Introduction

Good morning. Today, we will delve into 2 Corinthians, chapter two. Some of you previously inquired about the reference to a Middle Corinthian epistle. This is because Paul mentioned it in the second chapter of 2 Corinthians. However, this Middle Corinthian letter was not included in the Bible. After sending it, Paul regretted its harshness, which bordered on being abusive, albeit without explicit vulgarity. It is plausible that the readers of Middle Corinthian felt it was unsuitable for inclusion in the biblical canon. I speculate that its tone may have seemed uncharacteristic of the Apostle Paul, leading to its omission centuries later during the compilation of the Bible. This is regrettable.

Praise God that perhaps because the Middle Corinthian letter was set aside, we must deeply consider the matter of pastoral care. If you truly care for your flock, you must speak with a certain forcefulness. I have observed that my most effective ministry often involves stern words. The specifics, however, I cannot share, lest they cause you to stumble. The recipients of such words invariably experience discomfort and sorrow, akin to the feelings evoked by Paul's letters, causing distress to both the sender and receiver, marked by sharp and incisive language.

The theme of 2 Corinthians, chapter two, is God always leads us in triumph in Christ. My constant triumph in Christ, or rather victory, for which I have had this concept for many years, namely for Christians to fight a vigorous world war in the spiritual world. That is the war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. Throughout Christian history, there have been countless defeats, with grievous consequences. Therefore, one should either abstain from this battle or avoid becoming Christian altogether; otherwise, one must strive for victory. There is hardly a choice, as defeat as a Christian is dire, leaving one feeling crushed by the devil.

This concept of victory began to sprout within me many years ago, and while planting churches I received the deep feeling of not being able to overcome that feeling was really bad. You must not poke Satan's ass without paying for it, or Satan will grab you and sit you under his ass, and you will become his bench. That's no joke, take your time to figure it out, especially if you are a pastor who fails to win. So not winning is a very serious problem, which is why the Chinese Mingding Destiny will never relax its demands. I encourage everyone to keep this in mind, because the ending of not winning is very bad, and the one who wins will be prosperous in spirit, prosperous in all things, and healthy in body.

I. God is surely with those who love Him

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

The fragrance that comes from knowing Christ, as mentioned here, is essentially the presence of God, the Spirit of God.

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

God is not with everyone. If God is with you, you must first possess a love for Him. Those who profess to love God must understand what that entails, or their claim is empty. When people love God, He abides with them, and they carry the Spirit of God, exuding a fragrant aroma. Conversely, some emit a foul odour, indicative of an evil spirit, a condition that necessitates God’s presence.

Praise God for continually leading us to triumph in Christ, and for spreading through us in every place the fragrance of His presence. This aroma is palpable. When we cast out demons and the crabs manifested, the whole room stank of crabs, like a seafood market, so that we could not stay in the room. When the fire of the Holy Spirit came down, the whole room was filled with the smell of roasted crabs, and I felt nauseous for a long time when I smelled the smell. So the Spirit of God is fragrant when He is with people, and the scriptures say that to these people, it is the fragrance of death, causing them to die. To those people, it is the fragrance of life, causing them to live. Who is worthy of this?

The spirit of God in people's bodies is a wonderful thing, because it can kill people and it can make people live. To do the fragrance of life, to make him live. This is divided into two kinds of people, both those who love God and those who hate God. Those who love God, God will make him live; those who hate God, God will make him die. So if a person hates God, the days of bad luck will begin, even if the Apostle Paul hates God, he will have bad luck. God is with those who love Him, so that He can manifest the fragrance on Him. Some people ask if they can smell it, but it does not matter if they do not see it often. What the Bible says, the Apostle Paul really carried it on him, and he carried it from God, and the ability to have God's presence is prosperous in everything, if you do not know that this is a treasure, it is a big loss, and you are a useless Christian.

To be a Christian, we must learn to love God, and if anyone does not love God, this person is cursed. He carries with him a foul odor, and that is the problem. Everyone must know how to love God, which is complicated to explain. Actually, to put it simply, it means to willingly keep and follow God's word. I have rarely seen people read the Bible as if they were preparing for university, and the time when people are most industrious is when they are taking the university entrance examination. However, passing the university entrance examination does not necessarily lead to success, and many people who pass the entrance examination to prestigious universities are not successful. However, if a person loves God and can love God as hard as when he was preparing for university, he will be great at reading God's word.

