Today's Topic: Seize the Opportunity!

Today, I want to share with you a topic: Seize the Opportunity.

We live in a generation brimming with opportunities! No previous generation can compare to today's. Opportunities are everywhere. Just seize one, and you will achieve remarkable things. If you look closely, many companies with only a decade or two of history have surpassed large enterprises with centuries of history. Even today, in countless corners, there are unknown individuals who will suddenly emerge, becoming the next Jack Ma. You might have even seen them on the street.

You might wonder why the church is talking about opportunities; isn't that opportunism? I believe the word church has created too many misconceptions for many. Their understanding of the church comes from movies. Read the Bible carefully, and you will know that our God is not detached from the world; our God is the God who grants opportunities.

I don't want you to be unaware that the quality of your life has little to do with your abilities. It mainly depends on opportunities. Not only do you need to see opportunities, but you also need to see the opportunities of the moment. And not only see the opportunities of the moment, but you also need to learn how to seize them! If you can seize every opportunity, you will become an extraordinary person. For example, fifteen years ago, when Jack Ma wanted to create Alibaba, that was an opportunity. But if you want to create Taobao Alibaba today, someone has already done it. If you want to write Dream of the Red Chamber, it has already been written. If you want to write Journey to the West, it has already been written. If you want to create Facebook, someone has already done it! Once an opportunity has passed, it is no longer an opportunity. Seizing an opportunity means seizing the opportunity of the moment.

Why talk about seizing the opportunity? Because those who seize opportunities possess a certain character! The church is a place to cultivate this character. Our year in 2016 is about cultivating character, constantly ascending in character. The key to seizing opportunities is character development.

Jack Ma once said, criticizing today's youth: They dream of a thousand paths every day, but wake up and walk the same road. They are giants of creativity but dwarfs of action. What does this mean? If you lack character, you are merely a loser with dreams. Thank God, we are all practical, prosperous Christians!

Recently, I read a book called Winning in the Turning Point, written by Kong Yi. Kong Yi was the president of Motorola Mobile for Asia. He was the one who made Motorola Mobile so popular. After reading it, I felt that what was written in the book resonated so much with what I have been teaching. If I were to write it, I would write it the same way, only with a different industry, different stories, and different characters! So, I decided to buy dozens of copies to give to our leaders and co-workers. Kong Yi is a devout Christian, and the book is filled with practical Christian teachings. He is a practitioner of seizing opportunities.

In the past few weeks, I have begun to feel a change in my heart – to mold brothers and sisters into talents! I encourage our brothers and sisters to actively train their character, which is the key to seizing opportunities!

Come, let's look at today's scripture.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:11

Ecc 9:11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

What does this scripture mean?

Why is it that the race is not to the swift? Because it depends on a person's character. Whether you win or not depends on God. If God is pleased with you, even if you are not fast, He can help you seize the opportunity to win! Why is it that the battle is not to the strong? Because without character, whether you win or not depends on God. If God is pleased with you, even if you don't have that much strength, God can still help you win. Why is it that food does not come to the wise, wealth to the brilliant, or favor to the learned? Because it all depends on a person's character! Time and chance happen to them all.

Do you think this scripture is good news? Yes! Because we are not the fastest, the strongest, the wisest, or the most knowledgeable. But it doesn't matter. Everything depends on the opportunities of the moment! As long as you seize the opportunity, you can surpass those who are fast, strong, and wise. Opportunity is in the hands of our God! If you please God, He will add all these things to you! Doesn't the Bible clearly state that if you seek God's kingdom and His righteousness, all these things will be added to you?

I have noticed an interesting phenomenon. Those who want to be healthy don't necessarily get health, those who love money don't necessarily have money, and those who want to have a good life don't necessarily live well! Those who want to seize opportunities don't necessarily seize them. Later I understood, it's like driving a car. As long as you turn the steering wheel, the car will turn in the direction you want. You don't need to get out of the car and turn the wheels. That's not the way. When flying an airplane, you can't turn the tail. That's not the way. You just need to find the control stick! Our life is the same. If you want to seize opportunities, you need to find where the control stick is.

A person's life is a reflection of their inner character.

