Introduction

Good morning. Let us turn to Philippians Chapter 2. This chapter speaks of how to live out the glory of God. Do you know how to live it out? It is: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Isn't that a rather tall order?

When I first became a believer, I earnestly sought after this, and I enrolled in theological studies. The professor spoke eloquently, and I thought it was quite good. So I asked a question: "If this were Jesus Christ, how would He view it?" He replied, "I am not Jesus; how would I know?" This reminded me of how I sometimes answer your questions, giving you a bit of a jab. Perhaps I learned to jab you from my teacher.

After being jabbed like that, I was nearly breathless. I thought, "I cannot continue studying here. I came to study theology for what purpose? I need to know what Jesus thinks." I tell you, on the very first day I believed in Jesus, I had this thought. If I do not know what Jesus thinks, what am I talking about? Isn't that utter nonsense? And theology, what is there to learn?

In truth, one must know what Jesus thinks, and then we think as Jesus thinks. We see as Jesus sees. This was my thought when I first believed in Jesus. If I had believed in something else, I would have earnestly explored that as well. If I believed in Marx, I would study how Marx thought. If I believed in Buddha, I would study how Buddha thought. Otherwise, how would you manage? If I believed in Lao Tzu, I would have to know how Lao Tzu thought. We learn, of course.

The salvation of Jesus Christ enables us to live out the glory of God. If you live like a ghostly apparition, or like the guardians of hell, or like a petty demon, what glory is there to speak of?

Brothers and sisters, do not mistakenly think that believing in Jesus means eternal life in a simplistic sense. This belief is not merely believing in Jesus and then going to heaven after death. It is believing in Jesus and, at the moment of belief, having the mind of Christ. If you do not live out the image of God, what are you doing? I do not know what they are doing. Many Christians know nothing. The mind of Christ? Forget about it; they have ruined themselves. If they ruin themselves, will God abandon them? If you ruin yourself like that, will Jesus not abandon you?

Therefore, I teach you this: Jesus Christ, as the firstborn, has opened a path to eternal life for us; a path to joy; a path to glory; a path that allows people to live out the glory of God, becoming children without blemish. I tell you, this is not something I realized after becoming a pastor. I understood this from the very beginning when I read the Bible. Whether it is the English Bible or the Chinese Bible, if you read carefully, this is the meaning.

So, brothers and sisters, you must know that believing in Jesus means having the mind of Christ. How much of it do you have? I tell you, for a period of time, I often felt sorrow in my heart. Why the sorrow? Alas! How many brothers and sisters have the mind of Christ? In my own view, too few among us truly overcome the old self. If I said none, it would be too despairing. Can we truly overcome the old self?

You know, the Philippian church was a relatively good church. Paul, in writing the Book of Philippians, put forward the true standard of believing in Jesus. Do not think that the same was not said in 1 Corinthians. Alas, why mention this to a group of carnal people? It would be meaningless. It is better to speak of having the mind of Christ to those in Philippi.

The Philippian church is not too far from here, while Corinth is very, very far. We must know that the Christians in Philippi were quite good. How then do we live out the glory of God? It is by having the mind of Christ.

How Jesus Christ Lived Out the Glory of God

Jesus Christ gave us a demonstration. I will read it to you:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11)

Ah, this is so well said. Did you understand it? Let me explain this passage to you. What is this passage about? This passage is about Jesus Christ, who was originally God. He humbled Himself and became man. He was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Not being high and mighty, but rather emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. This is very important. He became like man, and He said, "You must learn to be human. This is how you do it."

How did He act as a man? This is called being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Jesus Christ gave us a demonstration. Since He was a man, He acted as a man. Then He humbled Himself. It is not that He had to be humble, but He gave us a demonstration, saying, "Man should live like this. If you do, you will be able to live out glory." He humbled Himself, unlike some who think they are great when they have something. That is troublesome; they cannot bear blessings.

