It is not crucial to win or lose at the starting line; what matters is whether you can seize the opportunity.

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with skill; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Many years ago, I considered buying property in Beijing but didn't. Now, the prices are 20 times higher. Has the opportunity vanished? Not really. Opportunities abound in this world. What is Ecclesiastes 9:11 truly saying? It highlights the importance of opportunity. A person's access to opportunity is directly related to their state of being. For instance, some find good jobs, while others end up with less desirable employment. After the same twenty years of service, their salaries and benefits may differ significantly. Thus, opportunity defines a person's condition.

What Exactly is Opportunity?

We often say that opportunities are serendipitous and not always attainable. However, as Christians, we must understand what opportunity entails. Recently, I came across a cartoon depicting a child at the starting line with a car, poised to start the race on top of the vehicle, with his parents inside. Another person was also at the starting line, atop a rickshaw, with elderly parents inside. This cartoon conveys a message: losing at the starting line. It represents the concepts of winning at the start and losing at the start.

In reality, a look at history reveals that many people did not win at the starting line. Take Chairman Mao, for example, who was a librarian at Peking University, with perhaps a vocational school education, yet became a great leader in Chinese history. Consider also figures like Jack Ma. Today, I want to emphasize that it is not crucial to win or lose at the starting line; what matters is whether you can seize the opportunity.

Where is Opportunity?

Today, I want to discuss where opportunity lies, which is crucial. A person's family background does not define opportunity. Thus, we need to understand what opportunity entails. What we do in the church is shape a person's character because character is linked to seizing opportunities.

The church is essentially in the education industry. The focus of education is not merely knowledge, as knowledge alone does not bring power. Today, we re-examine the education system and see that education trains a person's character. Cultivating character is the most important lesson. Character is the most crucial quality a person possesses. This is what Ecclesiastes discusses at the beginning.

Who Can Seize Such Opportunities?

Our generation today has unprecedented opportunities available. In fact, holistic education is the training of one's character. People's thinking should shift from a knowledge-based focus to a person-based quality. Build skills and knowledge on the foundation of character, faith, and dreams. Character is a person's most important value. In employment relationships, employers understand that hiring someone means hiring their attitude, which is part of their character.

Therefore, do not despair if you feel you started behind. You win in another aspect, by seizing opportunity. Opportunity is related to a person's qualities, and with the right qualities, one can seize opportunities to solve problems.

Brothers and sisters, do your best in what you can do. You cannot control opportunity, but you can control how you shape yourself. Shape yourself, so that you can seize the opportunity when it arises. Today, my team and I have seized a great opportunity: the internet, and education. Education is an industry that gives hope.

Opportunity in Change

Where is opportunity? Opportunity is in change. If the world were static, there would be no opportunity. But in the changes of the vast world, there are many opportunities. Today, we live in the fastest-changing generation in history, also the generation with the most opportunities. We must change our perspective. Whether you can see and seize opportunities depends on the kind of person you are. In the continuous evolution of Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia, Apple, and Google phones, where are those who seized the opportunity? Today, the church's responsibility is to train brothers and sisters to seize opportunities. The key to seizing opportunity lies in training oneself.

Train Yourself with Character to Seize Opportunity

What should you train yourself in? Not in running fast, nor in fighting hard, nor in wisdom, intelligence, or skill, but train yourself in character, in the ability to see and seize opportunities. There may be a slight gap between what is preached and what is being fulfilled, but it is not too far off. Train your character, observation skills, and abilities, but most importantly, your character. The foundation of character is faith, and above faith is dreams. Then, commit your passion to your dreams. How do you train yourself? Many people think, I missed past opportunities, and I am already in my late twenties with nothing to show for it. It doesn't matter; readjust your faith, restore your dreams, and retrain that uncompromising and unyielding character. You will surely seize the opportunity.

Let's consider how to train ourselves today. I often encourage brothers and sisters to do their current tasks well. I don't believe that someone who can't do their current job well can become a useful talent. If you can't do your current job well, how will you do the future job? What will you do? For example, like JY, she discovered her talent while working in telephone insurance. Previously, listening to her testimonies made her feel useless. I encouraged her to go out and discover her faith. Where is opportunity? Opportunity lies in doing the current task well. Today, doing your current task well shapes your character, allowing you to handle everything properly.