For example, if a person gets cancer, the cancer can reflect their character. Some people panic and tremble, and their families don't even dare to tell them they have cancer. But for some, getting cancer is an opportunity! The CPUs in our computers are made by Intel. The head of Intel, Andy Grove, is very impressive and wrote the famous management book Only the Paranoid Survive. He got cancer and then stepped down to rest. He spent his days in the library, studying and researching, developing a set of methods to treat cancer and was eventually cured! That book sold very well, earning millions of dollars. Who can argue with that? That's a great person! Very impressive! Even cancer is an opportunity. I don't think his treatment method worked; many people do the same, but it doesn't work. It was his inner character that worked! If he had panicked, he might have died. But he was a man of faith, steady as a mountain even in the face of life and death!

How important is a person's character. People without faith are miserable. People don't know what they will encounter in life, and when they encounter it, they panic. How can they live well?

The Church Must Become a Base for Cultivating People's Ability to Seize Opportunities

In the past few years, I have transformed many losers into talented leaders. That is my testimony, my resume. In my heart, I long to build a church with God's presence, a church with God's glory, a church that transforms people's lives! In fact, in my heart, I am very clear that the church must become a place to cultivate people's character! Character is a person's core competitiveness and basic value! The core of talent is character. The core of character is faith!

There is a new sister who I discovered is talented. She is a talented person with faith who can be shaped. She said that coming among us to do ministry, there is pressure and motivation! Pressure is the most precious thing for shaping a person's character. Freedom and looseness are the most fertile ground for shaping losers. Thank God, our ministry is getting better and better. It is increasingly shaping people's character!

Observe carefully among us, observe my way of shaping people. It's quite interesting. Like a craftsman, sometimes picking up an ax and chopping large pieces, sometimes taking sandpaper and gently grinding. Later, it becomes a person of character. I really enjoy this kind of work!

I divide talent training into four levels: breaking the carnal, breaking spiritual oppression, establishing a Bible-based belief system, and living God's word in life.

To build a person who can seize opportunities, to build a talent, you must do the above four levels. There is a sister in our A1 group. For a long time, I ignored her. No small group could minister to her, so I said, Come to my group. In fact, the A1 group is a group of people that no one can minister to. They are all self-righteous. After ignoring her for a long time, the sister came to me and said, Pastor, if you see any problems with me, please tell me! Then I began to teach her on a small scale. Unable to teach her. Later, for half a year, I didn't manage her, and her carnal things expanded greatly. As the church revived, they also felt out of sync with the church's service culture, so they left. Their leaving the church is a blessing to the church. I really can't minister to such people! There is another sister who HF brother went to minister to her, mentioning HF's sermon, which the pastor had preached several years ago. After preaching for several years, she still didn't listen! I also know that she doesn't like my way of breaking the carnal. But if the carnal is not broken, how can they live well in this life!

I say this to remind everyone that the church is not a place where everyone is good to each other! The church is a place to shape talent, a place to shape character, a place to break people's carnality, a place to enable people to seize opportunities! If people's carnal problems are not broken, they cannot seize opportunities! Brothers and sisters, start to deal well with your carnal parts. Because opportunities are all about the future, and the flesh is all about the past and present. Only a spiritual person can seize opportunities!

Let's bring the topic back and see what opportunity looks like!

What Does Opportunity Look Like?

Opportunity, usually when people see it clearly as an opportunity, is no longer an opportunity. When Jack Ma founded Alibaba, no one was optimistic about him. Those who were doing well in physical stores looked down on Jack Ma's Alibaba. But that was an opportunity!

The year before last, when I was preaching the vision of online church, many people opposed me. Today, when I am preaching the vision of online church, many people still think it won't work. In fact, the more people think it won't work, the more likely it is an opportunity! However, I can say for sure today that I am very sure this is an opportunity that God wants to give us! The Bible says that what God has given us is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived. It turns out that opportunity is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived. Opportunities are all about the future. When you stand in the present and the past, you cannot seize opportunities!

I am learning the example of IT outsourcing. Two years later, I realized that it was God's wonderful leading!

Live in the future, have a vision for the future. If you can't see it, then let God lead you! Because God knows the future. He will also reveal to us things about the future. 1Co 2:9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— This is opportunity! God is the God who gives opportunities!

