【Sermon Recording Part 1】

The following is a summary of the live recording. Please refer to the recording for accuracy.

Summary

Introduction:

How did James become the leader of the church? Let us start from the beginning. The year of the Lord Jesus' crucifixion was around 30 AD. Paul, who wrote the Bible, believed in the Lord about 4-5 years after the Lord Jesus was crucified. When was the Jerusalem conference? Roughly 14 years after Paul's conversion. That would be around 47-49 AD. The Lord Jesus was crucified in 30 AD. From the Lord Jesus' crucifixion to the first Jerusalem conference in Acts 15, it was about 17-18 years. During these 17-18 years, the church underwent tremendous changes. About 3 or 4 years later, Paul wrote Galatians. Galatians mentions many things about Peter and James. We can know that in Galatians, around 52-53 AD, Paul's foundation among the Gentiles was very firm. Paul ministered to the Gentiles, while James and Peter ministered to the Jews.

Peter Lost His Calling from God

Preaching the gospel to the Gentiles was not originally intended for Paul; it was initially Peter's responsibility. After Paul's conversion, he went to a place and stayed there for 14 years, and going to Jerusalem was something that happened later. It was originally Peter's job to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter often traveled around, performing miracles, healing the sick, and casting out demons.

This began in Acts chapter 10, 10:1-20. Peter went to Cornelius's house and preached for a few minutes. While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius. Cornelius spoke in tongues, and Peter said, Can anyone withhold water from baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This is a confirmation of the apostle Peter's mission to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. This gospel should have been continuously preached to the Gentiles, but later Peter was influenced by someone, and that someone was James, the physical brother of Jesus. Why did James lead Peter to minister to the Jews? Did Peter later preach the gospel to the Gentiles? It seems not. Not only did he not preach the gospel to the Gentiles, but he also acted hypocritically with them. Peter was influenced by James and acted hypocritically when he was with the Gentiles, pretending when no one was around and getting along well with them, which was originally his calling.

The Origin of Hypocritical Culture

Later, James became the head of the Jerusalem church, and Peter was afraid of being reported, so he acted hypocritically in front of those who came from James. This is written in Galatians, and the original word in the Bible is hypocrisy. Hypocritical behavior had become a culture of the Jerusalem church. The Jerusalem church conveyed the law of Moses, which is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul said in Galatians that if anyone preaches a gospel different from the one he preached to them, let that person be accursed. Paul seemed bossy, but it was for the purity of the gospel. If it were for believing in the law of Moses, why bring up Jesus?

Today, we will sort out what happened at that time, one by one. Peter returned to Jerusalem and shared with everyone about Cornelius's conversion. However, many who adhered to circumcision in the church were unhappy and criticized Peter for going into the house of uncircumcised men and eating with them. Peter then began to explain everything to them. The Jerusalem church believed that circumcision was very important, and many insisted that Christians be circumcised. But the problem is that this is not the heart of God in the New Testament. Peter put in a lot of effort to explain this to them. Once this matter was explained, God granted grace to the Gentiles.

Building the Church is Simply Following God's Will

When a tradition enters people's hearts, it is too difficult to change. Whether or not to circumcise does not hinder people from entering into God's heart. When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he wanted to associate with the disciples. They were all afraid of him, but Barnabas received him. Later, Paul left Jerusalem and went to a distant place. Then someone named Barnabas went to Tarsus to bring Paul back. After bringing Paul back, this was in Acts chapter 11, Paul went to Antioch and began to preach the gospel from that time on. Paul then went to various places with Barnabas, being sent out to preach the gospel, which is in Acts chapters 13-15, establishing churches everywhere. This was before the Jerusalem conference in 49 AD, and he had been working for several years with very good results. So why did Paul go to Jerusalem to attend the conference? Because he went up by revelation, lest he should run in vain. When he attended the Jerusalem conference, who was the leader? James was the leader. How did James become the leader? Peter was originally the leader, so how did James become the leader?

