Introduction: Distinguishing True and False Faith

Good day to all. We will be discussing Lesson Three of the second edition of the 101 course. This lesson is of utmost importance, with the theme: How to draw upon God's grace. God's grace has already been prepared for us. However, here lies the problem: the grace is ready, but the door is locked. How can we open this door? Opening a door naturally requires a key! Only with a key can the door be opened. God has prepared many good things for us, but it is useless if you cannot access them. For example, electrical appliances need a power source. As long as there is a power source, and air conditioners, electric fans, rice cookers, and other appliances are plugged in, these appliances can each function. The power source is like a key for the appliances.

Drawing upon God's grace relies on faith! Faith is the key. Now, let us review the previous two lessons. The first lesson stated that being alive is a spiritual matter. Everyone knows that there are definitely ghosts in this world! There are many miraculous and incomprehensible things! Even today, you cannot deny that the human body has special abilities, because it is a spiritual matter. You also cannot deny the existence of Qigong, and you cannot say that they are all fake. Of course, it is possible that some are fake, but you cannot deny it entirely.

Being alive is a spiritual matter. This raises a question: what is in the spiritual realm? In the spiritual realm, there are ghosts, and there is God. The spiritual realm controls all things in the world! This concept must enter your mind. Regardless of who you are, whether you live well or poorly in this world, all of it is determined by the spiritual realm. For example, Alzheimer's disease, mental illness, insomnia, cancer, and disasters such as car accidents are all spiritual matters. Many people find these things very mystical. For example, when there is a car accident on the street, you will see many people recording the license plate number and then using that number to buy lottery tickets. I tell you, it is often quite accurate. I share this example not to encourage you to buy lottery tickets, but to tell you the reality of the spiritual realm. People are living out The Investiture of the Gods every day in this world.

What was the second lesson about? Since the spiritual realm is so real, we definitely need God. People cannot live well without God. Do you all remember? In the second lesson, I discussed that people need God's grace, mentioning a woman with a blood disorder who was healed by touching Jesus. So, today, do you want to be Jesus, or do you want to be the woman with the blood disorder? Of course, I want to be Jesus. As for whether you want to be the woman with the blood disorder, that is your fate, your choice.

Brothers and sisters must know that it is good to be Jesus! Jesus said to the woman with the blood disorder, Go in peace. Then, in the Bible, there is no further record of what happened to this woman with the blood disorder. We do not know either. But one thing we must understand is that through this event, people come to see that living really requires God. It is not that you need God only when you have a blood disorder, but that you still need God even after the blood disorder is healed. We always need God.

Know that our God loves us so much that He has already prepared extremely abundant grace for us. The grace the woman with the blood disorder received was just the grace of being healed from an illness, but the grace that Jesus has prepared for us far exceeds such grace. People live not just for the healing of blood leaks, urine leaks, and stool leaks. There are many other areas where we need God. Through these things, we are simply meant to understand the abundant grace God has prepared for us. If we understand and experience it, what is our response? Do not be foolish; we must understand that life is vanity of vanities, and we need God's plan. God's plan is for us to walk with God during our days in this world, all the way into eternal life.

How can we obtain God's grace? It is through faith! The faith of the woman with the blood disorder is a very low-level faith, which is touching Jesus to be healed. She drew upon God's grace, so what does God want to reveal to us? To reveal that this is just the beginning of grace. I rarely see someone who makes only a little money in business and then says, I've earned enough, I'm not doing it anymore. So, we must know that the grace received is not all of God's grace. We must move from a very low level to a very high level, and we must understand God's plan, God's will. Therefore, faith is very important.

Faith can not only heal blood leaks, urine leaks, and stool leaks, but faith can also lead us into Mingding Destiny, allowing us to know the meaning of life and to live out God's exquisite plan throughout our lives. I have been painstakingly speaking about this, year after year, month after month, day after day, hoping that our brothers and sisters can be enlightened in their understanding. If you are not enlightened in your understanding, you will really be in disarray. To be like God and to live out God's character is the key.

