Alright, let's examine the first chapter of the Book of 1 John. This particular book is notoriously difficult to understand, so much so that I've hesitated to delve into it over the years, unsure of its meaning. John, in his writing, likely believed he was conveying clarity, and in truth, he did achieve a certain level of explicitness. However, comprehending it is quite another matter. The people of his time likely grasped his meaning, owing to the numerous other points John made, later compiled in 1 John and included in the Bible. I have been wrestling with it for days, tiring myself out in the process. Some may wonder, how can someone as adept as I am find it so challenging? When did I finally achieve understanding?
Many of you may assume that I can grasp the Bible's essence with a mere snap of my fingers. But that action would only produce tofu. True understanding requires significant effort. Among pastors, I consider myself one of the most diligent. I have undoubtedly read the Book of 1 John over a hundred times, adhering to the principle that reading a book a hundred times reveals its meaning. Beyond that, I spent considerable time searching for Bible studies on 1 John online. Yet, after listening to these expositions, I often felt as though nothing had been elucidated. It was as if they simply recited the scripture from beginning to end without providing any interpretation. Nevertheless, I've finally grasped it. The central theme of the first chapter of 1 John is The Word of Life from the Beginning.
This Word is Visible and Tangible
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (1 John 1:1)
What does The Word of Life from the Beginning signify? It pertains to the way of life that existed when God created Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve initially possessed a glorious image, but after consuming the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that glorious image vanished, replaced by a decaying, corruptible one. Now, the original Word of Life has been revealed to us once more, through the advent of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to make this Word visible and tangible. In Chinese Mingding Destiny, do you believe this Word is visible and tangible? The answer is evident; here, this Word is visible and tangible. You might accuse me of hyperbole, but this is no exaggeration. The reception of God's grace is a common occurrence among us. We have numerous testimonies of individuals healed from dysmenorrhea, lower back pain, headaches, sore throats, and various other ailments. This illustrates that this Word is indeed visible and tangible.
The Apostle John wrote this with great clarity, so why do people struggle to understand? It is written in black and white that this Word is something you have personally seen and touched. It is akin to when I lead prayers in our group, and individuals share testimonies of their asthma or arthritis improving. So why did the Apostle John find it necessary to state this? Many claim that this Word is invisible and intangible, as if walking in darkness. They say this because while your asthma and arthritis have improved, theirs have not; while your sight has been restored, their vision is failing. What is the root of the problem? The first chapter of 1 John reveals the answer, and gradually you will discover that we have thoroughly examined the Book of 1 John.
Why do some perceive this Word as invisible and intangible? In years past, I too grappled with a profound question: Where has God gone? When brothers and sisters face challenges, why does He seem to take a vacation? Have you ever encountered such bewilderment in previous churches? God! Where have You gone? Why do You seem to be on holiday whenever we face difficulties? I am grateful that I experienced this sentiment, as it shaped my resolve to implement God's Word from the Bible in detail when building my own church.
About a decade ago, I delivered a sermon that left me exhilarated. I declared, All are healed! A provocative statement, wouldn't you agree? Some might accuse me of exaggeration, questioning how everyone could possibly be healed. But because this Word is visible and tangible, even though not everyone was healed at that time, through proclamation, healing became a reality for all. God was not on holiday; He was among us. It was our unbelief that separated us from Him. If Jesus were to return, or were to suddenly appear among us today, His words would undoubtedly be: You of little faith! Do not presume that our faith is robust; such self-assurance is perilous. Someone in the group has typed: Thank God, he prayed to God to allow his ankylosing spondylitis to walk for half an hour or even an hour each time without pain in the spine and ribs, and now he can walk for more than two hours without any problems. You are more outstanding than I am! I am not sure I can walk for more than two hours.
This Word is visible and tangible. Jesus Christ has been revealed, incarnated on earth two thousand years ago, and performed unparalleled miracles, demonstrating His divine sonship with great power, revealing the Word of Life. This Word has been revealed, and our inability to see and touch it is our own failing. Indeed, all matters are connected to our sins. This chapter encapsulates the essence of the Word of Life.
This Word Has Been Manifested
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3)
This Word has been manifested, yet it has been obscured by many. This Word is revealed: Jesus has died, Jesus has risen, Jesus will return, yet people do not believe. I am astonished that people would conceal what has already been revealed. Brothers and sisters, this Word has been revealed. Have you seen it among us? Have you touched it? Have you heard it? You will surely see it and touch it, or you are blind. How is it revealed? Later, the Apostle Paul proclaimed that this Word is the Word of Life through God's power. For this gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, not to everyone who does not believe.