So He humbled Himself and was obedient. Look carefully; I rarely speak to you about obedience. In fact, I do not need you to obey; it is you who need to obey. Do you want to live out the image of God? If you want to live out the image of God, then you need to learn to obey. Not obey everything, but obey the Word of God, even to the point of death, even death on a cross. You think dying on a cross means the end? No, God exalted Him to the highest place.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that I often tell you to climb the spiritual heights. Many times, people do not know how to climb the spiritual heights. Obey the Word of God, hold on to what you read, hold on to what you read, and you will quickly climb the spiritual heights. What do you obey in the end? God says, "Life is vanity of vanities." If you desperately cling to it, I think you are in trouble.

Life is vanity. I tell you, this is a very crucial watershed. If you want to climb the spiritual heights, you must have the mind of Christ. What is that? It is seeing through life and death. If you do not see through it, you cannot walk this path. You think living is very real. But I tell you, living is not real; it is all vanity. You think money is very real, but money is vanity. People have money, but they live like neither man nor ghost. What are you doing then?

So, Jesus gave a demonstration. How can one be exalted to the highest place? It is by being obedient to death. No matter what happens, you must know that God is in control. If it seems like God is in control today, and the devil is in control tomorrow, if it seems like man has the final say today, and the devil has the final say tomorrow, and God has the final say the day after, taking turns, you cannot walk this path.

If we encounter something that almost kills us, is that God in control? Of course. Why? Ask yourself. Why does God want you to experience these things? We must know that man is man. Man needs God very much. Man can live out the image of a demon without doing anything. If man wants to live out the image of God, he must imitate Jesus Christ, being obedient to death. Not easy, is it? Not easy. But once you grasp it, you will climb the spiritual heights very quickly.

Thank the Lord! Empty yourself; do not think so highly of yourself. Ah, your face, ah, your noble status, in the end, you end up with no nobility or glory. Jesus did it this way: rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Do not feel sorry for Jesus Christ dying at thirty-three, because He lives in eternity.

So I want to tell you, once a person is focused on earthly things, it is over. You are definitely living at the lowest spiritual level. You say the lowest level is not the eighteenth level? No. It is the zero level. Then going to the eighteenth level later is not too late. Once you live in this life, valuing money too much, you can figure it out. Just seventy, eighty, or ninety years like that, in the blink of an eye, it is gone. It is like flipping through a photo album.

An old man passed away at ninety-plus years old. Before he passed away, he took out the photo album. Ah, looking at it, the birth was in 1931, and now it is 2025. In the blink of an eye, 94 years have passed. 94 years, or 95 years by the Chinese reckoning. Flipping through the album, the black and white photos are yellowed. The young girls were quite beautiful, flipping through it, you start to see children, flipping through it, you start to experience a lot. Then flipping through it, in a few days, you flip to retirement, in a few pages, you flip to 60, 70, 80, 90, and then you are gone. Not hanging on the wall, but gone. Ah, how fast, it is gone.

So you say, is life in this world vanity? Yes. But how many of us see through this vanity? If you have the mind of Christ, you will have fewer worries. Why are you worried? Your spiritual level is too low. Too low? You are digging the ground, digging the ground, slowly climbing up.

So, to be a person, follow the great ones. The greatest in this world is Jesus. Learn from His example. I do not want to demand your obedience, but I cannot help but tell you that the Book of Philippians says that Jesus was obedient to death, and that is how He overcame. If you see through the matters of life and death, can work cause you trouble? Can your boss cause you trouble? If you truly know that Jesus Christ is exalted to the highest place, ah, everything is so good. If you truly know that God will exalt you to the highest place, do you still need to struggle like this? No.

So, brothers and sisters, you must overcome the matters of life. You must imitate Jesus Christ, putting all things under your feet. The things of this world are small matters. You must have the mind of Christ! How much of the mind of Christ do you have? Put your hand on your chest and ask yourself.

Let This Mind Be in You, Which Was Also in Christ Jesus

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)

Do you understand? Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. I am thinking, what is the mind of Christ? It is a mind of obedience. I tell you, when God is in control of your life, no one can touch your cheese. Because God is your God, and you prioritize God.

So sometimes when I speak like this, I am afraid that I am speaking too abstractly. How can I explain this clearly? In fact, having the mind of Christ is being a good person. Living out the image of God in this life, look how good this person is. Do not live like neither man nor ghost. Isn't that a tragedy?