A person may be very capable, but without the right character, running fast or fighting hard is useless. Let me give you an example. Olympic champions are impressive, but if you evaluate those who once won championships, you will find that many of them live miserably! Why? How can an Olympic champion live miserably? Pastor, didn't you say to do the current task well? Yes, they did their current task well, but they didn't do the following tasks well. In the Olympic champions, there is a man named Li Ning, he did well later, and successfully created the sports shoes of the Li Ning brand, and the brand still exists today. That is to say, what should people have? Not only to do the current thing well, but also to do the next stage of affairs well, and then the next.

Constantly seize opportunities is key

Why do some Olympic gold medalists live miserably afterward? Character. So, training your character is very important. Because when winning the Olympic gold medal can be done, later became a person without confidence, became a person without personality, became a person without dreams. Character is very critical, you have grabbed the opportunity in the past does not mean that you can grab the opportunity in the future, a person must always hold the personality and faith inside him.

But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. (Hebrews 10:38-39)

In other words, there is something called no retreat, never retreat, and continue to move forward in this character. In our church, even if you don't like to listen, I nag every day, and continue to move forward. If you stay in our church for a year, you will find that earth-shaking changes have taken place in this year. In the church for half a year, you will find that this half year is also constantly advancing and constantly changing; if you stay in the church for three months, you will find that the church is constantly introducing new things in these three months. Why? Because everything is at the time, if you seize an opportunity ten years ago, it may not be an opportunity today, and if you grab an opportunity nine years ago, you can grab an opportunity for eight years until you continue to seize opportunities. Constantly seizing opportunities is the key, and everything depends on the opportunity at the time. Seize every opportunity all the time.

Renewed in your mind

Today I lead my team and see a brand new opportunity. China will become the most developed country in the world in the next 20 years. It's okay to do anything. If you don't link up with China, you'll be done. Yesterday, XF told me that someone told XF, how do you come back after returning to China like this? The question is what to do when you come back? There are plenty of opportunities in China. What are you doing when you come back? Therefore, we must train our ability to see things. This is a personality. Do you have a judgement on the future? Someone asked me: Do you regret taking Singapore citizenship? I have no regrets, because I have been in it for more than 20 years. If you let me take Singapore citizenship again today, I will never take it again. Because, in the past 20 years, Singapore has risen from a developing country to a developed country, and I have enjoyed all the benefits. That was an opportunity.

But today, it is so difficult for me to get a permanent resident of China! There are only 10,000 permanent residents in China in total. But it doesn't matter, I'll think of another way. Learn to see big trends, don't be short-sighted, opportunities are hidden, and once the opportunities explode, it will no longer be an opportunity. That is to say, after other people Uber is done, you do another Uber, and what you do is no longer the same. Alibaba has built a Taobao, and you build another Taobao, that is no longer the same. This is how the world operates. Today, what kind of person do I want to train everyone to be? To be transformed by the renewing of your minds, not stiff.

Some one said:Pastor, you were a Singaporean citizen more than 20 years ago. Why can't I be a Singaporean citizen now? Times have changed! As long as your mind is renewed, you can test what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2). Some people say that what you say now is different from what you said five years ago. Can it be the same? It would be troublesome if it were the same! I have been changing all the time. Was I wrong five years ago or today? I don’t know how to answer his stupid question. I guess there is no need to answer it. Because, people need to be renewed in their minds, that is opportunity. Where is opportunity? In your mind, your mind must be constantly renewed, let your eyes see the continuous changes, and then confirm what is God's perfect, good, and pleasing will.

Being unchangeable is a typical dragon spirit's control, but being renewed in your mind is one of God's attributes. A spiritual person will know that our God holds the opportunity, and God will give you a good opportunity, but you must prepare yourself, and have a character, this character is a character of faith, and then your mind is constantly updated and changing, not stiff. So, opportunity is in change, that is to say, there is an opportunity when you see something changing, and there is no opportunity when something does not change. If you can seize the opportunity, it is because your thoughts are constantly updated and changing. So, brothers and sisters, you can think about what is changing around you today?

