I. Introduction

Good morning. Today marks the third lesson in our Chinese Mingding Destiny Global Network Study Group's church pastoral course. The objective of pastoral care is to foster growth, nurturing individuals to attain the stature of Jesus Christ. This is what we call pastoral care.

I feel the subject of pastoral care is somewhat profound. In the previous two lectures, the first one, What is Pastoral Care? addressed many perplexing questions. If you observe carefully today, most churches nowadays are congregations focused on gatherings, with a weaker emphasis on pastoral care. The second lecture focused on establishing pastoral relationships. I shared that our God dwells in our relationships of mutual love. Observing the contemporary church, particularly in this era of prevalent mega-churches, one often sits in church without any real connection to those nearby. This is a significant issue.

Recently, the novel coronavirus has been quite virulent, to the point of disrupting church gatherings. Do we assume that the inability to gather signals the end of the church? Certainly not. In fact, the church should be deeply concerned about the relationships between people. Whether they are concerned about this is evident in their actions.

I believe God's intention is for people to establish loving relationships with one another. Indeed, the Bible states that when two or three gather in the name of Jesus Christ to pray, God dwells among them. Why not twenty or thirty thousand? Because establishing relationships among twenty or thirty thousand people is challenging. Thus, as our brothers and sisters listen to this third lecture, I urge you to pay close attention. If you are a pastor, consider whether your actions align with what is being discussed. If you are a regular member, reflect on whether your pastor is fostering your growth without being judgmental.

We have accumulated a wealth of pastoral experience, but conveying it clearly in just one hour is quite difficult. However, I want to title this, The Key to Pastoral Care is Fostering Growth. Enabling growth is crucial. So, let us all continue to listen to my discourse. In my many years in the church, I haven't heard anyone speak like this. Why do I speak this way? In the process of establishing churches in the past, I felt I didn't quite understand. So I undertook extensive research and practice, and through continuous practice, I began to see the truth.

Therefore, understand today that Chinese Mingding Destiny is proven effective through practical application. Could there be something more effective? Certainly. We are constantly pressing forward, striving diligently; surely there is something better. The next time I speak about pastoral care fostering growth, it will undoubtedly differ from today's discussion. Today, we must persistently strive, climb higher, and recognize that our understanding of God is limitless. As long as one has not attained the full stature of Jesus Christ, growth is essential. Now, continue listening to my discourse.

Church Pastoral Care Fosters Growth

Today, we delve into a topic of pastoral care: Fostering Growth is Key. In my observations of churches, I have found that leading a church is exceedingly difficult. Some leaders feel burnt out after only a few years. Why do they burn out? Because they feel intensely weary.

Some refer to this as carrying the cross of Jesus. Is that truly carrying the cross of Jesus? I later developed a keen interest in studying such issues, and through research, I gradually discovered that if one continually does without growing, one will burn out. Conversely, if one grows continuously, one will not burn out.

Therefore, growth is key. How does one grow? Church pastoral care fosters growth. Church pastoral care must be a platform for fostering growth, the church is a platform for perfecting people. If you repeatedly do the same thing, you will certainly grow weary. If you feel joy, consider if it is during your times of fastest growth that you sense profound joy within?

Our growth is not only a matter of concern to God, but also a matter we ourselves should be concerned about! If we ourselves are not concerned with this matter, and the church pastors are not concerned with this matter, how can we not burn out, day after day, year after year? If a person is constantly renewed in their spirit, finding satisfaction and enjoyment in pastoral care, they will not burn out.

Today, the brothers and sisters who serve with me, serve with great dedication and diligence. Our church is a pastoral church, and our pastoral care fosters growth. Enabling growth is the most crucial objective of all our pastoral care.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, resolving pressure isn't about reducing stress. There is a school where teachers complain about high stress levels. One of our sisters works there, but one rarely hears her mention the word stress. Why does she not experience stress? Because our sister is in a constant state of growth. She is nurtured and grows in the church, and stress is hardly an issue.