On the issue of faith, what is most perplexing is that there are many kinds of faith. Faith is a very powerful thing. The Pharisees insisted on crucifying Jesus, but what had Jesus done to offend them? Nothing! These Pharisees had great faith. They always thought they were serving God, which is terrifying! If this kind of faith happens to our brothers and sisters, they would crucify Jesus when He comes, which is frightening. You might even crucify the prophets sent by Jesus Christ before you even encounter Jesus, which is quite something.

Are there many perplexing things among us? I have great faith myself, but I have not gained anything. I want to tell everyone that you can insist on this kind of faith of the Pharisees, keep insisting, keep insisting, keep enduring, keep enduring, keep enduring, until you insist until you die, and you will gain nothing. Because this kind of faith is not the faith that the Bible tells us about! The faith of the Pharisees led themselves into a curse. Many people just keep insisting, keep enduring. In the end, this saying is truly fulfilled: you will never gain anything.

Let me give a few more examples to illustrate this point. When the devil tempted Jesus, it did not say, Go kill this person for me. It said, If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. Of course, Jesus could turn the stones into bread, but Jesus did not do so. Even today, you not only cannot understand what Jesus did, but you also cannot understand the things in Journey to the West. For example, Tang Sanzang takes his four disciples forward, and Tang Sanzang says, Wukong, get some food for the master. Of course, Sun Wukong could also turn stones into food for Tang Sanzang, but Sun Wukong did not do so; instead, he went to beg for alms around. Why not transform some? This is very strange.

Actually, when I first read the Bible, I didn't quite understand it either. I thought, Jesus, what's wrong with you transforming some? If Jesus transformed the stones into bread on the spot, what great faith that would be. Then, soaring down from the top of the temple, with angels applauding and cheering all around, what great faith that would be? But Jesus did not do that. Jesus did not even drop the staff on the ground and turn it into a snake. Many people say that Jesus' skills are not as high as Sun Wukong's, probably about the same as Tang Sanzang's. Is that the case? No, that's how masters spar! It's like playing chess. Halfway through the game, one person leaves, conceding defeat! Onlookers say, The rooks, knights, and cannons are still there, why did they leave? In fact, the game had already been completed, but the onlookers did not understand. That's how masters do it!

Jesus did not turn the stones into bread, nor did He jump down from the top of the temple, but Satan left; it had already conceded defeat. We are still in the dark. How did Satan lose? How did Jesus win? Because this faith of Jesus is the true faith!

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4)

Faith based on the word of God is true faith. We do not believe in other things; we believe in the word of God. It turns out that faith has true and false distinctions. Let us look at the differences between true faith and false faith. True faith can draw upon God's grace, but false faith cannot. True faith can overcome Satan, but false faith falls into Satan's trap. Can you understand this? You say you have this faith, but it fails at the critical moment. This is not acceptable.

Brothers and sisters, have you noticed recently that there are fewer testimonies among us? After so much service, why is no one sharing anymore? After asking, I learned that everyone is not so eager to share, feeling that they should share testimonies with Mingding Destiny, which would be of a higher level. This is mainly because everyone's demands are now high, and their appetites are also high. Our brothers and sisters must know that the testimony of the woman with the blood disorder touching Jesus and being healed is too common among us. Some people will say that I am boasting, but that is the fact!

What kind of faith does the Bible talk about? We must return to the Bible. The book of Hebrews describes faith very well.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

If a person can obtain the faith to draw upon God's grace, or obtain that true faith, how good is that person's life!

The Faith of the Ancients

First, let me ask a question: how do you know that the faith of the ancients is true? Because they have evidence, they have been commended for it, not that they died without any evidence. If someone says I have faith, but there is no evidence, that is not true faith. What is this evidence? It's miracles! You know that Enoch, by faith, was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found. He was taken from this life because before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. God was pleased with Enoch, so He walked with him. If God walks with him, how will his life be? When he speaks, many things will be accomplished.

