2017 Recording:

Questions for Reflection

• Are the actions of your church aligned with those of Jesus? Do you believe that even if you sin, Jesus' blood covers your sins, and you can, through faith, draw upon God's grace and receive His blessings?

• Explain the differences between Moses and Jesus.

• If you suddenly witnessed a blind person regaining their sight, what would your immediate thoughts be? What kind of person would you aspire to be?

• What are the differences between passive faith and active faith? Would you rather be someone who draws upon God's grace or someone who serves Him?

Introduction

A hallmark of the Gospel of John is that each chapter contains a key point, and each chapter reinforces the theme remarkably well! John was an exceptional writer, expressing himself with the perspective of a philosopher, yet also possessing the ability to describe events with utmost clarity. Furthermore, he employed simple and accessible language, crafting a narrative that is both coherent and rigorous.

The Blind See

After reading this chapter, one immediately perceives: the blind can see, but those who can see are blind. In this generation, we often encounter such instances, where those who cannot see, can actually see, while those who can see are, in fact, blind.

Even today, as our church moves forward, especially with the momentum of revival over the past six months, and the work God has been doing amongst us, demonstrated through the testimonies shared every Wednesday and Friday, it is shocking that some who see still do not perceive.

Look at What He Does

How many churches today have as many testimonies as we do? Truly, not many. I have visited churches where the testimonies for an entire year do not match those of a single week in our church, or even those of a single month. Today, God is performing so many miraculous works amongst us. Why then, do some say that your faith is too extreme? If God were not manifestly with us, if we had not rightly discerned the ways of faith, these signs and wonders would not occur! Nor would such a magnificent work be evident amongst us!

Because apart from God doing these things, God Himself bearing witness for us, we can do nothing on our own. By your power or my power, nothing can be accomplished. It is God's presence with you and me, His acceptance of us, that enables us to do these things.

I thank God that what He has done among us far exceeds my expectations. I encourage everyone, if you wish to see, do not rely solely on hearsay, but observe what is being done. This is wisdom. Relying on hearsay will lead to endless confusion.

So, why did these Pharisees not see what Jesus did? This is a critical issue, as many new Pharisees remain spiritually blind, unable to discern God's will or His acts in this generation. Instead, they quibble over minute details, which are ultimately insignificant.

I personally face considerable pressure from their criticisms. I have come to realize that they criticize me for my flaws, yet my imperfections do not hinder God from manifesting His glory through me. This is a marvel of God. I am grateful that my shortcomings do not prevent Him from blessing everyone through me. Similarly, even if you have flaws, they do not prevent God from using you or blessing your family and those around you. Therefore, what should one focus on: shortcomings or God's glory?

The Key is Not Sin, But God's Glory

Only the blind focus on sin. Firstly, disciples were most concerned about sin when facing a blind person. Today, to focus on sin, or the glory of God is a critical matter of perspective. They asked, Was it his sin or his parents' sin that caused him to be born blind, or his ancestors' sin? Such people fixate on sin. This is not to say that blindness is unrelated to sin. Blindness is indeed related to sin, but when one truly focuses on God, one will not think as the disciples did. Instead, you will understand that God intends to reveal His glory through this person.

In our lives, we often fixate on negative aspects, failing to see faith, hope, and God's work through trials. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must move beyond the concept of sin.

You Receive What You See

Some churches excessively focus on leading people to confess sins but fail to resolve any problems because many who have joined us had been believers elsewhere for a long time, constantly confessing sins without solving their issues.

Why? Because fixing your gaze on sin will not solve problems. Only by setting your sights on God's glory and His works can you truly see. Therefore, you receive what you see, and what you receive is what you see.

If you only see sin, you will see sin every day. Therefore, you will rarely find the word sin or confession in my sermons. Because confession, in my opinion, is not the key but merely a procedural step. Jesus bearing our sins is the key.

Jesus has already borne our transgressions. Because He died on the cross for us, shed His precious blood for us, and rose from the dead, conquering the power of death. He has given us this authority. I believe that having such faith is truly wonderful! And it is truly wonderful to enable the blind to see!

God Manifests His Power Through Faith

God has performed such miracles through my hands. A man was about to lose his sight while having breakfast next to me. Speaking in English, he said, Do you know that doctors say I will lose my sight in a few months? I replied, Brother, God has given me a gift. Everyone I have prayed for with eye problems has been healed. Am I boasting? Perhaps a little, but my boasting boosts his faith.