So, what do you do? Learn to be obedient. People who learn to be obedient become very clever. Let me give you an example. Someone says to you, "Why are you so stupid?" You say, "Oh, I am stupid." Or you could say, "What? You look down on me?" Listen to that kind of talk; a person's IQ immediately drops to zero. They really become stupid. Originally, someone was telling you, "You did this thing stupidly." You say, "I'm not stupid." Then do you think you are very clever? Not clever at all. You can tell by the way you live your life. So, obedience is a very important thing.

Let me give everyone a few suggestions. Who is Jesus Christ? He is a high achiever. No one in human history has surpassed Jesus Christ. We have become His disciples. If we don't listen to Him, who should we listen to? He can be exalted to the highest place. Can we be exalted to the highest place? Yes! The Apostle Paul's Gospel is actually a Gospel of striving. Too many Christians today do not have the heart of Jesus Christ. Would the heart of Jesus Christ love money? No, He loves God. Would the heart of Jesus Christ fear death? He does not care about death because He does not live in the flesh; He lives in eternity. It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.

If you live only for this life, living in the flesh, and you think that is what is real, then it will definitely be a tragedy; you will definitely be a failure. Why? Because you cannot overcome the old self. If a person overcomes the old self, they will take a dim view of living this life. This is called climbing the spiritual heights. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. This is not just empty talk. If it is truly Jesus Christ who lives in you, then that is extraordinary.

Let me tell you why it is extraordinary. If you have the mind of Jesus Christ, what does it mean to have the mind of Jesus Christ? How do you view money? How do you view relationships? How do you view the mess in your family? Children, husband, wife, and all these things. If your thoughts are the same as Jesus Christ's thoughts, then that is extraordinary.

But some people say, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." But when you look at their thoughts and intentions, they are all based on the logic of the world. Isn't that just empty talk? So, I tell you, if the logic of Jesus Christ is in you, you will definitely be a very joyful person; you will definitely be a very clever person; you will definitely be a very capable person; you will definitely be a person with the glorious image of God. I think you can investigate this matter and try it out.

Have the Same Mind, the Same Love

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4)

After reading this, you might say, "Isn't this taking a loss?" Do you think it is taking a loss? Then you might say, "Wouldn't this be troublesome?" I tell everyone, if every brother and sister has the same mind, who is doing it? God is doing it. You have your ideas, I have my ideas, you argue for yours, I argue for mine, and then we argue until we are red in the face. I think, let's forget it. We are both just average people, not very intelligent. What do you know? You are just a very insignificant person. Why do you think you have the truth? So, having the same mind and the same love is very important!

In the past few years, the church has put a lot of effort into fighting the spirit of disunity. I tell everyone, it is very miraculous. Those who have different minds and different thoughts, they all left eventually. How did they leave? They were taken away by demons. The old horse was quite helpful. Then the church became more and more unified. These were some of the earliest spiritual battles we fought.

So, in the church, those with different thoughts and intentions, they have their dreams, they have their pursuits, you have your dreams, your pursuits. We want to have the mind of Jesus Christ, but they want to have the mind of their work. We are not on the same path. As we walk, God works. How does God work? God sends the demons to take them away. That's how He does it. So, the church begins to be purified.

Some pastors panic when they see people leaving. You might ask me, "Don't you panic?" I used to panic, but now I don't. Now I have the mind of Jesus Christ. Now I know that God is always in control. Now I know that God wants every brother and sister to have the same mind, the same love, the same values. Then we begin to be unified in the Spirit, in Christ.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind. Many people think that humility is human humility, but it is not. Humility is thinking that I am not capable, but my God is capable. If you think that you are not capable, and no one is capable, and even God is not capable, then that is not humility; that is arrogance. How do you know that God is not capable?

So, everyone slowly ponders this. Why should each esteem others better than himself? If you look at me and think that you are better than me, and I look at you and think that I am better than you, wouldn't we argue until we are red in the face? If it is like this: "Hey, I think this is not right." "Oh, yes, I also think it is not quite right." Then we can work together to figure this out. Wouldn't that be great?

