1. The History of the Church and the History of the World Are Histories of Continuous Renewal

Man must learn to constantly renew himself; renewal is the main theme of this era. We must begin to break through traditions; people must constantly renew themselves. We must know that renewal and innovation are the main themes of this era. Begin to understand that continuous renewal is God's will. Once we know God's will, we must constantly challenge and renew ourselves.

The history of the church and the history of the world are histories of continuous renewal. Conservatism and innovation are the main themes of human history. Now, rigidity and conservatism are not what God desires. God's will is continuous renewal and continuous creation.

Transformation (变法) is our Chinese concept of continuous renewal. We who live in this era are all reformers and openers of China. Today, we must know that living in the era of the internet, innovation and culture are the main themes of this era. Be unsatisfied with the original foundation, break through and innovate. The current renewal and innovation are the winners. We must constantly move forward; we are the driving force for development.

At that time, I never missed a gathering for three years, but for those three years, I had a habit: I would sleep when the pastor preached. I don't know what I heard in those three years, but I slept soundly. Now, when I preach and see others sleeping, I won't wake them up; let them sleep well. Because the problem is not that they are not listening attentively, but that I am not preaching well enough.

Reading Genesis is particularly important; you won't get tired of reading Genesis many times. Why? Because Genesis is about creation, it is about innovation. The traditional concept is to go to heaven after death, and now many people also think that believing in the Lord means going to heaven. But I have examined the Bible: How much does it talk about going to heaven after death? Not much. But it talks a lot about restoring man to God's glorious image. Because God is the God of creation, He created us according to His image. It is to let us also restore our glorious image.

After my research, only those who restore God's glorious image on earth can go to heaven. Only those who walk with God on earth can go to heaven. Recently, there was a real estate development boss who was very good at marketing and management in economics, and very smart. He told me that a pastor preached that only one in a thousand people can go to heaven. He asked me what I thought. I said, I haven't been there, so I'm not sure. Because I haven't been there, I really don't know. By the same token, I also told him not to dwell on such issues.

We really need to constantly renew ourselves; there is no best, only better. The church needs constant renewal; even the elderly among us can join in this innovation. I have this mindset: even when I am about to breathe my last, I will continue to renew myself. The church is a place where people live out creativity and blessings, a place that can create benefits for society. Let us not take pride in I am in a traditional church. What did Jesus say? Do not let us be bound by old ideas, but constantly renew ourselves.

Let us not dwell in tradition, but in renewal, in the ocean of knowledge, which is very beautiful. The knowledge of God's glory is infinite, and the knowledge of God's innovation is also infinite. I am particularly worried that we are stubborn about our own ideas; we must believe that many things in this world can be changed.

2. Scripture: Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.(Romans 12:2)

If a person often says, How can I not experience God? it is because his mind is full of inherent traditions. But I encourage brothers and sisters to enter into renewal and constantly grow. Do not think that tradition is a good concept. In the days of Jesus, it was because the Pharisees and those residents clung to tradition that they crucified Jesus.

3. Prayer

Lord, please lead us into the wonderful, help us break through traditions and bondage, help us become your glorious people, Lord, we believe that you will surely help us. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus!

4. Do Not Conform to This World

Have you observed many interesting things in this world? Some time ago, I went to a friend's place, and he enthusiastically brought out a treasured bottle of Wuliangye that had been stored for more than twenty years. In the world, people think that things with history are better. Few people would take out a bottle of wine and boast, This is this year's newly brewed Wuliangye. Or old antiques are considered more valuable. This will form many traditions and customs. But Paul said: Do not conform to this world.

People like rigidity because rigid things represent the operating principles of the world. Therefore, Paul said, do not conform to this world. This world is a world of discerning good and evil and indulging the flesh. We must not conform to this world. We can break through old traditions. After Newtonian mechanics came out, it was an innovation in that era. But later it became an obstacle to the theory of relativity. The theory of relativity and quantum mechanics are breakthroughs in the tradition of Newtonian mechanics. People's traditional concepts are deeply rooted. The church is so rigid because the church at that time could not enter into renewal. Some of us are very rigid, and we insist on what we insist on, even if it is wrong.

How did the Pharisees come about? They came from the years of Ezra and Nehemiah. They did not transform what Nehemiah taught, but continued to be rigid. Some time ago, I ministered to a sister who was from Henan. People from Henan have a characteristic: they have a very big temper. This traditional concept of Henan, the traditional concept of Shandong, and the traditional concepts of many places bind people. In fact, God does not want to bind people. But many people like to blame God for the cause of the problem. For example, in the Middle Ages, the church persecuted Bruno and Copernicus for proposing the heliocentric theory, and some people used it as a shortcoming of the church, thinking that God could not tolerate any opposition. But who knows whether the heliocentric theory was a revelation from God?

