Introduction

The name church is rather interesting. Many people assume that a church is simply a building with a cross and a sign, perhaps labeled Three-Self Church or House Church. This name church often causes confusion, as does the task of evangelism. Therefore, I would like to briefly address some misconceptions about the church.

For instance, yesterday I ministered to a sister who was in a state of collapse, suffering from severe depression and suicidal thoughts. When she went to her own church, they advised her to see a doctor. This might seem perfectly reasonable, but the sister could audibly hear demonic voices speaking to her, which she dismissed as hallucinations. In reality, she was aware that she was afflicted by demons.

Eventually, she contacted us, and we ministered to her. Even during the ministry, the demonic voices persisted. We, as humans, often fail to acknowledge the spiritual realm, attributing such experiences to hallucinations and other psychological phenomena.

The question then arises: Was the place she frequented a real church? It bore the name. Truth be told, I was once at a lost on the hallmarks of a church, so I researched and sought to understand what a church ought to be. If the concept is murky, clarity must be sought. I searched till I stumbled upon the very definition Christ prescribed in the Bible:

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19)

The Church Must Be Built Upon the Truth of Jesus Christ

These words are powerful. The church, I believe, should be built upon the truth of Jesus Christ, the truth being the rock. Thereafter, we must take up the keys of the kingdom, and in this world, bind the devils and loose the bound and oppressed, until what is loosed on earth, is loosed in the spiritual realm.

Many have said: Your church has the gift of healing and deliverance; our church does not. The truth is, this has little to do with gifts. You might not agree with me, but I urge you to examine the Scriptures and compare them against the definition of a church.

Today, many define a church as having a worship team with guitars, drums, song leaders, worship sessions, singing, and sermons. However, Jesus' definition of a church does not necessarily include these elements. His definition is: I will build my church on this rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

What exactly are the gates of hell? They are what brings about birthing, aging, sickness, and death. People experience birth, growth, aging, sickness, and eventually death - this is the power of hell. This is so because when people approach me when they have health problems, confronting the spirit of death has always been the starting point.

Therefore, the power of hell is the root cause of all diseases, and this root cause is demonic spirits. If a church cannot overcome the power of hell, if it cannot manage even this, can the gospel it preaches be considered genuine? This isn't a matter of gifts, but a matter of defining what the church is.

The devil's most effective strategy is to render the church powerless. Once the church loses its ability to combat the devil, can it still be considered a church? I am not sure. But as to what a church truly is? We know it well - it is of course, built that sits on the foundation of the truth of Jesus Christ.

Some may say, We too, are built on the rock of truth. If they are indeed built on this rock of truth, one should be able to trample the power of hell and draw from heavenly resources.

So this is the crux of the matter. Once the church is established on the rock of truth, heavenly resources become accessible, the powers of hell can be trampled, the captives can be set free from what suppresses them, and the enemy, the devil, can be bound. Some have turned this into a matter of gifts, which is really not the point here. Many like to say, We have the gift of evangelism, you have the gift of healing and casting out demons, they have the gift of deliverance.

In the days of Jesus Christ, this was not the focus. When Jesus defined the church, he spoke of the church overcoming the power of hell. So you must see what the focus is; the details will follow. You must be very clear on the church before you follow through on action, or face not being able to follow up.

One might say, Does that mean you're more powerful? I am not. Not at all. It is Jesus who is really powerful. There was a time when I organized social gatherings with food and games, calling them happiness groups, hoping people would happily believe in God. But was that really the gospel?

I do not know about others, but I know I was wrong. I had come to know the Word well; the Bible makes clear of what a church should be, and I was not living up to it. Attracting people with food only attracts gluttons.

As Jesus said;

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)

The crucifixion of Jesus is inherently compelling. Jesus, crucified and resurrected, is truly attractive. Is the church's appeal based on food? No! It depends on the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection, which genuinely solves people's problems.

The Church Must Be Determined to Trample the Power of Hell

We have saved a lot on medical expenses, others I am unsure of, but that is what I am sure of. Why? Because our God is the God who resurrects from the dead! The power of resurrection can trample the power of hell.

Some have confused the notion of church and those who are unconcerned about it will be as it may.