Enoch has God walking with him. This kind of person is a treasure of the family! He not only brings peace to the family, but he brings peace to everything he does, because God is with him. He has already been commended as one who pleased God. Why does God please Enoch? Because the things inside him are what we need to explore today. God was also with Noah, and Noah's faith was extraordinary. All these people have the confirmation of God's presence. Some people say, Look, I have ankylosing spondylitis, I thank God, God is with me; I have cancer, I thank God, God is with me; I often have car accidents, I thank God, God is with me; I was born blind, I thank God, God is with me. These words are not in the Bible.

What is in the Bible?

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

How well these words are spoken! If our brothers and sisters do not have these abilities, then your faith should be reconsidered. At best, your faith is like the faith of the woman with the blood disorder, touching Jesus and then being healed. Although the blood leak, urine leak, and stool leak have stopped, the human leak has not stopped and will continue to leak. Brothers and sisters, you must know for sure that all the people of faith recorded in the Bible are people who have seen through life and death. I am not saying this for any other reason, because the Bible teaches it this way. You will ask, Who can do it? How many Enochs are there? How many Jesuses are there? No matter how many reasons you find for yourself, if you are willing to keep leaking, then keep leaking.

Our brothers and sisters must know that the faith of the ancients they are talking about is this kind of faith. The faith of the ancients, from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, all the way to Moses; later, Caleb, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, these people were powerful; these are great men of faith. None of the faith of the ancients did not long for a better country, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is called their God, and God is not ashamed.

If all you see is earthly things, tell me you have faith, and then it's, Teacher, why hasn't my son changed? Teacher, why has my daughter become like this? Why am I still in debt? If we only focus on these things, it's not much different from having a blood disorder, very low, very low! What is the problem? This is not the faith spoken of in the Bible at all! As soon as the faith spoken of in the Bible is mentioned, some people will find all sorts of reasons. Your reasons are more numerous than soy sauce, more numerous than gasoline. What is the use? The problem is that God is looking for treasures. Do you want to be that treasure in God's eyes? I will give you two words: destiny!

I have always had faith since I was little. I don't know why I have faith. Since childhood, I have had a great confusion inside me, feeling that life is a very absurd thing! You say, Which child thinks about this? Later I understood that not thinking about this is trouble. No thinking leads to living for the sake of living, with only money in your eyes. There are mothers in their 80s giving money to their children in their 50s; mothers in their 90s raising sons in their 60s. These are all jokes. Because all they see is their mother's money. Can you live well like this? You can't live well!

So why do I live well? Because God is with me. Why is God with me? Because I have the faith of the ancients in the Bible. I have always been thinking that such a way of living should just die early and be done with it. This is the faith of the ancients. What can separate us from God's love? Because God has prepared a better country for us. What can keep our eyes from leaving God? What is there that we still can't see through? See through it! That is true faith! If you ask me, if you understand the first chapter of Ecclesiastes, the vanity of vanities, you can have true faith. See through all things, consider all things as dung, only gaining Jesus Christ as the most precious treasure, the things of the world will eventually pass away.

You know that now when people die, the people who handle the funerals have faith and hope. The dead person, when alive, did not have beautiful women. After death, they weave 100 beautiful women out of straw ropes, then burn them for him, to add three to five thousand concubines to his harem. What is this for? Will you really get them after burning? No one knows! But look how prosperous this business is? It's just cheating the living's money! But many people can't see through it.

Some people say, Can believing in God fill your stomach? Believing in God can not only fill your stomach, but also be used as medicine! God is so good! So, this is faith, the faith of the ancients! When Jesus came, we saw Jesus crucified, but in fact, Jesus had already seen through life and death. So it is normal for people to see us as aliens, because we have also seen through these things of life.

