Review

Last week, I shared a topic called A Brand New Service. This is an innovative generation. God does not want us to stay where we are. God's intention is to release us, enabling us with more power to serve more people. During this period, I have felt immense pressure. I often ponder how I can improve the efficiency of service given so many needs. Last time, in my sharing, I talked about updates to our training system, Bible study system, small groups (I will establish ministry and pastoral small groups), and teaching. Many brothers and sisters have responded that the rapid changes in the church are both exciting and stressful. Many say they lack the capacity to keep up with the church's development and wonder if they can pause and rest. My response is no! We must not rest, but catch up! Because I know this is not a matter of ability, but what the Lord Jesus wants from us is attitude! What kind of attitude? It is a sense of dissatisfaction. Hebrews 10:38 says, If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. God is not a God who wants us to shrink back, but a God who wants us to be above and not beneath, the head and not the tail. Today, we must be the boss, and be the boss. Many will criticize me for saying this, calling it competition. But more than competition, the Lord Jesus dislikes those who are content with the status quo. God desires us to be above, hoping we can be in the first position in every area. Brothers and sisters, let us not be small, but be the boss of God's kingdom.

Scripture

Luke 19:12-27
Luk 19:12 Therefore he said, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.
Luk 19:13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’
Luk 19:14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’
Luk 19:15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.
Luk 19:16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’
Luk 19:17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
Luk 19:18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’
Luk 19:19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’
Luk 19:20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief;
Luk 19:21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’
Luk 19:22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
Luk 19:23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
Luk 19:24 And he said to those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’
Luk 19:25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’
Luk 19:26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Luk 19:27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we ask that you add to us a mind that constantly breaks through, so that we can earn more resources for your kingdom. We are not content to remain at the stage of a servant, but we thirst to grow continuously, to possess the identity of your son, Lord Jesus. May you use us more, and let us fight for your kingdom, becoming a group that is above and not beneath, the head and not the tail!

Be the Boss in Decision-Making – Understand God's Will and Make Decisions That Align with God's Heart

I remember once when I was young, there was no pocket money. To play arcade games, I stole 5 yuan from my grandmother. But after playing, I felt particularly guilty. I resolved never to steal money again! Not only did I make such a resolution, but I actually did it! A few months later, my mother came to me, because my grandmother told my mother that she had lost 10 yuan, and my mother came to question me if I had taken it. After some coaxing and threats, I finally admitted that I had indeed stolen money, but that was months ago, and I had only stolen 5 yuan. This time, the 10 yuan really had nothing to do with me! The final result was a beating. I was convicted of stealing a total of 15 yuan. As for who stole the 10 yuan, it remains a mystery to this day!

Why do I tell this story? Because every time I think of such things, I still feel wronged. That 10 yuan really had nothing to do with me! But I got beaten for 15 yuan. That's too unfair! The feeling of being wronged is so painful! But I didn't know that as a mother, my mother's heart was even more painful! My mother's intention was not about 5 yuan or 10 yuan. My mother's intention was that I could not let such a child develop the bad habit of stealing.

This past week, we studied 2 Samuel chapter 7. Many people's understanding of God only stays in one place. Let's look at verse 14 of 2 Samuel chapter 7: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. Many people read the Bible only to this point. That is why many Christians in this generation live in confusion and suffering. Yesterday, Sister Qianran shared with me that she had lived in such a state for 2 years, full of the pain of punishment. The root cause is that many people have not read verse 15: but my steadfast love will not depart from him. Everyone must know that God is a God who loves us, not a God who wants us to die in sin!

Today, in the passage we are looking at, chapter 21, the servant describes his master as taking what he did not deposit, and reaping what he did not sow. This servant thinks his master is evil, that even if he has nothing, his master will take everything away from him. Is our God really such a God? No! We ourselves choose to believe that our God is such a God, so we will always live in punishment. It's like if I keep living in being wronged, then I will keep suffering, and such suffering will miss the opportunity to understand my mother's heart, and live in being unloved. Recently, many brothers and sisters have asked me, what should I do if I am in a curse? What should I do if I have sinned? Isn't God a God who lets us overcome in sin?

Today, brothers and sisters, you must know that our God is a God who loves us! Our God's intention is to give us 10 cities to manage, 5 cities to manage, and definitely not to let us live in difficulties. Many times when we feel pain in difficulties, it is not God who makes us suffer, but we suffer because we do not understand God's will.

Now that we understand God's will, we must begin to make decisions that align with God's heart. We are the boss of how we make decisions. God has given us the absolute right to choose. Just like what is written in this passage, we don't just hide the mina we receive, but we take action and use it. God hopes that we can use this mina better, to earn more. And such decision-making power is in our hands. We are the boss of our decisions.

