Review:

Last time, the pastor spoke about a very heartwarming topic called the love of Jesus Christ! The love of Jesus Christ is a sacrificial love, and it is difficult for someone who cannot lay down their life to truly understand the love of Jesus Christ. Therefore, serving with the love of Jesus Christ is a high-level service, but it is built on the foundation of faith and hope. Today, the theme I want to talk about is dreams, and I have given my topic a very warm name, Sowing Dreams in the Kingdom of God. When I led the brothers and sisters in Bible study the previous Saturday, I asked how many of their childhood dreams had come true. Only two sisters had their dreams fulfilled. One sister's dream was to grow up, and the chances of that dream coming true are quite high, barring any accidents.

The Chinese writer and inventor Lin Yutang said, Dreams, no matter how vague, always lurk in our hearts, making our minds never peaceful until these dreams become reality; like seeds underground, they must germinate and grow, reaching out of the ground to seek sunlight. It turns out that dreams are like seeds, and everyone should know that seeds are God's most wonderful creation. Genesis Chapter 2 says that there were no shrubs in the field and no plants growing in the field, and at that time God created seeds. That is to say, neither the tree of life nor the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden were there from the beginning, but grew from a seed. This is why the knowledge of good and evil has degrees. The key is whether we continue to water and fertilize the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, allowing it to continue to grow and corrupt our lives.

It turns out that all of this, whether the path of life or the path of the knowledge of good and evil, grows little by little. The same is true for dreams. If your dream is to have a sports car, live in a Western-style house, marry a good wife, marry a good man, eat all the delicacies in the world, and travel all over the world, I think taking these as a lifelong pursuit will definitely lead you into the knowledge of good and evil. But if we plant dreams in the kingdom of God, and begin to dream of the kingdom of God coming to earth as it is in heaven, then we will surely enter into life. The Genesis study that I led last Saturday is finally coming to an end. Genesis is a book about faith, vision, and dreams. Genesis itself is a seed,孕育the coming of Jesus Christ. I am very reluctant to finish it like this. I have hardly missed leading the Genesis study, and every time I finish it, I feel watered, which is especially great! Yesterday, I heard Sister Wang Qi say that when she came up from the sea after being baptized, she felt that the whole world was bright and brand new. If you want to experience this feeling often, I suggest you study Genesis. I think the reason for this is that Genesis is a seed, and that seed is full of life and possibilities. Therefore, studying Genesis often brings a sense of the power of life, and everyone can try it. The last great man of faith recorded in Genesis is Joseph, who is also a dream expert. His life is one of fulfilling dreams! Today, let's see how Joseph sowed a dream in the kingdom of God and then realized it!

Scripture:

Genesis 37:18-19: But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.

We are the People Who Decide to Sow Dreams – Vision

Before this, let's briefly review the story of Joseph. At the age of 17, Joseph had a dream in which his father, mother, and brothers bowed down to him. Since that dream, Joseph has experienced a bumpy journey to fulfill his dream. This process was accompanied by his brothers' betrayal, selling him into slavery; then experiencing the days of slavery, and later being wrongly imprisoned by his mistress; he spent 13 years as a slave and a prisoner, until he became the prime minister of Egypt at the age of 30, and it was another 10 years before he truly reunited with his family. That is to say, Joseph spent nearly 20 years to fulfill his dream. This is Joseph's dream, Joseph dreamed of becoming the savior of his family, because Joseph knew that there was God's promise and Mingding Destiny in his family, which was to become a blessing to all nations. Whether he could become the savior of his family today has a profound impact on the future history of mankind.

It turns out that God gave Joseph such a dream, but whether to plant this dream is a choice that Joseph must make. Today, we are the same, God's promises and Mingding Destiny for us have never changed, that is, to let this group of people become the savior of the family, become a blessing to more people, and bring the kingdom of God to earth. It turns out that God also has a dream, which is to let us complete such a plan of redemption together with God. Today, God is willing to use us to fulfill his dream, so what about us? Are we willing to plant God's dream, which is also our dream?

In fact, it is a very happy thing to preach among us, and I think the pastor often has this feeling. Because we don't need to look for arguments elsewhere, we are full of arguments, enough to witness God's word. Yesterday, Sister Wang Qi was baptized. We also heard Sister Wang Qi's testimony. In the taxi, Sister Wang Qi told us, Coming here, I didn't feel any strangeness at all. Then she shared the feeling of being refreshed after coming out of the water after baptism. I was thinking, if such a sister did not have God, how would she live in pain today. In the early days of dating Sister PL, many times I would feel my eyes moist when I looked at her. Maybe she thought I liked her very much. But it was actually a very special feeling. I was thinking, if there were no God, no church, no pastor, what I would see when I turned my head today would be a cloud of air. Can everyone imagine that feeling? If there were no God, I would still be living a loser's life today; if there were no God, Brother Dashou's wife would still be lying in bed; if there were no God, how many of us would still be living in corruption today; if there were no God, how many of us would no longer be in this world today.