Her colleagues, facing immense pressure, chose to resign. Did resigning reduce the stress? The stress increased. They teach Mandarin as a second language, so why the stress? This greatly surprised me. In fact, the teaching profession should not be so stressful. I used to be responsible for the campus network, with over 10,000 people relying on it for work and study. In my view, the stress on teachers pales in comparison to the stress of a power outage or network failure. There was also the matter of network security.

How can people grow without pressure? Resolving pressure is key. How does one resolve pressure? Growth is key. How does one grow? Pastoral care is key. The church must embrace pastoral care. In fact, I am reconsidering something: I am not fundamentally a religious figure, but an educator. Education is about addressing the educational needs of people, and the outcome of education is growth.

Therefore, we continually encourage our pastors, requiring not only prayer in tongues and intelligible prayer, but also genuine competence. Pastoring lawyers, pastoring businesspeople or small business owners, pastoring career elites – the pastoral care provided by pastors must be competent. Our pastors, I believe, are all talented individuals.

The work we do addresses a wide variety of issues. We address intellectual development disorders, autism, and many issues of depression and stress. We resolve many problems that people are unable to solve on their own.

In fact, issues that people can solve on their own are not brought to the church. It is when people cannot resolve issues themselves and suffer greatly that they come to church. Today, brothers and sisters must understand that many churches are not concerned with growth, but rather with evangelistic meetings and prayer meetings. A pastor stands on the stage praying, and swathes of people fall and then rise again. Does this really resolve people's issues? Not only are issues not resolved, but no one cares about your issues. So, while evangelistic meetings and prayer meetings have their value, their pastoral component is very small.

Today, our brothers and sisters must realize that the most fundamental work of the church is pastoral care. People are not concerned with growth; they are concerned with salvation, assuming that believing in the Lord means salvation. But have they truly been saved? I see no sign of salvation in their lives.

Striving to Be Like Jesus

Chinese Mingding Destiny, is a theology of striving for growth. We do not claim to already be saved, but rather adhere to and obey God's Word. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, it is clearly written that we must strive for growth. I have written a commentary on Hebrews, which I consider my most satisfying work, titled Striving for Growth. Striving for growth is God's command.

Examining the Bible, we find that we must continually grow, mature into adulthood, attain the full stature of Jesus Christ, strive for growth, and become increasingly like Jesus. If you give me a thousand and one reasons why you are not like Jesus, then give yourself a thousand and one reasons why the person you prayed for was not healed. Do not offer countless justifications to rationalize the situation without resolving a single problem.

If one cannot grow, one cannot fight; one does not count. The Old Testament book of Numbers records how many men over the age of 20 were able to fight. Only those who can fight count. Today, Christian, if you cannot wage spiritual warfare, you do not count. Not everyone counts.

Today, if you see a Christian who thinks 5 + 4 = 8, wouldn't you be upset? Brothers and sisters, we must know that our knowledge of the Lord must fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. In other words, our knowledge of God is infinite, and we cannot remain at the elementary teachings about Christ.

Today, for brothers and sisters who are stuck at the elementary teachings about Christ, I want to provoke you a bit. You might not like what you hear: Are you implying that we are not saved? I am not discussing salvation with you. Perhaps your pastor teaches Once saved, always saved, but that is not what is recorded in the Bible. We must emerge from this myth.

God's command is to love the words of Jesus Christ. God's command is that you must shepherd God's sheep. In other words, serving is not an optional choice, but a sign of maturity. If a Christian cannot grow and mature, their spirit is sick. Today, brothers and sisters, do not be surprised that Christians still face so many problems. If one does not grow, one is spiritually ill.

