2017 Recording:
Questions for Reflection
In your life, if a complete stranger revealed everything about your past, how would you react?
Are you among those in this era who earnestly seek to experience God? Do you truly trust in God with heart and in truth?
Do you genuinely believe that Jesus is with us yesterday, today, and forever? Share testimonies of your own experiences with God.
Foreword
The previous chapter spoke of the testimony of eternal life. Jesus came into the world to bear witness to eternal life, yet many do not realize that eternal life is the answer to all our problems and what we should yearn for. Understand that longing for eternal life can resolve many issues. Chapter four discusses the many in this era who long for eternal life, giving two examples: the Samaritan woman and the people of her town, and the Galilean official and his son. These are all people Jesus ministered to. I hope everyone understands that if a person fails to know the eternal God and does not yearn for eternal life, living only in this life, it is a profound tragedy.
Two Testimonies of Service
When a person rises to serve, their entire life is ignited. I hope each of us will rise to serve. One can choose to live lazily and decadently, or one can choose to live vibrantly through service. Choice is crucial. What kind of person we become is our own choice, and we must take responsibility for our choices. No one can take away our right to choose. Your choices determine your state of being. You can choose to obey the devil and continue discerning good and evil, or you can choose to reject the feelings of the flesh and obey God. To sow to the flesh is to reap corruption; to sow to the Spirit is to reap eternal life.
It is critical to avoid being merely a consumer Christian. The answer to many of this generation's problems lies in the two words eternal life. When the living water of eternal life enters your life, your life will come alive, and all problems cease to be problems.
In our church, a sister who works in the service industry goes to work in the morning and does not finish until eight or nine in the evening. After work, she chooses to come to church to serve, taking the bus home at eleven o'clock and continuing to serve. A person of the flesh might think this is self-inflicted suffering, but a spiritual person finds it enjoyable because their life is emitting a radiance that can bless this generation. There are many in this generation who deeply desire eternal life and have been tirelessly seeking answers. I am very thankful that our church is a thriving and victorious church. In such a church, it is a great pity if one cannot run forward with the church.
Jesus Satisfies the Samaritan Woman’s Inner Longing
The Jews generally disliked passing through Samaria and did not like dealing with the people there, considering them unclean. But Jesus was remarkably creative. Jesus intentionally walked through Samaria and sat by the well. In fact, Jesus had already prepared. He knew that a woman from the city would come to draw water, and He would satisfy the longing in her heart. If you are someone who longs for God, Jesus will prepare and wait for you there.
For the scripture says, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7) Jesus knew that there was a Samaritan woman longing for eternal life, and Jesus came to bear witness to eternal life. Jesus is the Messiah, and he used prophetic words to converse with the woman. He asked the Samaritan woman for water to drink, and they talked about well water and living water. Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
The Samaritan woman, whose heart was extremely thirsty, immediately asked for the living water, but Jesus touched her most painful spot. Jesus knew that she had sought one man after another but could not satisfy her heart.
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is quite true.” (John 4:16-18)
This was extremely shameful, almost an insult. But the woman was not provoked. Instead, she said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.” (John 4:19) When a person has a longing within, even if the other party exposes her shameful deeds, her first thought is that this is a prophet, and she will not burst into abuse. Then she discussed with Jesus the matter of worshiping God, which shows that although this woman's life was depraved, she longed for the true God. A woman who had five men discussed with Jesus the matter of worshiping God. Jesus did not despise her because Jesus valued the longing in her heart.
They talked about worship, and the Lord said, **Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.**The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:23-26) One can imagine how excited the woman was at that time. She had always known that the Messiah would come to give her living water, and today, the one speaking to her was actually the Messiah. The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I have ever done. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:28-30)
When a person's longing is satisfied, she no longer cares about the shameful things she has done because she has found the living water of life. In this life, no matter how you grasp and pursue fame and fortune, even if you attain them, your heart is still not satisfied. Even if you are promoted to emperor, it is nothing great without eternal life. Only by accepting Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to enter our hearts can we obtain peace and tranquility. Eating anything is not as good as drinking from the spring of life. Serving God is such a wonderful thing.
Jesus ascended to heaven nearly two thousand years ago, but we know that our Lord is still alive. He is all our need, the answer to all our problems. Jesus saw that there was a Samaritan woman there, and He saw that there were many longing people in that city. The woman went into the city and brought those people, and they asked Jesus to stay with them for two days. Jesus prophesied to them one by one, pointing out their problems one by one. Because of Jesus' words, many more believed. They said to the woman, We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world. (John 4:40-42)
Building a Culture of Prophetic Utterance
The church must begin to cultivate a culture of prophetic utterance. I understand that such gifts are heartening because there is a yearning within people. Today, as I ministered to two siblings in Christ, I used the gift of prophetic utterance. They asked me, Are you a fortune teller? I replied, I am more accurate than a fortune teller because we believe in the true God, who died for us, was buried, resurrected for us, ascended, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. Today, He is the true and living God, and He has poured out the Holy Spirit into our hearts.
