I. Introduction

Good day to all! Today, we continue with the series on wisdom and discernment. The series on wisdom and discernment is not easy to expound, as it is indeed a tragedy for a person’s entire life to be devoid of wisdom and discernment! Today, we will begin to become wise and discerning. Last time, I spoke on “Are You Willing to Die for Jesus Christ?” New believers might think: “Oh dear, this place involves death!” Fear not, because they assume that dying for Jesus Christ means immediate death. Not at all, in fact, it is quite the opposite. Therefore, those of you who are new to following me, do not worry. This chap had been wanting to die for Jesus for decades, so how is he still alive? It is quite interesting, you must not just look at the literal meaning of the words, but consider the consequences of your choices, this is what wisdom and discernment are all about. Do not be foolish, many do not understand, so if you are a new believer, do not worry. Look at someone like me, about to breathe my last but failing to do so, why? Because I want to die for Jesus Christ, but my work is not yet finished, and I cannot die even if I want to. So, do not look at the surface, but see the essence behind the words.

Today's topic is Are You Willing to Forsake All for Jesus? Some people, upon hearing this, think: “Oh dear! Tithing is already very painful, and now we have to forsake? Forsake what?” I will explain slowly later. Upon hearing this, they are finished! Why? Because they do not know what they will gain. If you knew you would gain a hundredfold, I ask you: would you want it or not? Of course! You get scammed with P2P at two times the return, so you would not want a hundredfold? This is not a scam. So today's topic is very important to understand that there are several very basic concepts in Chinese Mingding Destiny, one of which is the concept of discipleship. Do not misunderstand, Jesus does not want believers. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Not make believers, Jesus wants disciples, but the concept of discipleship is very troubling. Many churches have discipleship training, resulting in people being trained to be impeccable.

The concept of discipleship gets distorted as soon as it is mentioned, have you noticed? Because there are many among us who come from other churches, you know what I am talking about. I am not criticizing anything, but how can you build a church if the concepts are unclear? Because when Jesus Christ mentioned disciples, He was talking about forsaking everything. Upon reading this, people's reaction is: how is that possible? Who can do it? Has anyone said that? Say it to my face: who can do it? I say: the one standing before you has done it. I seem to be showing off again, but it is truly from the heart. So, people react like this, and then start to distort the concept of discipleship, because no one can do it, so let's not do it, is that the case? No. So, looking around in the church, there are not many who are willing to forsake everything for Jesus, none.

Today, I must clarify this matter for everyone. It is not forsaking for the sake of forsaking, forsaking is letting you invest, silly child! Coming to church is not for forsaking, coming to church is all for gaining, but only by forsaking can you gain. When I started the church, a bunch of useless people came. I forsook, I cooked for them, roasted chicken, roasted duck, made braised beef, spent money and effort, and they gained, I forsook; later I gained, and they did not. If you do not understand the concept of discipleship that Jesus Christ speaks of, you cannot move forward. The concept of Jesus Christ's discipleship is indeed what He said, many pastors pretend not to know, because they did not study well in primary school. Many people do not know whether forsaking everything is good or bad, they do not know. How can you forsake if you do not know? In fact, it is a decision that gives a hundredfold return, many people lack discernment and wisdom in the face of this crucial decision. If Christians do not forsake everything, that is a very troublesome matter, that is negative one hundredfold, who told you to keep it? Why are you in debt and being scammed? It is all because you never let go.

You are a new believer, do not be frightened by what I say, you need to know that this is an opportunity, an opportunity for a hundredfold return, and do not believe what I say, go and try it, you can give it a try. God gives you time to consider, do not rush, examine it slowly. The Bible says: If you forsake, you will receive a hundredfold return, a hundredfold in this life, and eternal life in the age to come! Receive what? The things that you forsake. You say: Ah, is it so cost-effective? You have not figured it out for many years, figure it out well today. Some people invest in P2P, and then say: Teacher, look who scammed me. When you invest in P2P, do you not know what you are after? Today I tell you: you are after that return, only thinking about making money, forgetting about losing money. Do not blame this and blame that, that bank's operations are all your own operations, and hundreds of thousands are gone. Why are you being scammed? Because you are after the return.

