Introduction
Good day to all of you. I am very pleased to meet everyone online again. Do you know? When I mention the word management, many people feel it is very high-end. As soon as they hear the term management, they get excited and think it means buying a big desk, moving a big chair, getting a big office, and ordering others to do this and that, how glorious! Is that what management is? I wonder where they learned it from? After asking, I found out they learned it from TV dramas.
I exclaimed: Heavens! Can you learn management from TV dramas? If you want to learn from TV dramas, you might as well go and act in TV dramas! Even if you act, you may not do well! Look at those who are ignorant and incompetent, finally get a big desk and sit on a big chair, they feel proud and glorious, they think they have the power and their words count! Do they really count? Let's wait and see! I think you should become president, that is like a doomed palace, also a rhythm of national and family ruin. Can you learn management from TV dramas? That is learning acting.
For example, some people pastor a team. To be honest, even though I train and cultivate them so hard, when I see the way they pastor, I have to admire them! The inheritance is truly not enough. Do you know the topic I am going to talk about today? It is The Key to Management (Part 1) - In Emulating and Inheriting. In fact, no matter how I teach many people, when it comes to emulation and inheritance, they deviate as soon as they learn. Sometimes I listen to the situation of their pastoring: the people below do not listen to them, and they despise the small pastors in their hearts, as if everyone knows, except for their small pastors.
The small pastors still think they are good, and keep talking there. We all pastor remotely by phone, and the people being pastored just nod and hum, anyway, you can't see them on the phone. If you look through spiritual eyes, the expressions on the other side of the phone are very rich: they curl their lips, roll their eyes, and think, here we go again, here we go again, how can someone like him pastor me? And ask me to submit, forget it! I will submit to this kind of person?
Is that management? Is that pastoring? It seems like neither. I say this, don't discourage everyone's enthusiasm. There are many people doing things blindly! Why do I talk about emulation and inheritance? No matter what you manage, you have to know how to do it! Everyone should know that the key to management lies in emulation and inheritance, think about it slowly. How many small pastors among us say, Why don't you submit? And the people below say, Why should I submit to you? Wouldn't it be a mess after such a dialogue? Everyone will find that I rarely talk about submission, you can't force it! If people don't admire you, what are they submitting to? I encourage you to start emulating and inheriting the Lord Jesus.
If you think emulating Jesus is a bit far away, it doesn't matter, you can emulate the Apostle Paul; if the Apostle Paul is also a bit far away, it doesn't matter, you can also emulate me. Let me be a little less humble, just inherit this from me! What I am going to talk about is that the key to management is called emulation and inheritance, your things must have a source, an origin, where do they come from. They cannot be your own nonsense, nor can they be learned from TV dramas.
From elementary school to university, isn't everything you learn from others? Isn't learning from others emulation and inheritance? We must learn from the classics, and don't read miscellaneous books. Don't emulate and inherit from miscellaneous books either, you can't emulate those things. Whether you are managing a small team, a small group, a ministry, or a course, you need to learn, and learn from whom? Learn from people who are more capable in this area.
The Origin and Importance of Emulation and Inheritance
Do you know? Our management comes from the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul. I think when the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul see that our inheritance is not like them in heaven, that feeling is similar to when I look at our small pastors. I also know that sometimes I am not very good at it, but this has a source, it is not my invention. Although I am the founder of Mingding Destiny, I gave this theological system a name, called Mingding Destiny. Many people who have not read Chinese say, I don't know what is it? Later, I searched and searched, Doctrine of the destiny, of course, everyone's destiny is different, some people's destiny is the Lord Jesus.
Our true source, the root is in the Lord Jesus. The branches are connected to the vine. If the branches are connected to the vine, they will surely bear much fruit. When you see that the fruit is the same as the fruit borne by the Lord Jesus, you know that it is connected to the vine of the Lord Jesus. Emulating the Lord Jesus is not something invented in recent years. When I first believed in the Lord and read the Bible, I read that the Lord Jesus said, You must emulate me. Later, I found that there were very few people who emulated the Lord Jesus, so few that it was quite pitiful, even the people in the church did not emulate much.