Today we must know that in the last days, the knowledge of God will fill the sea like seawater. Many people turn the teachings of Martin Luther, Calvin, and Ni Tuosheng into tradition, and dare not go beyond the bounds. In fact, we must stand on their shoulders and continue to renew. What we should inherit is the renewal that comes from breakthroughs, rather than turning theories into rigidity.

Today we must know one thing: people like to make things rigid, because after that thing becomes rigid, it represents the operating principles of this world, so Paul said not to conform to this world. This world is a world that indulges the flesh, do not conform to this world, we must break through.

Some people care about tradition very much, and as a result, they are bound by tradition and become more and more rigid. Some people do not care about tradition and are not bound by tradition. For example, the wine table culture values the arrangement of seats very much. If it is not done correctly, people will slam the table and leave. I don't care about such traditions. I can be arranged with a small stool. Li Ka-shing is very creative. He arranges seats by drawing lots, which avoids the problem of ranking.

5. Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind

We must constantly renew ourselves. If we do not renew, there will be problems. Every time God has a new inspiration and revelation in me, I feel great! Be transformed by the renewing of your mind; this is the external manifestation of God's renewal in me. I used to think that if I did the same thing every day, it would be enough to live only one day. But if there is innovation every day, then every day is different. The church's heart has been renewed and changed, because I read the Bible and found that the Bible wrote this, but I had not discovered it before. This is renewal. Someone told me that your sermons are different from five years ago. Is it wrong five years ago or wrong today? This is a very foolish question. I didn't see it five years ago, but I see it today and it's renewed. Isn't it good? There was no Baidu, no Alibaba, no Internet before, but now there is. Is this wrong? (This is discerning good and evil.) Rigidity is not an option. You must grow today. Can you still be in the first grade of elementary school when you are over twenty years old? Of course not! The teacher is younger than you.

You must be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This year you are in the first grade, tomorrow you will be in the second grade. In every change, you will experience God. Every change comes from God.

There is a mentality called divine dissatisfaction, just like Bible study. I am not satisfied with the existing Bible study materials, so I seek God, and God bestows new revelations, so our Bible study materials are very edifying. Also, like leading new people to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, I have also innovated many methods. After trying them, the effect is good, so I continue to do them.

I am a renewed person. I work in IT, and this profession requires me to renew myself, which has made me develop a habit of renewing myself. I never regard people's traditions as the standard, but regard God's word as the standard, and become more and more like Jesus. When our hearts are renewed, it will bring renewal to the church. If you are not the standard, then you must renew. The Bible is the standard. The mobile phone industry and the electronics industry can never stop. Today, few people hear about Nokia. In the 2G era, Nokia was the leader, but today it has disappeared. Only constant change is the eternal and unchanging law.

The farming methods of two thousand years ago are still the same as the farming methods of some of our farmers today, but today we must change, which is called agricultural modernization. Mao Zedong criticized the small-farmer mentality. The Communist Party created a new China with the innovative consciousness of continuous renewal. If the mind is not renewed and there is no change for decades, it is the small-farmer mentality.

Some people say that it is particularly difficult to change people's small-farmer mentality. If we have traditional concepts in us, we must break through and start to renew. Including your personality and habits, you must renew them.

The Bible is the standard. The mobile phone industry and the network industry cannot stop. No industry can survive without renewal. The unchanging law is that it is always changing. Tradition is our limitation. The farming methods 2000 years ago are not much different from the current farming methods. Farmers' thinking is the most conservative and traditional. Mao Zedong criticized the small-farmer mentality. The Communist Party established a new China with the innovative consciousness of continuous renewal. Not renewing or changing is the farmer's consciousness. Tradition and renewal must constantly fight in us. Traditional concepts must be broken through, and the good must be left behind. This is my habit. Is that the standard? Break it through and become a new creation.

6. Break Through the Bondage of Tradition

Entering into renewal, we become valuable vessels. Tradition is not the word of God. The Pharisees regarded the traditions of men as the word of God. Jesus said they were a brood of vipers, which is a fatal comment. In the days of Hezekiah, the bronze serpent was ground into powder, because people regarded worshiping the bronze serpent as a tradition, which brought a new era and a new breakthrough. I have challenged many traditions. We must return to the Bible and know which are the words of God and which are not. If we cannot see God's good, pleasing, and perfect will, we know that our minds are not renewed and we are living in tradition. Nothing is more important than renewal. Our knowledge of God is endless. We must constantly experience God and know God.