Why does the Apostle John begin with these words? Because this Word has been buried by many, buried by unbelief. Unbelief is wicked. If you are ill, no matter how severe the illness, even if it is terminal, do you believe you will be healed? Believe. That is why those I minister to are healed one after another. Not because you are holy, but because God's original Word of Life has been revealed. John wrote plainly, but our faith is too sluggish, so we must hear it one hundred times. I am referring to myself; my faith is too sluggish. I tell you again, among us there is a saying: demons do not make mistakes, God does not make mistakes, only we make mistakes. And I want to tell you, if we make mistakes, then correct them. These few days I have been heartbroken, feeling unspeakable pain in my heart when shepherding my colleagues. What can be seen cannot be seen; what can be touched cannot be touched; what has been revealed has been obliterated. Truthfully, it is torturous!
This Word has been revealed, and those who receive this original Word of Life among us will no longer live in poverty. Having received this original Word of Life, you will not live in ill health and disease. So why does this happen now? The reason is simple: people do not confess their sins. Demons do not make mistakes, God does not make mistakes, only you make mistakes.
A person who often thinks that he is right is a wicked habit. Some people often come to me with their little achievements, which is like showing off in front of Guan Gong. Actually, I don't appreciate it the most. What I appreciate is that everyone knows that they still have areas that have not been improved, and they still have such and such problems on their bodies. This is called recognizing one's sins. People have many problems, but why are you showing off just because you have changed a little? I have changed so much that my tail is still tucked in. This Word has been revealed, and it cannot be buried again. The Apostle John says we bear witness to this. If you do not think you have any problems and think you have done very well and perfectly, then there is no way to grow.
We Bear Witness To This
We bear witness to this, so how do we bear witness? Bear witness with the power of God, and demonstrate with great power that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, (1 Corinthians 2:4)
We do as Jesus did. What Jesus did is what we do. Is it possible to bear witness now? Casting out demons in the name of Jesus Christ works even when a minor leads the prayer. It is also effective to deal with bad habits in the name of Jesus Christ, and it is also effective to deal with your fleshly and lustful desires with the power of the Holy Spirit. We bear witness to this. If a person often caters to the flesh in this life, then he testifies that catering to the flesh is death, and it will definitely bring many problems. That also works. When this power is revealed, the cursed are cursed, and the blessed are blessed.
Without testimony is a tragedy. When I was in the local church before, the testimony was rare. People don't think they've made a mistake. I think this thing is not right. I don't think it's like the Bible or like Jesus. I had a concept very early on: if it is corrected, it will be like Jesus. We must do what Jesus did, isn't that what the Bible teaches us? God says what He does, we must also do. So how many miracles did Jesus perform? He performed a lot of miracles. It is very simple for us to do as He did. It must work in the name of Jesus. If it doesn't work in the name of Jesus, and God is gone, the Word was once visible and tangible, but now it is invisible and intangible, dumbfounded? What was originally revealed has been buried again. There were many testimonies before, but now they are gone. I am so sad.
There was a sister who was so poor that she had to go to Taiwan to listen to God's voice. I said, can't you hear it in Singapore? As a result, I borrowed money to go there, but I didn't hear any sound! And the money was spent, and I came back crying and asking me why this was happening. I said it was wrong, I shouldn't have gone. Although I was embarrassed, I had to tell the truth, and I fought against those pastors again.
This Word is to Restore the Glorious Image of God's Creation
Do you feel good listening to me talk about the Book of 1 John up to this point?
The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:2-3)
The word fellowship is translated too badly. Does everyone know what fellowship means? After listening to it, I don’t know what it’s talking about. Is it bananas, durians, apples, or pears? I will translate it into the words of our Chinese Mingding Destiny, to restore the glorious image of God's creation. We look like God, and we will do what Jesus did! Now the least done is to walk the road of the cross. As the saying goes, Birds of a feather flock together, and people are divided into groups. Walking with God means having the image of God.
When they translated the Bible back then, I had not yet invented the phrase restore the glorious image of God's creation. It is so good to be able to live out the image of God. People just nail too little to the cross. As soon as I deal with your flesh, you show me your teeth and show me your face. Our brothers and sisters, don't take the seat when I say it. I grew up watching people's faces. Among us, these colleagues give me a lot of faces, that's because the flesh is too strong.
