Establishing the Foundation of Faith on the Rock of Jesus Christ

We must understand one thing: during His time on earth, Jesus Christ did two things. First, He shared the truth of the Bible, sharing the Word of God. Second, He healed and delivered. All who were sick or oppressed by demons were set free from their oppression.

The Church, to be built upon the rock of Jesus Christ, must emulate Jesus Christ. If we do not emulate Jesus Christ, know that you have believed in the wrong Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe in Jesus, who came to earth to set an example for us, and we must do as Jesus Christ did.

How to study the Bible and how to lead others in Bible study is very important. How do we study the Bible? First, we must learn to grasp the key points, grasp the heart of God, and then establish a complete and systematic faith system, so that we read the Word of God and practice it, becoming blessed individuals.

In the process of leading Bible studies, I have discovered a very critical issue: some people focus on verbs, nouns, grammar, and so on when they read. I didn't like learning Chinese language in middle school. Why? Because I learned a lot of grammar, and in the end, I still didn't understand what Chinese language was all about.

As a result, my Chinese language score was not very good in the college entrance examination. Praise the Lord, when I was studying the Bible, I felt that there should be such an important concept: to read out the heart of God. God's most important intention is: through this passage of Scripture, what spiritual principles does He want to tell us? We must grasp this, it is the most important.

When reading the Bible, know what God wants to tell us first and foremost, what He wants to tell us secondarily... Establishing a complete system of faith, you will find that reading the Bible is completely easy to handle, you understand it as soon as you read it.

If, after reading the Bible, we find that we are full of loopholes and contradictions everywhere, then we should ask ourselves whether we have read it correctly, whether we have read out the heart of God. In this lesson, we will learn how to study the Bible and also train how to lead others in Bible study, to be a blessing to others.

So I thought, today we will select a few controversial Bible passages, especially in Genesis. There are many chapters in Genesis that are difficult for us to understand, which highlights the importance of our Bible study concepts and methods. Everyone must know that the foundation of our faith is built on the rock of Jesus Christ. Do you know what Jesus said?

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. (Matthew 7:24-27)

So today, the concept of reading the Bible is that we must read out the heart of God, and then implement it. If you read out the heart of God and then implement it in our lives, you cannot but be blessed. I have seen some Christians who do not read the heart of God, but read out all that distinguishes good and evil.

How to put the Word of God into Practice

In the process of reading the Bible, we must all have such a concept: how should I act? I have shared with you the previous chapters of the Bible.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3)

At that time, when I was reading this passage, I thought: God, how should I put this into practice? I cannot go back to the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, so what should I do? Thank God, our God is a living God, and He will reveal things to us as long as we desire to know God. God will reveal things to us.

We must learn to stop being stubborn, stop thinking that we already know, but think that we do not know, and then you ask God, you go to understand. Later, in the process of praying and understanding, the impression God gave me was very obvious and very clear.

He said that many people often encounter emptiness and chaos, and darkness over the surface of the deep. You are created in my image, so you can let my Spirit move there, and then you declare: Let there be light, and there will be light. You begin to declare hope, and that person will live out hope. This has almost become a main theme for me in studying the Bible. In all the content, we must read out how to implement it, how to walk in God's will!

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' (Matthew 4:1-4)

So, brothers and sisters, you need to know that building a complete system of the Bible is called every word. Why does Jesus use every word to describe it? Because every word is the key. What does every word mean? To build faith on a system, our faith system is built on our core values.

Core Values of the Church

We insist that the Bible is truth, we insist on accepting the teachings of the entire Bible, and we do not subtract or add anything to the Gospel.

We firmly believe that God is a good God, a God who loves us, a God who blesses us, a God who cares for us, and a God who provides for all our needs!

We firmly believe that God's promises in the Bible are faithful.

We believe that the Church is the body of Jesus Christ, the Church is the will of God, and our faith is the overall faith of the Church.

We agree that the Church should be a clear, disciplined, and powerful army of God, and we are willing to be obedient and committed disciples and elite soldiers.