You say: How can I know that if I forsake for Jesus Christ, I will get returns? Do a calculation and you will know. Today, let us calculate, the money you donate to God will never be comparable to the money you spend in the hospital. You think: Ah, that makes sense. Today, let us dedicate the time on the sickbed, the time with Alzheimer's, the time when you cannot pass stools, the time when you cannot urinate, the time when you cannot eat to God, shall we? Forsake, this is practicing little by little, and know that this is good. You must know that the path God has prepared for us is not to get there all at once, it is all practiced little by little, and then say: Ah, this is good. It is all feasible, but you have to walk towards it, Abraham's offering of Isaac did not happen all at once, he walked for more than fifty years.

Among us, some are online, and have been healed by listening to my prayers, I tell you, you all owe me a favor, because there was someone here who was willing to forsake everything for Jesus. Do you think I am silly? I look like a shrewd person no matter how you look at it, so why would I make such a decision? Would I do it without returns? Everyone must know where the shrewdness lies? It is not only about looking shrewd, but also knowing in your bones what the returns are, I do not do things without returns. There are also a group of people here who are willing to forsake everything for Jesus, and if you are too, you will receive extremely abundant returns like me!

There was a church, and their pastor advised the brothers and sisters not to cast out demons. How strange does that sound? What was his logic? He gave many examples, saying that so-and-so pastor cast out demons, played with charismatic gifts and spoke in tongues, and ended up miserably! He gave another example of a pastor, saying it was scary, he cast out demons and his eyes were gouged out, and charismatic gifts were equated with tragedy. This pastor, that pastor gave a long list of examples, in fact, I agree with what he said, why? The pastors I know who played with charismatic gifts did not cast out the demons in the end, but were cast out by the demons instead. There was a pastor who cast out demons in Shenzhen, and his child was killed by demons, and he never cast out demons again, it is a true story. There was another pastor who cast out demons, and ended up making his own home a smoky mess.

Really, I know many pastors who cast out demons and ended up miserably. Then you still love to cast out demons? You still dare to? Of course, I dare, am I silly? Can I not do something so rewarding? What is the reason? It is the reason of forsaking and not forsaking. If you want to play this game, you have to calculate what you want to invest? Forsake everything! There were many brothers and sisters in this church who were sick, and had many spiritual oppressions, but the pastor dared not cast out demons, he only preached, and did not solve the problems. Then they searched online, and found us, they listened to my prayer recordings online, and they got healed! There was also a child in Australia, who listened to our sermons and prayers for a long time, at first he dared not contact us, he listened to the recordings for a year, and prayed along, and the tumors that grew on his neck disappeared.

This group of brothers and sisters secretly listened to our sermons and prayers privately, they said: Ah, this pastor's preaching does not seem like our church's pastor, who says that casting out demons is very miserable, this pastor preaches as if it is very easy, the devil disappears with a snap of the fingers. Ah, that is not the case, the logic must be right, if you want to do this job, you must know what you are investing? So they listened there. Among them, there was a couple, who hired a female domestic helper, this domestic helper did not really believe in the Lord, and she had many problems, the couple let her listen to our website, and after listening her illness was healed. How many people have I blessed? There are many examples. What is the reason for this? The reason lies in the topic I am talking about today: Are You Willing to Forsake All for Jesus?.

In the early years, our discernment was not very clear, but we grasped a key point, that is, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must forsake everything. Then we started casting out demons, sometimes we were punched by demons, and our faces were bruised and swollen, I mean in the spiritual sense, and it was quite troubling, but I was not afraid. The earliest sentence I invented, everyone still remembers today: Persist one minute more than the devil! Persisting one second more is fine, if you are 0.1 seconds short in the 100-meter race, that is the difference between the champion and the runner-up. At that time, our spiritual height was about this height, does it work? It works! Every time we cast out demons, there were a lot of disturbances behind it, and something always happened after casting out demons, and then we tore at the demons.

