Brothers and sisters, the Christian faith is by no means merely a spiritual crutch; God is the answer and the source of all our problems. Today, the teacher will lead us to know this God who watches over and cares for us, teaching you how to be a Christian with a mission and a Mingding Destiny, understanding exactly what mission and Mingding Destiny are, and inheriting and emulating Ezra's mission-mindedness in seeking God, relying on God's faith, and experiencing the presence of God!
Questions for Reflection
What was Ezra leading so many people to do in Ezra 8:1-20? What does this event reveal about how God works with people? Share your thoughts on building the temple of God.
How did Ezra handle difficulties in Ezra 8:21-31, and what was the outcome? What lessons can you learn from this?
Do you thirst to build God's glorious church and be a blessing to all nations and peoples on earth? Do you know the mission and dreams of a Christian?
God is a God Who Protects Us and Provides Everything for Us
The Faith in Jesus Christ is Not a Spiritual Crutch
In the entire foundation of faith, many people have a misconception: that faith is a spiritual crutch. When I was in university, I was interested in spiritual things and often wondered: What is the point of being alive? So I started reading the I Ching and many other books, learning a lot. But when I encountered difficulties, they were of no use. Later, I came to know Jesus Christ in the church, and I realized that He is not a spiritual crutch.
If someone tells you that having a faith is good and teaches you to do good things, that is actually a mistake! If there is a faith that can truly protect you, that is a truly useful faith! If it is just a crutch, such a faith cannot hold anything during difficulties. Only Jesus Christ, the salvation He accomplished for us on the cross, can bear the burden of difficulties! I encourage everyone not to believe in Jesus with the concept of a spiritual crutch because a faith that is merely a spiritual crutch is actually impractical. Today, I see that those who suffer from insomnia are healed through prayer; those who have menstrual pain are healed through prayer; when you see people traveling far, when the plane is bumping severely and you are very afraid, pray and God will surely watch over you.
On Whom Does God's Protection Rest?
God is faithful, and God will surely watch over you and me. God is surely a God who provides all resources for you and me. But there is a condition: that the person is willing to offer himself for God, to live for God, and to take on the mission of building the temple and restoring the worship in God's temple. If you and I are those who build the temple, you cannot die even if you want to. Everyone must know that our God is a true and living God. If you have not experienced the power of God and only know that there is a spiritual crutch, that is not good. It is good to have a true God enter your life. So when the true God enters our lives, we can experience His care and protection, and He supplies us with everything. A person with a mission, God will surely protect him and be with him. There are many stories in the Bible about seeing God doing miraculous work when facing disaster. The first person to experience this was Abraham, and the second person was Jacob.
Examples of Faith: Jacob, Ezra
Jacob is the ancestor of present-day Israel; his name is Israel. One day, Jacob had to return to Canaan to see his brother Esau, whom he had deceived. Esau had held a grudge for 20 years, and when he heard that Jacob was returning, he came to meet him with 400 armed men. Jacob also went out to meet his brother because God was with Jacob, watching over and protecting him. A miraculous thing happened: when he was only a few hundred meters away from his brother, a new idea suddenly came into his mind, Why should I kill him? He had originally come to kill his brother with great intensity, but as he approached, he embraced his brother and wept bitterly, recognizing each other. Only God can do this. During the reign of King Artaxerxes, did Ezra go to the king to persuade him? No! It was God who stirred up King Artaxerxes, and then King Artaxerxes sent Ezra to select all those who were willing to build the temple with him and return to build the temple. God does all things; He does not need human help, but He needs someone willing to work with Him! If you can work with God, you can be like Ezra.
The people Ezra brought were not trained to fight, and they had no strength to resist the bandits on the road, especially since Ezra was carrying valuable jewelry with him when he returned. Because of King Artaxerxes' decree, everyone in the world knew that Ezra was carrying jewelry and that those around him were a group of scribes who were unable to fight. When Ezra returned, I believe he must have struggled there. In the midst of the struggle, Ezra led these people to humble themselves before God and fast for three days, asking God to grant them a smooth journey for their wives, children, and all their possessions.