God's will is for us to prosper in all things. But why have we not lived this way? Why are we not like Jesus? Why are we not like the Apostle Paul? We are truly not like Jesus. Some say it's because we were not born of the Virgin Mary. The Bible says Christians are born of the Spirit. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

We live not by the physical body, but by the spirit. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. If one is not born of the Spirit, one cannot see the Kingdom of God, let alone enter it. If you want to see the Kingdom of God, you must be born of the Spirit. How can those born of the Spirit not be like Jesus? Today, as we strive on this path, we will become more and more like Him. Why are so many healed among us? Because healing is God's will, and we are to become vessels of God's blessing.

People were healed when they touched Jesus. Why would those who need healing not be healed when they touch you? Because you are not like Jesus. In fact, I have a peculiar trait that I only discovered later – that anyone prone to motion sickness or seasickness will not experience it if I am in the vehicle. This is because the Spirit of God is upon me. If the Spirit of God is at work among us, the issue of motion sickness is no longer a problem. It's wondrous.

Once, I rented a minibus and took over 20 brothers and sisters on a boat trip. Many said they were prone to seasickness. But by the end of the day, no one had experienced motion sickness or seasickness. It turned out I possessed this unique trait. Why? Because I strive to be like Jesus.

In pastoral care and ministry, I constantly strive to do according to God's will, and God bestows His grace and gifts, allowing my ministry to display God's glory. Brothers and sisters, through me, see how God uses me.

I encourage brothers and sisters: Today, we are pursuing a path of striving after Jesus. , Therefore, I wrote a book on healing and deliverance called, Do Healing and Deliverance Like Jesus.

Scripture says:

> until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13)

> Take a census of all the men in Israel twenty years old or more, according to their families—all who are able to serve in the army. (Numbers 1:3)

We must understand that striving is the word of God. We must relearn the entire system of Chinese Mingding Destiny. Do not take Chinese Mingding Destiny to be a deep subject, it is very practical. If people want to grow and have a good life, we must understand that Christians who strive to grow will live out God’s promises. Even though we have experienced many of God’s promises, there are still more that have not been fulfilled in our lives. We must still strive, it is very magical.

Continually Grow, To The Full Stature of Jesus Christ

Some think that I am seeking miracles, but in fact, I am striving to be like Jesus, striving to grow, striving to know God, striving to know spiritual knowledge. Only with constant growth in spiritual knowledge can we experience signs and wonders! You can't seek a miracle and then have a miracle, you try seeking one? Some say that they have a lot of faith, then if you have faith, use your faith to strive.

Recently, there has been an evil, dark power running rampant. The devil has released a lot of discouragement in people's growth processes. The information that the devil releases is strange, people think that they can't do it.

Yesterday I served a sister, when she was in debt two years ago, she wasn't discouraged. But now that she is not in debt, she has become discouraged. But she should be growing, she walked from two years ago until now, can't she walk to next year? Can't she walk from next year to the year after? The devil has released a lot of lies, competing, comparing, believing that they can't do it.

We don't care what position we are in, we only care about growing one step in that position. We cannot change the past, but now that we are standing in this position, we can take up the grace of God by faith, and start striving to grow.

Recently, we have been researching a subject called difficult emotions, difficult emotions are terrible. Some people's houses are smoky and messy, why don't they just clean it up? But they don't want to, they just worry about when they can finish. Some people take out a book, and after seeing that there are 200 pages, they think about when they can finish, then they procrastinate.

Therefore, we are constantly striving to grow. My colleagues and brothers and sisters are constantly striving to grow. Originally, there is no end to people's growth, as long as we have not stepped into a coffin, we are in the process of growing. Growth brings great joy, why don't you try it? Our little brother started doing deliveries, he used to think that 5 plus 4 equals 8, now he is doing well and makes a lot of money, that is the result of progressing through constant growth.

We don't care what position people are in. Comparing people to each other will kill you, if there is no comparison there is no pain. Some people like to compare, then there will be a lot of pain, how can you live? We don't need to do these things, we need to do meaningful things, that is growth. Some people ask if this is a spiritual thing? We first need to resolve a confusion.