People wondered why you can cast out demons, only you can do it? The reason is very simple, I have chosen that good portion, I have forsaken everything, no one can stop me, no one can stop me! Later, those who left the church gave me an evaluation: This chap will definitely succeed in what he wants to do, no one can stop him. That's right, there is no negotiation on the matter of believing in the Lord, is it smart to be a disciple of the Lord? Smart, I marvel at myself, where did this wisdom come from? This is like fighting, if you can't beat him, don't fight. For example, someone is walking, and I accidentally bump into someone, and then he is fierce with me, with scars all over his head, and blood dripping, we can't beat him, so we quickly apologize to him, even kneeling is fine. Why? I don't want to have scars on my head, if you can't beat him, don't fight, if you can't beat him and you still touch the tiger's backside, am I stupid? Many people are like this, they can't beat him but they still poke the tiger's backside, and after poking the tiger's backside, they end up naked, and later they don't even have a backside.

Is this generation interesting? Many places teach us lessons. Like Ukraine poking Russia, why are you poking that thing for no reason? That's not a tiger's backside, that's a bear's backside, and in the end you don't even have a backside. So, people who are disciples of Jesus Christ, if they don't forsake, it is also like this, if you don't forsake and you go poke Satan's backside, after you poke him, he will give you two eyes, understand? This is going to kill people! Calculate the investment, don't be a naked person, after operating a lot, you end up naked.

I have long investigated clearly, in the years when I cast out demons, I observed, why are those who engage in charismatic gifts and cast out demons ended up miserably by demons? Maybe some people say that there are also some who are not miserable, but let's not argue about this, there are also many miserable ones. I have been thinking about the reason? Many years ago, I knew the concept of being a disciple, my life was given by God, and it is only right that I dedicate my life to God. I am not like some people, they have recovered from deadly diseases, but they still don't want to forsake, wouldn't this cost your life? Why are people unwilling to forsake? It is because they have not calculated the accounts clearly, they do not know that they will receive a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the age to come. Is it cost-effective? It is cost-effective, who would do it if it is not cost-effective? How stupid.

So now start learning to choose, don't be stupid. Today I ask you, why are there so many diseases? It is because you have not forsaken, your brain is not working well, your brain is like a walnut, you can't calculate which is bigger and which is smaller, you can't grasp the key points. Why do you live so miserably? It is because you have not forsaken, you always hold on tightly, tightly. Today you hold on to this, tomorrow you hold on to that, your children's studies, your children's marriage, your children's children having children, it is all these things. Your brain is not working well, you are not clear which is bigger and which is smaller. Why are there so many problems in life? It is because you have not forsaken, your brain is not working well, you can't calculate which is bigger and which is smaller.

How can you gain if you don't forsake? Some people want to get something for nothing, what can they get in the end? In the end, they will be naked. Wake up, you can't go on with the original logic, wake up today and forsake everything and follow the Lord, will you still have mother-in-law and daughter-in-law problems if you are a disciple of the Lord? No; will you still have financial problems? No; will you still have marital problems? No. You benefit people, and others also want to benefit themselves, what's the problem? There is no problem at all. So, even the dogs on the roadside know what you are thinking in your heart, don't think that your selfishness is unknown to the dogs, people also know, dogs also know, demons also know, and God also knows.

The Chinese Mingding Destiny I founded explains many confusing imaginations, including those who cast out demons, why is the ending so miserable? It is because they cannot forsake themselves, they have not calculated the accounts clearly, or the concept is unclear, they did not study well in primary school. Isn't this scolding people? Scolding people without using dirty words, they really did not study well in primary school. Pastors who teach people are also like this, if you don't cast out demons, do you think you won't be chased by demons? I tell you, demons will not let you go. So, Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of victory, so they come and say: This pastor who casts out demons, he is not a charismatic, what is he? They study the Bible very well, and the preaching is hardcore preaching. Of course, it's hardcore, our weapons are put up, and the demons are trembling, we have nuclear bombs in our hands, which are definitely not rotten eggs.