I enjoy building up your faith because God manifests His power through faith. The man asked if could I pray for him. Seeing his faith, I asked him to place his hand on his eyes, and I led him in prayer for about five minutes. He removed his hand. Previously seeing everything blurry, that day, he could finally see clearly.

Before, he saw everything in a mist, and doctors said he would lose his sight within a year as his visual cells continued to die. When he started seeing clearly, I encouraged him to pray more. A few months later, he sent me a message saying, Pastor, doctors have confirmed that my eyes have fully recovered. At that moment, I was particularly grateful to my God.

Seeing the Glory of God

Did I lead him to confess his sins? No. I found out later that if the Holy Spirit illuminates you and you need to confess, then do so. If the Holy Spirit does not illuminate you, just say Jesus' blood has cleansed my sins. The blind have eyes but no eyeballs, they have eyes but cannot see God's work in this generation and cannot see God’s glory.

This is the first point. The key is not sin, but God's glory. Can our eyes turn away from sin? And focus on God's intention to accomplish in this generation. God intends to manifest His glory through us. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we should not live in a concept of sin. Actually, we should live in the concept of glory.

Active Faith

Today, I had lunch with Sister RW, and we discussed some issues and had a good time. I have noticed that many people have a passive faith, but I endorse active faith. In fact, Jesus wants us to have an active faith, not a passive one. Waiting for God is passive faith, waiting for God should not be universalized to the point where we wait for God in everything.

I explained to her that when David went to the Philistine king, he feigned madness to escape. Did he wait for God? No. When did he wait for God then? Waiting for God means not personally killing Saul, who was God's anointed and his boss, whom he must honor at all costs. David did not take matters into his own hands, but when faced with life-threatening danger, he needed to take action himself, relying on an active faith, which is wise. Is feigning madness lying? So what? But some people are rigid and dogmatic, insisting on not pretending in such situations. Go ahead and kill them, and who can you blame when you die?

One must know what kind of person they should be. So, regarding the issue of waiting for God, I explained it to her this way: some are servants, with a master-servant relationship with God, doing only what the master commands, without knowing the master's intentions. Others have advanced to the level of friends, having a relationship of mutual exchange and understanding. And friends will stand up for each other when doing things outside.

Relationships can advance from friends to sons. Sons share the blood of their Father, with thoughts and intentions fully aligned with God. Being fully aligned with God enables them to wield the authority given by God and actively exercise the authority He has given because they understand what God desires. What God wants is not people keeping the Sabbath, but releasing captive souls. Jesus was very clear about this.

The Mindset of a Son

Therefore, if our relationship involves passive faith, doing only what you are told, then you are a servant. If you know what to do even without God telling you, then you are a friend of God. If your thoughts and intentions are fully aligned with God, then you are a son of God.

So, I encourage brothers and sisters to begin understanding that active faith is the mindset of a son. Jesus is the Son of God, and God certainly did not treat Jesus Christ as a puppet. God does not like treating people as puppets, nor does He like treating His Son, Jesus Christ, as a puppet. Instead, Jesus' intentions are closely aligned with God's intentions and the Heavenly Father's intentions. Jesus understands the Father's intentions, but the Pharisees do not.

Declare Boldly, Act Boldly

So, I wonder, how did the blind man see? Actually, what does the Bible say? The Bible says Jesus spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. Then He told him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam, and the man could see. Jesus did not explain why He did this, nor did He say that the Father told Him to do it word for word. Actually, my opinion is that Jesus knew that God wanted the blind man to see. Then he took a prophetic action, spitting some saliva, making some mud, and applying it to the eyes.

Because Jesus is definitely not a person without faith in front of us, He is definitely a person with faith. If a person has faith, he will absolutely do it by his faith, and the blind can see. Therefore, in my many years of pastoring and serving people, I often use active faith. When I do things through active faith, things will be accomplished, because God is pleased with such people.

Passive faith is useless. Jesus Christ absolutely did this through faith, not through the manipulation of a puppet. Do you understand? It is definitely faith. Why? Because Jesus always criticized the disciples, saying, You of little faith! You unbelieving and perverse generation! Why? Because they dare not choose to believe, dare not declare boldly, and dare not act boldly.

Brothers and sisters, if you pray for a blind person today, do it fearlessly. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work out. We are constantly learning and practicing active faith. One day, perhaps you can also try using saliva and mud. The blind seeing is itself an active operation of faith. Our Jesus Christ is definitely a person of active faith, not passive faith.