Disaster is the Result of the Workings of the Powers of Darkness
Today, I want to put this concept into your mind: Any disaster is the result of the workings of the dark powers of the demonic enemy. Everything that happens on earth is directly related to what happens in the spiritual realm. To solve what is happening in the spiritual realm, you must go through prayer. Prayer can change the conditions in the spiritual realm, and prayer can bring angels and heavenly hosts to protect you around you. In fact, when a child is first born, he is very sensitive in his spirit, but as he grows up, his spiritual organs become less sensitive. For example, when a child is born, you will find that there is a symptom: the eyes look at a certain place with extreme fear and then cry there. After you pray, although you cannot see it, the child becomes quiet. That is because the spirits that were disturbing the child were driven away by the angels.
Stories of Missionaries
Missionaries are generally very wealthy and are sent from developed countries to underdeveloped countries to preach.
People Protected by Angels
There was a missionary who was preaching in the Philippines. One day, he was going to a village to preach. The bandits in that area knew that a missionary was coming, so they followed him, planning to rob him. The missionary prayed all the way to the village and led meetings, Bible studies, and prayers in the village. The bandits followed him and joined in the meetings, and as they listened, they believed in the Lord. They kept following him but never succeeded, because they found that there were many soldiers protecting him from behind. They could not get close and knew that they could not overcome those soldiers. In fact, the missionary had no soldiers at all; he was alone. Then, when the missionary entered the meeting place, the soldiers suddenly disappeared. The bandits entered the meeting place together. After the meeting, the bandits shared with everyone how they had planned to rob the missionary and how they had seen the disappearance of the soldiers, and everyone was greatly encouraged.
God's Hand Working to Deliver People from Danger
There was another missionary who was going to preach in Tibet and had to pass through some very dangerous roads. While passing through a small road leading to a village, he accidentally stepped on the edge of a cliff and grabbed the edge of the cliff with his hands. He sensed that there was a platform under his feet supporting him. He turned over and climbed up. After he climbed up, he looked down and found that there was no platform below. He said, It was God's hand that supported me! God sent the hand of an angel to support me! These are all true stories. We believe in a true and living God who can surely protect you forever!
How is the Calling, How is the Outcome
For someone with a calling in their heart, practically nothing in life can harm them. God will always protect them until they complete the mission He has given them in this world. Those without a calling might think, Living is just living. I live for myself, I live for my own enjoyment. Such people have two characteristics: First, their experiences tend to be their primary reference, but without God's protection, they will definitely attract demons. Second, it is very likely that God will also manifest His anger upon them. They cannot protect themselves and cannot stop disasters. Everyone must become someone with a calling. It is difficult for those with a calling to die because of God's care and protection.
The End of Those Who Love the World
I have encountered some people with cancer, and the first thought that comes to my mind is that they are people who love the world very much and are very considerate of their flesh. They become very anxious if they lack sleep, and they suffer if they cannot fall asleep. Suffering attracts demons, and attracting demons makes them suffer even more, leading to even more sleeplessness. If a person takes on a calling, these problems will be easily solved. As it is written in the Bible: For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
A Calling is the Solution
PL sister among us fasted and prayed for her parents for three days while under the control of depression. I know she was very tired, but she had a calling within her, which was to preach the gospel to her parents when they came. I was shocked that even though she was suffering from depression, she was still able to do such things. As a result, when her parents came, God worked mightily and she was released in front of her parents! Why are such people released? Because they have a calling! For those who have a calling, many problems are easily solved. Today, if you want to live this life well: take on the mission that God has given you - to build God's glorious church!
Ezra, a Man with a Sense of Calling
Ezra was a man with a very strong sense of calling. Our God will help all who seek Him, but His power and anger will attack all who forsake Him. Perhaps Ezra wanted to boast before the king, but he found himself leading a group of people with very valuable gold and silver treasures. If it were you, would you really still believe? God is invisible and intangible! I think Ezra also struggled. He thought it would be shameful to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to help them resist enemies on the road, but then he thought it would also be shameful to ask the king for them.