This is a group of people who are willing to forsake everything for Jesus, look! This is a church of disciples, even demons have to send me money, if you lose a battle, you have to have war reparations, a hundredfold return! How can you do this job without discernment? How can you choose the right one without discernment? Yesterday I ministered to a pastor's daughter, her father is a pastor, the work is done to the point where the company can't pay wages, and he is very afraid of death. I suggested that she cast out demons, but I forgot to tell her to forsake, today I will make up for what I missed yesterday, why? I only remembered to tell her that there would be returns for casting out demons, but forgot to tell her to forsake before casting out demons. I hope she will listen well among us today.

II. Scripture

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.(Luke 14:28-33)

III. Prayer

God, open our hearts today, let us gain wisdom and understanding, and know how to choose. God, today we choose to forsake everything and follow You, and be determined to be Your disciples. God, what You have said today will be fulfilled in us. God, Your promises in the Bible, in Jesus Christ, will all be fulfilled in us, and even if it means death today, we will keep and obey Your commands. God, remember us, have mercy on us, when we are weak, You will be our inner strength, so that we can continue to run forward and become Your disciples. God, may You remember me, be gracious to me, and let us have such determination, such wisdom and understanding. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

IV. Scripture Background

The background of this scripture is from the Gospel of Luke, I tell you, I have studied the Gospel of Luke best, maybe some people say: Really? Among the people I know, I am the best, if there are better, then we don't know, then it doesn't count. What is good about it? There is a very clear theme in the Gospel of Luke, that is, many people who believe in the Lord fall, and many people rise up, so the sermon I preached on The Stumbling Stone was very popular! A pastor came to me and said: Pastor Liu, you don't know how famous you are outside? Oh dear, I really don't want to be famous, what should I do? You can't cover it up.

The sermon on The Stumbling Stone has been spread far and wide, but many people don't know who preached it after listening to it, in fact, I preached it. The Stumbling Stone comes from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Christ came into the world, this child was established to reveal the secrets of people's hearts, many people fall, and many people rise up. So, it is very interesting that many people fall and many people rise up, of course I will definitely choose to rise up, why would I choose to fall? I am not stupid. So, the Gospel of Luke is the concept of falling and rising. When the Gospel of Luke speaks of chapter fourteen, it mentions this most basic concept, which is discipleship. In addition to the passage we have chosen today, the previous two sentences are also important.

And great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:25-27)

This is too strong, but that is how Jesus spoke of it, strong or not, being smart or not are two completely different understandings.

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.(Luke 14:33)

So, the concept of discipleship is this concept, the concept of discipleship is to forsake everything, if someone loves his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and his own life more than God, he is not worthy to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. People believe in the Lord and then cannot be disciples, what is that called? It's called hanging in mid-air. Looking around, there are many hanging in mid-air, it's good that I don't see a rope around their necks, that's hanging. So this is very interesting, why did Jesus say these words? In people's choices, it is not that they don't believe in Jesus, they have also encountered Jesus, they have also touched Jesus, but they have fallen. Many people encountering Jesus is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but being raised up is a big difference between disciples and non-disciples.

