Building the Church is Building God's Army

Today, we will talk about building the church. The church is the central theme of the New Testament. The faith of Jesus Christ is about building the church, and building the church is building God's army. With God's army, the Kingdom of God can come. The Kingdom of God comes because the church is constantly fighting and expanding God's Kingdom. Therefore, understanding the definition of the church is very important. The New Testament says: The church is the body of Jesus Christ, trampling all things under its feet. This is the victorious church. Jesus, through His body, tramples all things under its feet, that is, through the church. In fact, this is a relationship of unity. I often hear people say that someone steals God's glory. This is a wrong concept because the relationship with God is not one of unity. Originally, we are in a relationship of unity with Jesus. Our glory is God's glory, and we also gain glory through God.

Jesus Christ and the church are like a husband and wife. Originally, they were in a very unified relationship. The marital relationship created by God is a failure. Why? In the beginning, there were Adam and Eve. Their relationship was pretty good at first, but it deteriorated after they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Before eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. After eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they became a thorn in the bone and a thorn in the flesh. Ever since Eve and Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, marital problems have become very serious.

In Paul's letters, he said that the married man should please his wife, and the married woman should please her husband, and you will have trouble in the flesh. Later, Paul also said elsewhere that husbands should love their wives, and wives should submit to their husbands, and he spoke a lot. Paul added a sentence later, actually I am not referring to husband and wife, I am referring to Christ and the church. Christ is the head of the church, and the church is the body of Christ. Therefore, we must be clear in our minds that the relationship between the church and Jesus Christ is that of body and head, a relationship of unity. Therefore, building the church should be done according to the word of God, and don't mess around on your own.

Building the church is building God's temple. There are two previous examples of building God's temple, which are very clear to us. One is Moses building God's tabernacle in the wilderness, which was full of God's glory. Later, David and Solomon built God's temple in Jerusalem. Both of them built it according to God's revelation. When Moses was on the mountain, God revealed to him how to build the tabernacle, and the details were described very clearly, such as: sealskins, fifty pegs, fifty sockets and many other things. Moses built the tabernacle strictly according to the word of God, so the glory of God filled the tabernacle. David and Solomon built the temple according to the revelation that God drew with His fingers, making it clear to David. David built God's temple strictly according to God's revelation, and the temple was filled with God's glory.

If the church we build today does not see the glory of God and looks exactly like a worldly club, it is because we have not built it strictly according to the word of God. Our church used to be built like a club. I thought it was a church. Later, I transformed the club into God's church, and then we had God's glory. Therefore, the church is the body of Jesus Christ. The previous chapter said that the church is God's army. With God's army, there is warfare, and with warfare, there is the Kingdom of God. The church is the body of Jesus Christ. From another level, it is in a relationship of unity with God.

The Church Must be Holy and United

Since the church is the body of Jesus, it must be holy and not bring unclean things into the church. The church is holy. When we confess that we are sinners, the blood of Jesus cleanses us. But we must also change our way of life and attitude, and be determined to obtain our Mingding Destiny and build a holy and glorious church. This is change. If a person does not repent and continues to follow his original logical system, he cannot enter the church. Today's church is a bit chaotic, not to say that our church is chaotic, but the concept of the church is a bit chaotic, pulling everyone into the church. We build the church to establish a circle, and those who enter this circle are disciples of Jesus Christ. Those outside the disciples of Jesus Christ are not part of the church, but are served by the church.

The church must be holy, and holy unity is the key to the church's victory. Do not bring things that are not unified into the church. I have never seen a church that is not unified that can fight and win. Now the power struggles in the church are also quite intense. How can we fight like this? Basically, they are churches that are controlled by the devil and attacked miserably. Why is this? It is because the church is not holy and pulls everyone into the church, so the church really cannot care about the number of people. For example, Jesus said, if two or three people are there praying in unity, I am in their midst. Jesus did not say two or three thousand people. Even if two or three thousand people gather together, the people sitting next to each other do not know each other, and their love for each other is also superficial love. If you say I love you to the person next to you, it may also cause a lot of trouble. Therefore, the holy unity of the church is the key to building the church.

The theme of the New Testament is to build a victorious church. In Revelation, the Apostle John wrote letters to the angels of the seven churches, and each time he talked about how the victorious ones would be. That is to say, in God's will, a victorious church is very important.