At that time, Peter was quite influential in Jerusalem. King Herod arrested Peter and put him in prison, arranging for people to guard him. He intended to bring him out and kill him during the Passover. On the night before he was to be killed, an angel came and rescued Peter. Peter went to the house where the disciples were gathered, and the people in the house were gathering and praying when Peter entered. Many did not believe it. This is in Acts 12:17. At this time, James, the physical brother of Jesus Christ, and Peter had a very good relationship. It is unclear whether his position was greater or lesser than Peter's. Later, Peter hid himself and arranged for James to take over managing the church in Jerusalem.

When did James enter the church? This is inconceivable and completely untraceable. The reason for telling this story is to understand who James was. No one has recorded James entering the church. I will make a bold conjecture that the church is a very powerful thing. In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit descended, and all things were held in common. At that time, the church had a lot of money. Everyone ate together, practicing communism. As a result, the church was persecuted, and Stephen was martyred. Paul was also one of those who persecuted the church. Later, Paul was personally chosen by God and believed in the Lord. When Jesus preached, his brothers were not there. They were not there when Jesus was crucified, nor when Jesus resurrected, nor when the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost. When did they appear? After the church became wealthy. Mary played a very important role. Jesus had said long ago that those who follow the will of the Father are His brothers and sisters. Mary thought, I must let my son come in and manage things. Later, the Roman Catholic Church elevated Peter and Mary for a reason. This bold conjecture is just the above paragraph!

It is also completely unknown whether James cast out demons. James suddenly emerged when Peter fled. Perhaps James was the kind of person who only took a salary and did no work. James was very influential. James and Jesus' other brother, Jude, we do not know what they did. The Bible does not record anything about them. Those who came from James brought a lot of trouble to the churches in Corinth, Galatia, and Rome. The book of James written by James is very influential. James was the head of the Jerusalem church, but this proves nothing.

## Contending for the Pure Gospel

In 1 and 2 Corinthians, the question arises: Was Peter the greatest apostle? Later, it becomes clear why Paul had to contend with these issues; it was because James and Peter wielded significant influence, yet it was not in line with God's will. The Corinthian church suffered from confusion regarding the status of James and Peter. In reality, their status proves nothing. We know what Peter did, but we know virtually nothing about what James did. Physical relationships prove nothing.

Only one thing matters: the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the Church of God. If James had truly done something great, it would have been recorded in the Bible. Paul says he doesn't care about people's words; he only cares about God's power. Many can talk but not act, and such churches are all too common today. Releasing people from bondage is no great feat; in Paul's words, the Kingdom of God is about God's power. We find that James never really shows up in the Bible. In fact, the only significant thing James did in the Bible was to create confusion for Paul.

In Acts 13-14, Paul goes everywhere preaching the gospel. What happened then? Because the churches worldwide were under the control of Jerusalem, if James forbade you from doing something, you could not do it. As a result, Paul wrote about these issues in Galatians. Galatians 2:1-2 reveals a subtle point: if Paul hadn't cultivated relationships back then, he would have been in danger; James could have dismissed him at any time. Paul's revelation was not to work in vain. There's more to these verses than meets the eye. Later, Paul went to Jerusalem and convened the Jerusalem Council, as recorded in Acts 15. Paul stood up and addressed the regulations of Moses and circumcision, ultimately achieving what he wanted: he would no longer run in vain; an agreement was reached. This is written in Acts 15:12-19. They later reached an agreement to send Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles, and James and Peter to the Jews. Thus, Paul gained the opportunity to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. From then on, Paul went all out, preaching the gospel extensively to the Gentiles.

Paul's apostolic status among the Gentiles was solidified, and Paul's stronghold was in Antioch. When Peter came to Antioch, he ate with the Gentiles, but Barnabas also joined Peter in hypocrisy simply because some men came from James. Paul, in a very secure position, wrote the book of Galatians, stating that those who seemed to be something added nothing to him; he preached the gospel to the Gentiles. At this time, the church in Jerusalem increasingly exhibited hypocrisy, as if Jewish Christians were superior and Gentile Christians were inferior. Paul said that anyone who preached a gospel different from his would be accursed. James said that a person's mouth should not utter both praise and cursing, but didn't Moses proclaim blessings and curses in Deuteronomy? James said he would not burden the Gentiles, but how can he say he wouldn't burden them? Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'; this is not from God.