We are all masters in the Church, children in God's house, building up the body of Christ. Pastors are not hired workers, and members are not customers.

The function of our church is to transform lives through spiritual warfare, healing, and deliverance.

We believe that victory in warfare is necessary to obtain promises and experience God's grace.

We insist on living a holy life, and we strive to maintain unity in the Holy Spirit. The holiness and unity of the Church are the key to our victory in warfare.

We insist on walking in the light, firmly resisting darkness and any hidden sinful behavior.

We reject speculative religious methods, we insist on taking the path of practicing faith, practicing belief, and integrating faith into life. We firmly emulate the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul.

We are willing to pay the price, pray for a long time, build an altar of prayer, actively participate in spiritual warfare, and build a glorious church. We are determined to serve by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Where do these basic principles of the Bible and core values of faith come from? They come from reading the Bible. The faith system of our entire church is very clear. We study the Bible one book at a time, from Genesis to Revelation. We walk through the books one by one, and then we abstract these Bible truths to form 101 courses and 201 courses.

These courses and Bible studies are intertwined and can establish a solid system of faith. Our faith system is to verify God's Word through prayer, Bible study, and practice, and then to form our core values through these abstracted structures and important truths, and then to use these structures or core values to examine various problems in the church and in Christian circles.

For example, if a Christian has cancer, is this something God gave him or some other problem? I tell you, many problems are caused by not fighting and not overcoming. Also, many problems are related to what? They are related to the curses they have inherited from believing in the wrong Gospel and preaching the wrong Gospel; and some are that they have no Mingding Destiny at all. So after we sort out these core values, we will see that God's work in us is very wonderful.

So do not live in confusion. If there are many problems, including many problems that seem contradictory, we must dig them out, and then pray and seek, and we will know God more. Do not listen to what someone says I am a prophet, and then be confused by him, and you will be confused. People who are confused cannot build a system, and after wind and rain, it will collapse, and it will collapse greatly.

So, today, brothers and sisters, we must begin to learn how to study the Bible. For example, someone says, Pastor, I have the gift of prophecy! I asked her, Have you read the Bible through once? No! How can such a person be a prophet? They do not know the Word of God, and they have not established the logical system of God. Claiming to be a prophet is itself in a state of serious oppression. It is a steal to not be deceived by the devil already, so such people will definitely be captured by the devil. Regardless of your age among us, you must learn to read the Bible, and read the Bible well. After you finish reading, you come to examine whether what this pastor said is right or wrong, do not believe in anything without examination, even if he is a prophet, he can be examined.

I think, today, brothers and sisters, do not be deceived. If you do not establish a complete system of faith, you will be very, very tired, and you will not be able to say clearly what you believe in. Then you see a vision and believe it, you have a dream and believe it.

Some people wake up in the morning and are very painful. Why? Because they dreamed that their husband ran away with another woman, and then they are painful. That is actually something without foundation. Some people believe in hearsay, but serious examination of the Bible is not possible.

The Root of Bible Study

There is a main theme in Bible study, and you must rely on this main theme no matter what. The main theme of the Bible is justification by faith, and faith is the key for us to obtain the salvation of the Lord. A person believes, and he will obtain destiny. If you do not study into such a main theme, then you read in a fragmented way, and a bunch of verbs, nouns, and you do not know what you are talking about.

If you do not understand the story of Tamar, you can look at Genesis 38 again. Genesis 38 is very interesting. Chapters 36 and 37 tell the story of Joseph, and Chapter 39 also tells the story of Joseph, but Chapter 38 is inserted in the middle to tell the story of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar.

Tamar was Judah's eldest daughter-in-law, but his eldest son did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and God struck him dead. As a result, Judah gave his daughter-in-law to his second son, so that Tamar could bear a child from his second son to continue the family line for his eldest son. This second son was also quite mixed up, and he was also struck dead by God.