First, after 20 or 30 years of reform and opening up, China has changed. I want to share with you the overall world situation. This world is changing. What I see is that after 20 years of keeping a low profile, China has become an economy that is developing rapidly. In 1989, the Chinese were still superstitious about American-style democracy, but now the whole world is superstitious about Chinese-style socialism. Someone made a comparison between what Trump said and what Deng Xiaoping said: to build socialism with Chinese characteristics, they want to build American-style capitalism, and Deng Xiaoping said to keep a low profile, and he wants to be American, and to be American at the root, all his things are inheriting Deng Xiaoping's theory, and the whole world is talking about the Chinese system is good.

When I was in Taiwan, I met a New Zealander. He said, China is good! He said that Chinese people want to build a bridge. They will start building tomorrow. A small alley in New Zealand has been talked about for three years and has not been renovated. Why? Because they have a democratic mechanism. So, where is the opportunity? The opportunity is in China, and in the next 20 years, China will become a world power. In fact, it is already very strong now. This change will bring about changes in the entire world, and the changes in the world will change with China’s changes. China will become the strongest country in the world. If you think of 1.3 billion people, if the per capita output value is the same as in the United States, it will become four times the total output value of the United States.

Dare to Explore

What changes has China brought? Although my research into the Belt and Road Initiative is not thorough enough, I have watched several videos and learned that China is in talks with Thailand about the Kra Isthmus Canal, which would bisect Thailand and create a canal. The world will change. What will happen to Singapore then? Singapore relies on the Strait of Malacca and shipping. Therefore, the Singaporean government is also actively thinking about where the opportunities lie in the face of such changes in the global economic situation. As Lee Hsien Loong said at the conference, we are a small country and we must constantly seize opportunities in such a challenging environment. I believe they will explore their opportunities, but I also encourage our brothers and sisters in the church to explore our opportunities as well.

China has taken over a port in Pakistan, directly accessing Xinjiang from the Indian Ocean, and land transportation can solve some of the issues of energy transportation from the Middle East, making the route closer. In addition, China's high-speed rail is still developing rapidly. Over the past ten years, China has become the country with the most high-speed rail construction. Just ten years ago, China had no high-speed rail, but now it accounts for half of the world's high-speed rail construction. Therefore, everyone is beginning to ponder these changes, because opportunities are in the midst of change. The opportunities brought about by this change are so rich.

If you ask me, I would advertise for Hangzhou. I believe that Hangzhou will become a remarkable city in the future. So, I think everyone should start exploring and understanding from today onwards. Some people, like HF and PL's parents, think I am an old fogey. I am not. I think these things are all revealed in the 《Bible》. Our minds must be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, and then you will have this character of faith, and then you can seize this opportunity. I tell you, you will surely be magnified!

God Controls Opportunities

What does the 《Bible》 say? I will make you a great nation; I will make your name great; I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you (《Genesis》 13:2). Think about how powerful such a person is. So why not be such a person? Opportunities are not just something you can encounter but cannot seek. Opportunities are both encounterable and seekable, because our God controls opportunities. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. If you are a God-fearing person, you will lack no good thing. Our goodness is beyond God (《Psalm》 16:2). So this is a concept inherited from my personal faith.

Today, I want to remove something: a sense of complacency. It is a very serious problem when a person's mind is not renewed and transformed. Yesterday, HF put our booklet in the gift bag, and everyone took one. I hope they can read it and understand it. This kind of complacency will kill you. When have you ever seen an opportunity in complacency? Complacency leads to ruin. Later, I studied the occurrence, development, and entire process of all things, and I found that this thing is called life cycle. Has everyone learned what a life cycle is? For example, if a company creates a product, like iPhone 3, it will eventually die. It must have iPhone 4, and iPhone 4 will also die. Then they will release iPhone 5, and then iPhone 6. Every product has a cycle, which means that every thing has its life cycle. It will perish after a certain period.

When I was young, I thought I was very interested in politics. Capitalism became its gravedigger. It has its life cycle. So if a person is complacent and relies on the past to create your future, it is impossible to create a beautiful future. Only by constantly renewing your mind and constantly updating your knowledge can you solve problems.

We all use Intel chips in our computers. In the early 1980s and 1990s, the boss of Intel was Andy Grove. He was a Jew. He wrote a book called 《Signal Survival》, which translates to 《Tenfold Growth》. I think this thing is very strange. How can it be translated as 《Tenfold Growth》? He said that the occurrence of anything is an S-curve, with the occurrence of life, then rising, then growing, and then perishing. That is to say, his company, Intel, is promoting what concept? That is, before the previous product perishes, a new product must be launched, a new S-curve must be started, and then a new product must be launched... Constantly updating and iterating, it can survive.