I am a very ambitious person and I love the Lord very much. Let me give an example of not emulating much. Once, I went to a seminary to register to study theology. I studied theology while working, which was very hard. Many times I had to take vacations. The professor who taught in this seminary was teaching the New Testament, which is closely related to Jesus, isn't it? Then he said, does anyone have any questions? I was being a smart aleck, and I raised my hand. To be honest, I didn't particularly agree with what he said.
I said, If it were Jesus, what do you think Jesus would say about the topic you are talking about? His face immediately turned dark. Then his whole apple face immediately turned bitter. He said, How would I know? I am not the Lord Jesus! I thought, then what are you teaching? I am not arguing, I am not an argumentative person, where did this stuff of yours come from? You don't know the Lord Jesus' will? We should have the mind of Christ, you read the Book of Philippians, it is written clearly.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)
That is not a joke, if you don't even know the mind of the Lord Jesus, what are you teaching? I think the management level of this seminary is also not good! Of course, people may think the level is quite high when I say this. What I mean is, if we don't know what the Lord Jesus is going to do, how the Lord Jesus does it, then we should emulate and inherit it how. Today, what I am talking about is that emulation and inheritance is key. Everyone, hold on tight to this theme.
Emulation and inheritance are key. What are we managing? We must emulate the Lord Jesus, we must emulate our God; how do we manage? We must emulate our God. This is a matter of life and death. Today, our emulation and inheritance is to emulate the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Because the Apostle Paul also said: you must emulate me. The Apostle Paul is a model of emulating Jesus. Modern Christians have invented many things, I really don't know where they come from.
An atheist criticized contemporary Christianity. He criticized Christianity, the Crusades, the Eight-Nation Alliance entering Beijing, and even the economic exploitation of other countries by these countries based on Christian faith, with a very obvious political view and position. He said it powerfully. But the question is: did that come from the Lord Jesus? I don't know if the Lord Jesus did this. If the Lord Jesus did this, then we emulate it.
The Challenges and Misconceptions of Truly Emulating Jesus
Those Christians hang the name of Jesus Christ, and then do things that are not inherited from the Lord Jesus, and put all the blame on Jesus, Jesus is really冤枉! Today, some people often put their hands on the Bible to swear, swear to be president, and after swearing, say: I like to read the Bible the most in my life. Then what chapter did you read yesterday? I didn't read it yesterday; then what chapter did you read the week before? I didn't read it this week either; then what about last month? I didn't read it last month either. Then what did you read? This is like what I said. When I interview some people, they say, I like Tang poems and Song lyrics, then recite two, they can't recite them. What do you like? A big忽悠!
Today I must say that many of us, whether ordinary brothers and sisters, or pastors among us, we must know that we must emulate and inherit. Sometimes I have to say about the pastoring of these small pastors or some leaders among us: May God have mercy! Do you know what that means? It is not enough emulation and inheritance. It is difficult to emulate and inherit, it is easy to come up with ideas by oneself, once you拍脑袋, you like to do it this way. Do you think that emulation and inheritance is like a computer, you plug in a USB drive, and it is copied in? It is not that easy!
I often ask myself: if the Lord Jesus faced such a situation today, facing such a person, what would the Lord Jesus do? This is the origin of Mingding Destiny. If the Lord Jesus faced the legalization of homosexuality today, what would He do? He would do nothing. Why? Because in the years of the Lord Jesus, homosexuality was also legalized. What do you think? No matter what, it is like this in every era. Then why do Christians today like to oppose this thing, what are you opposing this thing for?
In the era of Jesus Christ, the Roman Empire had to speak out for this society and for the public good of this society. Did Jesus do this? He did not do this. Did Jesus fight for justice? Did not打抱不平. Did Jesus pursue social welfare? Did not. Did Jesus want to transform this society? Did not. Did Jesus 管 other people's family property? Did not. Did Jesus 管 other people's couple quarrel? Did not. Did Jesus give that poor 分钱 when He saw them? It seems like He didn't either. I find this very interesting. Today's Christians, I can say a fairer word, they don't do what Jesus did, and they do a bunch of things that Jesus didn't do.