I prophesied to them, and they were awestruck. I prayed for them, and during the prayer for one sister, I saw the image of a cobra, and I knew that this sister had a severe issue with the discernment of good and evil. Brothers and sisters, when you see that people are given revelation through the Spirit of God, and you speak to their needs, their reaction is profound. In fact, people’s hearts are constantly seeking God, seeking the God who can lead them into eternal life, seeking the living water of life. Therefore, today we must distribute the living water of life to meet the needs of those who seek.
Jesus Heals the Official's Son
As Jesus continued on, when He arrived in Galilee, an official's son was dying. Even though the official had power and wealth, he could not solve the problem of death, so he came to Jesus. Jesus said, Go; your son will live. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and said that his son was alive. (John 4:50-51)
In China, how many people are desperately seeking healing, and how many people's problems are unsolvable? Therefore, today we must build a church that ministers like Jesus. Our church and our ministry must become more and more like Jesus. If someone comes to you for healing, boldly declare it, because what you declare with your mouth, God will accomplish for you.
Sister LL ministered to Sister XJ's child, and his eyes began to see. Do not be surprised; that is what should happen. Healing is a matter of course. Just believe, do not doubt, believe that what you ask for will be accomplished, and God will accomplish it for you. We see the needs in Jesus' generation: the Samaritan woman, the people in the Samaritan city, and the official in Galilee. But today, looking around, we see even greater needs. People's problems and diseases are more numerous than in any era, and likewise, our opportunities to minister are greater.
Doing the Will of Him Who Sent Me
Jesus' disciples returned and saw Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman. At this time, the disciples said to Jesus, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples said to one another, Could someone have brought him food? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (John 4:31-34)
Jesus fully obeyed God's will and set an example for us. If we carefully keep and follow God's word, we will surely be blessed. We must understand that you came into this world to see and obey the will of the Father who sent you, which is to see the needs of this generation and to be a blessing to this generation. When you become a conduit for blessing others, you do not need to worry about your basic needs; you will be abundant and overflowing.
Therefore, Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” (John 4:35) What does it mean that the fields are ripe? It means that those who are thirsty are already there waiting.
When we started evangelising online, a sister told me that many people in her church were sick and could not be healed, but she longed for them to be healed. She and her siblings in Christ had many illnesses, but their pastor told them not to pursue healing. This sister was very disappointed and searched online, eventually finding me and coming among us.
From her first day, she came to every meeting and was greatly satisfied. Throughout China, there are thousands of people like this sister who are seeking because those who are in sickness desperately need this powerful gospel. Being healed is a very simple matter. If we worship the true God who created the universe, being healed is a matter of course, especially since the Bible clearly states, By his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
To heal people is God's will for you and me. It is why God sent you and me into this world, to be a blessing to this generation. Stop living a small life; that is not the solution. The solution to our life's problems is to start drinking the living water, to start eating the food given by the eternal God. To obey the will of my Father is my purpose in life. We were born for this and came into this world for this.
Living Out Our Destiny
Our church has also begun to enter the era of online ministry; this is an opportunity for our church. We long to become the Jack Ma of the Christian faith. In any corner of the world, as long as there is internet, you can join us to properly believe in the Lord, so you can eat more spiritual food and drink more of the living water. In the world, you study diligently, earn degree after degree, work hard to make money, but none of it can satisfy the emptiness in your heart. When you connect to Jesus, the source of living water, rivers of living water will flow in your life. You will live a life of prosperity and live out the will of the Lord Jesus in our lives. God's will is for us to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and be a blessing to all nations on earth. This is also our destiny.
Through the testimonies of Sister JY and Sister LL, I believe our church will do great things for God. We must see that the harvest of this generation is ripe. In any corner of the world where there is internet, we will bring God's presence to that place. Bring the boat into deep water, and bring God's people into God's kingdom. This is the destiny of our church. I believe our church will truly prosper because our church releases not just a doctrine, but the power of the gospel. For the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. As Paul said: My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (1 Corinthians 2:4) so that the faith of the siblings in Christ might not rest on human wisdom but on the power of God.
Siblings in Christ, arise and joyfully welcome the coming season. This season is the season of the blind seeing, the lame walking, the lepers being cleansed, and people being raised from the dead. This is a truly powerful gospel that solves problems. Our gospel is definitely not a gospel of going to heaven after death, but a gospel of living prosperously on earth. Whether you are a student, a professional, a PhD, or even a housewife, we must mold you into elite soldiers in God's kingdom, mold you into people who live out God's abundant life, mold you into people from whose bellies flow rivers of living water. What a wonderful life that is! I believe that such a day is coming soon. Everyone, quickly prepare yourselves, actively participate in ministry, and fill the ministry positions.