So, the words that Jesus spoke, this passage of scripture, actually fits into the theme of the Gospel of Luke. You have to calculate this matter of forsaking, so The Art of War speaks of careful calculation, that is, you are strategizing in the house, calculating, and then you go out and operate like a tiger, and you are not a fool; if you calculate blindly in the house, and then you go out and operate like a tiger, and finally prove yourself to be a fool. If you keep poking the tiger's backside, won't you be in trouble? It will cost your life! So, what are you calculating? Forsaking or not forsaking is like building a house, building a tower, some of our brothers and sisters have a building foundation, click! Build a tower, it is best to build the tower all the way to the top, and after sealing the top, it will not become an unfinished project, so Jesus said:

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.(Luke 14:28-30)

Some people build buildings, calculate the costs, and run out of money after laying the foundation, can you live in the foundation? You can't live in the foundation. Don't say you can't live in the foundation, it's hard to live even in a shell house. If you can't build it successfully, people will laugh at him, so people have to calculate, what do you invest when you want to do this thing? You have to calculate like this for everything you do. Later, Jesus said:

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he can take on the army of twenty thousand with his ten thousand? If he cannot, he will send a delegation while the other army is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 14:31-33)

Think about it. If you are going to war, you must make sure you don't end up with nothing. Why would you end up with nothing? Some people end up with less than nothing because they did not calculate properly. Once you have given up everything, the keys to the kingdom of heaven are yours. Your resources are not just ten thousand soldiers, but a hundred thousand, five hundred thousand. You must calculate properly. There is a story about the King of Qin wanting to conquer the State of Chu. He summoned two generals and asked them how many soldiers they needed. One said, Two hundred thousand. The other said, It cannot be done with less than six hundred thousand. The King of Qin chose the one who only needed two hundred thousand, saying, Good. The result was that these two hundred thousand soldiers were utterly defeated, returning with nothing.

Seeing that the calculations were wrong, the King of Qin then appointed General Wang Jian, entrusting him with all six hundred thousand soldiers of the Qin kingdom. Wang Jian was very clever. He calculated: The King of Qin has entrusted me with all the soldiers in the kingdom. What if I turn around and destroy the King of Qin? He was very afraid. So, after calculating, Wang Jian used a strategy to reassure the King of Qin. Later, Wang Jian led his troops against the State of Chu and conquered it. Wang Jian led his troops all the way to modern-day Vietnam. He was a very capable man. So, war is not a joke; exorcism is not a joke; spiritual warfare is not a joke.

I ask you, where do we get those six hundred thousand soldiers from? It is when we give up everything that all the heavenly soldiers are at your disposal. What happens in the spiritual realm when we are willing to give up everything? The heavenly soldiers are at your command. You say, Send six hundred thousand soldiers! God says, Good! and the devil is immediately destroyed. So, the issue is whether to give up or not. Not giving up is disastrous. Building an unfinished building is a joke, but losing a war is no joke. It is not just ending up with nothing, but with less than nothing. Not giving up is terrible. Today, if you want to follow me on this path, I must give you a suggestion: you must give up everything, and you must receive a hundredfold in return! Why do I keep saying a hundredfold? I am afraid you will miss this point. Just hearing about giving up, but forgetting about the hundredfold, that would be a problem! Why can't you give up? Luke wrote this passage very meaningfully. His structure is very clear.

Jesus replied, “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ” (Luke 14:16-24)

Why can't you give up? Because you bought a field. Why can't you give up? Because you bought five yoke of oxen. I tell you, there are plenty of such Christians. Today, if you want to be such a Christian, I will leave you to it. Even God cannot control you, how can I? I ask you, which has a higher return: this field and five yoke of oxen, or giving up everything to follow Jesus? People just have not calculated it properly, they just value living this life too much. And those who cannot go because they just got married, they all have excuses. I ask you, if you marry a wife and she gives you a string of cuckold's horns, how would you feel? That would also be quite terrible! So, what I mean is, is there anything better than the Lord Jesus? Is there anything better than God? I have calculated it very clearly; no one can stop me. Five yoke of oxen, a field, those things are useless, they have no benefit.