But if I think, "It is just like this," I think it is average. What do you say? I think it is average. Then there is someone over there who thinks, "No, it is average." Can this be the same? If everyone is average, can everyone be wrong? No one will be wrong. So, having the same mind and the same love is very important!

If you have the mind of Jesus Christ, how can you be different? Everyone is aligned with Jesus Christ. How can you be different? So, I tell you, never think that God cannot do it. God definitely can do it. It is just that people hinder God's work.

So, if you are a preacher, listen to me explain Philippians like this, and go back and ponder it. If you do not require everyone in the church to have the mind of Christ, you cannot go on. Because everyone has their own standards. Some are average, some are average, some are average, and some are average. There are all kinds of people. Some are extremely below average. They have no standard. We take Jesus Christ as the standard.

Okay, let's not do this anymore. Look at your face. How can I not see the image of Jesus Christ? Yes, I look at your face, and it doesn't look like you have the image of Jesus Christ either. Oh, we are both about the same. Let's hold hands. You can put your arm around his shoulder if you want. Let's all take the standard of Jesus Christ as the standard and see how Jesus Christ sees things.

Jesus Christ does not look at this trivial matter. That is because Jesus Christ did not manage this matter. Whether your son goes to university or not? Whether your son gets married or not? Jesus Christ did not manage this matter. What does He manage? In eternity, there is a crown of glory reserved for us; to trample Satan under our feet; to give us authority above all nations, so that when we are in this world, we can be above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, and live out the glorious image of God. How wonderful that is!

Work Out Your Own Salvation with Fear and Trembling

This matter is a bit difficult. Of course, it is. So, what do we do? I tell everyone, it is impossible to do it casually. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. When everyone hears this sentence, how many of us have come to believe in the Lord with a heart of fear and trembling? But there are many who believe in the Lord casually. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a precise project. It is very precise. "The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a precise project." If you do not have this concept, and you believe in the Lord casually, carelessly, and haphazardly, can that work?

We should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Why should we fear and tremble? Because this is a flying project. You can soar in the air with the Spirit of God. The most frightening thing is that you casually, carelessly, and haphazardly fly up. You say, "Oh, this pig can fly." A pig flying is standing on the wind. What about when the wind passes? Even if a pig can fly on the wind, what about when the wind passes? It will fall down with a "thud." Maybe it will melt into the blue sky without that "thud." If you say that this thing falls, oh my goodness, that would be a terrible sight.

So, Christians must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. This salvation is living out the image of God. It allows people to soar in the high sky with God, to be above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, to trample all things under their feet. That is not a joke. If our brothers and sisters are careless, haphazard, and casual, I tell you, that is very dangerous. The house you build will fall. The bridge you build will collapse. If you are haphazard, can that work? The temple you build has no God dwelling in it, only demons dwelling in it. Your service does not please God but provokes His anger. That is deadly!

So, the Bible has been about carefully keeping and obeying, being rigorous, from a long time ago. I detest those who are not rigorous. Can you be more rigorous? If you live with a non-rigorous attitude, don't even think about it. You cannot live out the glorious image of God. So, you must have the mind of Christ. You must have the same mind and the same love. Then you can live out the glory of God. But this is a matter of fear and trembling. It can only be done with a heart of reverence for God.

If a person does not have reverence for God, how can they live? Fear and trembling, reverence for God, need to be learned. If you experience one disaster, two disasters, three disasters, and still cannot learn to reverence God, then keep going forward. Do not look to the sides. Just keep looking forward. As you go down, you will melt into the blue sky. Wouldn't that be a tragedy? So, brothers and sisters, if you experience any tragedy, do not blame God, because we lack this precise engineering mentality.

Speaking of precise engineering, I must tell everyone. In China, you will find that places like Shandong, Hebei, and the Northeast do not have precise engineering. Because I have come into contact with a relatively limited number of people from Shandong, Hebei, and Shanxi, they cannot do precise work. A long time ago in China, when we were children, there were Shanghai watches and Swiss watches. Watches were very expensive. A Shanghai watch cost more than two hundred yuan. A monthly salary was about forty yuan. It was good to save ten yuan. It would take two years to save up for a Shanghai watch. That was about the number.

