Reading the Bible to Grasp the Main Theme

Good day, everyone. Let us turn to Matthew Chapter 11. After reading this chapter, do you find it difficult to pinpoint the main theme? Why is it important to identify the theme and key points when reading the Bible? Because without grasping the main theme, you are essentially off-topic. For instance, in a college entrance examination essay, can you score points if you are off-topic? Certainly not. Similarly, if your boss assigns you a task and you do not fully understand their intentions, diving straight in, only to realize you have done it wrong, because you did what was not asked and omitted what was assigned, it is a waste of effort. If we misunderstand the key points, our efforts are in vain, which is a great pity.

In management theory, there is no credit for hard work, only for results. If you are off-topic, wasting time and resources, and your boss does not even reprimand you, what merit is there in your hard work? Therefore, when reading the scriptures, it is essential to grasp the main theme, so we may understand the will of Jesus.

What is the theme of this chapter? Some say it is that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. If this were the theme, it would hardly connect with the subsequent verses where John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus, nor with Jesus discussing John after his disciples leave. It also bears little relation to the statement, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not weep. Thus, this theme does not seem particularly convincing.

So, what is the connection between Chapter 11 and Chapter 10? Chapter 10 speaks of giving authority to Jesus' disciples, sending them out, and instructing them on what to do. Generally, we believe that as long as we believe in the Lord, we are saved, but it is not always the case. You may believe in the Lord, but you believe in a gospel where Jesus plays the flute and you do not dance, or He mourns and you do not weep.

In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: 'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.' For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. (Matthew 13:14-15)

To put it bluntly, some people's faith is off-topic; they cannot see or hear, their hearts are dull, and they often offend God and blaspheme the Holy Spirit. For instance, some say, You are a charismatic! But Jesus is the greatest charismatic; no charismatic can compare to Jesus! Their beliefs are truly confused!

So what is the real theme of this chapter? My interpretation may surprise you, and it may not be the standard answer, but I believe it is the most fitting. I would summarize this chapter as: Learn from Jesus' example, be gentle and humble in heart. Is it not good to be like Jesus? I find that the entire chapter revolves around this theme, and it explains everything fittingly. I will now elaborate in detail.

Jesus Brings the Kingdom of God to Earth

John once said: I saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, and this is the Messiah, who is to take away the sins of the world, the one who is to come and be king of Israel. This Jesus is very powerful; He can breathe and make holes in prison walls. Now that John is imprisoned, why does Jesus not come and release him? Can Jesus do such a thing? Of course, He can.

John waited in prison for Jesus to save him, becoming increasingly anxious, wondering why Jesus was not helping him. John had many disciples, two of whom came to see him, but some did not, because they had become disciples of Jesus. John thought Jesus was too wicked, snatching away his disciples, and he was confused! So he sent two disciples to ask Jesus: Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? Jesus did not answer the question directly.

Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. (Matthew 11:4-6)

Jesus' response is very interesting. He tells John's disciples to report what they have seen to John, even though John and his disciples already knew about these things. What does this response have to do with John waiting for the Messiah or the Lamb of God? And what does it have to do with Jesus' teaching to be gentle and humble in heart?

Jesus says to tell John what they have seen, things that John already knows. But after knowing these things, why does John still doubt whether Jesus is the Messiah? Did John misjudge? At the time, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove. Now, John is locked in prison, and Jesus does not even send someone to check on him. John is quite hurt!

Jesus says: Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me! For John, this statement makes it easy to distinguish good from evil. John thinks: It is easy for you to say, but you are not the one in prison! You try sitting in here; it is damp, cold, and the nights are sleepless, with bugs crawling on the floor. How can anyone live like this! And you say, 'Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me?' I am suffering for your sake, yet you act as if nothing has happened! Are you offering me the blessing of imprisonment? What Jesus is saying is: After seeing these things, will your heart become hardened?

If your heart remains hardened after seeing these things, you will not be able to know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The authority of Jesus Christ is immense; no authority in heaven or on earth can surpass Him. Everything in heaven and on earth fears Him. Saving John the Baptist from prison would be an easy task, but why does He not do it?