Do not just talk about today, I have been doing this for a long time. So, many people say, I am busy, I have no time. Isn't the time determined by you? Which time is not determined by you? Why can you tell God that you have no time, but you have time for others? I tell you, not having time is a lie. It just depends on which you put in the most important position. It is that simple. Sometimes I will push you very hard from behind. Why do I push so hard? I just want to see if you have given up everything, to examine you. If, after a period of time, it is because of a field; after another period of time, it is because of five yoke of oxen; after another period of time, it is because you married; after another period of time, you bought five SU7s. If I see that it is no good, that you cannot give up, then I will give you up. The hundredfold return is gone. Wouldn't that be foolish? In the end, I will have to give you up. Lack of understanding! What kind of person is someone who is given up by God? The background to this passage is written very well.

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Luke 14:34-35)

Originally, Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth, but if they have no flavor, why? They are the same as the people of the world. They cannot solve the problems that the people of the world cannot solve; they cannot even solve the problems that the people of the world can solve. Aren't they useless? The people of the world have no God with them; neither do they have God with them. Then anything they do is no good; it is very upsetting! Today, I am still ministering. There was a couple who even went to study theology, but it was very difficult. Why? It is very troublesome if the salt loses its flavor. But today, perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope. We can lift them up and choose to give up everything for Jesus. Why are the relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law bad, the relationships between husband and wife bad, the family relationships a mess, and the work place a mess? They cannot give up. They care about all these trivial matters. So, much of the salt has lost its flavor, perhaps only a little bit remains.

If you do not give up, it is difficult to walk this path. So, what to do? It is useless to throw it on the field, it is useless to throw it on the manure pile. It can only be thrown outside to be trampled on. Wouldn't that be the lowest of all people in the world? So, Christians must either be the highest of all people in the world, or they must be the lowest of all people in the world. You must choose carefully. Do not tell me that I did not tell you. It is not even worthy of being thrown on the manure pile. So, what to do? In the end, it becomes trash, the laughingstock of the world. God reminds us in this passage that today you cannot give up, tomorrow you cannot give up; this is important, that is important, a whole bunch of things. People in the scripture only had five yoke of oxen, perhaps you have fifty yoke of oxen. So, what are you going to do? I do not know what to do.

So, today I remind everyone again that I want to choose those who will give up everything for Jesus and then come with me to serve this generation. You may be someone who is being served. You have received God's grace, but that proves nothing. If you become someone who serves, then you are a wise person. This is the background to this passage. Many people fall, many people rise. If you want to be someone who falls, you will be trampled by everyone. If you want to be someone who rises, you will be the highest of all people in the world! May every promise in Deuteronomy chapter 28, verses 1 to 14, be fulfilled in our lives. Be a wise person, choose carefully. Do not end up making yourself miserable. After giving up, you go to cast out demons, and the demons will bring you money.

V. Giving Up is Investment

Giving up is an investment. Grasp this concept. It is not giving up and throwing it on the street, nor is it going to the hospital to spend money on medical treatment, giving it to the hospital. Giving up is investment, it is giving up for the sake of Jesus, not giving up for the sake of the hospital, nor giving up for the sake of your kidney, nor for the sake of your heart, nor for the sake of your cerebral infarction, nor for the sake of your myocardial infarction, nor for the sake of your tumor. Today, it is giving up for the sake of Jesus. This is an investment, and investment has a hundredfold return. If you look closely, there is no one who does not receive a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the next. What you receive is what you have given up. Why? Because what is sown in the ground yields a hundredfold.

This is like building a house. You have to calculate whether you can finish building it. Many Christians walk halfway and end up dead in the field. Christians either remain in Egypt as slaves, or they leave Egypt and die in the wilderness, or they become victorious Christians and rely on God to enter the Promised Land, holding fast to God's word and continuing to walk this path. Even if you make a mistake, God will still have mercy on you and remember you. This is also like fighting a war. Losing a war, building an unfinished building, it is all because of what? Because you cannot give up, you do not have enough volume. If you can give up for the sake of Jesus Christ, you will have ample funds to build the house well, you will have ample resources to build the church into a victorious church.