There are many misunderstandings in Christianity. There are many people who believe that going to work is worldly, and that participating in gatherings is a spiritual thing. Anything that has to do with living is a spiritual thing. For example, going to work, believing in the Lord, relationships, health, finances, are all spiritual things. In the process of growth, struggling, and discouraged, there is definitely an evil spirit. These are all spiritual things.

Some people say that this is not in accordance with the Bible. In fact, I have read the Bible many times and very carefully, what I am talking about here is in accordance with the Bible.

Just like what is written in Deuteronomy 28:

> If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.(Deuteronomy 28:1-6)

These all have to do with living. If you believe that blessings are just going to heaven, then there is nothing like what is said in the scriptures. But, this is the heart of God, God had this heart in the Old Testament, wouldn't God have a deeper heart in the new testament? By Jesus' stripes we are healed, health is definitely a spiritual matter! We must remove a lot of misunderstandings.

Those of us who believe in the Lord must understand God's word, so that we can carefully obey. We even wrote a song called Carefully Obey, Growing Diligently. Chinese Mingding Destiny is not a crazy theology, it is very grounded. Chinese Mingding Destiny is neither in the heavens, nor in the half-heavens, Chinese Mingding Destiny is on earth, because we are all on Earth. Some people love to discuss what people do in heaven, we don't discuss that, we discuss how to live out His glorious image on earth, how to fulfill God's beautiful will, so that we can be fruitful and multiply, and govern the earth.

Some people want to go to heaven, only those who strive, and work hard will go to heaven. The slothful, and weak cannot enter. Everything that has to do with living is a spiritual thing, but there are small and large truths. If an individual only cares about their own houses, and works like crazy, then work will become a curse in your life. We put God first in our lives, we care about God, then God will care about us. IN the Bible, God has made these matters all very clear.

From now on, we will no longer talk about which is worldly and which is spiritual, perhaps we can talk about what is worldly? I am very fond of gambling, I love money, I am very attentive to my flesh, these are the things of the world, and these are neither what God desires.

Working with God, Striving to Grow

We must constantly pursue growth, striving to mature and deepen our understanding of God. We must grow to full stature, adept at wielding spiritual knowledge, lest we fall prey to the devil's schemes. Can these concepts form a systematic framework? If one cannot perform his duties diligently, how can one expect blessings? It is simply impossible to be blessed when one is indolent and inept in all endeavors.

Whom do I fear most? Those who shout Hallelujah loudly but are incapable in all tasks. This embodies a potent spirit, the spirit of religiosity. My brothers and sisters, we must understand these matters, knowing that only those grown to full maturity can consume solid food, discerning good from evil through practice.

As the scripture states:

until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

These are clear pronouncements. Our lives are filled with spiritual matters, but not all are of equal importance. We must prioritize the most important, secondary, and tertiary matters, establishing an order of precedence. When conflicts arise between major and minor issues, we must choose what is primarily important. Indeed, God arranges things in this way, for He is the God of growth, without a doubt.

This is clearly articulated in Paul's theological framework:

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)

Our pastoral ministry aims to foster growth, and this is our objective. Yet, it is truly God who causes the growth. In this pastoral process, are we working in partnership with God? We must carefully consider the meaning of this statement. God is the one who enables our growth. You may be under a superior, and others may be under your pastoral care, each growing. God's will is for every individual's life to flourish.

God is the one who makes us grow. Why, then, does He painstakingly engage us as co-workers, requiring us to perform various tasks? It is precisely so that we may grow in service, attaining the full stature of Jesus Christ. Some Christians plateau at a certain point, unable to progress further. These individuals become stuck. Anything that ceases to grow will eventually decay. To prevent decay, one must continuously grow. Stagnation leads to withering, akin to those burnt-out, weary Christians. This stems not from external factors, but from a spiritual deficiency and a flawed understanding of God.