That is just survival. That is to say, if a person does not remove the complacent mentality, even survival is a problem. Do you think teaching Chinese will not become a problem? Do you think teaching English will not become a problem? It will become a problem! Yesterday I told PL’s colleagues and teachers that this era is constantly changing, and many people’s jobs may be gone after doing them for a while. Oh no, autonomous driving is far away from us, at least twenty years. Do you believe he is wrong? It cannot be twenty years.

I saw a person, that was many years ago. XY and XF and I saw a small video on TED. I felt that the thing was so great, because I learned control systems, and I knew how challenging that thing was. He made a test flight of a helicopter, and then the test flight of the helicopter was tied to the four corners of a net. The test flight of the helicopter flew together, carrying the net in the air, and then threw a ball into the air. The plane flew over and caught the ball, catching the ball 100%. Amazing!

Someone also developed something, which is a robot playing table tennis. It plays so well! So whether it is playing chess or Go, people can no longer beat machines. That is, in this generation, in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (this is a book written by a foreigner, which is not very well written, because the summary is not very systematic, I believe he must have been very busy when writing. This person is Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum), everything has its life cycle. What he means is that everything will die. So if this thing dies and you cannot generate an innovation within you, it is not a question of whether there is an opportunity or not. It is a key to life and death.

Be at the Head, Not the Tail; Be Above, Not Beneath

That is to say, brothers and sisters, today in the church, we must train ourselves to constantly renew, constantly see the changes of the times, and constantly seize opportunities in the changes of the times. Some people say, Pastor Liu, you call this prosperity theology. As for what kind of hat people put on me, I don't care much. I only care whether what I say has a biblical basis. What does the Bible say? If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, not turning aside to the right or to the left, nor following other gods to serve them, the Lord will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom (《Deuteronomy》 28:13-14 ).

Is this good? This is good! If you don't want it, I want it. How can you be the head and not the tail, be above and not beneath? When an opportunity comes, seize it. When an opportunity comes, seize it again! Every opportunity is a turning point, and every turning point of opportunity makes you surpass the previous era at once. There are countless such stories. We must constantly renew in the life cycle. That is to say, this time cannot determine your future. This time only determines this time. If you seize it next time, and then you seize it next time, you will be amazing.

Think about it, if the things we say in the church are constantly put into our brothers and sisters in the church, your parents should thank me. Why are you still foolishly opposing? We must know that what we receive in the church is this kind of training of transformed by the renewing of your mind. Today I want to seize the opportunity in this changing world. This book talks about three chariots. The first is the big trend. If you get the big trend right, you will understand the small ones as well. You will be amazing. If the big trend is wrong, it is useless to seize the small ones.

Summary

A person must know that you have no family background, no connections! Your starting point is not good, it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter if no point is good! The key is whether you have this character in you to seize the current opportunity. There are so many opportunities today that it is a mess, but do you have the strength to seize it? I think today, brothers and sisters, can we think about what opportunities are in front of you or around you, and are you prepared to seize such opportunities?

I would feel one regret. What is it? Many people’s eyes cannot be changed all the time. His eyes are always thinking, for example, I get a degree, find a job after graduation, and then take a civil service exam, and then be lazy there, lazy for one year, two years, three years, and then cultivate myself into a waste. China will lay off employees in the future, which will be fatal. Many people have this complacent mentality. So, brothers and sisters, can we start considering today what areas you need to deal with, what areas you need to renew, and what areas you need to reshape yourself, and then live out a prosperous life, and then become a person who is at the head and not the tail, and is above and not beneath.

If our brothers and sisters all become people who are above and not beneath, who are at the head and not the tail, and who are financially free from having to work hard, then how good it would be for you to serve God. It is not that we serve God to rely on money to produce a sense of security, it doesn’t matter, but we can really devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the service, how good it would be! I encourage everyone again, no matter what your environment is, no matter what your situation is, no matter your family or your family background, or the level of education you have received, this cannot affect you from becoming a person who is above and not beneath, who is at the head and not the tail, Amen!