There is a very interesting place. One year, I went to that place, and it happened to be the election in that country. It was so lively! 叮了咣当, the loudspeaker car was like a carnival. I saw large posters on the street, how come there is a political party? There is a very interesting political party, this political party is composed of Christianity, Buddhism, and Taoism. Can this kind of thing also form a political party? Then they ran together. Why? Because they were against some legislation that was not in line with religious ethics. I said if the Lord Jesus were to run, the Lord Jesus had so many people under Him, thousands of people, why didn't the Lord Jesus run? It seems like He was not qualified to run at that time either.
Today, although we know that management is God's good will for us. But what to manage, how to manage, we still have to ask what Jesus manages, how Jesus manages? That requires emulation and inheritance. Of course, I am a Christian, I emulate and inherit Jesus. So sometimes my views are still incompatible with many contemporary views. If you can listen to it, listen to it, if you can't listen to it, may God have mercy.
The Specific Practice and Goals of Emulation and Inheritance
You have become a Christian, emulate Jesus Christ, isn't that a matter of course? And what's more, the Bible also teaches this way, we must often ask, are those things that God wants us to管? We must go back to emulating Jesus Christ. If you are a Buddhist, I encourage you to emulate Sakyamuni; if you are a Muslim, then you should emulate Muhammad; if you are a Taoist, then you should emulate Lao Tzu; if you are a Confucian, then you should emulate Confucius well, right?
So in this generation, we must say a fair word, what Christians need most is to learn to emulate and inherit Jesus. This generation needs to establish a system that conforms to God's words, and the foundation of the system is to be like Jesus. This can solve many confusions, including those problems pointed out by atheists, which can all be explained!
If people fight for worldly things, there are too many things that are taken for granted! Oil resources must be grabbed, this explanation is very reasonable, because everyone thinks this is very important. But Jesus did not do the thing of grabbing oil resources, then we emulate the Lord Jesus and don't do this thing! Some Christians did it, that is because they did not emulate and inherit, this explanation is simple.
So what aspects are there to emulate and inherit? First, emulate their goals; second, emulate their strategies; third, emulate their methods. The subtitles I am going to talk about today are a bit different. The first thing is to emulate and inherit the Apostle Paul's goals; the second thing is to emulate and inherit the value system of the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul, the strategy and methods are closely related to the value system; the third thing is to emulate the price paid by the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul; the fourth thing is to emulate the methods of the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul.
If you want to be a good Christian, a resounding Christian, you must often ask yourself this question: if the Lord Jesus saw a poor person, what would the Lord Jesus do? The Lord Jesus would remove the curse of his poverty and let him follow the Lord Jesus; if the Lord Jesus saw a sick person, the Lord Jesus would remove his illness and then encourage him and let him follow the Lord Jesus; if the Lord Jesus saw an ignorant person, the Lord Jesus would remove his ignorance and let him know that the truth can set him free, and then let him follow the Lord Jesus; that is to让 , but the choice is still theirs.
So this is a complete system, our Mingding Destiny complete system is to be like God, like Jesus, united with the Lord, that is very clear. What we Mingding Destiny talk about is emulating the Lord, knowing the truth, knowing God, knowing the power of God, and then using spiritual words to explain spiritual things, and using spiritual methods to solve problems. This is a complete system, where did it come from? From the Apostle Paul. I admire the Apostle Paul wholeheartedly, he has a complete system.