Do It Whether the Time Is Favorable or Unfavorable

Some people say that they wait for God's prompting, and they will only do it when God prompts them. This is also the topic we discussed with Sister RW this afternoon. They will not do it if God does not prompt them. But the Bible never says that you can only do it when God prompts you. And the Bible also says that whether the time is favorable or unfavorable, you must do it, right? So some people will do it if they have a prompting, which is good. But later, they universalize it to the point where they rely on prompting for everything. Then, I challenge these people, If you don't have a prompting when you wake up in the morning, don't brush your teeth. Aren't you being unreasonable? If a person has a problem, I must serve even without a prompting.

Many of us do not have a prompting when we serve. So, what should we do? We do not do this based on prompting. Indeed, if God's Spirit prompts you, you must do it. But even if God's Spirit does not prompt you, you can still do it according to faith. Because we know God's intentions. If we know God's intentions and still do not do it, aren't we being rebellious? This is the second point. The blind seeing is an act of Jesus’ active faith.

Revelations Brought by the Pharisees

Did they see the blind man see? They saw it, but they saw that what Jesus had violated the Sabbath, and then they said that this man was not from God because he did not keep the Sabbath. Someone else said, How can a sinner perform such miracles? They were divided. The Pharisees' judgment of things was based on the letter. But the world's judgment is How can a sinner perform such miracles?

I have a lot to say about these things. Many people say that the pastor performs many miracles because he loves performing miracles and pursues miracles. Try pursuing one? If I can perform miracles by pursuing miracles, it won't work. There will be no miracles. If I pursue miracles, there is only one miracle I can pursue, which is the miracle of Jonah's repentance, do you understand? But I am a person who practices faith.

Practicing Faith

A person who practices faith will have signs and wonders following. Is this what the Bible says? If you practice faith, you will definitely have signs and wonders following. Then, if you do not have signs and wonders following, I do not believe that you are a person of faith. Because the Bible says that signs and wonders will follow those who believe. The two are related. So what is the reason for not having signs and wonders following? Lack of faith.

Some people say that John the Baptist never performed any miracles. Jesus had not been crucified when John the Baptist came. But after Jesus rose from the dead and overcame death, the disciples all performed miracles.

Understanding God's Intentions

Therefore, today, brothers and sisters, we must know the reactions of the Pharisees and the ordinary people at that time: How can a sinner perform miracles? In other words, did Jesus violate the Sabbath by healing this person? He did violate the Sabbath. Because you cannot work on the Sabbath, even if you are a doctor, you cannot operate. I do not know if there was a medical profession among the Israelites at that time. But all industries were shut down, no matter what kind of store you opened. Because that day belongs to God.

So, in a sense, the Pharisees were not wrong. But did they understand God's intentions? They did not understand. They understood the written law, but they did not understand God's intentions. God's intention is that the captives be released, that the oppressed be set free, regardless of whether it is the Sabbath or not. As long as the captives are released and the oppressed are set free, that is God's intention. The Sabbath is a less important thing than that.

Although the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, an important commandment. But God's intention is still far greater than the Sabbath. Because the Sabbath was established for God's intention. If God established the Sabbath to allow people to draw near to God, it is to allow people to walk out of bondage.

Drawing near to God is rest, so I am very opposed to the concept of rest. I am not a person of rest, but I am a person of peace. A person of peace is at peace even when working on the Sabbath because they are doing God's work. Therefore, we draw near to God and do God's work. I encourage everyone to rise up and serve. For brothers and sisters with serious illnesses, I ask the healing and deliverance team to organize them to rise up and serve.

People often say, Pastor, pray for me. And what about you? You also pray for others. Isn’t your mouth fine? Serve whoever you can. God will release you and others through your service, because you enter into peace.

Do Not Sweat the Small Stuff

Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not be selfish today. Be servants, and release God's glory in this generation. The reaction of the Pharisees is shocking, and this shock should resonate with us, although it doesn't shock some.

That is to say, in this era, there are still some who nitpick at others. These flaws may be real, but there are more important things to do. Brothers and sisters, do not sweat the small stuff. Our Lord Jesus did not concern Himself with trivialities; He pursued God's will. Many people chase after petty things. Therefore, today, brothers and sisters, see through the foolish behavior of the Pharisees and understand that you cannot gain life solely through rituals.

Give Glory to God

Although I am shocked, I can continue to share. Let's look at the reaction of the parents. The Pharisees called the child's parents and asked if he was born blind. He was born blind. Then how did he gain sight? Isn't that strange? They only knew that he had a blind son but did not know how he could see. In fact, they must have known that Jesus had healed him; their son would have told them when he came home.