Judah had another younger son, but he refused to let Tamar marry his younger son again, and he sent Tamar back to his own home to be a widow. What did he say? Wait until my younger son grows up, and then I will take you back. As a result, after his younger son grew up, he did not take Tamar back, because he was afraid that Tamar would kill all his sons. (See Genesis 38:1-11) Please do not pick on me for saying this; in fact, Judah has a bit of selfishness.

Judah went to the place where Tamar lived to shear sheep. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and sat at an intersection. As a result, Tamar really saw Judah coming from a distance. When Judah came from a distance and saw Tamar there, for some reason he began to have an impulse and wanted to engage a prostitute. As a result, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute, which was a great coincidence. Tamar covered her face and went to bed with Judah, not only went to bed, but also became pregnant. (See Genesis 38:12-18)

After Tamar went to bed with Judah, she wanted to charge a fee. When it came time to charge, Judah did not bring the fee, so he left his staff, signet, and belt to Tamar. Later, Judah returned to his place, and after a while, Judah heard that his daughter-in-law was promiscuous and pregnant, and wanted to drag his daughter-in-law Tamar out and kill her, burning her to death. That's how it was in those days.

Later, Tamar took out the staff, belt, and signet and said, Look, whose is this? Whose is it, I am pregnant from whom. As a result, it was Judah's. At this time, Judah said a word: Tamar is more righteous than I am. Later, Tamar gave birth to two children, one was Shelah, and one was Perez, who later became ancestors of Jesus Christ. (Genesis 38:19-30)

Why Did Moses Record Tamar's Story?

After reading such a story, first we raise a question: why did Tamar do this? Why did she not remarry? In fact, she could marry anyone, Tamar was a very beautiful girl. And why did Judah say that Tamar was more righteous? Do you agree with Tamar's approach? We also need to answer a question: why does the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel, the genealogy of Jesus Christ, mention that Judah from Tamar begat Perez, and continued to beget until Jesus Christ.

That is to say, in the Bible, whether in the New Testament or the Old Testament, no one has taken this matter as a hype, and no one who wrote the Bible has ever criticized Tamar, nor has anyone criticized Judah. In fact, this matter sounds a bit strange, and we must also know that Abraham begat Isaac, but it is not said that Abraham from Sarah begat Isaac. If the Bible were to write it this way, it should be Judah from Tamar begat Perez, this sentence is very meaningful, that is, Judah from Tamar begat Perez.

Then I think there is also a very serious problem: do you think God would be pleased with Tamar's approach? Does Moses, who wrote Genesis, think Tamar's approach was inappropriate? In fact, the later Bible has never mentioned this matter again. Can you see that Tamar is a girl with Mingding Destiny? So we use these questions to study the Bible, to study Genesis chapter 38, we will ask a question, why did Moses write such a thing in the Bible? Why did he waste so much space? Then in the New Testament, in the time of Jesus Christ, it is recorded that Judah from Tamar begat Perez.

Everyone must not build on our moral concepts, we must build on the heart of God. Can you read out the heart of God? If you cannot read out the heart of God, we need to kneel before God again and pray and seek well, do not think that we know ourselves.

Everyone can also search for Genesis chapter 38 on the Internet. One day I curiously searched it, actually I had read it before, but later when I was writing this course I searched the website again, and I thought it was very interesting. A professor at a theological seminary, he said that every time I read Genesis chapter 38, I am heartbroken, because Judah has fallen. He said that Judah has a carnal lust, and following lust conceives, and then Judah sins. He could not explain why Tamar was more righteous. So is it Tamar's problem or Judah's problem, so this cannot be explained.

This is why this story is told at this point, what Moses wanted to say by inserting Tamar's story here. If according to this kind of Bible study method of theologians, then I think it will cause very troublesome things, and many places cannot be explained. So I want our brothers and sisters today to begin to understand one thing: do not impose people's moral concepts on God. Moral concepts are not the Word of God, we must grasp the theme of the Bible. So today I want to lead everyone to study with these questions, what exactly is the heart of God? In fact, when we carefully look at the entire Bible, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did many things that our human morals cannot accept.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 2:2)

In fact, people's moral norms are not the Word of God, remember brothers and sisters, people's moral norms are not the Word of God. Today, in this world, there are many moral norms, and there are many customs of this world, and we have many things that are tacitly understood, and we do not think that is a problem. But today, when reading the Bible, be aware that moral concepts belong to the customs of this world.