I do not believe it cannot be done. It definitely can be done, anywhere! Today, I must tell you that when I started building the church, I had a determination in my heart. How to build it? No matter what, even if I am the only one left in the church, I will still do it! You say, If you are the only one left, can that still be called a church? I tell you, how could God let me be the only one left? You must give up. Giving up is an investment. People invest in P2P and get no return, but if you invest in the kingdom of God, you will definitely get a hundredfold return. You say, How do you know? Then try it slowly. Give up one thing and you will get one thing. Whatever you give up, you will get.

VI. Giving Up Relatives

If you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must give up houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, and houses. I tell you, the path of being a Christian is not easy. Sometimes you have to disown your family. If you ask me, I am someone who disowns my family. I only recognize Jesus. In Jesus Christ, we run together. You are my younger brother, my younger sister, my older sister, my older brother, these things are useless, they have no use at all, and I do not have these things. So, today we must know what giving up means. Giving up is an attitude. Some people seem to have really given up, but in reality, they have not given up. For example, there is a sister who is already living a very frugal life. When her father gets sick, she gives all her money to the hospital and is still very poor today. That is not the right path. That is the worldly system of logic, so she is controlled by it. She has only just managed to get out of it today.

So, what to do? That is not how you give up. You have to adjust your mindset and give up in a spiritual way, in a spiritual manner. This matter can no longer control you. For example, those lies within us: Oh, my mother died because she did not have money. If I had money, my mother would not have died. Nonsense, all lies! Later, her father got sick, and they spent a lot of money, but he still died. It has nothing to do with having money to go to the hospital or not having money to go to the hospital. So, when family members are about to die, let them go peacefully. When you are about to die, let yourself go peacefully. Anyway, that is the only path. I rarely care about this. I often see Christians praying desperately for their families, trying to keep them alive when they are about to die. If it were me praying, it would be for them to go peacefully! What is the point of living a life of suffering and pain?

There is a sister who did not understand this logic clearly. When God was about to take her father away, she prayed desperately to bring him back. He was about to die, but she prayed for him, and he came back to life, bedridden every day. As a result, ten years passed, and this sister complained to God, asking, God, why is this happening? Because he wanted to go peacefully, but you always prevented him from going peacefully, making him suffer back and forth. God said, You care about this life, how can you not suffer? He is lying in bed, isn't that what you wanted? So, what to do? Next time he wants to leave, let him go peacefully. As for whether he is taken away by demons or taken away by God, we do not need to care. Each person has their own fate. So, in this way, you will be freed all at once.

You may not be able to accept what I am saying. I tell you, you must desperately cast out demons. Either he will get better and stop tormenting you, or he will leave peacefully and stop tormenting you. So, giving up means not being controlled by these things in eternity, no longer living in the logic of this life. These worldly, fleshly relationships are terrible. You can tell right away that there is a lack of understanding. Some brothers and sisters say, The person I love most in this world is my mother. As a result, when your mother dies, you are in so much pain that you want to die. Why don't you do something else with that time? Why do you have to be in pain? Because you can't stop it. The person you love most is your father, and as a result, your father also dies. So, you must not love me, because if you love me to death, that would be a problem.

Some children are treated like treasures by their mothers. If it is a boy, he is a mama's boy. If it is a girl, she is a mama's girl. They indulge their children's fleshly desires, and in the end, they indulge them to death. So, fleshly relationships are quite corrupt. Today, can we give up? If we love God more than we love our parents, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, is there a problem? Once we give up, there is no problem! Why care about that? You can't make decisions for them, and in the end, they still have to walk their own path.