A tour guide once asked me, feeling reluctant to bring tourists to shops selling tourist products. I told him, It's alright, bring them! Some people didn't understand, thinking I was being unethical! I said it's part of their job. All wealth is unrighteous wealth. You see wealth as money, but I see it as joss paper. Then you might say, if you see wealth as joss paper, give me the money in your account! Do you think I'm stupid? Why would I give away money for no reason? Even if I see wealth as joss paper, I wouldn't transfer it to your account. Don't think that understanding something means you should do something foolish.

The Faith Jesus Christ Spoke Of

The ancients had evidence for their faith, but I ask you, does the faith of Jesus Christ have evidence? The evidence for the faith Jesus Christ spoke of is abundant! I am deeply moved that the image of Jesus recorded in the Bible is so clear and understandable, yet many people do not believe. I find it strange! Where did these people read in the Bible? Their brains are broken! Jesus, after resurrecting from the dead and before ascending to heaven, told his disciples:

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well. (Mark 16:17-18)

These are the words Jesus gave before ascending to heaven. If we carefully examine Jesus Christ in the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—we will see that Jesus greatly emphasized faith and miracles! This is very straightforward: Signs and wonders will accompany those who believe! We look and think, Pastor so-and-so, why don't you have any signs accompanying you? Brother so-and-so, Deacon so-and-so, why don't you have any signs accompanying you? Actually, it’s not that there are none; they happen occasionally! Because faith is only occasional, right? That's how it is.

Signs and wonders will accompany those who believe! You see that miracles and wonders constantly manifested wherever Jesus went. But the problem is, today there are not many people like Jesus! Not many people really pursue being like Jesus, and I am one of them! I want to be like Jesus! The faith Jesus spoke of is this. Then some people say, Jesus never said that! Even if Jesus didn't say those words, what Jesus did proves it even more! If Jesus did say it, then it goes without saying. He uses himself to tell us that faith must have evidence! You see, the ancients obtained excellent evidence of this faith, and we today have also obtained excellent evidence of this faith. People from ancient times until now have also obtained excellent evidence of this faith. So, brothers and sisters, you must know today that faith is very important.

The first point is an introduction, leading to the issue of faith from the previous two lessons because they are all connected. The second point is the faith of the ancients. The third point is the faith that Jesus Christ spoke of, which is closely related to signs and wonders. If all the signs and wonders in the Bible were removed to suit some people’s tastes, then the Bible would only have the front and back covers left, wouldn't that be a joke? Then, if they inserted their own writings between the covers, would that still be the Bible?

The Fruit of Faith is Miracle

This is a very important concept! Don't you want to draw on God's grace? When God's grace comes, it is a miraculous thing! I saw a very poor sister, and I most hope that a miracle will happen to her. She loves the Lord very much, but she is also very poor, so a miracle will definitely happen to her, causing a miraculous transformation in her life. You must know that the fruit of faith is not life, and the fruit of faith and the fruit of the Holy Spirit are not the same. When a person has faith, he will definitely draw on miracles. God is with you, and there will definitely be miracles. Everyone asks themselves, how many miracles do you have? Some people say, Very few! You ask me how many I have? There are too many! Every day! So you ask me how to draw on God's grace, it is faith! Signs and wonders will accompany those who believe, and faith is the key to draw on miracles.

There was a sister who was very poor and often couldn't make ends meet. She came every time I led prayer. I felt very sorry for her when I saw her! I kept thinking, God, when can you turn this sister's finances around? One day, she knelt next to me to pray. I didn't have any specific inspiration at the time, only anxiety, so I said with faith: Sister, in the days to come, you will personally experience a turnaround in your finances. In a few months, she found a job with a much higher salary. When I found out, I felt very happy!