But when asked, his parents said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how it is that he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself. (John 9:20-21, 23) Because his parents feared the Jews.

Jesus opened his eyes. In other words, the parents took a neutral stance, wanting to please the Jews on one hand and knowing that their son's eyes had been healed on the other. If I were the child's parents, I would answer that it was Jesus who opened my son's eyes. Is there anyone else in the world who can do such a thing? I must follow Jesus.

If He can open my son's eyes, I must follow Jesus and give up all I have. Then I would tell the Jews, tell those Pharisees, how foolish you are! The one who opened the eyes of the blind, and you do not know who He is? I know that I gave birth to a blind son, and I also know that his eyes have been opened. But I must tell you this.

If it were not from God, He could not do this! So the Jews saw this and asked his parents again, and called his son the second time, saying, Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.

Do What Jesus Did, Do What Paul Did

What kind of logic is this? Can a sinner make the blind see? If one is not pleasing to God, how can he make the blind see? Their logic is so confused, yet they are certain that their logic is correct. They called the blind man and said, “He is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see.” Isn't this an obvious fact? So brothers and sisters, if you want to come among us to see the church, do not look at what we say, but look at what we do.

If what we do is what Jesus did, what is there to argue about? If what they do is not what Jesus did, there is nothing to argue about. If he insists on arguing with me, I am too lazy to argue with him. Can I be wrong if I do what Jesus did? This is the core value of our church.

We do what Jesus did and what Paul did. As for what other churches do, may God lead them; that has little to do with me. They can do whatever they want. But I must do what Jesus and Paul did, to set people free.

Release the Captives

I am deeply moved by the strength of service in our church. As time goes by, new groups are constantly being established, and new pastoral districts are constantly being formed, with increasing carrying capacity. The church is constantly being promoted.

And the Pharisees, can’t they wake up after hearing these words? I tell you, they are blinded by the god of this world. Many can see but are blind, and many are blind but can see. So today, brothers and sisters, never be a blind person who can see.

A blind person who can see is one who sees but does not understand. If you left the church half a year or a year ago, I would understand because we indeed did not do many things well. But to still do this today is truly to be able to see but be blind, to see the miracles God is doing in our midst. Does that not shock you?

Therefore, I encourage brothers and sisters to know this, God has released many captives and oppressed people through us. God has done these things through us, this we know.

Then people asked him again, and the blind man said, I have told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? The blind man could not understand it. The Pharisees didn't know the pain of being born blind for so many years? He asked again and again, and the blind man was really anxious. Why do you ask me again? Have I not told you? Do you want to be his disciples? They said, We are disciples of Moses. Who is his disciple? In fact, what did Moses do? Did Moses do such a thing? No.

They did not even know that Jesus was greater than Moses; they wanted the smaller and not the greater. Moses was a servant in God's house, but Jesus is a son in God's house. Jesus brings us into the glory of God's son. We ourselves must receive the Mingding Destiny of God's son. Moses gave the law, but Jesus gave grace. Moses only gave the people of Israel many requirements. After Jesus came, He did not have many requirements, but only gave you grace, and after giving it, told you not to sin again. This is why many of us experience God's grace even when our lives have not changed.

Be a Clear Thinker

When Sister HX was giving her testimony on stage just now, you must know that HX's life has not changed much. It is because of God's grace that our God is extremely rich in grace. So we are those who release God's grace through faith in God. Then, because of God's grace, we bring people to God. Then, the articles of the law are engraved on his heart.

So what grace Jesus is! Then the blind man said, you do not even know where He came from! The blind man meant that He must have come from God. Since the creation of the world, it has never been heard that anyone has opened the eyes of the blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing. What a clear answer! Is there any answer more powerful than this?

As a result, the Pharisees said, You were completely born in sin, and you are teaching us? Completely unreasonable! What else is an unreasonable person but the offspring of vipers! If we really want to talk, let's reason. If you really want to, it doesn't matter if you come to us to argue, don't just withdraw from the group.

I once pastored someone for many years who learned to do this. When he first came among us, he was poor and desperate, and his grades were terrible. As a manager, I would never look for him, but as a pastor, I wanted to pastor him and help him find a job. At that time, he was in such difficulty.