Why do people from Shanghai, Japan, and the Jiangzhe area do things more meticulously? Otherwise, you cannot do this work. I tell everyone, believing in Jesus is more important than the precise engineering of a Shanghai watch. It requires even more rigor. You must carefully keep and obey.

How can you go on without rigor? Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Do not be like those foolish people who say, "I believe in Jesus. I am saved." It is not like that. So, once you believe in the Lord, you have chosen the greatest enemy in the world. I say great because it is truly great. The devil is great and powerful. If you are going to be knocked down by it as soon as you come up, what will you do? Of course, God can protect you. But if you do not have this heart, how can you seek God?

So then, my dear brothers and sisters, as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

Some say this is like flogging a fast ox, but it is not. It is about pushing the brothers and sisters in Philippi to a higher spiritual level. That is, to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, not in a slipshod manner. Paul was never a slipshod person. Those who are slipshod have no way forward.

I also thank God! The education I received was in precision engineering. On the first day of university, our teacher explained very well how a small screw could cause an airplane to crash. You know, modern airplanes are all computerised. After graduation, one of my classmates was assigned to another aircraft factory. After some time, he came to visit us while I was doing postgraduate studies. He said, "Oh, test pilots are in a high-risk profession, with a 30% chance of dying. Every time they fly, there is a 30% probability of dying." How frightening!

He watched as the plane was about to land, nearing the runway, when it flipped upside down. The sparks ground away the pilot's head. Terrible, right? All because of a code error, writing a positive value as a negative one. After he finished speaking, I thought, "Oh my goodness, the person who wrote that code killed a pilot." From then on, I have been very rigorous in my work. I am very meticulous.

So, brothers and sisters, ponder this slowly. The responsibility is great. Today, we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, because it can lead to death! It really can lead to death!

Be blameless children of God in a crooked and depraved generation

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:13-18)

Brothers and sisters, do you know that if each of you becomes a blameless child of God, what is the standard for being without blemish? And not in an easy environment, highly purified like a greenhouse, not in a chip manufacturing factory, wearing those suits, with no dust at all. No. It is in this very filthy world, in this crooked and depraved generation, to be a blameless child of God. Do you think this engineering is precise? It is more precise than making chips, more precise than making hard drives, much higher than aerospace engineering, isn't it? Oh, I really hope that brothers and sisters can take this to heart.

We are far, far, far away from God's standard. The things we encounter are only because we have filled ourselves with much worldly filth. If we fill ourselves with much worldly filth, people will definitely feel uncomfortable inside. Your heart will tell you that you are living uncomfortably. You may not want to tell me, but I don't need to know. People are uncomfortable, people are not joyful, why? Because people are living neither as humans nor as ghosts, how uncomfortable. Full of filth, if not this problem, then that problem, problems never end.

In this difficult scripture, they complete their mission in this world. You are not reading the Bible, you are reading a "difficult scripture," every family has its own difficult scripture to recite. Who told you to recite that stuff? Can you, with a heart of fear and trembling, work out your salvation, in this crooked and depraved generation, be blameless children of God, wash ourselves clean inside. God, come and wash us, let us act according to Your will, because God is working in our hearts to fulfill His good purpose. Whether we choose A or choose B, whether we think it is right or think it is wrong, whether we act according to the world's logic or according to God's logic, you know the result.

If a person is uncomfortable, your heart bears witness, and the Spirit of God also bears witness with you, shouting slogans is useless. You must really put in the effort with the heart of a precision engineer. I thank God that many of our brothers and sisters are very zealous. Yes, really put in the effort!

In this crooked and depraved generation, we easily become contaminated, because everyone is like that. Everyone must know that treasures are never many. You choose to be a treasure or to be trash, choose for yourself. Shine like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. See, this is the way of God!