Until today, whatever I say with faith, God will accomplish for me. Does she owe me a favor? She owes me many favors! Brothers and sisters, you must know that you should often use faith. Not only did the woman with the issue of blood touch Jesus with faith, but today we must also do what Jesus did with faith, so that when people touch us, they will also be healed. Do you say this is in accordance with the Bible? Of course, it is! You know, the handkerchiefs that Paul used healed those who touched them, amazing!

Beware of False Faith

What is false faith? This false faith is not based on the word of God at all. If you say you don't know what the word of God is, I can only say, may God have mercy on you! The Pharisees crucifying Jesus is called false faith; if Jesus turned stones into bread, that's called false faith; if Jesus jumped from a tall building and was unharmed, that faith is also false faith. Do you understand? You didn't say that signs will accompany those who believe? Yes, but that kind of sign is not a sign; it is tempting God! So, brothers and sisters, can you distinguish between true and false faith? That is very important!

If a person's faith does not yearn for a better homeland but is to fulfill his worldly dreams, that faith is a false faith. In addition, if it cannot manifest God's glory and cannot manifest signs and wonders, it is also false faith. Do you understand? No matter how beautiful it is said, it is useless! False faith will definitely not see evidence! So, the ancients obtained excellent evidence of this faith, Jesus also obtained excellent evidence of this faith, the Apostle Paul obtained excellent evidence of this faith, and we still can obtain even better evidence of this faith.

If this faith is only to fulfill your worldly dreams, you will not be able to draw on God's treasures in heaven. God has given us the keys to His heaven so that we can draw on God's treasures in heaven because we are building His glorious church according to His word. If you are full of things of this life, you will not be able to enter into God's heart. Who pioneered this path of faith? The path of faith was pioneered by Abraham. You say Abraham never saw a miracle? Don't talk nonsense; Abraham saw miracles every day, so we must be careful of this false faith.

For example, the woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus was suddenly healed, but it is not recorded in the Bible afterward. If it were recorded, it would definitely write: This is the woman who was healed of the issue of blood in those years and came to serve God again. There would definitely be these sentences, but there aren't! So where did this woman with the issue of blood go? I tell you, she must have thought, My issue of blood is finally healed! I haven't eaten this or that for a long time; I'm going to have a good meal!

She only used one bit of her faith to draw on God's grace and was healed, and then all she could think about was this stuff. She felt that her issue of blood was healed, and she finally went from being an unclean person to a clean person and could finally go anywhere! I also have a dream of traveling the world, I want to travel thousands of miles and read thousands of books! But there is no money in the account, so I have to make money! What kind of faith is this? This is nonsense! What will happen later? Nothing much! Before, I was messed with by Lao Ma; now, I continued to be messed with! This is false faith.

Many people think they are Job, and they think Job is great. In fact, they are mistaken! Job later repented! How did he repent? Job said, I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you! But these people who think they are like Job will never see God with their own eyes until they die. Be careful of false faith! Don't find a thousand and one excuses for yourself!

Inherit the Faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph

This is a model of faith! Brothers and sisters, you don't need to look elsewhere; it is enough to find faith in these four men. Abraham saw through the vanity of life. He saw life and death; in those days, he saw many such things! In Abraham's time, Noah's son Shem was still alive, and the scene of the flood that engulfed the earth in Noah's time was still vivid. Abraham left his hometown and wandered outside, going back and forth. A person who does not see through life cannot endure such tosing and froing. Seeing through the vanity of life, seeking a better homeland, is a fundamental thing.

So Abraham cried out to God: God, there is no meaning in my life. Living is just waiting to die. I want to seek eternal life. So God said to him, All peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Abraham worked very hard! But Abraham never complained, no reason, no excuses, only one thing: the faith to see through the vain life! To seek a better homeland, even sacrificing his son Isaac was worth it.