Regarding Jesus' view of human life, one thing we can discern is: What hope does man have in this world? What does it matter to sit in prison? Joseph in the Old Testament sat in prison for three years. You have only been there for a few days; what is the fuss about? This may sound somewhat unsympathetic, but the kingdom of heaven is not about being sympathetic. If we have hope in this world, we cannot serve God. Jesus had absolutely no hope in this world. So what did Jesus come to do?

Jesus came to do something very important, which is to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth, so that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this old world will be utterly destroyed. This may sound like cold comfort, because some believe the world is wonderful, so why would God destroy it? But we must understand that this world is not so good! It is only that disaster and tragedy have not befallen you yet. The day they do, you will not shed tears until you see the coffin. When you see the coffin, you will know whether this world is good or not.

I used to say often, Do not have hope in this world. But many would tell me, Oh, such a wonderful world, why would God destroy it? What is good about this world? Blind people, lame people, lepers, the coronavirus, AIDS, and various disasters… Therefore, what I do most is crush everyone's dreams of this world. Jesus said that if people have hope in this world, they will stumble because of Jesus, and this is true! If you have no hope in this world, sitting in prison is nothing, because everyone ends up the same way in the end!

The Authority of Jesus Christ

If you lay down your life for the sake of God, you will receive a crown of glory. Blessed are those who do not stumble because of Jesus. The coming of Jesus will cause many to fall and many to rise. What do those who rise do? They bring the kingdom of heaven down.

When the kingdom of heaven descends upon the earth, we will see the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised… What will you think when you see these things? You should think: This is extraordinary! Where does this authority come from? No one has ever heard of such things! If such things are happening, on what basis can this person do them?

Such things are done by the authority of heaven, which means that the descent of the kingdom of God is a treasure! We must know that when the kingdom of God descends, people's hearts will find rest! People often feel anxious and unsettled in this world, but when the kingdom of God descends, we will find peace within. Is it meaningful to work ourselves to exhaustion, even to the point of collapse? It is not!

If the kingdom of heaven descends, we will find rest in our hearts, and we ourselves will become those who cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, lepers to be cleansed, the deaf to hear, and the dead to rise. When we have such authority in our hands, we will find that we lack nothing good in Jesus Christ, and we will not need to be anxious or worried.

Many things that we value in this world are not valued by God; and many things that God values are not valued by people. But if we are not gentle and humble in heart, if we do not know that we are merely human beings, and that we need God, we can only fret and get anxious when disaster strikes, without any solutions!

In this age of rampant plague, everyone is busy with masks. But can masks solve the problem? It seems they can, but also that they cannot. What does the coronavirus look like? A spherical object with many small mushrooms on it. Such a small thing has killed so many people, millions infected! What hope can people have in this world?

If we have the authority of the kingdom of heaven, dealing with such a small thing would be easy, would it not? But many people are hard-hearted; they only believe in science. But science cannot solve the coronavirus. Although it cannot solve it, people still believe in it, and the result is despair! Some say, I will not despair! That is because it has not happened to you yet! If it happens to you, and you are in critical condition, let us see if you despair or not!

If we see Jesus' actions and recognize them as a treasure, we will not easily stumble, because we recognize the arrival of the kingdom of heaven! There is a saying here: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. We mentioned earlier that those who are predestined receive authority, and God will give authority to those who are predestined.

Now that you have read this passage, you might think that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force; that the gate is narrow, and we must squeeze through. But that is not the meaning! When I examined the surrounding verses, I discovered that what the Bible really means by the kingdom of heaven suffers violence is that the kingdom of God is invading the kingdoms of this world, which were originally under the control of the devil. But Jesus came and did something: the kingdom of God is invading the kingdoms of this world.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (Matthew 10:34-36)

A person's enemies are often members of their own family. The sword represents the battle between two kingdoms, the kingdom of God invading the kingdoms of this world. Who can obtain it? The violent shall take it by force. What does it mean to be violent? To forcefully advance the kingdom of God. How can we advance the kingdom of God? By casting out demons!