7. Constantly Break Through Yourself and Live Out God's Glorious Image

In management and sales methods, we must constantly innovate. There is a person named Andy Grove. He is one of the founders of Intel Corporation and a very successful business leader. He wrote a book called Only the Paranoid Survive. This book talks about: Now is an era of accelerated chaos and change. The factors that create you today may become the factors that subvert you tomorrow, so the code of conduct in this era is to constantly break through and renew. This Andy Grove developed cancer at the age of fifty-eight. He quickly took action to treat the cancer and later recovered. He received a revelation from cancer: He must actively take action to treat cancer, and he cannot wait passively. Later, he wrote about this anti-cancer experience in the book, recording his method of curing cancer.

Because Andy Grove is a person who constantly breaks through himself, he found a way to break through cancer. In fact, the method in his book is not important, but the mentality plays a key role. Some people have also read this book and followed it, but the result is not good. Why is this? In fact, these people have turned this method of healing into a tradition. They are different from Andy Grove. Andy Grove is a very focused person. He has been focusing on doing practical things and has not been thinking wildly, so he was healed.

Constant breakthroughs and innovation are the key to restoring the glorious image of God's creation of us. Our way of doing things must constantly change, and this is true in all walks of life. Recently, I have been decorating my house, and the decoration is very interesting. I constantly draw pictures, modify them, and study them. This represents a constant breakthrough. Every time I modify it, I break through a little bit. I am trying to constantly restore the glorious image of God in me. There is a secret to decoration, which is L. The space divided by the L shape can greatly improve space utilization. Japan is very prominent in this regard. A few years ago, I went to Osaka, Japan, and the hotel room was very small, but it was extremely exquisite. Our Northeast is vast and rich in resources, and houses are also cheap, even a few hundred yuan per square meter. The rooms are large and empty, but not exquisite. I like to do exquisite things. I constantly break through my original concepts. There is no best, only better. Our God is also such a God, and He also hopes that we will be like this. When we are like this, it is called walking with God. Do you want to walk with God? Do you want to have the image of God? Then do this.

Today our service is already very powerful, but I am not satisfied yet. I like to invent many new methods. You will never be bored in our church. We have found that acupressure is very effective in healing and deliverance. But we must not regard this as a tradition, only pressing acupoints without praying. In fact, prayer is the key. We dare not say that we are already very good today, but I want to say that tomorrow will be better.

China is a typical country that is constantly innovating. We used to copy, but now we have copied to the level of innovation. QQ and WeChat are good, and they are constantly updated, with new updates every two or three months. How good! Constant renewal is the winner of life! Constant breakthroughs are the winners of life! Resignation is not a solution to the problem. That is not God's will for us. The solution to the problem lies in breakthroughs.

8. Breakthrough, Renewal, and Innovation Should Become the Culture of the Church

We must constantly break through today's situation and never be satisfied! Technology is constantly developing. We cannot stay where we are. Some churches think: How can a church be without an organ? In fact, there were no organs at the beginning. They were only used occasionally. They felt good, so they were applied and became a tradition. Someone told me an interesting story: Martin Luther reformed the church and broke away from Catholicism, so he no longer sang Catholic hymns. So what hymns did he sing? He used the popular songs of the time and set them to lyrics to sing. This was the innovation at the time. Today, what we think are sacred poems are actually popular songs of the time. As a result, some modern people cannot accept the new forms of hymns.

Creation and renewal should be the most critical work of the church. Renewal, creation, and changing people's concepts should be the work of the church. We enjoy the service in change, change this era, and become a blessing to this era. God, through this era, lets us see that constantly restoring the image of God is the image of creation. God hopes that we will constantly experience the abundance and goodness in God.

God does not like us to passively wait for death. What God likes are innovative people. God created us according to his image and also accomplished His salvation. Salvation is to restore our original image of God. We were originally like God, but the devil said we were not, causing people to fall into sin. We see Jesus Christ laying hands on people and the sick are healed. We must yearn in our hearts: Lord, I want to be like this too. The glory of God shines on this world, and we must all be illuminated. How beautiful is the gospel of God, what else do we need? We must know that our good is not apart from God.

Let the knowledge of God fill the ocean like seawater. We are not running ahead of the world, but we must run in the will of God. May God bless everyone!