Timothy and Epaphroditus risked their lives for the work of Christ

Timothy and Epaphroditus risked their lives for the work of Christ, becoming your example. I am filled with emotion. Everyone knows that Timothy and Epaphroditus were accompanying Paul. How they accompanied him, we are not very clear. Some say they went into prison to be with Paul. What was this about? I ask you, do you need to put down your work? Yes. Was there a loss? There was a financial loss. Was there a danger to life? There was a danger to life. These people risked their lives. And then what? That is, to have the same mindset as Christ.

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me. (Philippians 2:19-30)

This passage is well spoken. What happened? I want to tell everyone what happened. Paul is about to be released from prison soon. But he is very concerned about the people of Philippi. Why is he concerned about the people of Philippi? Do you know what is going on? Are they doing well or not? Why? Because the people of the Philippian church knew that Epaphroditus, who was from their church, went to see Paul and got sick.

What illness did Epaphroditus have? He had homesickness. He missed the people of his hometown of Philippi very much. Isn't this very interesting? Very interesting. Paul did not criticise him, nor did he say, "Why are you so sentimental?" Actually, that's what it was. He just missed home, and thinking about it made him sick, and brought the demons. He almost lost his life. Paul was serving him. Oh, this service, Paul did not describe the process of this service. Paul comforted him and sent him back quickly. Actually, the journey is long.

Epaphroditus had homesickness. Actually, I tell everyone, sometimes being a Christian, although there is the heart, there is no strength. Do you think this problem needs to be solved? Epaphroditus had the ability and courage to run from Philippi to Rome to take care of Paul. In Philippi, there were still many brothers and sisters who did not even have the heart to come to Rome to see Paul. What did Paul say? Because there is no one else who is like-minded with me. I really miss you, only this Epaphroditus, he misses home and wants to go home. And this Timothy. I have no one else to use, so I told Timothy, you quickly go and see the brothers and sisters in Philippi, tell them my situation, and tell me how their situation is? I miss them so much.

What are you missing? Missing them being messed with by demons, their spiritual level is actually a bit weak. Why? Because Paul knows what they are thinking in their hearts. Think about it, Epaphroditus is willing to come to Rome to take care of Paul, this is a relatively excellent Christian, and still has the problem of homesickness. Think about what other situations will be like, it is still worrying.

Paul's life is not easy, if he looks at himself, looks at God, he will be joyful. But when he thinks of these brothers and sisters, he feels sorrow in his heart. He feels uncomfortable. What logic is this? Oh. I think brothers and sisters really need to work harder, the worldly logic in us is too deep. I want to overcome this world, overcome the flesh, overcome the control between relatives, the road is still very long.

But whether it is Paul or Timothy, or Epaphroditus, they can still be examples for them, that is to say, oh, let's lower the standard a little bit. I think what is this? This Book of Philippians is written very realistically. But precisely because of this, some people say: Look, Epaphroditus is sick, Paul is there, why doesn't he do healing and deliverance? How do you know he didn't? Because Epaphroditus has homesickness in him, homesickness made him sick. Do you think he is very spiritual? Not very good. But Paul actually spent a lot of space solving this problem in his mind.

I am filled with emotion, now it is different from that time. Now taking a plane for ten or twenty hours, flying half the earth. At that time, it took months to walk. It is difficult to see family members. Why did he miss home? Worried about his wife and children. Oh, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me. Actually, between the lines, you Philippians still need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, you Philippians still need to strive hard. You Philippians, although you are a good church, you are still far from the image of Jesus Christ.

I thank God. Many of our brothers and sisters still have that energy. But still rethink, ponder, what we have experienced, which ones are not God? Which ones are not God working in our hearts to fulfill His good purpose, even if it is a bad experience, it is also God working in our hearts.

This is the way of joy

A person who can overcome these things will definitely be joyful. It is great if people in this world can live joyfully. It is amazing if you can live joyfully. If you do not destroy that worldly logical system, it is difficult for you to be joyful. If you are not entangled in this, you are entangled in that, if the demons do not mess with you this way, they mess with you that way, it never ends.

But if we can let go, if we can have the same mindset as Jesus Christ, these things, although they are still there, can no longer affect our hearts. Because our hearts have already been given to Jesus Christ. Amen! May God really give us such a heart, to have the same mindset as Jesus Christ.

May God bless everyone!