It is important to say that it is a matter of making people live and die, because it interprets a very important confusion, which is the reason why many pastors die of cancer. Cancer is certainly not a good thing, and if you read Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight, verses 15 to 64, you will know that cancer belongs to the things said in those chapters.

II. Those who love God will preach the word of God through Christ

For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:17)

Here it says to preach the word through Christ, not through Moses. Christ came to fulfill the law, to release us and to give us freedom. This gospel is to release the captives and to set the oppressed free. It is not about valuing the law, or practicing the law, but about trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation, and this is God's salvation. Those who love God preach the word through Christ, and the reason they do so is because the Bible talks about an important concept called power. The concept of a person preaching the word of God through Christ and preaching the word of God through Moses in the Old Testament is not the same.

When Christ was still on earth, he said, do nothing, wait in Jerusalem for the promise of God, which is the promised Holy Spirit to be poured upon you, and you will receive power. Then from Jerusalem to all Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the earth to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus. So the way of Christ Jesus and the way of Moses are not on the same level, and the way of Jesus Christ is with the power of resurrection from the dead. If you listen to the testimonies from us, any of them are shocking. Today I can tell you through Jesus Christ that all who seek the Lord Jesus have been healed. If the Lord Jesus is in our midst, you will be healed when you come here, do you believe it?

Those who love God preach the word through Christ, and that is what the Apostle Paul was talking about. He loves God not to confuse the word of God for the sake of profit, so God manifests the presence of God in him. The Corinthian church was corrupted because many people went to preach, and after preaching on the stage, they collected offerings and left. This is very common in churches, and there was a pastor who invited someone to preach in their church, and after the man finished preaching, he took the offering and left, and when the pastor recovered, he felt cheated. Our church does not invite speakers, which can save a lot of money. If you invite a pastor from a church with 10,000 members to preach, it will cost at least 5,000 Singapore dollars, and if you don't have 5,000 or 10,000, they will not come. You also have to call and make an appointment with his secretary, and wait at least half a year, don't think it's simple.

III. Those who love God do not confuse the word of God for the sake of profit

After preaching, they take the money and leave, and they also think that this is called loving offering. Some people envy them for their high appearance fees, and if you want them too, you have to be careful, and when God wants to deal with you, it will be a big problem. He came to the Corinthian church to preach, and he had to say something about it. However, he turned the matter of charging fees into preaching the word of God, so when he preaches, it is also like a horse's mouth does not match a donkey's mouth.

For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:1-17)

Confusing the word of God for the sake of profit can be interpreted as corruption in the church. I don't want to poke the beehive here today, but I can explain to you privately what's going on. So confusing the word of God for the sake of profit is like experts and celebrities running around, and some pastors take a hundred flights a year for 365 days, earning hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands of dollars a year. He has no time to pastor, and he only thinks about making money. Many people have inherited the gospel from America and learned the style of those big-name pastors, and even bought private planes or sports cars, etc.

A prophet named Rick Joyner said that when this gospel was preached to Europe, it became tradition, and when it was preached to America, it became a business. Americans are definitely creative when it comes to making money, and even evangelism has become a social entrepreneur. But to do so is to confuse the word of God for the sake of profit, and those who do not cast out demons but make money are confusing the word of God. As a result, after a thousand or two thousand years, the word of God has been turned into a smokestack, and the church has not won, and the pastors and members will be very miserable.

IV. Those who love God will not give Satan a chance to overcome us

Once overcome by Satan, they will return to before liberation, and twice overcome, they will return to before the creation of the world, completely empty and chaotic.

So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

If you lack grace and mercy, lack love from God and the word of God, then you are finished, because it is difficult not to be overcome by Satan. If you confuse the word of God for the sake of profit, it is Satan. Everyone has seen one Western scene after another, but the Western scene cannot overcome Satan, nor do they know Satan's plots, but Paul deeply understands Satan's plots. Satan really can't resist three sentences, the first sentence is that man does not live on food alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God; the second sentence is do not test the Lord your God, and the third sentence is serve God alone, worship Him alone. When you have these three sentences, you can win, but if these three sentences are changed to people live by work, need bread, or need to show off themselves, and still test God, or can not worship God alone, then it is ruined.