VII. Giving Up Yourself

And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27)

What does it mean to carry the cross? It means to crucify your own evil desires and lusts, to give up everything you have! The path of Jesus Christ is an easy path, the yoke of Jesus Christ is an easy yoke. So, as a Christian, the best investment is to put to death your own fleshly deeds. If you do not put to death your own fleshly deeds, I cannot help you. I cannot say let the police arrest you, I cannot do that. You must be willing to walk this path of the cross, which is to nail your own fleshly desires and lusts to this cross. So, the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul passed on, dealing with the system of fleshly logic, came from here. The Book of Romans explains it very clearly. So, this is an investment. As a result, indulging the flesh, you indulge yourself to death; indulging other people's flesh, you indulge them to death as well. Now, dealing with your own flesh, and also dealing with the spiritual constraints in your own family relationships, I tell you, the return is very rich.

People love to be reasonable, they are selfish, and they are fleshly. How much suffering do they end up enduring? Today, I tell you, if you are suffering, quickly repent, quickly wake up. There is a tendon pulling in the back, there is a tendon pulling in the neck, there is a tendon pulling everywhere, it looks very tiring. One moment the skin is not good, the next moment the eyes are not good, the next moment the ears are not good, the next moment the mouth is not good. Oh, these are all life-threatening things! Once a person gives up himself, won't your relationships with people be healthy? You no longer care much about your own gains and losses, only about the benefit of others. Isn't this very simple? Of course, you have to slowly ponder this benefit yourself.

VIII. Giving Up All Possessions

In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 14:33)

The sermon we are preaching today is truly exceptional, but it is about wisdom and understanding, giving up all that you have. Whether it is fields, houses, five oxen, a piece of land, whether the company goes public or not, give up everything you have. You cannot be controlled by these things, nor can you be bound by these things. It is terrible when people are bound by these things. The spiritual battle will be fought until you are left with nothing. So, what will you do? You must calculate this account clearly. Whether you like it or not, since you have come into this world, you will experience this spiritual battle. You have to experience it whether you want to or not. It is not that you can experience it if you want to, and not experience it if you don't want to. If you don't give up today, you will have to give up anyway. Why? Because when your eyes close and you kick your legs, you will have to give up everything anyway. Why not give up while you are alive and become a free person, to be free in Jesus Christ, and let this empty life be filled with God's glory!

IX. Surely Receive a Hundredfold

This is an opening of understanding. Some people do not know that this is receiving a hundredfold.

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (Mark 10:29-31)

Why was my mother's Alzheimer's disease resolved with me? Because I used godly love and gave up this fleshly thing. So, I was able to let my mother, a person with Alzheimer's disease, live a high-quality life before she died. Giving up yourself is the same. There are plenty of benefits. How many fewer illnesses will you have? People really need to learn these lessons in life. If you have no wisdom and no understanding, you will be confused when you read it, and you will think that giving up is not good. I want to make a summary: today we have gained wisdom and understanding. You must examine carefully, calculate carefully, and be a wise person. Today you give up, tomorrow you pick it up again. The day after tomorrow you give up again, the day after that you pick it up again. You are doing sit-ups all day long, you are exhausted, your abs are good, but you are very tired! Living life is a very simple matter. I tell you, all your good lies outside of God. Do not look outside of God. Just go and examine carefully, calculate carefully, and know that this is an opportunity to receive a hundredfold return. Amen!

Let us sing a hymn and prepare to receive today's offering. This is a new song created by our Chinese Mingding Destiny music, called Imitate Jacob. If you do not understand the meaning of offering, I am sorry, we will not accept it! If you do not understand the meaning of offering, do not offer, or you will be cursed. God does not need money, nor does the church need money, because offering is grace, serving is grace. Do not rush headlong on the road to destruction. All these riches are just unprofitable riches. In eternity, they are just funeral paper, meaningless! Imitate Jacob. At this time, we raise our hands and pray: God, today I will offer myself to you. I want to give up everything for your sake. Nothing can control us anymore. God, may you accept our offering on your throne. Such an offering is originally grace. May your beautiful promises in heaven, your beautiful promises in Jesus Christ, be fulfilled in our lives. God, accept us, give us wisdom and understanding, and know that giving up everything is the wisest choice. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen!

May God bless everyone!