We are co-workers with God, and we are God's cultivated field. In this collaborative process, as you and I grow, we jointly build God's temple. We connect with one another, loving and growing together through God's love. We must avoid pretense, which has become prevalent in the church, likely out of politeness. We must emerge from ignorance, for God's name suffers due to ignorance.

From Ignorance to Knowledge, Continuous Learning and Growth

We must move from ignorance, for God's name perishes through ignorance. Transitioning from ignorance to knowledge signifies learning and growth. Learning something new today that you did not know yesterday constitutes growth. Mastering a task today that you could not perform yesterday also represents growth.

Our God is truly wondrous. Our Jesus Christ initially worked as a carpenter, and we have not heard of anyone saying, Jesus Christ, the house you built for me collapsed. Our Jesus Christ possessed genuine skill. Therefore, brethren, we must recognize that ignorance is not an option. If you become a lawyer, be a good lawyer; if a teacher, be a good teacher; if a Christian, be an outstanding Christian. Be a powerful and prosperous Christian, thriving in all you do—this comes from moving from ignorance to knowledge, from continuous learning and growth.

Our church continually promotes learning and growth. The child who struggled with five plus four equaling eight learned from my instruction. Having learned, he grew. However, correcting arrogance is not the solution. If knowing five plus four equals nine leads to arrogance, that is unacceptable, yet many behave this way.

Thus, our Lord Jesus truly faced a difficult task. He had to confront people's vices while cultivating their basic abilities. When they lacked capacity, He had to build their faith, and when evil spirits attacked, He had to vanquish them. Truly, fostering growth is no simple endeavor.

Some argue that God is the one who causes growth. However, we are co-workers with God; do not forget this. Do not shift the responsibility to God, nor allow God or the devil to become scapegoats. We take on pastoral responsibility, but not as a burden. It is a reliance on God, because He is the one who fosters growth. Working with God, we experience no pressure.

Restoring the Glorious Image of God in Humanity

We believe that all brothers and sisters possess God's glorious image, merely obscured by the devil and their own carnal vices. We understand that each individual is precious and can be molded into God's image. However, some yield to their fleshly desires, while others choose to follow God. Those who are willing to follow God can certainly restore His glorious image.

As educators, we must believe that people can be taught. Our belief stems not from other reasons, but from our conviction that each individual possesses God's glorious image, which we must unleash. Our pastoral ministry aims to allow that which is already precious to shine. If you continuously pursue growth in pastoral care, serving our God wholeheartedly, you will not burn out, for you are constantly growing and advancing. This is an exceedingly beautiful thing.

Serving God is an enjoyable undertaking, and pastoring God's flock is a delightful privilege. If I were not allowed to pastor God's flock, I would not know what to live for. I find pastoring to be excellent, bringing immense satisfaction. Seeing a person's transformation and growth brings glory to God, and witnessing someone live out God's glorious image fills us with gratitude.

Pastoring is the most rewarding work. Some say there are four of the most challenging jobs in the world. What are the four? First, the President of the United States, facing the Senate and the House of Representatives. Second hardest is Pastoring. But after doing it, not at all, best thing in the world with working with God. Nothing can compare. We just need to loose the power of God from Heaven. Then serving this generation and seeing people grow, there is nothing better than this.

I once knew a pastor. By chance, he sat next to me on the bus. I asked him, What have you been doing lately? He said, I've recently unloaded a difficult task, which is the pastoral work of the church. Upon hearing this, I thought, How can this be a difficult task? Some truly regard serving as a burden. Why consider serving God as a burden? Because they cannot work in partnership with God. Is that not a burden? Today, if we harbor various misconceptions, we must eliminate them.

Why does our church impose such strict requirements, demanding homework, attendance at meetings, and adherence to so much teaching? It is to foster growth, preventing people from being ignorant Christians. However, someone who can continuously grow on the path of Jesus Christ will receive exceedingly rich rewards. Brethren, do not misunderstand service. Today, there are many misconceptions surrounding the very nature of service.