I helped him completely by faith. Later he found a job. Not by his ability. In terms of people, it was my training; in terms of grace, it was the resume I revised for him; in terms of God, it was the opportunity God gave him. Later he chose to withdraw from the group. I don't need such people. What I need are those who have the same vision, the same mission, and who take on the Mingding Destiny of serving this generation and building God's glorious church.

You received grace among us, and I gave you this grace. If you come again, I will still give you grace. But if you want to walk with me, let's build God's glorious church together. This is God's Mingding Destiny among us. I think this is an extremely wonderful Mingding Destiny.

How can one not see it? It happened to himself, but he blinded his own eyes. What a sad thing. Thank God that there are two other sisters in his family who are very strong and try their best to reverse his situation. How confused must he be? I wish he would wake up, and I wish he knew he was blind, thinking that he could see, but in fact he was blind.

Thinking he was clever, but in fact he was the most foolish. So today, brothers and sisters, you must know that if we do not enter into God's heart, we can do nothing through our hands. Those who come among us and receive grace must know, including Sister HX. I encourage you to not only share the testimony of receiving grace before God, but to begin to share your testimony of serving.

Receiving Grace Is Not Worth Boasting About

Once a young man came to me and said, Pastor, I actually have many testimonies. I received this grace from God, and I received that grace from God. I said, Do you have any testimonies of serving? No. Isn't that absurd? Did you receive those graces because of your actions? No, because this is a glorious church of God. You naturally share our grace in this. That's not because of you, it's because of me.

Five years ago, God changed us to build God's glorious church. Those who came four years ago received grace because of the group who came five years ago. The group who came three years ago was because the group who came four years ago built God's glorious church, so that they received grace. Those who came two years ago were because the group who came three years ago built God's glorious church, so that they received grace.

Those who came last year received grace because the people who came the year before took on the Mingding Destiny of God's glory and built God's glorious church. If those who come in the future receive grace among us, it is because of us. What does it have to do with him? It has nothing to do with him; he merely receives grace.

What did this blind man do? Nothing. He received it freely. There is nothing to boast about in receiving grace. But when we release God's power and release God's glory according to God's heart, so that the blind see, the lame walk, and we begin to bear witness, then you are walking in God's Mingding Destiny and entering into God's heart.

So I would like to see what Jesus said. Later, Jesus made a request to the blind man: “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe.”

See that? Before he believed in the Son of God, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, made him see and receive grace, and then asked him. So today, brothers and sisters, we must first let people receive grace, and then those who are willing to continue running with us and trust in the Son of God will continue to run with us. If you are not willing, we will not morally kidnap you. We do not want to gather numbers, because if we gather numbers, God's glory will depart. We will never compromise on building God's glorious church.

Conclusion: Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” (John 9:39)

Do you think you are smart? Or do you think you already possess the truth? If you think you already possess the truth, you become blind as Jesus said. Today, I do not think I possess the truth; I only possess a small part. If I share these things that God has done through me, I myself feel shocked when I share them!

When I went home, I met an elementary school classmate whom I had not seen for more than 40 years. As soon as I shook her hand, her shoulder was healed. Because she later messaged me on WeChat, I was particularly shocked at that time. Her original words were: Your God is the true God! She said, I have to send you a message because I have many other illnesses. She also hopes to be healed more.

Just when I was returning to Singapore yesterday, an elementary school classmate whom I served on Sunday had the numbness in his leg return. I knew his leg numbness had returned. So I called him and ministered to him. While ministering to him, he said, The numbness in my leg is back. It's okay, put your foot on the stool and I'll lead you in prayer. After praying for two minutes, the numbness in his leg completely disappeared.

I think in this generation, as long as you think you don't have it and you seek it, God will definitely give it to you. But if you think you possess it, you become blind. What did Jesus say later? If you were blind, you would think you had no sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. What is sin? Sin is the devil. The Devil blinds people. Someone once picked up a book I wrote and said that we have a one-sided gospel. Then one of our sisters picked up our book and asked him to show me the comprehensive one. He didn't have it either. Isn't this blindness?

So today, brothers and sisters, never think that you can see, and I do not think that I can see either. Therefore, we need God's Spirit to constantly guide us to enter deeper into God's truth. I know that what I do is far, far away from Jesus, but I think that one day we brothers and sisters will be able to do what Jesus did. What a glorious Mingding Destiny that is!

Brothers and sisters, begin to desire. What does the Bible say? Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. You must be hungry inside, for blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. You must have an appetite inside. Brothers and sisters, you must know that if you know that you do not have it inside, God will definitely replenish you (1 Corinthians 14:1).