Peter, who followed the Lord Jesus, and James, who grew up with Jesus Christ, I can boldly tell you that I found that many things they said did not come from the Lord Jesus. What should we 管管理, and how should we 管? We must emulate and inherit Jesus Christ. What Jesus Christ 管, we 管 what; what the Apostle Paul 管, we 管 what; how they 管, we 管 how, okay? Let's open Philippians Chapter 3, verse 17:
Scripture
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. (Philippians 3:17)
Paul's Teaching and the Call to Emulate Christ
God, may You restore the glory of Your church in this generation! God, may You restore Your truth in this generation, and let Your church be rebuilt on the rock of this truth! God, today let us brothers and sisters, with a humble heart, come to learn to emulate You. Lord Jesus! We wish You would be among us, personally encouraging each of us brothers and sisters to emulate You, may You restore Your glorious image among us, may Your name be lifted up, may Your name be glorified, may You restore our initial glorious image in our midst, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Scripture Background
This passage speaks of a very interesting thing. The Apostle Paul was imprisoned for the sake of Jesus Christ. The process of this imprisonment is recorded in the Book of Acts, which is very interesting. Why was he imprisoned? He was put in prison by the Pharisees among these Christians. He had nothing to do in prison, and had a lot of time, so he began to gradually summarize and sort out the thoughts in his mind, and then write them into letters. This Book of Philippians was actually written during the period when he was about to come out of prison, that is to say, his entire logical system became clearer in the later period.
Paul is talking about management, although he did not write the word management, but in fact Paul's letters, whether written before, such as Ephesians, Colossians, Galatians, Romans, or written later, such as Philippians, are all about how to build the church. How to build the church, and throughout the Apostle Paul's theological system, you will definitely see the words the power of God.
If you look closely, in fact the Apostle Paul's theological system is called the theological system of emulating Jesus Christ, his system is very clear. So the theme of the Book of Philippians is called emulating Jesus Christ, in this process, he emphasized a very important thing, called emulating Jesus Christ. I will read it to you in Chapter 2, aren't we talking about Chapter 3? When talking about the background of this passage, we have to look back.
Therefore if there is any consolation 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.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:1-13)
The Goal of Emulating Jesus Christ and the Way of Humility
This is the humility of emulating Jesus Christ, it is not to say that Jesus Christ is very humble, and it has nothing to do with us, it is not the case. Today we must know how Jesus Christ does it, and we do the same. Being a child of God is a matter of being like whom. For example, when we see that our child is like someone else, we feel uncomfortable in our hearts. Why? We will do some DNA comparison to see if he is our son. This is very important! Then if we are children of God, if we look like the devil, where did it come from? So if we are children of God, we must look like the Lord Jesus. Remember, this is very important.
When the Apostle Paul wrote this Book of Philippians, this Chapter 3 talks about a lot. Today I will share with you one by one, I will not read it now, I will read it later. This Chapter 3 basically talks about the goals of emulating and inheriting the Lord Jesus, His value system, the price paid by the Lord Jesus, and then the methods used by the Lord Jesus. Of course, I still have to use scriptures from other places for these methods.
The Goals of Emulating and Inheriting the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul
This goal almost determines everything. You will find that I often say a sentence called unclear goals, unclear strategies, and wrong methods. If the goal is wrong, everything else is useless. Think about it, doing a very absurd and wrong thing right can only bring greater corruption. Because whether we emulate the goals of the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul is crucial. You know the goals of Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, they are completely not pursuing things on this earth.
Today, what many Christians are pursuing is just these things on earth. So, you need to know, what does Jesus Christ want to do? What Jesus Christ wants to do is to complete God's plan of redemption, and finally to have all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, then be united in Jesus. This is Jesus' great goal, and then to restore the image of glory in which God created us.
This is why the Lord Jesus willingly and gladly went to the cross. He was not forced to go to the cross, He willingly and gladly went to the cross, so that we, through the redemption He accomplished, can restore His glorious image. If a person pursues worldly things, you want to become a millionaire, then do your business well. If you want to do business like Kazuo Inamori, then quickly read something about Kazuo Inamori, you don't need to read the Bible. Sometimes, I often want to ask, what are you here for?
A few days ago, there was a sister, I temporarily call her a sister, I don't know if she is a sister. She was sick in our midst before, and I personally served her. As a result, after praying and serving, she didn't come again. She was healed, and I also feel that people don't owe us any favors. She came back recently, and I was very surprised, has her previous goal changed, or has it not changed? Are her goals the same as the goals of Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul? If people with different goals are then it will be very tiring. So I think, we must tell the truth when dealing with people, the people we want to choose are people with the same goals.
