. I only know one thing: I have a God, and God is a Spirit. I worship God in my spirit and in truth, and my God will surely open a path for me. If He could let the Israelites cross the Red Sea, He can open a path for me, because I do not seek my own benefit. I only seek that the name of my God be glorified.
I hope that this child can be completely released from the lies and dominion of the devil. Thank God, God really works! Today, I am truly moved that such things can be reversed. What else cannot be reversed? It is not a matter of teaching methods, but entirely a matter of spiritual warfare. When we contend with the devil in our thoughts, do we have a victorious mindset?
Today, the topic I am sharing with you is God is a Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. The most fatal thing for man is not knowing who he is, not seeing clearly what he is.
I used to minister to a little girl who was a nurse in Singapore. She was very dissatisfied with her appearance. In fact, when people are dissatisfied with their appearance, they become uglier. When people are satisfied with their appearance, they become more and more attractive. There is a celebrity who is not very good-looking, but the more you see him, the more pleasing he becomes, and he even has character. Because this person has confidence, he accepts himself, and his judgment of himself is quite good.
Is a person's appearance really that important? Actually, appearance is not important. The degree to which you accept yourself and your view of yourself are very important. Your view of yourself is spiritual. If you are not satisfied with yourself, blame your parents. Dragons beget dragons, and phoenixes beget phoenixes, which is normal. The problem is that what you see is genetic science, and what we cannot see is the spiritual realm that controls it.
If we could see this spiritual realm that controls the world, we would not get surgery on our noses or mouths. So now people cannot tell if it is original or not. A person's view of himself is a spiritual matter. It does not matter if a person is not good-looking, but if he has a very appropriate view of himself, he is not called ugly, he is called distinctive, and can be remembered at a glance. A person's character has its own unique features.
If we look at the change in Fengfeng through this testimony, he was able to deliver nine orders yesterday! This is what I hope for. Not how much money he makes through deliveries, but to shape this child's character through delivering food. I think this child will become a remarkable person in the future. When doctors define this child as having intellectual disabilities, if everyone tells you that you have intellectual disabilities, you would forget that 1+1 equals 2.
Because of the self-awareness of having intellectual disabilities, which is very hateful. What is the use of this kind of science? It probably only undermines the child's confidence. Many people may disagree, but that is what schools do. The teacher's performance is linked to the student's grades. If the student's grades are not good, the teacher encourages the parents to take the child to see a doctor. If the doctor says that the child has intellectual disabilities, the child's grades are decoupled from the teacher's performance, which is a relief for the teacher.
But can we, as spiritual people, see it that way? What is impossible with man is possible with God. Even if I am not beautiful or handsome, I am gentle and have character because I have God. What does the Bible emphasize? It emphasizes faith. If you trust in God, God will enable you to do what you cannot do. It does not matter if you cannot do it, but with God, you can definitely do it. So it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God that things are accomplished.
If you feel that there is a problem with your image, you will find that this phenomenon is very common. Elementary school students have intellectual disabilities; middle school students have intellectual disabilities; college students have intellectual disabilities; can doctoral students also have intellectual disabilities? Why? Because they feel that they are not good enough. How did a doctoral student who feels that they are no good at all get their doctorate? After seeing this, how does Fengfeng live? People's views of things are often not from God's perspective.
Last week, I spoke on God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. After creating man, God said it was very good. Through the Spirit of God, man can do what God does. If man is connected to God, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. Man must manifest the glory of the God who created us through himself. If God sees us as very good, but we say we are not good, we will eventually become not good. Today, I want to tell you that God is a Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.
This world does not need God; it makes itself God. But we know that we are human, we need God, we must have God, and only through the Spirit of God can things be accomplished. Therefore, the solutions to our problems and the answers to our challenges are all in our God, and our hearts will be filled with hope.
When you look at your face, if you have hope inside and have faith, the expression on your face will radiate a brilliant sunshine, and you will bring hope to others.
Regarding the child with intellectual disabilities in the testimony just now, when we ministered to him, I was convinced of one thing: all things are possible in my God. Some people say that God's plan seems to be to give him intellectual disabilities. I have not read about intellectual disabilities in the Bible. What I read is that everyone is created by God, that everything God created is very good, and that everyone God created needs God.