The preceding two chapters speak of Jesus sending out his disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Wherever demons are cast out by the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God descends. Therefore, by forcefully casting out demons, we can obtain the kingdom of heaven. Some may say, That is not necessarily true; some who cast out demons do not obtain it. But someone who casts out demons today and casts out demons tomorrow will eventually find that their faith in God's kingdom and in God's authority is very real.

Speaking of which, in the past, I led many people to cast out demons, but as time went on, some of them were driven out by the demons and fell away. I was puzzled. They cast out so many demons with me and experienced so many miracles, and their hands also performed many miracles, but they stopped casting out demons. What if the demons come looking for you one day?

Earlier, we spoke of the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, and the dead rising from the grave. Later, we talked about imitating Jesus' example, being gentle and humble in heart. Throughout the entire passage, the series of events, such as the blind seeing and the lame walking, is actually about the kingdom of heaven entering the earth. Those who do not stumble because of Jesus understand that those who perceive these events draw the correct conclusion. If a person is gentle and humble in heart and does not overcomplicate their thinking, the conclusion they will reach is that this authority is very powerful, and that it is the authority of heaven.

Healing the Sick and Casting Out Demons Advances the Kingdom of God

When I was young, something interesting happened at my home. My aunt told my mother, Your child (referring to me) was born under a lucky star. At the time, I just laughed it off. When my father was very young, he met a fortune teller who told my grandfather, my father, and my aunts, Your family is extraordinary; in the future, someone will be born under a lucky star.

Later, I realized that we are indeed people from heaven, because the scriptures say that we are in the world as it is in heaven. Why do we say that we are people from heaven? Because we are demon-casters. Earthly people cannot cast out demons. I am not stubborn, except in my faith. When I first believed in the Lord, I went to a demon-casting church. When I saw others casting out demons, I realized that it was extraordinary, and that obtaining this was like obtaining a treasure.

I encourage brothers and sisters not to underestimate the authority of Jesus. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Through casting out demons, we forcefully enter this world. Wherever demons are cast out, the kingdom of heaven descends. From the days of John the Baptist until now, Jesus has been determined to bring the kingdom of heaven to this world, snatching God's people from the hands of the devil.

“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to their peers: ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:16-19)

People who are not gentle and humble in heart will say they have not seen it, even if they witness the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, and the dead rising, because they believe they do not need those things. John is one of the greatest prophets; he is the Elijah who prepared the way for God. The Son of Man came and brought down the authority of the kingdom of heaven, but people only saw Jesus eating, drinking, and being a glutton and drunkard. These people have a strange perspective.

Once, I healed someone's grandfather's leg pain, and he was able to walk, so what was wrong with that? Immediately afterward, they blacklisted me, because the local preacher told them, You must be careful; this is heresy. I do not understand how it became heresy. Healing the sick and casting out demons relies on the authority from the kingdom of heaven to advance the kingdom of God, but they say it is heresy.

Is this not like: We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn? People's reactions are just not in tune, and it is frustrating! They did not see what they should have seen, and they saw things they should not have seen. They did not pick the faults they should have picked, and they picked the faults they should not have picked. These people have no eyes or ears; we must be very careful not to become like them.

“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23:24)

We must be gentle and humble in heart, like children. Many adults cannot understand things that even children can understand. When Jesus came, they said He cast out demons by the prince of demons, which is absurd. They think that the prince of demons can cast out demons and that sickness can heal, which makes no sense. These people cannot see the descent of the kingdom of heaven, the invasion of the kingdom of heaven!

This is the authority of the kingdom of heaven coming upon this earth, being born under a lucky star! I do something every day that fills me with excitement, which is holding the authority of the Lord Jesus in my hands to cast out demons. When the demons see me, they feel unlucky. Sometimes I give myself a new name: Demon's Bane.

I gradually realize that this authority is extraordinary! Once, when I was treating someone to a meal, the phone suddenly rang, and I heard a child crying loudly in the other person's home. The person said, Can you pray for my child? I was entertaining guests at the time, so I said, How about this? I will record a short prayer for you, and you can play it for your child and have them pray along with it.