But one must come to concern for the state of their church when problems arise. Recently, I ministered to a sister whose mind was cluttered with too much garbage, requiring more than a day or two to clear. But at least she chose to clear it, so she followed me step by step.

This concept of church is crucial. What exactly is the church? Can we clarify this definition? Some say, We used to cast out demons, but we don't do that anymore. This is nonsense. The church, built on the rock of Jesus Christ, can and must overcome the power of hell, bringing healing and deliverance.

It is fine if one does not agree with this, but let there be no dispute. I hold my view, and you hold yours, I will not intervene. All illnesses are closely related to the spiritual realm, regardless of their severity, and therefore a battle in the spiritual realm will have to be waged to defeat these troubles.

People say that these must be proven, and I would oblige. The first twelve disciples trained by Jesus Christ were sent out to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. If it were not, why would Jesus involve Himself in it? As for family squabbles, Jesus does not concern Himself with those.

What does Jesus concern himself with? Healing the sick and casting out demons. Isn't this clear? Secondly, Jesus trained seventy more disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. What gospel did they preach? The gospel of healing and casting out demons! Without healing and casting out demons, can it still be called a church? No!

I say this with reference to Jesus' definition of the church: what is bound on earth is bound in heaven, and what is loosed on earth is loosed in the spiritual realm, liberating the captives and the oppressed. The gospel preached by Jesus is not a powerless one, but one full of power, capable of setting the captive free. As Paul said:

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

So, can a church without the power of God still be called a church? You can call it that, or not, but it does not align with Jesus Christ's definition of the church. See what Jesus says:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Liberating the captive and freeing the oppressed are the most basic tasks of the church: binding on earth, binding in heaven; releasing on earth, releasing in heaven. Hence, this is a matter of life and death. I often hear people say, My aunt went to the local church; praise the Lord! When her aunt has a lot of health problems, it does not get any better with prayer but then gets well after praying with us, and subsequently returns to the local church.

Here's a laughable incident: I once ministered to a person whose mother, after attending a local church for a while, was diagnosed with cancer. After that, chemotherapy was done. When term 4 came around, she was at death's door. She contacted me as her son follows me. After praying, her swelling disappeared, to my wonder. Before that, her husband would cook for her as she was too weak to do so. Now, the miracle happened, and she could cook for her husband. I then told the sister of regular tithing, simply so she would receive blessings.

Upon telling her to tithe, she disagreed and wanted to bring her tithe to the local church. I could not understand the logic behind it. As a result, she was tormented for two years, gasping for breath and unable to sleep sitting up, with no one else caring for her needs.

I stepped in, and after praying for her, she recovered again. When she came to me, she wondered, Will my son be able to live well if he continues to follow you? I wondered if she was truly grateful, she was twice saved by me and yet she could not agree with what I stood for. With her mind filled with worldly values, she could not risk compromising her work, studies, or marriage.

Building the Church: Emulating Jesus

So, the term church causes confusion for many. But while you are among us, I must teach you this: it's not about me getting it right, but about Jesus getting it right. You must listen to Jesus. Healing the sick and casting out demons are the most basic works of the church. It's not a matter of having or not having gifts, because that is the definition of the church. Go back and read the definition of the church: I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Brothers and sisters, we must clarify the concepts in everything we do. If the concepts are unclear, how can we do anything? With unclear concepts, nothing can be done! Everything becomes absurd. So, it's not about gifts; it's about definition. Definition of what the church should be? What is the church? Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must constantly return to something with a foundation.

So some people, their foolishness lies in this: they don't know what they are doing, wearing flamboyant pants and dancing around with a fan, singing. I don't know what that is either, because the church doesn't have these things. Jesus didn't say you should wear flamboyant pants and praise me all day long, put on shows, arrange programs, hold Christmas celebrations... Where is that? There isn't any.

So, don't be confused. Don't think that just because there is a sign, it is a church. Some people are really interesting. Some people feel, thank God, my family has been turned around. I say, why has it been turned around? Because my mother goes to church. Is that a church she's going to? Who knows. The matter of putting up a church sign creates a lot of confusion.