As a result, he made a decision, which later became a very beautiful testimony: I will fast and pray, and lead those who are returning to Jerusalem to fast and pray together. The situation in the spiritual realm changed, and angels and heavenly armies protected them all around until they arrived in Jerusalem. I don't know how many months it took, a long road, and you know that every day on this road was dangerous because they were carrying gold and silver treasures, like many outlaws waiting to rob him. They were all martial arts masters. How could a scribe like Ezra stop these martial arts masters? It was only because God's angels and heavenly armies encamped around them that they arrived safely. Ezra was able to reach Jerusalem with these valuable gold and silver treasures without the protection of soldiers, which in itself was a great miracle. So today I encourage everyone not to treat our God as a spiritual sustenance, He is a real God!
Encountering Grace in Prayer
God Does Not Disregard Those Entrusted to Him
Some of our brothers and sisters do not have a strong sense of calling and occasionally visit nightclubs, which contaminates them with a lot of filth. Later, they realize that it is wrong, repent, and begin to walk the path of taking on a calling. Thank God, God also protects them. When I was on a plane and it was shaking very violently, I felt like the plane was about to fall apart. I prayed, and the shaking stopped immediately. Otherwise, you can try it when you fly in the future. Things that fly in the sky are very dangerous, and they might fall down. But because God is our protecting God, even if the plane encounters some problems while flying in the sky, it's okay, pray quickly. I'll also tell you a way, don't wait until the plane encounters problems to pray, pray as soon as you get on the plane before it takes off. I actually have some phobia sometimes, that is, I'm afraid of the plane taking off and landing, but I have developed a habit of praying silently as soon as I sit on the plane, thank the Lord! I can always come back safely every time.
Stay Away from the Idols in Life
Everyone must not think it's a joke, and never become a pleasure-seeking Christian, because that will not stop disasters at all. You must become a Christian who takes on a calling, and God will surely be with you! Even if there are people who want to harm you, God will not let them harm you! So how good it is to have God's presence throughout your life. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see; ears, but cannot hear; noses, but cannot smell. (Psalm 115:4-6). Our God is the living God! Never be without a calling! Some of our brothers and sisters encounter some problems at work. Where is the problem? Their thoughts return to their work, and they think, I live by working, I have to work. Brothers and sisters must repent!
Seek God, Not the Accessories of Life
For example, in HJ sister's situation, I always teach her to start leaving the state of loving the world, and stop loving money. Money cannot solve your problems, God can solve your problems! I have also met some people who are on the verge of desperation, but still think money is good before I teach them. For all those who serve her, I keep telling them to teach her to come out of this state of loving money and the world, and become a person with a calling! Only a calling can solve problems, without a calling no problem can be solved, and it becomes a vessel for manifesting God's anger. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on our way, since we had told him, The good hand of our God is on all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him. (Ezra 8:22). Romans also says: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:18). Think about it, if you live for yourself, the demons will not let you go, and God will not let you go, you will have a hard time.
Conclusion: What Kind of Reputation Do You Want?
Today I encourage you: Be a person who takes on a calling, and God will surely take care of you and protect you! The smallest in God's kingdom is greater than the greatest demon, but among those who love the world, the most powerful person is smaller than the smallest demon. We must be people in God's kingdom who take on a calling, and start running to build God's glorious temple and glorious church. Because God's temple is built in this place, including being built online, we will become a blessing to many, many people! Today HJ is very lucky, God has grace on her, and searched online and found us. If it weren't for this, then she might not be able to stop the pain even with morphine now!
You know how amazing it is: when it hurts so much that we brothers and sisters pray and the pain disappears, and we can sleep. When it hurts again, we pray and it disappears again. It's so amazing, better than painkillers. This is HJ sister's personal experience. If you still love the world after experiencing these things, how foolish is that? All those who have experienced God with me remotely must know: God is our treasure, and never love the world, because if you love the world, the love of God is not in you!