It does not matter if your goals are different. If you are humble and willing to seek, that is also OK. You can gradually figure things out and clarify your goals. However, what I fear most is when something is just a facade, and the real intention is to have us pray and serve. If someone is sick, they want us to serve and pray for them for free, without any offering, homework, or anything else. They just come for prayer and service, and once they are healed, they do whatever they want. We do not need to beat around the bush. If you want to change your goals and decide to emulate and inherit Jesus Christ, then let us walk together well. If that is your intention, then let us work hard together.
Goals Determine Everything: The Core and Practice of Emulating Jesus
I am often a bit blunt, asking, What did you come for? If you came to seek healing, then pray hard. Wanting to seek healing is normal. But if you are not here to follow the Lord Jesus, you do not need to read the Bible, attend meetings, or do anything else. Just receive prayer if you want to, and that is it. If you choose the goal of wanting to have Mingding Destiny, to understand what it means to be alive, and you feel that life is vanity of vanities, so you want to seek the truth, then let us come together.
You know, among those who came to Jesus, there were many with different goals. For example, the Pharisees came to Jesus to find fault and to seize on something against Him. They also sat there listening to Jesus, but after listening, they would argue with Him. They were a bunch of argumentative people who would pose difficult questions to Jesus, like, Jesus, should we pay taxes to Caesar? They were just posing difficult questions, being argumentative.
If you have heard the Chinese comedy Arguing, you will know that argumentative people do not go the right way! That comedy is quite interesting. Nowadays, there is live-streaming sales, right? Oh, I am selling Sachima. Do you know what Sachima is? It is a kind of pastry made of sugar and something sticky, a kind of food. The argumentative person would say, Is your Sachima male or female? This is Sachima, not a horse. Not a horse? Then how can it be ridden? Is not that arguing? They have to pull it off track; they can pull anything off track when they are selling it. But we are not telling a joke today.
I think, What did people come for? That determines our attitude towards them. Why? Because I am emulating Jesus. Do you all know where this comes from? How did the Lord Jesus deal with those Pharisees? I do not know who you are, but I will argue back with words. If I argue wrongly, I will quickly apologize to you. Do you understand? So sometimes, if someone is not running this path of emulating the Lord Jesus with us, but is here to argue, then you will be argued back at by me.
Everyone must know that goals determine many things. We manage everything in order to be united in Jesus Christ, and this unity is achieved through building the body of Jesus Christ. The church is the body of Jesus Christ. So today, brothers and sisters must know that you should not judge me with the knowledge of good and evil. When I ask, What did you come for? you should roughly know what I am asking.
We are not short of offerings. Some people come to give offerings, and I say, You are not qualified to give offerings. Oh? Is there a qualification for this? I say, You do not even know what offerings are for. What are you giving offerings for? They think I am tricking them out of money, but what would I trick you out of money for? I do not want that stuff. What would I do with it? In the end, it would ruin my reputation. Would that be okay? Our faith is very precious; we do not need that.
You can come for prayer, healing, and deliverance, all for free. Once you are healed, there is no moral kidnapping. Why? Because our goal is to build a glorious church of God, to be a blessing to many. If you receive a blessing among us and you want to leave, OK. Because our goal is to bless you. Sounds pretty good, right? Is it foolish to act this way? Who said that? Am I foolish for emulating Jesus? Those who do not emulate are the foolish ones. Do you understand? I think the goal of the Lord Jesus Christ is glory in eternity. God wants to give us a name that is above every name; God wants to make our name great; God wants to give us what Abraham wanted to obtain—that is amazing!
Goals and Value System: The Core Principles of Emulating Jesus
If you are a seeker of Mingding Destiny, Jesus said, Come, follow me. They left their nets and came to Jesus. A tax collector was collecting taxes, and Jesus said, Come, follow me. The tax collector left everything and came to Jesus. At the beginning, when we first believed and were reading the Bible, we were thinking, What is this writing about? Jesus said, Come, follow me, and they just followed? We could not understand that. Now we understand, because that is what they were seeking; that is what they wanted.