Some people said to me: No, because Jesus only talked about the church twice, but he talked about the Kingdom of God many times. Everyone must not contrast the Kingdom of God and the church, thinking that if the church is mentioned twice, the church is not important, and if the Kingdom of God is mentioned many times, the Kingdom of God is more important. In fact, the Kingdom of God and the church of God are two inseparable relationships. With the church, there is God's army, and with God's army, there is the Kingdom of God. This is a relationship of looking at things from different perspectives, rather than saying that if there is a church, there is no need for the Kingdom of God, and if there is the Kingdom of God, there is no need for a church. Therefore, today we must build the body of Jesus Christ, which is to build a victorious church. In this process, we must build a holy and unified church no matter what.

Everyone must know that the devil has a work in the church. What is the devil's work in the church? It is to clean up the trash. Many people are taken away by the devil, and later those people say that they were deceived by the devil. Why? Because the work of evil spirits is to clean up the trash. Once this trash is cleaned out, don't bring the trash back. If the church prays and fights victoriously, many people will experience the power of God, especially today when we are vigorously promoting Mingding Destiny. It is difficult for people without Mingding Destiny to stay in the church. Either they are changed, their demons are cast out, they obtain Mingding Destiny, and they begin to live for the Lord; or they are pulled away by evil spirits.

In the past few years of building the church, I have discovered a very interesting phenomenon: when some people have evil spirits, they are either deceived by the evil spirits or the evil spirits are cast out. After the evil spirits are cast out, others will feel that the whole person has been changed. In fact, it is not that they have been changed, but that the evil spirits have been cast out and their original self has begun to live. If his original nature is to love the world and cater to the flesh, then even if the demons are cast out, he will not be able to stay in the church. Don't bring those who are taken away by evil spirits back. Why are there so many problems in the church? Because they keep people with many evil spirits in the church, and even make them leaders.

To build the body of Jesus Christ, we must build a holy church, and we must not bring trash into the body of Jesus Christ. The church is full of Christians, and it is definitely not the territory of Santa Claus. The church is the body of Jesus Christ, and building a holy and unified church is our Mingding Destiny. We are all walking in one direction, and we are all going to one place. We have the same goals and we will build God's glorious church together. Only the victorious church can receive God's promises, and God's promises will be manifested in us one by one.

The work of evil spirits is to clean up trash. I say this is based on the Bible. Because angels are ministering spirits, including fallen angels, they are helping God complete this work. Building the body of Christ is our Mingding Destiny. As Paul wrote, he is a wise master builder who laid the foundation, and others are building on it. Building a victorious church can receive God's promises, which is clearly written in Revelation. So how can we be victorious? There is victory through battle.

We must all return to a very important concept, that is, what did Jesus do? Jesus said, if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28) You will find that the Kingdom of God is closely related to Jesus Christ casting out demons. Jesus did not say that if your life changes, the Kingdom of God will come upon you. Later, we discovered that the first batch of twelve disciples trained by Jesus Christ were all healing the sick and casting out demons; the second batch of seventy disciples trained were also healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching the gospel. If the first and second batches of disciples trained by Jesus Christ were all preaching the gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons, then whether we are in 2018 or 2019 today, we are still training to heal the sick and cast out demons, because this is the act of God. Why? Because preaching the gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons are closely related to the Kingdom of God, and that is part of spiritual warfare.

Let us examine another passage concerning the definition of the church: I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19) From this, it is clear that healing and deliverance are fundamental works of the church and a crucial component of spiritual warfare. This is not merely a matter of gifting but a fundamental issue in building the church.

I often observe that some churches conduct healing and deliverance once a month, while others do so once a week. This frequency does not entirely align with Scripture. Healing the sick and casting out demons were vital and frequent aspects of Jesus Christ's ministry on earth. If Jesus acted this way, should not the body of Christ, which we are building, also do likewise? It's critical to recognize that God subjects all things under His feet through the church, revealing His wisdom to those in authority and power, a very significant part of God's wisdom. Therefore, we must clearly understand that this is what Jesus did.

If you ask me if what we are doing aligns with Scripture, many evangelicals would consider us extreme charismatics, as if healing the sick and casting out demons are strange occurrences. They blaspheme the Holy Spirit, assuming we cast out demons by the power of the devil. I am not particularly concerned about labels; my only concern is whether we are adhering to Scripture. Until today, we dare not say that we have fully aligned ourselves with Scripture. We are simply striving to build the church according to the words in the Bible. Jesus Christ's words are clearly written in the scriptures, but many see without seeing and hear without understanding because their hearts are hardened.

If the church is not built according to the words of the Bible, how can it be filled with glory? I am puzzled by something, such as when brothers and sisters in some churches fall ill, the church recommends renowned doctors, incurring significant expenses. Luke, who served alongside Paul, was a physician. However, in the Bible, we do not see Paul instructing Luke to heal someone. Even when Epaphroditus was near death; Paul did not ask Luke to heal him. Epaphroditus was eventually healed through prayer. Many seemingly reasonable actions may not necessarily conform to Scripture.