According to the concept in Ephesians, we are living in transgression and sin, and we followed the customs of this world, following the ruler of the kingdom of the air, that is to say, the ruler behind the customs of this world is the devil Satan. This is the word of Ephesians.

Tamar Yearned to Obtain Destiny

I will try to interpret it for you. Tamar, who is confusing, has a characteristic: why did she marry into Judah's house? I tell you, this is what I added myself. Tamar heard that Jacob's eldest son was to inherit the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Later, his eldest son went to his father's bed and committed adultery with his father's concubine. As a result, the status of the eldest son could not be inherited. Because Jacob was a very famous person in that era, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were very famous in that area.

Tamar was very eager to obtain this destiny. As a result, she later learned that Jacob's eldest son, second son, and third son were all abolished and could not be inherited. This matter fell to Judah. Judah was originally the fourth in the family, but later Judah took on this MingDing Destiny. Did he really take on this destiny? Actually, it really cannot be said that he did, it just fell to Judah.

The story of their family, that is, the story of Genesis in the Bible, is circulating in that generation and that place, and people know that there is something called blessing on Jacob, God wants to make Jacob's name great, God wants to make his descendants a great nation, God wants to make Jacob a blessing to all nations on earth.

We cannot discern any significant or obvious virtues in Judah from the Bible. Jacob, through his unwavering faith, persistently obtained the birthright, acquiring it from Esau for a bowl of lentil stew. His methods were rather clever. When Isaac, his father, was about to bestow a blessing, he asked Jacob, who he could not see due to his blindness, Are you Esau? Jacob replied that he was Esau, which was a blatant lie. According to human logic, Jacob was a rather wicked child. However, God was pleased and blessed him, a blessing Jacob had painstakingly schemed for.

Judah, however, did not rely on his own machinations to gain the blessing of the firstborn; rather, he benefited from the mistakes of his elder brothers. It's like in football, some win through their own skill, while others win due to the errors of their opponents. Consequently, Judah inherited Jacob's blessing, and Tamar, upon learning of this, vowed to marry into Judah's household, even at the cost of her life. In truth, Judah's eldest son was quite dissolute, doing evil in the eyes of Jehovah. But Tamar was formidable, possessing a Mingding destiny, her faith akin to Jacob's, earnestly desiring to inherit the blessings of Abraham and Isaac.

I believe my explanation of Tamar should make sense to you. As a result, Tamar married into Judah's family, but her husband was struck down by God. Sometimes a wife's faith is greater than her husband's; when a wife has a Mingding destiny, it can be fatal for the husband if Judah's eldest son lacked a Mingding destiny, and did not cherish the blessing of the firstborn, God struck him down.

The second son also did not cherish it, and God struck him down. Tamar then became a widow. She could have easily remarried into a good family, but being a young widow is a rather painful existence. However, Tamar persevered, determined to have a son from Judah's line, because their family had a Mingding destiny, a blessing from God, a covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and she desired to partake in that covenant.

See how remarkable Tamar was, capable of disguising herself as a prostitute. I find that idea quite ingenious, and I admire Tamar. To obtain God's Mingding destiny, to receive God's blessing, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute, risking a great deal. In that era, pregnancy for a widow was a grave matter, but Tamar insisted on bearing a child from Judah's line.

That is why Judah said Tamar was more righteous than he, which makes sense. So, when reading the Bible, if you encounter something you cannot understand, do not force an interpretation. That is not permissible. The central theme of the Bible is God's covenant, God's Mingding Destiny. Only those with Mingding Destiny can accomplish this.