If you believe in your bones that you have the image of God, your view will be the same as God's: God created me very well, and you will surely live out the glory of God. We need to have a sincere heart. The reason why people do not have a sincere heart, but have a false heart, is because they think they cannot change. What they show is packaging. If people focus on packaging, it is troublesome.
Today, wherever I go, all over the world, on and off the stage, I am the same person. How I speak on stage is how I act off stage. I am a person who is consistent in word and deed. In the past, many pastors who worked with me were inconsistent. On stage, they spoke like deities, not like humans, and their tone of voice changed a lot. Then, off stage, they seemed like a different person. This is a double-faced person, not genuine. In fact, what is revealed from something real is a genuine beauty.
Recently, when renovating, I found that plastic materials are very different from natural wood. Plastic is not as good to use, natural wood is better to use because natural wood is created by God, and plastic is man-made. What is man-made is definitely not as good as what is created by God. What is created by God is more upscale; what is man-made is artificial intelligence, but how can artificial intelligence compare to what is created by God? What is man-made manifests man's glory; what is created by God manifests God's glory. God is a Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth, worshiping God with a genuine heart.
Scripture
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24, NIV)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, today we come before the Father with a sincere heart, deeply believing in our hearts that we have the glorious image of God within us. Today, we come before You with a sincere heart, and we pray that Your Spirit will continually do the work of restoration in us, restoring the original image that You intended for us when You created us before the foundation of the world. We originally possessed the glorious image of God, but we have filled ourselves with garbage.
Today, may the Holy Spirit work in us, constantly removing the garbage of religion, constantly removing the negative thoughts within us, so that we may be filled with the spiritual truth that You have given us from heaven, so that we may fully know You in our understanding. And may we be molded in You, in Your hands, restoring the very good and glorious image that You created us to have, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Scripture Background
This Scripture speaks of a very humble woman. From a moral point of view, it is easy for us to label such a woman as having immoral conduct. When I was a child, we lived in a large courtyard of 600 bungalows. In the summer, people especially liked to sit at the door, each with a small stool, fanning themselves with a fan. Those old ladies especially liked to point and gossip about the women passing by, saying things like She did something with xxx, she's a broken shoe. Broken shoe means anyone can wear it, and playing with broken shoes is what people today call having an affair.
This passage records that a Samaritan woman had five husbands. Although this was done secretly, thinking that no one knew, everyone actually knew. There was a well in this city that was dug by their ancestors, and to this day, the people in that city still draw water from this well. At that time, Jesus went to the city of Samaria, and everyone was hungry. The disciples went into the city to find food.
Jesus went to the well and sat there. He saw a woman coming to draw water in the middle of the day. Those who carry water know that it is cooler to carry water in the morning and evening. This woman came in the middle of the day on purpose, to avoid people judging her. She walked on the street, and with a glance, knew that people were talking about her.
This woman met Jesus under these circumstances. Jesus took the initiative to talk to this woman, saying, Woman, give me some water to drink. This Samaritan woman was stunned because she saw that Jesus was a Jew. She knew that Jews did not associate with Samaritans because Jews considered Samaritans to be half-breeds.
If a person describes another person as a half-breed, that is a very offensive word. Moreover, the Jews themselves thought that they were very noble, that they were God's pure chosen people, and that they had the temple in Jerusalem, so those who worship God had to come to Jerusalem to worship Him. The Samaritans did not worship there; they worshiped the two golden calves.
As a result, the woman said, You are a Jew, how can you ask me for water to drink? This opened the topic. Jesus said, If you knew who it is that asks you for water, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. The woman looked at this man. He did not even have a tool to draw water, yet he had living water. He looks like a living water. Isn't our Jesus really a living water?
Jesus said:
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14, NIV)
The water Jesus was talking about was the Holy Spirit, while the woman was talking about the water people drink. The water we drink quenches our thirst, but it cannot quench the thirst of our hearts. If people quench the thirst of their hearts, they will be fine! But what can satisfy the thirst of the heart? There is nothing that can satisfy it. People in this world often seek bitterly, not knowing that what they are seeking is this God.