When it came to Isaac, he willingly offered himself to God as the best choice. Isaac also saw through all the trivial matters of this life, offering himself to God without complaint. When his father said, I am going to offer you to God, he said, Dad, I am willing! This sentence is not recorded in the Bible; I added it. If we were to make a TV series called Abraham Offering Isaac today, I could write this script very beautifully. This father and son would make people cry! Isaac carried the wood, and Abraham followed and walked forward. At that time, Isaac was definitely not a child in his teens but a young man.

Isaac asked Abraham: Father, the wood and everything else are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham looked at his beloved son and said, My son, God will provide! That lamb is you! To Abraham's surprise, when he really wanted to offer Isaac, Isaac did not complain at all! Great! How many of us are willing to offer ourselves to God today? Do you have such faith? As soon as your core interests are touched, you are stunned; sometimes before your core interests are touched, you immediately become weak. Isaac offered himself; this is the best choice; this is Isaac's faith!

Jacob, Isaac's son, for the sake of eternal blessings, to inherit the covenant that his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac made with God, would never give up until he obtained the birthright! Believing that nothing cannot be turned around, that is Jacob. This is called true faith. Is there anyone recorded in the Bible who drew on God's grace to love the world? No, not one! If anyone loves the world, the love of God is not in him. Jacob saw through everything, and later he did not return for his mother's funeral when she passed away. Why bother, what funerals are there in eternity? Many people think that this was a regret for Jacob's mother and also Jacob's regret, but the Bible sees through all these things. It's just that people who don't understand these things today take these things very seriously.

Joseph was even more amazing. If Abraham was IPhone1, Isaac was IPhone2, Jacob was IPhone3, and Joseph was IPhone4. From Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, to Joseph, faith was upgraded one level at a time, one more amazing than the other! Joseph was sold into slavery; his faith was that nothing could change God's plan for him. These four men are always the role models I follow. In my heart, their stories are my ever-present strength; this is called true faith. What is your faith? I wonder if your faith was eaten by a dog? Despising everything in the world, that is true faith! Taking worldly things so seriously, that is not the faith spoken of in the Bible.

Inherit the Faith of Jesus Christ and Do What Jesus Christ Did

The greatest thing Jesus did was to completely offer himself, accomplishing salvation so that we can have it today. It was not that He could not escape and had to be crucified on the cross. He could have escaped completely, but He came for this and was born for this. To come for this means to offer himself and accomplish the beautiful grace of redemption. So today, we do everything in the name of Jesus Christ! Healing in the name of Jesus Christ, casting out demons in the name of Jesus Christ, speaking in new tongues in the name of Jesus Christ, laying hands and praying in the name of Jesus Christ, binding and trampling the enemies of the devil in the name of Jesus Christ, opening the heavenly treasury in the name of Jesus Christ, this is inheriting the faith of Jesus Christ!

Brothers and sisters, listen carefully, such faith in Jesus Christ brings great destruction to the kingdom of the devil and releases us from the hands of the devil. If we are released, let us not go in peace like the woman with the issue of blood. If you are healed and want to go, I will also tell you, go in peace! But what I want to tell you more is, come! Let us inherit the faith of Jesus Christ together! Do what Jesus Christ did; this is our destiny! The destiny that we came for, were born for, live for, and die for! Only in this way can you draw on God's grace, not just the healing of the issue of blood, but to heal those who have the issue of blood, let us do what Jesus Christ did together!

Conclusion

If we believe that living in this world is just vanity, just a shadow, and the things we pursue in the world are just toil and trouble, just chasing after the wind, then we begin to long for a better homeland. We begin to think about the path that Jesus Christ walked, the path that the Apostle Paul walked, and we walk the path that they walked. We must know for sure that signs and wonders will accompany us. The ancients were able to obtain this excellent evidence, and we can still obtain this excellent evidence. Let the glory of God shine through us to illuminate this dark world; the let people in despair, living in the valley of the shadow of death and darkness, see the glory of God through us; see the hope from God; this is our Mingding Destiny!

May God bless everyone!
```