Upon closer examination, opportunities are often found at inflection points. We Chinese often say one must win at the starting line. However, winners are not those who win at the starting line, but those who win at inflection points. Inflection points are opportunities! Jack Ma, Li Ka-shing, Terry Gou, none of them won at the starting line, but at inflection points. Inflection points are opportunities. If you run fast but take a wide detour, I can overtake you by taking a shortcut. We have many examples today, such as Nokia losing out at a turning point. They failed to keep up with the transition from 2G to 3G, and that was the end.

That truly requires vision! Without foresight, without a premonition of the future, even if you win at the starting line, you will lose at the finishing line!

There are many examples in the Bible.

Jacob – shepherding sheep, faced opportunities, was exploited by his father-in-law, faced opportunities, was persecuted by his brother, a low starting point, but great opportunities. Joseph – an even lower starting point, even greater opportunities. Without faith, one cannot persevere! Pharaoh's dream, 7 years of abundance, 7 years of famine, enabled him to accumulate all the wealth of Egypt. Know that famine and opportunity coexist. Economic crises are prepared for the world. For those who love God, they are all opportunities! – All given by God to the church!

People are divided into two categories: those who live in the past and those who live in the future. People of faith live in the future. Living in the past, dwelling on past events, without a future, that is foolish. Living daily in the future, building inner faith, seeing opportunities, seizing opportunities, that is wise! If someone is tired of hearing about the word of faith, still lacks faith, and is still entangled in the past, what kind of person is that? You all know! Without faith, there is no future.

Opportunities are seen with faith! Those without faith cannot see opportunities or seize them!

Opportunities are prepared by God for those who love Him! 1Co 2:9 But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. – This is opportunity! God is a God who gives opportunities!

The Key to Seizing Opportunities is to Love God, and God is Calling Us to Love Him!

Only those who love God have opportunities!

In my past two decades of following the Lord, I have personally verified that those who love God have opportunities! I climbed from a customer service representative to the position of CIO, and later became a pastor! It has been a journey of opportunities. When I had the ability… opportunities came, I seized them, and they came again, and I seized them again! This is true not only in my career but also in investment. Why? Because I love God, and I live for Him! God is truly wonderful; He has led me all the way. Loving God is the most effective way to seize opportunities! Do things effectively. Proverbs 3:5, Pro 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; Pro 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Abraham was old and sought a wife for his son. That was miraculous efficiency. His servant…

God has prepared opportunities for those who love Him! Reverend George, personally participated in the Great Revival of South Wales in 1904. In his old age, he laid hands on Reinhard Bonnke, and Reinhard Bonnke took a grasp-the-opportunity action – millions of people followed him in faith. I have never seen millions of people gather, and I find it hard to imagine. But it is true! Reinhard Bonnke lived a very exciting life because he loved God, and God gave him what eyes have not seen, what hearts have not… Now, he is still actively preparing to enter China for mission!

Among us, those brothers and sisters who love God, who are not seizing opportunities!

There was an Israelite woman named Esther who became the queen of the Persian Empire. At a time when Israel faced the crisis of extermination, her adoptive father, Est 4:13 Mordecai told her, Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. Est 4:14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?

Brothers and sisters, is your current job not an opportunity to love God?

God is determined to bless this generation; God wants to choose people after His own heart to take on the mission of blessing this generation! God has been choosing people since Abraham. Having chosen you, will you respond to God, love God, take on the mission of this generation, and become a blessing to this generation! If God calls you and you do not take on the responsibility, God will find someone else. Those who live in the future know the future, those with foresight and those with hindsight. Opportunities are in God's hands!

I thank God that He allowed me to work in the IT industry for many years, shaping my habit of continuous innovation and renewal. This enables me to not only love God but also to approach the idea of the online church with an open mind. Only today do I realize that this is an opportunity that God has given to our church! To make us a blessing to the whole earth. Although I have not met many distant brothers and sisters face to face, our spirits are united in the Lord Jesus. They have all taken on the responsibility of leadership!

The story of Courland and Bill – Thought-provoking

Understanding the Essence of the Church – Removing the Myths of the Physical Church

The experience of Pastor Courland requires us to re-examine the essence of church service – the transmission of information. Recognizing the essence of church service is key. The church is a place to transmit information. The basic product of the church is information. Prayer, Bible study, teaching courses, and service are all based on information.