Later I understood. What did I understand? If I draw a hundred-dollar bill with a red pen, I can't spend it. I can't even buy a box of popcorn with it! That thing is not even a counterfeit bill. Real counterfeit bills look exactly like real bills. You can't tell unless you look closely.

So everyone must know that a deceiver seems like a good person, and a good person sometimes seems like a deceiver. That's how people are: fake and real are mixed together, like mixing fish eyes with pearls. That's chaos! If a church only has the form of a church but not the substance of a church, then it's over.

So, brothers and sisters, we must clarify what the church is! What I dislike the most are those who have been heavily polluted, with a lot of garbage in their heads that I have to clear out one by one. I prefer those who have never been dealt with before. When they come, we can start from a blank slate and lead them to believe in the Lord again. That's much better, easier and simpler. Therefore, being contaminated with those wrong theological concepts is even more fatal. That's not turning things around; that's even more fatal.

Going to church for many years, and ending up inviting a bunch of demons, what can you do? Sometimes, when I go to sit in a church, God often opens my eyes, and I see many demons on the stage. Isn't that deadly? It's better not to go. Going there contaminates you with many demons. Some people feel that my words are not good. Do you think you're the only one who's right?

It's not that I'm the only one who's right. Shouldn't we all do what Jesus did? A sister feels that she can go to heaven after she dies. Many churches say that you can go to heaven after you die. Then I challenge her, I say, really? She says I believe in Jesus. Do you really believe in Jesus? It seems like you believe and it seems like you don't! Gradually, everyone begins to understand. After this concept of the church is adjusted correctly, there is a series of concepts. What exactly is salvation? Many people think that salvation is going to heaven after death.

In fact, salvation is to allow us to live out the image of God while we are alive. That sounds pretty good. Then ask yourself, do we have the image of God on us? How much of what Jesus did have we done? What Jesus did, do pastors do it? What Jesus did, he doesn't do. What Jesus doesn't do, he does a lot of. This thing is a bit uncertain! It's not certain which path he will lead you to. We believe in Jesus, so we must be like Jesus! Don't let the blind lead the blind and fall into the pit together.

So I advise everyone, no matter what, clarify what the church is. If you have to say: are you the only one who's right? I am also striving to pursue it! Isn't this exploring together with everyone? After exploring and reading, we can implement it well. After implementing it, won't we benefit?

If the church doesn't do healing and casting out demons, then in your family, after the oldest child gets sick, the second child gets sick, after the second child gets sick, you get sick, after you get sick, your husband gets sick. Isn't that pressing down one gourd and three more pop up? How can you live like this? I give demonstrations to people wherever I go. How do I demonstrate? If a child has a fever, take him to pray. After praying, he gets better.

I couldn't do it before, but now I can. Do you want to learn? So I encourage everyone to remove the mystique about the church. It's not a church just because it has a sign! It's not a real Renminbi just because it looks like a hundred-yuan Renminbi.

Some time ago, I saw in the news that the quality of the joss paper printed now is so high. Someone found five thousand dollars worth of joss money, the money burned for the dead, fifty million. He took the money to the bank to exchange it. The bank clerk was frightened. Ah! What is this money? This is joss money. Joss money is not even counterfeit money. It's money for the dead.

So counterfeit money only looks like real money, do you understand? The false church looks even more like the real church. This generation is like this. All generations are like this. Once you lose Jesus' definition of the church, if Jesus said the church is like this, but today's church is not like Jesus said, that's the biggest trouble.

When people don't listen to the words of the Lord God and make a church, but don't do it according to what Jesus taught, can that church not be cursed? It will definitely be cursed! And there are many more. Some of the things that some churches teach sound even more bizarre. In this generation of mixing fish eyes with pearls, it seems that only by attracting people with braised beef will people come. As a result, all those attracted are foodies.

I think that if you hear me sharing this, and you haven't gotten it right either, and you are still doing some braised beef, roast chicken, or some happy cell groups, you can think about what I said. Should you return to a very fundamental point?

Some people say: Ah, we can't do what Jesus did! You can't do it because you haven't even thought about doing it, right? If people want to do it, that is God's will. Brothers and sisters, I encourage everyone, it's not that I have the answer, I'm just talking about it. Everyone starts to explore, is this really the case?

May God bless everyone!