Today's theme is "God judges people according to what they believe in". In Romans chapter 1, we learned that the gospel of Jesus is powerful. In the flesh, Jesus is David's descendant, but in the Spirit, he is the son of God. We also learned that the main idea of chapter one is "a righteousness that is by faith from first to last". I think these are very important concepts.

To summarize:

Romans 1 Part 1: The gospel of Jesus is a powerful gospel.
Romans 1 Part 2: A righteousness that is by faith from first to last.

The root of our problems is unbelief

The root of people's problems is that they have no faith. People do not believe in what they don't see, but faith is spiritual and you cannot see it. What people see, hear and touch may be fake, but one thing is real: the thought in your heart.

Yesterday a sister called me because she wanted her mother to receive the blessings of the gospel. When her mother didn't recieev God's blessings, she did not believe in the gospel. However, when I healed this sister, her parents were there and saw their daughter go through a dramatic change. Even so, her parents told her to leave each others lifestyles alone. They thought that as long as they took good care of their body, they would be fine. But before her parents died, they went through a long period of sickness. This sister chastised her parents, saying "How can you protect your body now?". Her parent's response was, "Why are you cursing me?".

If you don't believe in the spiritual world, you can live by taking care of your flesh. But when you know the spiritual world, how can you say that it is not a curse? They don't even understand what curses are.

Paul wrote about these people who belong to the flesh and refuse to believe in the spiritual world. Taking care of your body is a very common theme in modern society. People always talk about staying healthy, but they don't understand either health or sickness.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God..." (Romans 1:21 NIV)

These people lived according to the flesh and defended themselves. But Paul's gospel was one that glorified God through their faith.

Traditional churches preach faith, but they rarely understand what it means. Those who have faith should know that the spiritual world is real and that there are certain laws in the spiritual world. They have taken a powerful gospel and turned it into a powerless one.

So what is faith? Faithful people have miracles following them, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, and speaking in tongues. A spiritual person will display the power of God, but a person who lives according to the flesh will do anything to satisfy their flesh.

Understand people's core values

Those who live according to the flesh will do what the flesh tells them to do. Although they don't believe in God or judgement, they still like to mess with the spiritual world. If they can handle a certain problem, they rely on themselves and believe that there is no God. But when they reach an unsolvable problem, they choose to seek council from a temple or a monastery. They live according to their ever-changing feelings.

An author once said that the point of living is to live. That is saying nothing at all. The characteristics of a person who lives according to the flesh are these:

"...God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil, they disobey their parents, they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. (Romans 1:29-31)

People who live according to the flesh have tendencies like that of an animal. A person's logic system is greatly shaped by their core values. If you mess with their set of values, you will be in trouble.

Our society is very distorted. Some people, on one hand, judge others for being corrupt, but when they are given the chance, they are willing to be corrupt themselves. What a person values is not in their words, but their heart. Don't be decieved.

How can we look into someone's heart? Look at their actions. Their actions are determined by their thoughts and they cannot hide that from you. Whatever their heart is full of, they are like. We must know that God judges people according to their hearts.

Our job is to gain the goodwill of God, so when he judges us, we will receive honour and glory. Our hope is not in this world, but in heaven above. It is meaningless to judge others by our own value system. The reason we judge them is because we value these things. If we change our focus, these things will not affect us so much.

Judgement is spiritual

Everything is spiritual. Judgement, circumcision, and the law are all spiritual. These things all come from our hearts and we will be judged the same way we judge others.

Note this: God doesn't judge people only when they are dead. God may even judge people when they are living.

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking, and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil... but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good... (Romans 2:7-10 NIV)

Cancer is the judgement of God. It is given to those who are self-seeking, who reject the truth and who follow evil. These people will bring the Lord's anger and wrath, and there will be trouble and distress for them. It doesn't matter if they are pastors or other "spiritual" people. People's thoughts and actions will bring consequences.

Don't pretend to do superficial, religious things when you have doubt hidden in your heart. I encourage members of our church to be practical because I don't want anyone to become a Pharisee. In religion, it is very easy to do superficial things, as it is merely dressing up and doing rituals. On the other hand, it is very hard to believe in God and follow him from your heart.

Seek the things that are eternal

In our churches today, people who don't believe in the spiritual world can be found everywhere. But believing in the spiritual world is the basis of Christianity. If the spiritual world is real, we know the power of the spiritual world is also real.

If your core values are honour, glory, peace, and eternal life, you will live by the Spirit, because you have something eternal to live for. But if you don't believe this, and believe that living is just living, you will focus on the world you have now. What you believe in will be seen by how you live.

The Jews boasted that they had the law. Paul rebuked them for this.

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew, if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- you then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? ... (Romans 2:17-21 NIV)

You will see that people often find more fault in others than they do in themselves. They can teach others the law, but won't teach themselves. This is because they have unbelief in their heart.

We should have a very clear understanding of the spiritual world. If we don't understand the spiritual aspect of the Bible and turn it into a rulebook, it loses its spiritual power. You will end up believing in a powerless gospel. We must know that the spiritual power that comes from this gospel is a privilege and a blessing. This is the gospel that Paul believed in.

God judges us according to our hearts, not our actions

God judges us according to our hearts, not our actions. Your actions can reflect your heart and your thoughts, but know that our actions cannot be compared with our faith. Some people argue that faith without actions is dead. But this is wrong because faith and actions are not on the same level. Faith is foundational, and actions follow faith. Faith is the only thing that can display the power of God.

Get rid of the lie that faith without actions is dead. When we have faith, the Spirit will pour out his miracles on us. Faith should be foundational, because all we have to do is believe. If we have faith as our foundation, we also believe that the powers of the spiritual world have been given to us. We will constantly seek eternal glory, honour and peace. We will be able to see the physical world and the flesh even clearer.

Once you reach a certain level, you will know that it is not you who lives, but the Lord Jesus who lives through you. You will see everything else as garbage, and only Jesus as the treasure.

If you do not believe, you are an evil person and God will pour out his wrath and anger on you. If you believe, you are a righteous person and God will bless you with eternal riches.

Even the law is spiritual and should be written on your hearts. (Romans 2:15) Judgement is spiritual, and in the same way, you judge others, you will be judged. Circumcision is also spiritual. It is not only a physical marker, but also symbolizes cutting our worldly flesh away and following God. Their praise comes from God, not from other people. (Romans 2:29)

Don't try to deceive God by doing what is superficial

The physical world is a superficial, abstract image of the spiritual world. People are so caught up in maintaining their worldly power and influence but don't understand that it will all pass. I have noticed that people who are caught up with religion are unsuccessful. If you only do outward actions, it is called false religion, because you don't believe these things in your heart.

If you are unsuccessful in your wealth or health, you must change something. If you chase after eternal things, you can look through the superficial things and stop seeking the praise of human beings. Seek eternal life, glory, honour and peace. But if your heart is full of the flesh, you will not deceive God. Write the requirements of the law on your heart and follow it.

Why do people follow God? Because they believe what he has promised. People belong to the flesh because they don't believe in the Spirit. What you store in your heart is the most important. Don't try to deceive God.