We know how Satan dealt with Jesus Christ, and he will deal with anyone who believes in the Lord. As soon as you believe in the Lord, Satan will use the same words that tempted Jesus on you. Some people can't get past the first sentence, they live by their business, by pyramid schemes, by micro-businesses, by work, by doing business, anyway, they don't live by the word of God, and once they are overcome by Satan, they are miserable. Paul deeply understands this, and that's why he chooses to love God. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and serve Him alone. Even if he is still an ordinary member, it does not matter, this is closely related to the choice in people. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all ordinary members in those days, but they could all walk the path of loving God.

V. Those Who Love God Love Their Brothers and Sisters Extraordinarily

For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. (2 Corinthians 2:1-4)

Paul was in extreme pain at the time, like swallowing a dung beetle or a stink bug. He wrote to the Corinthians with many tears, precisely because he loved them extraordinarily, like a father loves his children. This letter was heavy, causing the Corinthians much sorrow, but this sorrow achieved its effect. At that time, Titus came from Corinth and told Paul that the Corinthians had repented after reading the letter, so Paul wrote 2 Corinthians.

In fact, transforming a person is very difficult. Recently, I have been pastoring a sister who discerns good and evil with her pastor. As long as the root of her discerning good and evil remains, she cannot overcome. If her pastor cannot shepherd her, I will take over. Therefore, our pastors should pay attention: If a small group leader cannot shepherd someone, hand them over to the district leader; if the district leader cannot shepherd them, hand them over to me; if I cannot shepherd them, hand them over to God, because God will not make mistakes. Anything that cannot be fixed cannot be left alone, otherwise it will corrupt people, create bitterness, and produce poisonous roots. When encountering such situations, speaking gently will not change them.

I have encountered a very common phenomenon: people are very wicked. When asked to reflect on their own problems, they write a heap of their own virtues. There is no need to talk about doing the right thing; they should reflect on the wrong things they have done. It's like when an interviewer asks you what your weaknesses are, and you answer that your weakness is that you are too serious and work too hard. The current generation has changed. In the past, when interviewers were not so smart, you could still do this. But now this is no longer popular. If you do this again, the interviewer will tell you to get lost. If I encounter such a person, I would definitely say the same thing. When asked what your weaknesses are, be honest and don't be afraid. Some people think they should just list a few weaknesses and say that they are still working hard to deal with them. Then what are your weaknesses? You can't possibly say that you lack virtue. In fact, you must tell the truth, and that might give you a chance.

When brothers and sisters face this kind of situation, how would you shepherd them? In my hands, there are currently no cases of failure, because I truly love God. Because of my love for God, I really don't want to play superficial games with you. If one day I really tell you, Lord Jesus loves you, and I love you too, that's bad. That's nonsense that just sounds good. If what I say makes you sad, that's right. If you don't reflect on so many problems you have and instead tell me a lot of non-problems, you really need a thrashing.

Therefore, everyone must know that those who love God love their brothers and sisters extraordinarily, not causing them sorrow. That's because the person really has problems, and has been deceived by those who peddle God's word for profit, and has gone astray. The root of discerning good and evil is very deep, and they may really love their work and love the world, so they must be dealt with. If you don't even know what it means to love God, you really need to reflect. You really need to search the 《Bible》 to find out how to love God. If you don't even know this, what are you doing here? It doesn't matter if you're here to sponge off some popularity, blessings, or grace. I can give you grace.

If I cause you sorrow, that’s correct. The reason for the sorrow is simple: the garbage inside is so thick that it has grown a hard shell. Without a sharp shovel to pry it open, it won't come off. Sometimes the skin will be broken. So, it’s not easy to correct people. In fact, I also feel bad after correcting them. But even if it's painful, I still have to correct them, because I love God, and I must love God's people, love the brothers and sisters in God's kingdom. That's why I often say that you have to be willing to undergo bone-scraping treatment to change. For those who are unwilling to undergo bone-scraping treatment, I will voluntarily give them a scrape. I am very good at this, and without anesthesia.

I have a great ability to make you sad. A few days ago, a sister was doing things for people against her will out of face. After I scolded her, she was fine. She really needed to be scolded, or else she wouldn't know when she would be deceived again. You can't play games in God's kingdom where your pastor asks you to invest and you are too embarrassed to refuse, so you follow along and invest; or your pastor asks to borrow money and you are too embarrassed to refuse, so you lend it to them. Today, I reiterate again that everyone is not allowed to have financial dealings with each other in the church; nor are you allowed to ask each other for favors. Those things of asking people to help and finding connections are absolutely not allowed.