Of course, we do not prevent people from seeing doctors; it is their choice. As for myself, I prefer to seek healing through prayer, believing that God will heal me; this is a matter of course. This is not superstition but a record in the Bible. If Jesus Christ were to train another group of disciples, it would still involve preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons. If we are willing to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we must act accordingly. The primary responsibility of the church is to bind and to loose; this defines the church's work and its definition.

The Bible clearly reveals that healing and deliverance are the heart of Jesus Christ. However, many who believe in Jesus are unable to cast out demons or perform healing and deliverance. Conversely, those who cast out demons are labeled as charismatics, creating a bizarre confusion. We need to restore the Word of God within the context of Chinese Mingding Destiny theology, continuously implementing His words. We have not yet fully implemented it, but we must clearly understand that healing and deliverance are the most basic works of the church.

What must we do to establish a holy, united, and victorious church? It is to set people free and give them liberty so that the church is God's army. Building God's victorious church through triumphant warfare, healing the sick, and casting out demons is part of our spiritual warfare. This is the Mingding Destiny we have received in Jesus Christ.

We often like to bless people. Some pastors who consider themselves evangelical act as if they are superior. However, in my mind, evangelical is a negative term, not a compliment. What is the concept of evangelicalism? It is the belief that the Bible is the Word of God, which they acknowledge. However, there is a gap in implementation.

Building the Church According to God's Word

To build the church, we must strive to implement, doing as Jesus did, and striving to be like Jesus is the key. Is it more pleasing to God for us to believe like Jesus or to act like Jesus? We must emerge from the confusion, for preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons are the heart of Jesus Christ.

Healing and deliverance are the fundamental works of the church, not a matter of gifting. They concern whether the kingdom of God is coming down or not. We often recite the Lord's Prayer Your kingdom come, but we do not know how God's kingdom will come. The kingdom of God descends by the Spirit of God casting out demons. Only when the kingdom of God descends can all the promises within His kingdom come to us. This is a very important concept.

We need to begin restoring this important concept in Chinese Mingding Destiny theology, striving to obtain the Mingding Destiny that sets people free. In this era, we see many people in bondage: wives controlling husbands, husbands controlling wives, all forms of oppression that prevent people from being free. All that hinders people from being free must be broken. Rick Joyner stated in The Final Quest that, in all churches, all dogmas must be destroyed, and those who are bound must be fully restored to freedom.

However, some churches also bind people. A brother, after divorcing his wife, entered into a relationship with another woman, and his ex-wife incited the local church to bring him back. His ex-wife's logic was interesting: What I cannot have, no one else will. Later, they remarried, but both were unhappy and in pain. I do not understand why. Of course, they do not like me mentioning this as it is sensitive. However, not only them, but many people live under similar bondage.

There was another pastor who was terribly controlled by his wife. He was so distressed that he wanted to commit suicide. He said that he did not want to divorce or kill his wife. He wanted to kill himself and eventually did not succeed. Later, he started a church which grew quite well. His co-workers asked him, If what you say differs from what your wife says, who should we listen to? He said to listen to his wife. The co-workers were confused. Later, I heard that he said from the pulpit, Listening to my wife is listening to God.

I cannot verify if these were his exact words, but today, the church is bound by certain moral concepts, preventing people from being free. This is a deadly issue. Some entrepreneurs are also bound by their wives and lead difficult lives. This is control in the spiritual realm. Today we must break all the bonds on people, setting them free to enter into God's Mingding Destiny, building Jesus Christ's victorious church.

Some may be confused, wondering how to build a victorious church if the home is in such a state. The Bible says, If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? They assume that compromise and bondage are how to manage their families. Those who are not bound cannot manage their families. In reality, no matter what your family is like, if you are willing to offer yourself to God, then offer it!

If couples can respect each other and not be controlled, that is excellent. Together, they obtain Mingding Destiny, running the heavenly race and jointly building God's glorious church. The examples I provide may be a bit sensitive, but it doesn't matter. Do not take it personally. If it is you, be willing to repent. Once you see through things, you will be at ease. Living in such pain serves no purpose. Do not be foolish. Begin to know that obtaining destiny is paramount.

Those who are willing to run with us should run. Those who are unwilling can do as they please. Living a life is actually very simple. Building a church is my Mingding Destiny, my dream. Nothing can change or stop it. We must continually preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons, breaking all carnal control, continually restoring the Mingding Destiny to build God's glorious church! Amen!