Of course, they also had other ideas. In fact, in that era, they had a misunderstanding about the Messiah. They knew that a Messiah would come from Israel, and it was also prophesied in the Old Testament that a Messiah would come in the era of Jesus' birth. They thought the Messiah would overthrow the Roman Empire and establish their own kingdom, like the Davidic dynasty.
Their goals were not right! They came to follow Jesus, thinking that when Jesus became king, they could get a position like a founding prime minister. That is why Jesus' disciples were arguing about who was the greatest. Of course, did they have a sense of Mingding Destiny in them? There was a little bit. But many of the components only gradually emerged later. But we thank God that He has chosen us to walk His path! Is this goal clear? Emulate and inherit.
Then, if our management and goals are not right, what about OKRs, KPIs, and all that stuff? Can that stuff satisfy the goal of pursuing Jesus Christ? That stuff will not work. The key is that Jesus Christ came into this world to restore people to the glorious image in which God created us. But the glorious image in which God created us is not what we imagine—wow! Like a cornucopia, and gold comes out as soon as you touch it. That is not Jesus Christ; that is a cornucopia.
Do you understand? With the goal of Jesus Christ, there is the method of management of Jesus Christ. So managing this matter depends on what you want. Different goals will achieve completely different results. For example, in building a church, many people pursue a large number of members. Is pursuing a large number of members something that Jesus Christ did? Jesus Christ only ended up with twelve disciples, and one of them was a traitor. If we count, after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven in that era, there were only one hundred and twenty people praying in the Upper Room. If you have a church of one hundred and twenty people today, would it be a bit desolate? But today, churches pursue size, thinking that being big is glorious, but that is kind of problematic.
Of course, there are also some scriptures that say, Be fruitful and multiply. But if after being fruitful and multiplying, it is just a mob, with no resemblance to Jesus at all, and all you see are people who look like humans but act like dogs, then would you say that is emulating Jesus? Today, brothers and sisters, in any case, let us run together with people who have the same goal, to build a glorious church of God, to build the body of Jesus Christ, and to be united with Jesus Christ in eternity.
The Value System of Emulating and Inheriting the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul
This value system is amazing! You say you have the same Mingding Destiny as us, and then I ask if you have time, but you say you do not have time. Then what do you spend your time doing? You spend your time watching your children, selling insurance, meeting customers… Why? Because you think that thing is more valuable than this thing. People will always choose the bigger portion first. I believe people are not stupid. This value system is incredible. So the Apostle Paul said:
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8).
Reshaping the Value System: The Core Values of Emulating Jesus
Wow! What kind of value system is this? It is precisely because Jesus Christ has this kind of value system, and the Apostle Paul inherited this value system, that he considers everything as garbage. Jesus Christ is even more so. So even though He knew that Judas was taking money from the money bag, He did not care much. So in the New Testament, in Matthew and Luke, it speaks of Jesus saying this unrighteous money. This stuff is almost like ceremonial money in eternity. Therefore, Jesus Christ,
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 (Philippians 2:7-9).
Because we have such a value system, we know what is important and what is not. So in managing, you have to know what you are spending your time on. If your time is spent on valuable things, can your returns be low? But is your perceived value the same as Jesus Christ's value? Where did you inherit your value system from? Did you come up with it by patting your head since you were born? Is that from Jesus Christ?
People's value systems are amazing! That is why when I see a person's attitude towards God's word, I know their value system. Knowing their value system, I will ask, What did you come for? What do you value? If you value the position of president, then you should run for president. You do not really need to read the Bible or inherit Jesus Christ. Inheriting Jesus Christ is something else.