Did she violate any moral laws? While she may have violated ethical norms, let us return to human perspectives. If a woman's husband dies, she is a free woman, free to marry whomever she chooses and bear children from whomever she chooses. Moreover, Tamar did not bear children for the sake of bearing children; she bore children for the sake of a Mingding Destiny, and therefore, she appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Yearning to Obtain God's Mingding Destiny and Blessing

Today, brothers and sisters, we must understand that Jesus Christ was born from this lineage. The genealogy of Jesus Christ is filled with people of Mingding Destiny, living in this world with such a destiny and longing. Tamar yearned for this because she had a clearer understanding of life in this world. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were individuals who saw life and death clearly, and therefore, they pursued something called Mingding Destiny.

Whether I am examining the Bible or preaching, I always mention one thing: the first part of the first lesson of our 201 course, Emerging from a Life of Emptiness. If you believe that living in this world is futile, you will pursue something that comes from God, which is Mingding Destiny. A Mingding Destiny from God is the meaning of our existence.

Today, brothers and sisters, we begin to understand that the entire Bible records the story of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, all the way to the birth of Jesus Christ. Ruth is also in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Rahab is also in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and Tamar is also recorded in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. These are all remarkable women. God values whether a person has Mingding Destiny. A person without Mingding Destiny will desperately engage in worldly affairs, having no time for Mingding Destiny.

A person with Mingding Destiny desperately climbs the mountain of salvation in Jesus Christ, until they see the face of God. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is entered through effort, diligently practicing faith, diligently practicing Mingding Destiny, and diligently living out God's Mingding Destiny. A person without Mingding Destiny cannot ascend the mountain of Jehovah, enter the temple of the God of Jacob, meaning you must have the character of Jacob.

Tamar, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, and Joseph all have Mingding Destiny. Joseph said, I must become the salvation of my family. This is also a Mingding Destiny.

Brothers and sisters, let us begin to understand this matter. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Tamar all possessed this quality. The Bible records that Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, because Tamar had more faith than Judah, Tamar had more Mingding Destiny than Judah, and Tamar had a greater yearning to obtain God's Mingding Destiny and blessing.

This is what we, brothers and sisters, need to learn. To implement this in our lives, we must learn from Tamar, breaking through all moral norms, determined to obtain the Mingding Destiny in Jesus Christ. We were once dead in trespasses and sins, but today, God has brought us back to life through Jesus Christ. We must learn to cherish the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ, knowing that the salvation of Jesus Christ is a treasure.

The Salvation of Jesus Christ Is a Treasure

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Can everyone understand? The salvation of Jesus Christ is truly a treasure. What Jesus Christ accomplished for us is an immense grace. This grace includes Jesus Christ bearing all our curses. We do not live well because curses are upon us. This is due to the sins that our ancestors and we have committed. Now, through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we are redeemed, our transgressions are forgiven, and we receive the following grace: because of Jesus' poverty, we become rich; because of Jesus' wounds, we are healed; because of Jesus' punishment, we obtain peace.

These are the most important things in our lives. Let us just talk about healing. Is it worth it or not? If through the grace of Jesus Christ, our illnesses are healed, whether major or minor, I ask you, is this a treasure? It is definitely a treasure.

If Tamar in the era of Genesis yearned so greatly, then we, in the era where Jesus Christ has already been crucified, resurrected, ascended to heaven, and sits on the throne at the right hand of God the Father, and has bestowed the grace of the Holy Spirit, fulfilling God's promises, should we not emulate Tamar?

Today, brothers and sisters, we must understand that Tamar's actions broke through the secular norms of that era. Our God greatly desires us to break through the secular norms of this era. Many of the things I do do not conform to traditional concepts. I thank God that I am someone who breaks through traditional concepts. If you read the story of Tamar, can you understand that God greatly desires people to break through traditional concepts? Tamar was remarkable. Her method of breaking through traditional ideas was to disguise herself as a prostitute and become pregnant by the father of her deceased husband. This is too creative, too groundbreaking. I am not as good as Tamar, but I yearn to be someone with Mingding Destiny.

Today, in this era, we must have this mindset, which is to build a glorious church for God, obtain Mingding Destiny, and break through these traditional views.