I remember one week when everyone was singing the church's original songs, I was deeply inspired by God's love. Every time at this time, I would say to God, I am here, I am willing, I am willing to choose to plant such a dream, and I am willing to become a person who fulfills dreams with you. Brothers and sisters, Genesis 2:15, The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Management is God's responsibility to Adam, and it is also our responsibility. We must be responsible for our choices. What kind of dream we want to plant today depends on our vision. That is, what do we value? If what we value is not what God values, then perhaps only the devil is interested in such a dream. The devil will fertilize such a dream, the devil will weed such a dream, and what grows out in the end is nothing but corruption. But today I hope that all the brothers and sisters can have such a vision. Today we want to plant a dream that is about the kingdom of God, which is to become a blessing to more people.

Prepare a Good Environment for the Seed of Dreams – Inheritance

In fact, when we read Genesis Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, we will find that before creating the seed, God first created an environment suitable for growth. I have been thinking about why Joseph had such a dream, but his brothers did not? Because Joseph had an environment for nurturing dreams, which is inheritance.

Joseph's father was Jacob, and Jacob's love for Joseph was not ordinary. From putting Joseph at the end of the line when facing a life-and-death situation, to making a coat of many colors for Joseph as written in Genesis Chapter 37, it can be seen that Jacob loved Joseph very much. I think Jacob often told Joseph about how God spoke to Abraham, how God spoke to Isaac, and how God spoke to himself. At this time, Joseph would think, why does God always tell his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father about becoming a blessing to all nations? Since becoming a blessing to all nations is the tradition of our family, I also want to become a blessing to all nations. In fact, the entire Genesis is a microcosm of the Bible. By the time of Joseph, Abraham's family had truly become a blessing to all nations. God even blessed Egypt through Joseph, and through Egypt blessed many places in that generation. If it were not for Joseph storing grain in Egypt, many people would have starved to death.

It turns out that inheritance is the best environment for nurturing the growth of dreams. Without inheritance, we have no way of knowing where to plant dreams. Having a concept of inheritance is very important. I think many brothers and sisters have benefited from our 101 course. In our designed 201 course, inheritance and imitation are very important lessons.

(Hebrews 13:7) Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. If our pastor had never inherited anything from God or the Bible, there would be no church; if we had never inherited anything from the pastor, the church would not develop; if there were no church, and the church did not develop, today so many brothers and sisters would not be released from diseases and bondage. Inheritance is the most comfortable environment for the growth of dreams. I hope that our brothers and sisters can live out a life of inheritance.

Irrigating Dreams – Faith

As Jack Ma once said, “The biggest difference between confidence and hype is that hype is making others believe something you don't believe yourself, while a dream is something I believe in, regardless of whether others believe in me!”

Joseph was a man of faith. In Genesis 37:10, when Joseph declared his dream, his father responded: “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” Even Joseph’s father, who loved him most, reacted this way, let alone his brothers. After that, Joseph experienced being sold into slavery by his brothers. This means Joseph’s dream was met with disapproval from his family right from the start.

In fact, many of us brothers and sisters face opposition from our families when we believe in the Lord. When I decided to serve full-time, my mother was strongly against it. But today, I hope our brothers and sisters can have Joseph’s perspective, that no matter how they oppose us, we should become a blessing to them. In the face of family opposition, we should not be offended, fearful, or compromise. We must be sure that we will become a blessing to our parents.

When Joseph was sold into slavery, do you think his fellow slaves would have believed his dream? Definitely not. Joseph, as a slave, was, in my words, a slave among slaves. Why do I say this? Joseph was a Hebrew, and the Egyptians utterly detested Hebrews. Were there Egyptians among the slaves? Yes! This means Joseph was still bullied and disliked even among the slaves. Needless to say, these slaves would not have believed in any of Joseph’s dreams. It was the same in prison. Would the prisoners have believed Joseph’s dream? Even more unlikely. Joseph’s situation was truly one where no one in the world believed in his dream except himself.

Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Brothers and sisters, faith accomplishes things concerning the future, and things concerning the future do not need others to believe in them. We don't need to complain about why others don't believe us. Back then, when the pastor promoted remote ministry, how many of us believed it would achieve what it has today? Today, brothers and sisters, we need to have this faith. Nothing can make a seed of a dream grow except faith. No matter the situation, move forward in faith. I will be a blessing to all nations...