Of course, you might say, But Daniel was a prime minister too! It is not that he sharpened his head to become a prime minister; it was arranged by God. Do not think that you can get that by sharpening your head. Do you understand? This value system is incredible. So, brothers and sisters, let us begin to emulate, managing the value system within us, gradually moving things out and putting things in—moving out the things that we were born with and putting in the things of Jesus Christ. This is called management.
Today, many times, there are many people who do not quite understand what I am doing. It does not matter. You have to know that my perspective on things may be a bit higher than yours; I should emulate and inherit more of the Lord Jesus' things than the average person. You have to ponder what I value and what I do not value! Is it you who is wrong, or is it I who is wrong? So establishing values is a very important thing.
Do you all know that I value people more than things? Why? Because this is inherited from Jesus. Things are not important, people are important! Ministry is not important; the growth of the people doing the ministry is more important than the ministry! Pastoring is not important; the growth of the people being pastored is what is important. Gradually, you can understand it, right? You still might not understand, thinking, Can you succeed by doing it this way? How can emulating Jesus Christ not succeed? Because the success of things depends on God!
If we have this value system, and then we know our God—His power can raise the dead, our God can create something from nothing, can make the blind see and the lame walk. I ask you, what is difficult for God? God is our treasure! So knowing Jesus Christ, in the future, all things will be united in Jesus Christ. Having Jesus Christ, should we not consider everything a loss?
Paying the Price and Methods: The Practice and Pursuit of Emulating Jesus
The Necessity of Paying the Price
Emulating the value system of Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul is not just theoretical agreement, but also practical action and sacrifice. Paul mentioned in Philippians 3:12-14 that he pressed on, forgetting what was behind and straining toward what was ahead, pressing on toward the goal to win the prize. This spirit of pressing on is exactly what we need to emulate.
When we truly recognize the value system of Jesus Christ and are willing to pay the price for it, our time and energy will naturally be reallocated. Time is part of life. When we are willing to dedicate our lives to God, our time will also be used by God. Paul, despite being in prison and facing difficult circumstances, still used his time to organize and convey God's truth, which is a manifestation of paying the price.
The Emulation of Methods
Emulating the methods of Jesus and Paul is not just copying their behavior, but rather understanding their intentions and strategies. Jesus called disciples, trained them, and so did Paul. Their goal was to establish a group with a heavenly value system, a group that could manifest God's glory on the earth.
Jesus trained twelve disciples, and later he trained seventy disciples, and ultimately, there were only about one hundred and twenty people praying in the Upper Room. Although these people were few in number, their lives were completely changed and became powerful witnesses of God's kingdom. Today, we also need to emulate this method, focusing on quality rather than quantity, focusing on internal change rather than external form.
Challenges in Practice
In actual pastoral care and management, we will encounter various challenges. Some people may only be outwardly obedient, but inwardly they do not truly respect the pastor. At this time, we need to reflect on whether we have truly paid the price, whether we are striving for God's truth and value system. Only when we ourselves become examples of emulating Jesus can we win the respect and emulation of others.
Whether we are being pastored or pastoring others, we need to constantly emulate Jesus Christ, pay the price, and strive to pursue. Only in this way can we become useful vessels in God's kingdom, fulfilling the Mingding Destiny that God has for us.
Conclusion
Emulating Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul is not just a slogan, but a process that requires us to take practical action. We need to manage our value system, pay the price, strive to pursue, and adopt the methods of Jesus and Paul to influence and lead others. May we all walk more firmly and powerfully on this path of emulation and inheritance.
When I ask you again if you have time, will you have time? You will definitely have time; time originally belongs to God. To dedicate one's life to God and consider everything as garbage is a value system. In eternity, everything in this life becomes insignificant. Will you become a joyful person? This is called emulation and inheritance. What is being managed? The value system within us is being managed.
The Price Paid for Emulating and Inheriting the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14).
This is the key: knowing the value and then being willing to pay the price for it. If we pay the price of our lives and strive to pursue, will we still not have time? We will definitely have time. So today, brothers and sisters, emulate the Apostle Paul, emulate Jesus Christ, and pay attention to those who follow the example of the Apostle Paul. The price they pay is not an ordinary price.