Becoming Mighty Warriors of God

I know a Christian who lives next door to my house. I asked her, How many years have you believed in the Lord?

Six years, she replied.

I then asked, What do you do in the church?

I serve in the church.

I said, What do you serve in the church as?

She said, Cooking.

How is your Bible reading going?

I haven't read it.

Our Lord Jesus did not do that thing at all. The Lord Jesus said, Peter, do you love me? Then focus on cooking and do a good job of stir-frying, focus on fishing. Where is there something like that? It is to pastor God's sheep. If you neither read the Bible nor understand God's word, becoming an ignorant cooking Christian, feeding a group of rice buckets, do you call this serving? Because there’s not much cooking in the bible. If anything is happening in the bible that has to do with cooking, it’s usually a bad thing.

The Jerusalem church. They were stuck cooking, they even let seven deacons oversee because of this. But what ended up happening with that? What brothers and sisters need to know, is that cooking to indulge in carnal desires is not a service.

We must examine the Scriptures, forming a complete system of faith. Strive to pursue the knowledge of God, continuously growing. Through pastoring, continuously grow and come to know Jesus Christ, continually growing to maturity.

We will not only become valiant and powerful warriors, but also commanders of tens, hundreds, or thousands, or even leaders of your tribe. You can lead brothers and sisters in being able to fight the good fight in the spiritual world. I tell you, your names will be very well known in the spiritual world, overcoming all obstacles and continuously striking the devil as your enemy. Those powers and authorities would tell you that, he's been defeated. They always say, you're so great! Your name is so famous in our world

Why is this the case? It is because they are in heaven, mighty warriors of God in the spiritual realm. God works with them, God is with them, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon them without limit. To make it, give everything you got, even if you become stronger than Jesus.

Start asking yourself, have I grown? Where have I been spending my time and actually grow? Do I really know my god? I am not sure if I have all the information, that is why you need to go and grow. This is an avenue to abundance to you, and a road of glory and victory.

Start asking yourself, how many long years have I known the lord for? Have a grown? I spent all my time on that? So start to grow. It is the road to success and glory and triumph.

The church's pastoral ministry aims to foster growth; this is our pastoral system. As long as we are not like Jesus, we cannot cease growing. Brethren, never say, I am already saved! Because in the new testament there is no such thing as a curse. We must diligently read the Bible, continuously growing in God's word. In the journey of understanding God's word, never be lazy. Not only grow ourselves, but when we grow to a certain point, we cannot continue to grow without pastoring. Some, before growing up, think, I cannot grow without pastoring. This is a misconception. When you are a child, whom can you pastor?

We must all strive to grow to maturity. In this process, growth occurs not only through being pastored, but also through pastoring. In other words, growth is the key. God sits on the throne, looking down, seeking those who can enter into His heart. God's kingdom is open, but the question is whether we are diligent pursuers. The kingdom of heaven is entered forcefully.

We must discard many past erroneous teachings: Once saved, you can go to heaven at death. This is not a mystery, but a grand misconception. Embark on the path of diligent pursuit and growth. As we grow, we will live out God's magnificent character, and our minds will be renewed and transformed, allowing us to discern what is God's good, pleasing, and perfect will. May God's plan be fulfilled in you, and may the will of our God be satisfied.

Next week, we will have one last lecture, after we finish teaching “sheparding” then we are going to talk about Mingding Destiny and blessing. Then there will be adds on our websites where you can see, come look at it, and give as much as Chinese Mingding Destiny and blessings so every body can have a blessing and what they’re looking for. If you’re in this shepharding system, we have all these coarse, where you can base your foundation, and leader classes to help to go up to heaven. Gradualy it would happen until you are in the kingdom with Jesus. This is what we want from our class.

God bless all of you guys.