## God's Demands Have Never Been Lowered

The standard of law that a Christian observes should be many levels higher than the Old Testament standard. What we need is to rigorously examine the Bible to see if these words are true or not, not because of who said them. If we implement Paul's words, we can indeed release God's power, and many people will be healed. Deng Xiaoping faced tremendous resistance in his reform and opening up, much like Shang Yang's reforms. China's GDP was then inferior to Taiwan's. Deng Xiaoping drew a circle in Shenzhen, and later, even a farmer could become wealthy. Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up did not blindly trust authority; he was pragmatic. Today, we need this pragmatic spirit, a spirit of exploration and excavation. You want everything written in the Bible? Do you also want Judas's hanging? It's not like including something in the Bible makes it automatically good! If you include a rock, and you don't know if it's a stumbling block.

Today, we need to recognize that many words are correct, but just a few incorrect words can be fatal. Today, we need to return to the foundation and build our complete system of faith. Today, we must learn and not be blindly led. The Bible says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. If Jesus becomes a Bodhisattva, that's trouble! Jesus doesn't have the heart of a Bodhisattva; Jesus has the heart of Jesus Christ. Ignorance leads to destruction. Everyone must constantly examine and begin to build a complete system of faith. After examining, you will understand, Oh, so that's how it is. If you don't believe in the Apostle Paul today, you can't read the New Testament. But if we follow the teachings of the Apostle Paul and live out the power of Jesus Christ, what else is there to say?

## Study the Word of God in Detail

Many people are lazy, saying that the Bible is inspired by God, but they don't bother to read it properly. To this day, how many people have examined what the Jerusalem Council was about? Paul received the ministry of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, but that was originally Peter's task! How did it disappear? We see that the gospel preached by the Apostle Paul has great power of the Holy Spirit, and the churches he built are all over the place. Today, do you accept the gospel of James or the gospel of Paul? When I build churches according to Paul's way, the churches are filled with power. I tried hard to build churches according to James's way, and I found it impossible. Anyway, I have accepted the teachings of the Apostle Paul, and I have seen God with us. Today, we need to rethink; we want to open up a path of learning for everyone.

I once saw a church where half the people accepted speaking in tongues and half did not. How can such a church preach? You can't do things halfway; you can't be a people-pleaser. Later, in Acts 21, after James read Galatians, his heart was filled with anger. Later, Paul, with his thick skin, came to Jerusalem again. James, being a good man, came to greet him and exchange pleasantries with Paul. Paul's purpose for coming was to get these people to reflect on themselves, but these people continued to play their own games as usual. Acts 21:20-26 tells us that when Paul was in the temple, nearing the end of the seven days, he was arrested by the believing Jews. The temple and the high priest were very important to these Jews. The Jewish Christians were a strange mixture, and Paul was arrested. There are many layers behind this! When Luke wrote the Book of Acts, Paul had been in prison in Rome for many years. This was a trap!

## Those with Mingding Destiny Cannot Die!

Why did Paul have to go to Jerusalem? Paul went for the sake of his own people, even to the point of being willing to be accursed and separated from Christ for their sake. Paul knew it was a pit, but he insisted on jumping into it. Today, we will poke this hornet's nest, and we are willing to be drowned. Allowing people to hear the gospel allows them to receive the benefits of the gospel. We are not being hypocritical; today, we must rely on the power of God to reveal the purity of the gospel. The gospel of this generation must shine again like a bright lamp. Whether through wisdom or cleverness or whatever means, the Apostle Paul preserved the purity of the gospel, so that we who believe in the gospel can receive its benefits. Paul set a very good example for us; only those who disregard life and death and do not love money can do it. Acts 23:11 says, Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. Rest assured, a person who places their life in God's hands cannot die before completing God's mission!