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we will have the same form, and we will have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. What does it mean to be in the light? Walking around the streets a few times, you find people are looking at you, and you think you have a high turnaround rate. When you get home and look in the mirror, you find a grain of rice stuck to your face. You felt good about yourself for a long time, only to realize that people were looking at the grain of rice on your face. If you had looked in the mirror earlier, you wouldn't have been so embarrassed.
If a person walks in the light, it illuminates the filth and dirt on us, and the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanses us from our sins. It means that when you walk in the light, you put your thoughts and intentions on the table and shine a light on them. How dirty do you think they are inside? Does everyone dare to really take it out and shine a light on it? Don't think you're all that good. I'm speaking a little heavily. Shining a light like this exposes you. Don't put on anything to cover up your ugliness. A few small leaves can't cover up anything. Now let's put ourselves in the light of God and shine a light on ourselves. Only when we shine a light do we realize how dirty we are.
There are too many hypocrites. Everyone thinks they've done the right thing. Why am I the only one who doesn't think I've done the right thing? And then people are adding salt to my wounds. I already think I haven't done the right thing. How can they follow me? I see a lot of filth, problems, and sins on myself because I don't think I've done the right thing. The precious blood of Jesus Christ comes to cleanse me. Cleanse me today and cleanse me tomorrow, and then I'll be a little cleaner.
How many people are willing to come before me and say what problems they still have? Almost none. I asked people to summarize their problems over the past few decades and see what foolish things they had done, but they thought they were very smart. I always thought I wasn't very smart, so I became smart. You always thought you were very smart, so you became very stupid. If a person can know that he is filthy, he should change. Jesus has been waiting for you for a long time to cleanse you from your sins. But you think you're pretty good, so how can you be cleansed? Some people had rice grains all over their faces. After stealing food, they had to wipe their mouths clean, right? They had rice grains on their mouths and said they didn't steal food. If you don't walk in the light, you will walk in darkness.
The Key to Receiving this Word of Life
Can you receive this Word of Life? Make this Word visible, tangible, and let it manifest; can you bear witness to this Word and restore the glorious image that God created us in, which is the key to receiving this Word. I am speaking with excitement because I have read the Gospel of John for the first time in so many years.
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:7-8)
That's why I especially like you to come before me and say what problems you still have and in what ways you are not like God. People provoked Jesus, but Jesus didn't freak out. Why do you make faces when you are provoked? If anyone says you have a problem, you immediately argue with them; if the teacher says something, why do your emotions rise up? If you all say, Teacher, I will definitely not lose my temper with you, I will only say to you, Good, receive the Word of God.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
In the past, when studying 1 John, people thought that confessing their sins once was enough. But that's not true. You have to brush your teeth and wash your face every morning. You can't go out with eye boogers all over your eyes. Some people typed that their husband and wife often quarrel with each other, which means they don't look at their own shortcomings, but only at each other's shortcomings. They use a microscope to look at each other's shortcomings, but a magnifying glass to look at their own problems. They can't see their own problems at all. They only see the splinters in other people's eyes, but not the logs in their own eyes. How can they receive God's grace? How much of God's grace have you wasted? This Word is visible, tangible, and has already been manifested. We bear witness to this and can restore God's glorious image. You quarrel and fight with your husband all day long. Don't think God will be like you. I think you're like a ghost.
So we must learn to receive this Word, and the key to receiving this Word of Life is to confess our sins. Don't think that confessing your sins once is the end of it. You still have so many problems. When God comes and sees that you still have so many problems, you ask God to wait until you're done fixing them. Confess your sins. You don't know how silly you are. Someone typed online saying that her husband gave all the money in his salary card to his elder brother. That's because he married a wife like you, so he gave the money to his elder brother. Think about it yourself! And didn't you choose the person yourself? He was like that before you married him, but now you're not satisfied. Do you want to buy goods on Taobao and return them, with a seven-day no-reason free return? It's been seven years now, so you can't return them.
The most terrible thing in a person's life is to feel good about themselves, so that they cannot receive the grace of this Word of Life. They only think they are good and others are bad, and they live a very miserable life. In life, people must learn to confess their sins, to know that this part of themselves is not done well and is not like God, and that part also has problems. How good would it be if we could discuss how to solve our problems together! Some people say, Why do you always talk about their problems and not about my own problems? I talk about my own problems a lot. Every time I receive this Word of Life and receive God's grace, it's because I think I've done something wrong. That's what I want to tell you. I often think I've done something wrong, and it's very painful and difficult!