My reason is simple: what can be done, do it; what cannot be done, don't do it. What you can afford to eat, eat; what you can't afford to eat, don't eat. What you can afford to live in, live in; what you can't afford to live in, don't live in. What you can afford to use, use; what you can't afford to use, don't use. If I ask the brothers and sisters among us if they can lend me some money because I want to buy a plane, they would say, Why not just buy you a starship? So everyone, don't have financial dealings with each other. Of course, if someone doesn't bring money and wants to eat a bowl of noodles, it's okay to give him some, ten dollars is affordable.

Those who love God must truly love their brothers and sisters. Never play fake. I hate people in the church saying, Lord Jesus loves you, and I love you too, and then turning around and saying the same thing to everyone around them. If you meet me, I will turn around and ask the other person how exactly they love me. If they mention borrowing money from me, it definitely won't work. Then how will you love me? This kind of love is fake. So this kind of sorrow will end in joy, but the flesh must be disciplined. If you raise a child and find that if you don't discipline them from a young age, their flesh will be very large when they grow up, just like a beast. If you let them fear you from a young age, it won't be like this today. Everyone, don't think that if you correct them, you are correct. Even if you correct them correctly, it may not be correct; if you correct them wrongly, it is definitely wrong.

VI. Those Who Love God Are Full of Grace and Mercy

Those who love God are full of God's grace and mercy. This is victory, and Satan cannot overcome you.

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:5-10)

What Paul is saying is that we must give grace and mercy to people. These people did corrupt the church and create great trouble for the church. But we must solve the problem and also let those who created the trouble receive forgiveness. Don't remember the evil of others, lest Satan take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. If you don't forgive this person, are you going to knock him down and trample him with ten thousand feet? In fact, if he is willing to repent, then repent well. If he is unwilling to repent, then he has nothing to do with us. Because there are countless connections in the church, once a problem occurs, there will be left and right phone calls mutually corrupting each other. It is not about kicking people out; it is about people leaving if they are willing to leave.

Let us not create too much trouble for people, but show them steadfast love. I can absolutely boast about this in front of the brothers and sisters. It is a bit difficult for Satan to overcome me. Because I usually adhere to the teachings of the Apostle Paul, even if some people give him enough grace, they still come to discern good and evil with me, but I don't argue with him and still show steadfast love. For example, those I want to set free, as long as he is still among us, I will definitely let him know that I have unwavering love for him. Some people are quite bad, often using my words to demand things from me, saying that I said I would answer all calls, so why don't I answer his calls. I said that I have already arranged for someone to shepherd him, so he should call his shepherd.

Everyone must remember that even if they come to me through one or two layers, I basically don't refuse, because I don't want the brothers and sisters to stumble because of my mistakes. I don't like to act like a big shot. I just like to serve God in a down-to-earth way and release people from the hands of the devil. Because you have a heart that loves God, you will surely be full of grace and mercy. Everyone, don't think that being a picky Christian will receive grace. It is being a Christian full of grace and mercy that will receive grace, because that is the kind of person God wants.

Those who love God will surely have abundant grace and mercy. If your pastor needs to bring you to me, I will definitely serve you and will not shirk in the slightest. And as long as it is in my hands, I will definitely implement it, because I want to show unwavering love. Once, I was serving a sister, and the demon inside her said it wanted to kill her and that I hated her too. Although the words came out of this person's mouth, they referred to the person in the third person. The demon said it originally wanted to kill this sister, but I said that as long as I am here, it can forget about it. It also said that I actually hate this sister very much, revealing my true feelings all at once. I said you are right. According to my flesh, I hate her so much that I want to stay as far away from her as possible. Of course, that is according to the flesh, my preferences, but I don't act according to my preferences, but according to God's word, the demon must leave.

Therefore, we who are pastors must make it clear in the hearts of those we shepherd that you love him, then you will be victorious, not that he will be victorious. Those who love God must be full of grace and mercy. Being possessed by demons is a very painful thing. The Apostle Paul often triumphed in Christ under God's leadership, because he had a heart that loved God and his service was never false.

God always leads our Chinese Mingding Destiny to triumph in Christ, because every grace experienced here comes from victory. Victory is the best. If everyone knows how wonderful the grace of victory is, there will be no confusion. If you don't have victory, no matter how smart you are or how much you learn, it's useless. When cancer comes, it's all useless. But with a heart that loves God, all these things are avoided. Why don't we hold on tight to our God? This is the best grace. May God bless everyone!