Mindset of a Leader – Removing Fear

Why did some servants use their one talent to earn more, while one servant wrapped it in cloth and hid it? Because of fear! The servant thought God was a harsh master! Fear paralyzes one's fighting spirit, and this servant was indeed paralyzed. He was so afraid that he had no strength to act, completely controlled by fear!

And I have observed that many Christians in this generation live in fear. Yesterday, as I led the study of Genesis chapter 42, which tells the story of Joseph intentionally wronging his brothers, their reaction was extremely interesting. In Genesis 42:28, they were anxious and trembling, saying to one another, What is this that God has done to us? We can see that the reaction of Joseph's brothers to being wronged was very different from Joseph's own.

Recently, I read a book that describes these managers as 3P (Personal, Pervasive, Permanent). From a personal perspective, they feel inadequate, lacking the persuasive power to communicate with clients, and lacking credibility, leading to constant complaints from customers. From a pervasive perspective, they don't see things as isolated cases but amplify them, believing that everything they do will be like this. Every customer thinks I am bad, our investment projects are bad, my life is bad, my friends don't like me anymore, and everything becomes negative, with nothing going smoothly. Later, they see things as permanent, thinking that the market can never change, the customers can never change, and all the bad things will continue like this, with no hope for their lives and no reason to hold onto hope. This 3P thinking completely strips people of their enthusiasm and confidence to continue working, and many even lose interest in living. This was the reaction of many managers during the economic crisis.

Fear makes people feel inadequate, then makes them feel inadequate in many things, and then makes them believe they will always be inadequate. I think this is the mindset of the servant who hid the talent! But in reality, to fear or not to fear is a choice within us. We are the masters of how we choose, not fear. We have enough autonomy to make choices.

Mindset of a Leader – Seeking Opportunities in Adversity

Recently, I read a book called Boundaries for Leaders, which tells the story of an event during the massive global economic crisis of 2008 to 2009. Wall Street brokers were all dispirited, shrouded in gloom. Because no matter how hard these brokers worked, the market had fallen by 50% from the market's perspective, and customers had lost half of their investments from the customers' perspective. These managers faced complaints from customers every day. Many managers simply didn't want to go to work, and if they did, they wouldn't answer customer calls because they knew they would only hear complaints. Eventually, many managers lost their jobs during this crisis.

However, there was a small group of managers who had a different perspective. They saw the problem this way: if my customers are complaining to me, then my peers must also be receiving many customer complaints. When my customers complain to me, I feel depressed and lack enthusiasm for work, and my peers must feel the same way. If I become proactive now, calling more potential customers with enthusiasm, wouldn't they easily become my customers? Then they took action, and because they worked diligently and with enthusiasm, many customers of their peers switched to them, and they gained a large customer base. Then they prepared low-risk, low-profit businesses for these customers, which were easily accepted. Later, these managers made a lot of money in what seemed like a crisis.

Mindset of a Leader – Abundance Mentality

Let's revisit verse 23 of this passage: Why didn't you deposit my money in the bank, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest? You know, God doesn't ask much from us. Zechariah 4:6 says, Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. Many people say they have limited abilities, so they can't serve God. But that's not the case. In the parable of the servant and the master, it is followed by Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem. God deliberately chose a donkey, and God is telling us that even if you only have the ability of a donkey, as long as you are willing to be used by the Lord, God will exalt you to the highest place.

[Metropolitan Life Insurance Company] and scholar Martin Seligman conducted a research report in the United States, examining the work performance of over 1,000 insurance agents, comparing two groups of agents: those who passed the company's aptitude test and those who failed. As a result, the performance of the failed group outperformed the passed group. This is amazing!

How did the failed group win? The [failed] group were all [optimists]. The other group of [smart people] were not optimists. At that time, scholars came to the conclusion: compare someone who [doesn't do well] but thinks they can do well with someone who [does well] but thinks they can't do well, and the difference is obvious: the person who believes in themselves wins every time. Studies show that people who [lack ability] but know how to think positively perform 50% better than people with good abilities!

Mindset of a Leader - Building the Largest, Best, and Most Influential Church

We must strive to become the servant who can earn 10 talents. It is the same with building a church. We must be leaders and build the best church. Recently, I, the pastor, and Sister Anning are writing a book called Blessed Church. We will write our stories, our visions, and our pastors. God wants us to be leaders.

Conclusion: We are the Leaders – Restoring the Image of God's Son

We are the leaders, we must be the firstborn.