If you know to seek this God, then you have found life! Don't think that this woman is not very proper, but she has a longing in her heart. She and Jesus are discussing real problems in a person's life. The woman said, I want such water. Because this water can make me never thirst, and it will become my source.
It is very painful to be spiritually dry. In order to satisfy this pain, she had five husbands. In fact, this woman was filled with helplessness about living, and could only use these disorderly things to find a sense of existence. We brush for a sense of existence now. We often brush for a sense of existence. Some people often post things on their WeChat Moments. What are they doing? Brushing for a sense of existence.
Many presidents and politicians are brushing for a sense of existence all day long. They are not marginalized; no one pays attention to them. Feels like they don't exist. But this woman used five men to brush for a sense of existence. Why? Because her heart was dry. This woman not only existed in the time of Jesus, but today, there are many like her everywhere we look. The depths of people's hearts are very dry.
Therefore, Jesus said in the end, The harvest is ripe. There are many thirsty people. Why did Jesus run to Samaria for no reason? Usually, Jews would take a detour, thinking that Samaria was an adulterous city. That place was so famous for its immorality that everyone thought it was filthy.
Do not use moral concepts to limit our ministry. Why did Jesus have to come here? Jesus knew that there were many people with thirsty hearts in that place. That was Jesus Christ's market. I use many modern terms to describe it. I want to open up the market there. There was a woman there who was terribly thirsty and seeking. Is it not because of your seeking that you have come among us?
Some time ago, I asked a sister, How did you find us? She replied, I was thirsty in my belief, not getting enough, so I searched everywhere online. I searched and found the Chinese Mingding Destiny website, and when I listened, it sounded pretty good, and the voice was very magnetic. Constantly releasing the spring of living water, people listen and are no longer thirsty, and their hearts are satisfied.
So, this woman had been waiting for Jesus for a long time, and Jesus came that day. I have expressed the story in my own words, so don't pick on me; I hope to have more magnetism. As a result, Jesus brought up another topic, stirring the pot.
Jesus said directly:
“Go, call your husband and come back,” he told her. “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying you have no husband. For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” (John 4:16-18, NIV)
A woman whose scars are exposed would be cursing in the streets, but this woman had a sincere heart, a thirsty heart, even if you exposed my scars.
As a pastor, I like to expose people's pain points. When I touch people's pain points, there is an immediate reaction, and the release is very effective. Regarding the testimony I shared today, I often minister to these people, and I always bring up the sensitive topics. Yesterday, I ministered to someone I've known for a long time and left him a voice message asking you to reorganize your thoughts and throw away the bad things.
Many people who have believed in the Lord for many years have accumulated a lot of spiritual garbage and religious rules. That stuff is not in spirit and in truth. Thank God! I offended someone a bit, but they did not feel offended. I did not avoid saying what was beneficial to you. I often use very peculiar methods to minister. Most people dare not use the methods I use because they are a bit bloody, causing collisions and conflicts. Transformation in conflict is a mode of ministry for me.
This woman was very surprised. She realized he was a prophet! This woman also discussed with Jesus how to worship God, discussing spiritual things!
The woman said:
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” (John 4:19-20, NIV)
The woman said that our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but it doesn't work. Should we worship on this mountain, or should we worship in Jerusalem? This is a very tragic state, an unsolvable state. Some of our brothers and sisters will also enter an unsolvable situation from time to time.
Jesus told the woman in this way:
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21-24, NIV)
My preaching emphasizes more what we should do; I do not emphasize God's sovereignty too much. Although God's sovereignty is established in heaven, God also intends to save those of us who trust in Him. Our responsibility is to desire and believe. If you desire, won't you come among us?
Those of us who worship the Father in spirit and in truth all function well. Why do you see so many testimonies when you come among us? We serve too many testimonies! You begin to experience God because you have a seeking heart inside you. We used to be in a church where we did not see any testimonies for a long time. The only testimony they had they promoted for a long time. You could not see the presence of God; it was all superficial, all playing on the surface.