Some of our brothers and sisters also like to listen to other people's sermons. Like XQ, who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, I said, You can't listen to those online. XQ said, Why can't I? But what is the result of listening? The result is that XQ became more and more entangled and more and more compulsive. He said to me, Pastor, please save me, I'm about to die. If you often listen to things that do not conform to the truth of the Bible, aren't you often in a state of near death? Today, brothers and sisters, you should know for sure that although the doctrines you hear are very good, you must know what the result is.

Some people like to listen to many pastors' sermons online. You can listen if you like, but what is the result of listening? Today, you need to know that the gospel I preach is a gospel of Mingding Destiny. If you do not properly accept the gospel of Mingding Destiny, and you listen to a lot of knowledge-based theories, such as Hebrew this, verb that, Greek this, it will not edify your life. What is more important here is Mingding Destiny. Do you have Mingding Destiny? Do you inherit the core values of the church? Begin to live these out. Once you live these out, your ability to shepherd will surely be effective.

Preach the Gospel of Mingding Destiny

Some people just listen and that’s it, but they also suggest to me, Pastor, you should listen to this, you should listen to that. I just smile. It's not that I'm arrogant. Today, if you can read Genesis 38 and discern the Mingding Destiny of Jesus Christ, and discern the Mingding Destiny of inheriting Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, find it online and tell me.

Even very famous pastors avoid this chapter because it cannot be explained. Their theological system is built on a structure of knowledge. Today, I tell everyone that our belief system is built on the foundation of faith, on the foundation of salvation, on the premise of Mingding Destiny.

If the preaching is good, but does not mention Mingding Destiny, I do not know what use it is. So, today, I encourage brothers and sisters to look at what you have done. If your shepherding is a mess, at best, you have mastered a lot of knowledge.

Brothers and sisters, see what you have done. Is it a mule or a horse? Take it out for a spin. If it defecates as soon as it is taken out, then no matter how much Scripture you have read, you are just an expert in exegesis. What are you doing?

Brothers and sisters, believe what I say. The gospel I preach is basically close to the gospel that Paul preached. I dare not say it is completely close because I am still striving for it. The way I read the Bible is indeed different from many people's methods, because when I read the Bible, I grasp the most important thing.

If you do not grasp the most important thing, you are actually infected with the leaven of the Pharisees. Today, brothers and sisters, you must know that God is pleased with Tamar's actions and God is pleased with Jacob's actions. If God is pleased with Jacob's actions, why are you criticizing Jacob? Many people say that Jacob was deceived because he deceived others. The Bible does not criticize Jacob for deceiving others, and Jesus never criticized Paul, nor did he criticize Tamar.

If Tamar is included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Bible, we have no reason to criticize them! So, today, we must return to the heart of God. This chapter of the Bible can really examine what people believe in. Reading Genesis 38 immediately reveals whether someone understands the heart of God or lives in a worldly moral concept. We must reject the worldly moral concepts within us and begin to equip ourselves with the word of God.

Read the Bible to Discern the Heart of God

One theologian said that he feels heartache every time he reads Genesis 38. If that's the case, then Paul has more heartache than you. Paul did not say that this event was a heartache. If we are talking about heartache, Jesus Christ has more heartache than you, right?

When reading the Bible, by all means, do not be a historian, do not be a philosopher, and do not be a critic. Read the Bible to discern the heart of God and examine what the main theme of the Bible is. The main theme of the Bible is to lead us out of emptiness and into a blessed Mingding Destiny.

If a person does not have Mingding Destiny, they cannot walk the path of blessing. This is the main theme of the Bible, all the way to Jesus Christ, and then to our generation. So, what we in this generation have obtained is the Mingding Destiny of Abraham. Whoever emulates Abraham enters into the promises of Abraham. Today, those of us who believe in Jesus also enter into the blessing of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ.

How can you enter into the blessing of Abraham? You must emulate Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Tamar. Why does Tamar's story suddenly appear in Genesis 38, and why is Tamar's story recorded in the middle of Joseph's story? Because the people recorded in the Bible are all people of Mingding Destiny.