Overcoming Thorns That Hinder Dream Growth – Feelings

When I ask many brothers and sisters why their dreams have not been realized, the answers I get are almost the same: I feel I'm not suited for this industry, I feel my dream is absurd, I feel others don't support me, I feel I have no feeling for my dream. I feel, I feel, a whole lot of feelings. But brothers and sisters, we must know that the Bible never mentions the word feeling. Feelings come from the devil.

If you were to ask me about Joseph's feelings, it's not that Joseph had no feelings, but he never obeyed his feelings. When Joseph's mistress seduced him, it wasn't that he had no feelings. Joseph said, How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? If Joseph had no feelings, how would he know it was evil? Let's look at the names Joseph gave to his sons. The name of the firstborn, Manasseh, means: “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son was named Ephraim: “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” Then, when we see the scene of Joseph reuniting with his family and weeping bitterly, you will know Joseph's feelings. It was a painful feeling, being betrayed by his family, living as a slave and a prisoner. The feeling was bitter, how could it not be bitter? Joseph wasn't without feelings, but he defined not to follow his feelings.

Recently, I ministered to several sisters who were controlled by emotional and marital problems. The hardest part was helping them get out of those wounded feelings, because wounded feelings are real! Recently, many of our brothers and sisters have also been releasing the spirit of fear and the spirit of contention. The most difficult thing is helping them get out of the feeling of fear and the feeling of inadequacy. I was surprised to find that the root of many problems is not what the problem is, but what the feeling is. Why is there such a feeling? That is the knowledge of good and evil. I want to go back to the root of the problem. The way to deal with feelings is not to have no feelings, nor to resist, but not to care at all. This is actually God's principle of doing things. God doesn't like us to be passively victorious. I believe God can take away that kind of feeling, and I have heard corresponding testimonies. But that is not the best, because such victory is somewhat passive. God wants us to overcome that feeling, which is an active process of victory by faith. That is to say, compared to whether or not to get rid of the feeling, God values our growth more.

Romans 8:6, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” I think feelings are also part of God's creation, but feelings are not what God uses to make us obey. God wants us to be able to overcome feelings.

Bearing the Most Beautiful Fruit – Blessing

When a dream is realized, it is sure to bring blessings. Joseph not only blessed his family, but also blessed Egypt and many surrounding areas in that generation. I have been thinking about what is the greatest blessing God has given us? I think it is eternal life! In fact, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all had the concept of eternal life in them. When you read Genesis, have you noticed that when Abraham died, he would bless Isaac. When Isaac was about to die, he blessed Jacob. When Jacob was about to die, Joseph brought Jacob's grandchildren to him to be blessed by Jacob. That is to say, compared to the matter of death, Abraham's family valued blessings more, valued the promise of God's blessing being passed down from generation to generation. They didn't value their own life and death, but valued whether or not the blessing could be passed down. This is a concept of eternal life.

Recently, I watched a speech called The Wisdom of Life and Death, given by Professor Ke Wenzhe, a doctor at National Taiwan University Hospital. The words revealed a sense of helplessness towards life and death. It mentioned the medical miracle they created, the ECMO device, which saved the lives of many patients with severe heart disease, but created new medical problems, that many patients would face the crisis of amputation because the use of this device, although it can maintain life, would cause their hands and feet to turn black. To live or to amputate, what a difficult choice, an extremely painful choice for doctors! I want to live without pain, that is to know how to face death, and the greatest gift God has given us is the Lord Jesus Christ who has overcome death.

The greatest blessing is to see through life and death and live in eternity. If you have the concept of eternal life, will you be afraid of death? No fear! ECMO is a problem for the medical community, a problem. Because it's wrong to use it, and it's wrong not to use it. But how many similar problems and troubles do we have in our lives? I think the biggest key to why Joseph could live in prosperity in such a painful environment and experience was that he had the concept of eternal life in him. He believed that in faith, God's blessing could be passed down to thousands of generations. Today, I encourage our brothers and sisters to have the concept of eternal life. If your goal is only in this life, many things will become our problems, because life and death are originally a paradox. But our God has overcome this paradox, allowing us to live out eternal life.

Conclusion – Dream a Dream Related to the Kingdom of God

When I was young, I had many dreams, but like many people whose dreams have not been realized, I think of a thousand ways in my dreams, but wake up in the morning and walk the same path. After I believed in the Lord, I decided that this time I must plant the dream firmly, nurture an environment for the dream to be inherited, water it with faith, overcome feelings, and bear the fruit of the dream. I yearn for all people to hallow the name of the Lord Jesus! I dream that the kingdom of God will be revived among the Chinese, and I dream that our church will become a blessing to more people and release greater influence. I dream that one day, many people who hear the name of Jesus, hear the name of Chinese Mingding Destiny, hear our name, hear my name, hear the names of the brothers and sisters will react with, Wow! Believing in the Lord is so great!