Chinese Mingding Destiny went through a difficult journey in those years because it was always looking for what was right. Little by little, it restored the glory of God. Confessing sins is not a one-time thing. It's seeing every place in yourself that is not like God, and then little by little being corrected by Jesus Christ. Gradually restore the glory of God. As long as you have not been restored to completeness, you are still a sinner.
Sometimes the pastors among us comment on another person, saying that he is just like that, not only ungrateful but also rotten. I said you are almost the same as him, and the pastor immediately retorted that it was not the same at all. Do you mean to say that I saw it wrong? You still have the glorious image of God? A person with the glorious image of God would not say such a thing as you? I have to pour a bucket of cold water on you. So in the process of pastoring, you will find that you are not good enough. Some pastors think they are great as soon as they pastor, and they also think that I taught them to establish an image in front of people. I let you establish an image, but you have to secretly go home and feel that you are not good enough, and change your own problems.
To rebuild the foundation of this faith, we must confess our sins, and we will never finish confessing them in our lifetime. The Apostle Paul said that he was the chief of sinners when he was about to finish his ministry. When he first wrote Galatians, he was young and vigorous, and he wrote in a powerful and sonorous way. When he got old, he realized that he was the chief of sinners. He was Paul, so I think God often poured cold water on him to sober him up and see that he was not good enough. Someone asked, Teacher, how could this be? I said this is the clear proof of my sin. I have committed so many sins. If it weren't for God's grace to discipline me like this, I would definitely not be going to the Eastern Heaven, but to the Western Heaven.
Never stop your steps in your life, and keep running forward with all your strength to restore the glorious image that God created us in. Has everyone been restored yet? If so, how come I can't see it? In what ways are you still like a ghost, in what ways are you still self-righteous, and in what ways are you still a scoundrel? Change well, let's change together, and let's confess our sins together. The more you grow, the more filthy you will find yourself to be, and the more you will find that you need to be like God.
Now my tears are about to flow down. We need God too much. God! I need You, I need this Word of Life that has already been manifested. God, You do not despise my tears, I want to be more like You. God, deal with me, put to death the evil desires of my flesh! I tell you, even the devil knows and often challenges me. Because that feeling is too painful, it is very hard to be offended by others. The devil pointed out that I didn't want to serve those people either. I thought the devil understood me pretty well. According to my fleshly desires or according to my own preferences, I wanted to hide as far away as possible. I really didn't want to touch this kind of person. But I don't act according to my own will. Holy Spirit, come and put to death the evil deeds of my flesh, so that I may only act according to God's will. That feeling is so real, like eating a dung beetle, or eating a stink bug. The taste stays in my mouth for a long, long time.
The further you go in serving God, the more filth you feel, and the more unworthy you feel. But God has abundant grace and mercy. I once offended God, shamed God, and blasphemed God. God actually let me go again and again. What qualifications do I have to choose according to my fleshly desires? What can be hidden as far away as possible? If you want to hide, hide as far as you can. Everyone must restore little by little. God wants to raise up among us one group after another of people like the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ. This is the Word of Life. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, and it is too precious to obtain the Word of God's life.
Why You Can't Receive God's Grace
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:10)
How can you grow if you don't think you have a problem? There are so many places that are like ghosts. Take a mirror or take a pee and look at yourself. Like me, sometimes it takes a lot of effort to turn things around. Every time on the road of service, I have to deal with the evil desires of the flesh within myself. Because every time I eat dung beetles or stink bugs, I feel uncomfortable inside, so I have to deal with my evil desires. If people don't think they have sinned, they are deceiving themselves. If they think they have not sinned, they think God is a liar. God has already let Jesus Christ die for us, and die on the cross. Would He deceive us? It is because we are sinners that God let His only begotten Son Jesus Christ die on the cross to pay this debt for us.
I feel very uncomfortable in my heart. What qualifications do I have to say that I am already perfect and have no problems? That is hypocrisy, wanting to make a show for others and pretending to be holy. Isn't that provoking God's anger? All those who provoke God's anger must turn back to God and receive God's grace again. God wants to help you, God wants us sinners to be able to restore His image. His glorious image must be manifested in us. We have a lot to change, including our selfishness, evil desires, knowledge of good and evil, and consideration of the flesh. I not only want to tell you, but also to persuade everyone with tears to offer yourselves as living sacrifices to God. See through your little problems, and be sure to obtain God's glorious image, Amen! I shared a little excitedly today. I haven't had this kind of Bible study for a long time. I saw my filth, and I have to confess my sins before God, and little by little change the places that are not like God.
May God bless everyone!
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