Those of us who serve God will one day come before God to give an account. As for me, I serve God in spirit and in truth, and one day when I come before God, I will receive His praise because that is how I walk on the path of serving Him.
God is a Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. After hearing this, this woman was like Rahab! She knew that the Messiah was coming, that the Christ was coming, and would tell us all things. This woman was very spiritual because she had been exploring for a long time. She was exploring how to worship our God effectively!
The place where this woman was could not see the effect of worshiping the Father. After worshiping, she was still dry. If you are a seeker of God, I believe that in addition to our church, God will also raise up many people who are after His own heart to build victorious churches. I believe that even if there are a thousand or ten thousand more victorious churches in this world, they will not be able to serve everyone!
If you are a seeker, you will surely find! Do we worship our God in spirit and in truth? If you see God with us, it is because there is a group of people in this place who worship the Father in spirit and in truth, so God is clearly with us. There is no presence of God in that place because they are playing fake.
If you have close contact with me and you have the pursuit and potential of a leader, if you are to be trained, you will feel beyond your expectations. You will find that my sermons are pretty good and quite gentle. But it is not. I am severely pointing out your problems, and you will grow! Because this place is a place that worships the Father in spirit and in truth.
After listening to this, the woman shouted loudly to the crowd and said, Come and see! What she used to think was a shameful thing, she now thought was a glorious thing.
Accomplishing Things Through the Spirit of God
God is spirit. What does this mean? Because God is spirit, He knows everything. In my ministry, I have discovered that the spiritual realm and the physical world operate under completely different systems of logic. Once, while ministering to a sister, I like to lead people in prayer by saying a sentence and having them repeat it. I was about to say, In the name of Jesus Christ, I command the spirit of stubbornness to leave, but before I could speak, even as I was just thinking it, the demon knew.
I was puzzled. How could it know what I was thinking? Because in the spiritual realm, thoughts and intentions are transparent. That's why the woman with five husbands was completely transparent in Jesus' eyes. Not only in Jesus' eyes, but even fortune tellers can see many things clearly! We often say, Zhuge Liang knew the past and the future for five hundred years, and later there was Liu Bowen, also for five hundred years, and then Yuan Tiangang.
God is spirit. This is very meaningful. Only through the Spirit of God can things be accomplished. That is to say, the statement that God is spirit is very clear. We humans are fleshly. Humans are on earth, and God is in heaven. So people should be careful what they say. People should know that they are just human. They shouldn't think they are more than human just because they found a job at McDonald's for a few thousand dollars. I may sound like I'm scolding someone, but you don't know yourself. If people knew they were just human, they would know their place. They would also know that there are many things they cannot do.
Let me give you an analogy. A person is like a computer. If the computer is not connected to the internet, it is just a typewriter. It can't even function as a typewriter because it's not connected to the internet. Not being connected is troublesome. Even my mother, who is over 80 years old, doesn't want the elderly phone I bought her. When I asked her what she wanted, she said she wanted a smartphone. She enjoys using Douyin (TikTok) very much. No matter how advanced the phone is, it needs the internet. A computer without the internet is useless. A person without God is like a computer without the internet. All resources are in God.
God is the Answer to All Our Problems
People must know that they need God. God is spirit, and the spiritual realm is real. Matters on earth are just shadows of the spiritual realm. I wrote a book called Stories of the Spiritual Realm, so you must know that God is spirit.
I grew up in a spiritual environment. We had a neighbor who had prophetic abilities and was incredibly accurate in his fortune-telling. I asked him to teach me, but he stubbornly refused. Later, he couldn't help but tell me, I can't teach you because it's not my skill; it's the spirit behind me. That's why I knew about the spiritual realm when I was seventeen or eighteen. I thought having prophetic abilities was wonderful.
If God is spirit and the Spirit of God is upon you, you will become a prophetic person. If you have a clear understanding of whether stocks and real estate will rise or fall, making money becomes very easy. With God's presence, money is not a problem. Without God's presence, solving problems using human methods is very difficult. So, God is spirit.
Because God is spirit, I have hope. I began to search for the greatest God in the spiritual world. When I found Him, I felt it was incomparably wonderful because I have God, and God is spirit, so all things are possible in God.