So, being a disciple of the Lord, the 201 course is actually about talking about Mingding Destiny. It has nothing to do with the fall of Judas at all. We must rebuild our belief system before we can solve all the problems within us. Our confusion arises because there is a problem with our belief system. Let me summarize briefly for everyone: If you want to examine the Bible, you must clearly know the content of the Bible, and then, relying on the Holy Spirit, grasp the main theme of the Bible.

With Faith, Inheriting Mingding Destiny, the Blessed Story Is the Main Theme of the Bible

We must emulate inheritance, we must know the heart of God, and understand why God does such things. If God approves of it, you must by no means disapprove of it. If this matter conflicts with our traditional concepts, then put down our views.

If you find the most important and second most important themes that best summarize this chapter of the Bible, you should avoid quibbling over words and losing sight of the big picture, avoid speculation, and avoid becoming religious. Everyone must not get caught up in quibbling over words.

The Bible is a complete system. Quibbling over words cannot lead you to the complete system of the Bible, and can only make us more confused. To summarize this chapter of the Bible, or these chapters of the Bible, we must know what the most important theme is, what the second most important theme is, and what God wants to tell us. This is the key. This method of reading the Bible comes from the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God leads us into truth.

Why do I read the Bible in this way? I feel that reading the Bible in this way allows us to put God's word into practice. Finally, we must know how to put the Bible into practice. We must know that the Bible is to be read for ourselves, and we must think about how to put it into practice.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

The Bible says you should love your neighbour as yourself. It is I who must love my neighbour as myself, not demand that others love me as they love themselves. That statement is very interesting. You often hear people say, Pastor, why don't you love me? Doesn't the Bible tell you to love me? What the Bible tells us is that we ourselves must love. We must put the word of God that we read into practice ourselves.

So, when preparing to lead a Bible study, you must have a clear thought process, theme, topic, points, and evidence. Be sure to stick to the theme and grasp the theme. So, when you follow me in examining the Bible, in each chapter you will see me say what the theme of this chapter is, and then I will tie all the verses to this theme.

Tell More Stories and Testimonies, Avoid Speculation and Debate

A clear thought process is very important. Everyone must know to tell more stories and testimonies. When you lead a Bible study, you need to know that if you explain a lot of doctrines, such as the Triune God, in the end everyone will not understand. Do you know why Genesis is written in stories, Exodus is written in stories, and Numbers is written in stories? I will tell you that God is very clear about how people learn. If he tells other content, it will not enter their hearts. Why is it so difficult to read Paul's epistles? The doctrines are so divine and difficult to understand.

But after reading Tamar's story in Genesis, the story enters your mind, then I have succeeded. If the story of Tamar enters your mind, God is also satisfied, because stories are easy for people to receive.

Learn to tell stories, tell testimonies. If I preach today without telling stories, after I finish preaching, I will not even know what I preached. But if there are stories and testimonies in the sermon, you will immediately remember them, and I will know what I preached.

Examining the Bible must lead to these things. If you want to lead others in examining the Bible, you must have emotion. Do not be like a religious person, going through the motions as if you have no emotion, like a living dead person.

We must be emotional people, integrate emotions, and constantly emphasize and repeat the themes you want to highlight. It does not matter if you repeat the points. Tamar has Mingding Destiny, you know. You must repeat it more often so that they can remember it and listen to it. Then, avoid speculation and debate. Dwelling on this and that is useless.

I strongly disagree with everyone reading those speculative things. Today, whether you can inherit the Bible study methods I have given you is a matter of opinion. You can accept it if you are willing to accept it, and I will not force you if you do not accept it. I will not jump out of the screen and grab your neck and say that you must read the Bible this way. I cannot do that.

So, what is Genesis 38 about? Tamar wants to obtain the Mingding Destiny that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, no matter what. This is the theme. Everyone should learn how to tell the story of Tamar in ten minutes, then ask questions, and then link these questions together. That is successfully leading a Bible study.