Today I ask you: Are you willing to give your life as a price to dedicate to God? If you are willing to dedicate your life as a price to God, will you still not have time? Time is part of life. Because we can live in eternity, today all time belongs to God, and our investment in time is definitely worthwhile. The Apostle Paul, while in prison, sorted things out and came to this conclusion.
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21).
Today, are our small group leaders willing to pay the price to earnestly learn, understand, and know God, and not just do superficial work? If you do superficial work, the people you are pastoring will despise you in their hearts. Although they will not tell you directly, they will tell the other ministry team leaders. After telling them, the ministry team leaders do not know whether to tell you or not. Actually, telling you will hurt you; not telling you will make you feel like you are being kept in the dark.
So have we really paid the price? If we really pay the price, those who are being pastored have eyes, and they will honor you. Stop talking about obedience or disobedience? Talk about emulating Jesus Christ, and let us be an example for them, becoming a model of emulating Jesus Christ. Striving to pursue, how can you become an ignorant person? Striving to pursue, you will grasp the essence of things clearly and teach them hand-by-hand. How can you not have a good image in their hearts?
If you are still someone being pastored, I encourage you to emulate Jesus Christ; if you are someone pastoring, you must also emulate Jesus Christ. You must pay a greater price to strive and pursue, and not be an ignorant person. When you open your mouth, you consider yourself more important than others, saying, Why did you not report? Are you looking down on me? After saying these words, how will people see you? They will despise you even more.
Emulating and Inheriting the Methods of the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul
Brothers and sisters must know that the Lord Jesus called disciples and trained disciples. Calling those with Mingding Destiny, and training those with Mingding Destiny, begins the heavenly value system. This is what we want to talk about in Chinese Mingding Destiny Theology, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ trained twelve people, and later trained seventy disciples, roughly like that. In the end, only about one hundred and twenty people prayed in the Upper Room. The others were either at home repairing houses or taking care of the newly bought cattle, a lot of things.
What do you do after training disciples? Let them preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. What does Jesus Christ do? Jesus Christ preaches the gospel, heals the sick, and casts out demons. Jesus Christ trains these people to become flexible and get rid of the constraints of religion, and then what do they do? Preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Because if you are fighting with demons, you must be a flexible person. For the next period of time, we will be holding an English activity, and the name of the English activity is Preach the Gospel, Cast out Demons, and Heal the Sick. This is the method of Jesus Christ: to bless people. We have come into this world to bless people, and then bring those with Mingding Destiny into the kingdom of God.
If you carefully observe and pay attention to those who emulate Jesus Christ, you will definitely discover the end of their lives. What do you think the end of their lives is? Jesus was crucified, and the Apostle Paul was beheaded. That is what you see. But I tell you, Jesus Christ ultimately obtained glory, and the Apostle Paul lived in joy whether he was on earth or in eternity, and will certainly receive a crown of glory.
Today, we are living in this world, if we emulate Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, you will definitely be a joyful person. Even paying the price is joyful, and the spirits of the underworld and death are trampled under your feet. This is called management. What is being managed? How to manage? What exactly is the goal of management? Does everyone know? You and I are treasures in God's eyes.
You may originally be worth one thousand taels of silver, but because of church service, you can be worth two thousand taels; you may originally be worth one ingot of silver, but you can become five ingots; you may originally be worth ten ingots, but you can become twenty ingots. This is the work of the church. The church is a place to bless people; the church is a place to train people; the church is a place where every brother and sister can obtain Mingding Destiny, grace, and blessings in Jesus Christ.
So brothers and sisters, if you listen to testimonies, whether financially or in terms of physical health, you will find that Jesus Christ is truly the greatest treasure. I encourage you, after listening to my sharing, to pursue well and emulate Jesus Christ. What Jesus does, we do well; what Jesus does not do, we can do or not do. Do not be that kind of person: becoming a Christian, but not emulating Jesus Christ; becoming a Christian, not doing what Jesus does, and doing a bunch of things that Jesus does not do. Is that not a tragedy? May God bless everyone!