All things are spiritual matters. In that case, things become easier. All things are inextricably linked to blessings and curses. Blessings and curses are closely related to diligently obeying and not diligently obeying God's Word. Therefore, my food is to diligently obey the will of the Father who sent me. Because I diligently obey God's Word, God is with me. Then, turning around a person with intellectual disabilities becomes very easy because it is not by my own power, but by the Spirit of God.
God is spirit. He knows people's thoughts and intentions. No matter what the human heart contemplates, it cannot be hidden from God. I have ministered to some people who like to play games. Some people ask me, Are they all really healed? Yes, they are all healed, but some people return to their own logic system after being healed. They think they are the standard of this world, but in reality, God's Word is the standard.
Therefore, it is a very serious problem for a person not to worship God in spirit and in truth because God is spirit. We need to worship Him. To worship Him means that we regard Him as our God. He is above, and we are below. When we worship Him, we put Him in the first place in our lives. The most tragic thing for Christians is to believe in Jesus but not fully believe in Jesus, believe in Jesus but not rely on Jesus, know God but not worship God, and worship God without spirit and truth. That's very troublesome.
So today, brothers and sisters, you must know that the living water that God gives us is the answer to all our problems. Living is just a feeling. I don't live by feelings, but I can create good feelings because I worship my God in spirit and in truth. My God will pour the living water of His life into me. The spring of living water will keep flowing into eternal life. The person will no longer be thirsty inside, will be very nourished, and will be like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. The person will prosper.
Diligently Obeying the Will of the Heavenly Father
If you are not in the Word of God, you are in the desert. You rely on human logic, the customs of this world, giving face to people, and managing many interpersonal relationships, but you don't manage the relationship between people and God. You know He is God but you don't worship Him, or you worship Him without spirit and truth, or with false sincerity. This sincerity is a myth.
Some people get angry at the slightest thing and then think they are being real. That kind of reality is useless; it only corrupts people. After getting angry, they feel very uncomfortable and exhausted. That kind of reality is not for worshiping God. We must know that diligently obeying the will of the Heavenly Father is our food. We don't live by willfulness, but by diligently obeying the Word of God.
So today, brothers and sisters, if you have a thirsty heart, you are saved! No matter how many tears you have shed, how much suffering you have endured, today there is a solution! Even if you are raising a child with intellectual disabilities, because you are constantly seeking and longing, that child will become your blessing because of that child, you seek God.
If we eat and drink delicacies all day long, travel and play all the time, and then quietly leave this world, ultimately becoming a fertilizer for this land, and then there is no more. We must know that it is a tragedy for a person to quietly slip into the underworld and hell. Isn't being full of problems in this world what motivates us to seek God?
If we find God and solve our problems, shouldn't we seek Him for a lifetime? If you come among us and find that one prayer brings improvement, and another prayer brings improvement, if you don't live out prosperity, who will live out prosperity? You will definitely live out the glory of God. Brothers and sisters, don't ever use false sincerity, for false sincerity is not sincerity.
You can express it as in spirit and in truth. The truth is that this world is a spiritual world, and the spiritual world determines how we live on earth. Let us begin to come out of false sincerity and use sincerity to thirst for God. Although we are weak, our God will strengthen us. Although we are broken, God will restore His glory upon us. Although we can't do anything well, we have faith in God within us.
Although our ministry often goes wrong, and our shepherding often goes wrong, God will correct us. How easy it is for us! Therefore, the yoke of Jesus Christ is easy. It is not our decisions that determine the course of events, but our trust in God. Through the Spirit of God, we can do things on earth that humans cannot do. What is impossible for man is possible for God.
Today, begin to create a positive and optimistic view within yourself, saying, God, You are constantly shaping me within me, allowing me to live out glory in You, so that I can become a usable people, a usable worker on earth, who can be sent out to harvest the ripe crops! We believe that in the next few years, through the internet, we will bring all of God's people to God throughout the world. We have a deep longing in our hearts, and I believe that God will surely fulfill this beautiful thing according to the longing and faith in our hearts, because such is the will of God.
May God bless everyone!