Jack Ma thoroughly studied the essence of shopping. He said that Taobao did one thing: it integrated logistics, information flow, and capital flow, and that became Taobao. He grasped the essence of things. The way things change.

The examples of Walmart and Taobao (For one million transactions, how much commercial land would Walmart need to build, how many service staff would it need to hire, Taobao would only need two servers!)

We must recognize the essence of church service!

Let us think, if 1,000 people come to church, you sit there, who do you know? No one! So what are you doing there? I think, if Taobao can do this, why can't our church, whose main product is information, do the same? If the Apostle Paul could minister to that generation by writing letters from prison, why can't we minister to this generation through the internet? We really need to understand more clearly the essence of church service, begin to transform, transform into a more effective, more powerful, faster, more relevant service, more powerful prayer, more intense teaching, and more efficient church governance and management!

God is revealing to us a brand-new model of service!

The story of Courland and Bill – Thought-provoking

God Has Given Our Church Today's Opportunity

God gave us this revelation a long time ago. He has led us step by step to this day! This is a golden opportunity! Every time I think of these things, seeing what God has recently done in the church, I am so excited! We see the great opportunity of this generation! If God used Courland to start the Toronto Revival and Reinhard Bonnke to start the African Revival, today we want to declare that God will use us to start the Great Revival of the Internet Age!

A brand-new concept of church service, an original-based church:

• Pastoral groups, ministry groups

• Teaching courses and Bible study – building the foundation of faith (Method: highly creative display)

• Prayer meetings and healing deliverance

• Reporting system, guidance system (16-year-old WS sister)

Today, we are those who seize the inflection point! God is leading us into an unprecedented great revival!

GY sister – touched and healed in the QQ group, WQ healed, service – instant service, instant slaying of demons.

DMY, JY, ZTT, and many more brothers and sisters whose names are not mentioned! Just arrived in the group, started pastoring, and assigning homework!

We have started an era of church where there are gatherings every day.

We need more leaders to be raised up!

The great revival of the church is at hand – Pastor, you seem to be speaking the truth, and those who can seize opportunities are like this! They are all people with courage, vision, and execution!

Seizing the opportunity – needs a tornado. I do not know if I have told you about the tornado theory. Whether you are doing business or building a church, you need a tornado. Our church, in the past few years, has been silently cultivating, preparing, and creating a tornado. Now, the whirlwind is forming! If you have seen what God has accomplished among us in the past few weeks, you will know the power of the tornado! It is the power of devastating destruction! The plane is ready to take off, and the rocket is ready to launch!

Down-to-Earth Shaping Yourself to Be Used by God

Someone has studied the structure of the human brain – hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain

Vision, five powers – visual acuity, charm, motivation, courage, moral strength

Training in thinking skills

• Allied pilots were shot down in Germany, and they were trained in escape mechanisms. As a result, those who followed the training manual did not escape. High IQ is not the solution; those who are quick-witted and see opportunities at any time all returned!

• Training in writing meeting minutes

• When encountering problems and difficulties – all practice thinking skills, character, and faith

Conclusion: See God's Heart in This Generation and Seize the Opportunity!

Evan Roberts seized God's heart in that generation in 1904 and achieved the revival of South Wales that is still celebrated today! Black pastor Simon seized God's heart in that generation in 1906 and achieved the revival of Azusa Street that is still celebrated today! I see that the current situation of our church is similar to that of South Wales in 1904 and Azusa Street in 1906!

Today, God has been waiting for us for a long time, searching for us for a long time. God wants to use a small group of people to bring a great revival in this generation, let us prepare to welcome the coming of a new generation!

Brothers and sisters, some of us have seized a job opportunity, which is an opportunity, but only a small opportunity. Seizing a business is an opportunity, but only a small opportunity. There is one opportunity that must be seized, which is that God wants to manifest His power through you and me in this generation! Bless this generation!

Let go of those things that entangle us, the past that cannot be changed, start looking to the future, see God's work in this generation, see the opportunities God has given us, seize the opportunity to work with God, and accomplish the glorious office that God has given us in this generation! Future generations will praise the great things we have accomplished for God today! Amen!