This was a sudden idea; I had never done this before, but I like doing new things. The kingdom of heaven invades, the authority of heaven comes to this earth, and all problems can be solved. Later, I recorded a 20-second voice message: In the name of Jesus, I command the demons to retreat and the crying spirit to get out! Then I sent it to the person. Five minutes later, the phone rang again. I thought, Is the child's condition not good? I answered, and the person said, The child is fine! I thought, This is amazing, extraordinary! This is the authority of the kingdom of heaven in use!

If I had led the person in prayer in person, it might have taken an hour, and the demon might not have retreated. Because that demon would have insisted on staying until I gave up. But I sent a 20-second voice message. Why did the demon retreat in five minutes? It is because the voice message can be played over and over again. As long as the phone has power, it can be played infinitely, and the demon has to endure it. Can the demon's endurance compare to the phone's power? When the phone runs out of power, it can be recharged, but what about the devil? As a result, the demon could not withstand it after five minutes and quickly retreated.

Therefore, I recorded many prayer recordings. I often hear my assistant say, Oh, so-and-so called and said that their illness was healed after praying along with your recording! Some can't sleep, but they get better after listening! This method works well, just like Sun Wukong plucking a hair and blowing on it to turn it into many Sun Wukongs. The number of clicks on the prayer recordings on our website is very high, and many people have been healed by praying along with them.

Learning from Jesus, Manifesting God's Glory

This is the Kingdom of Heaven come, but some who witness such things react strangely. Though already healed, they ask if it will really work. Others, seeing me perform healing and deliverance, say, Don't believe him, he's a charismatic. The label does not matter. What matters is, am I of the Jesus faction? Am I doing what Jesus did? Everything I do is learning from the example of Jesus.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

How to comprehend this saying? My understanding is that the days of casting out demons are easier than the days without casting out demons! Consider, wielding heavenly authority in this world - that is destiny, descending with stars. In fact, we all receive authority from Heaven, receive heavenly mission and destiny; we come from Heaven with a task, and our task is to fulfill God's mission. Can these days be difficult? Surely not!

Which is better, days spent casting out demons, or days being chased by demons? Days of toil and heavy burdens are not good, but Jesus' burden is light. I often say that those with destiny have blessings because they belong to Heaven. Those without destiny belong to the earth. Since you belong to Heaven, using heavenly resources and authority on earth is akin to wielding an imperial sword.

Using this authority, we propel the Kingdom of God forward – this is what we must do. The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force; we are those who cause the Kingdom of Heaven to invade the earth. And the result? Demons are utterly defeated before us! I often hear demons tell me, I must repay the money. I ask them what they've been up to, and they say, Busy making money, though I have it, I must repay it. If demons are repaying money, will we be poor? No.

If you are gentle and humble in heart, you will see the Kingdom of God come, see the glory of God manifest, and see heavenly authority manifested through our hands! If you do not, you are like those who neither dance to the flute nor mourn at the dirge. Nowhere in Heaven or earth is there a better arrangement than to wield heavenly authority, to hold the imperial sword given by God, to bear the destiny God has given us, to trample the devil and the enemy, and to let the Kingdom of God descend upon this world.

If you are gentle and humble in heart, you will surely say, Wow, this is a treasure! Instead of, Ah, they cast out demons by the prince of demons. In fact, I have seen many pastors whose lives are not easy. I tell them to start casting out demons, to learn from Jesus Christ. After reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you will find that the manner of Jesus Christ is to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons with the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven!

When God's authority is exercised on earth, the Kingdom of God descends on earth, miracles and wonders occur, and the glory, power, and authority of God are manifested. The gospel we believe is a powerful gospel, a gospel that makes people wealthy. Why are people poor? I have studied this matter thoroughly; people are poor because the spirit of poverty is upon them, and the money they earn is taken away by demons.

If a person is constantly harassed by demons, life will be miserable! If a person is willing to offer all for the Lord, become a disciple of Jesus Christ, and take up the authority God has given us, they can cause the Kingdom of God to descend. When you diligently cast out demons, the demons will fear you. How can you be poor? Know that our God is an exceedingly wealthy God.

In Genesis, Abraham and his forefathers were all wealthy! Abraham certainly had no lack of money, and neither did Isaac! Jacob went to his uncle's house with only a staff, but after twenty years, he became extremely wealthy, a great magnate. Our God does not really care how much money you have now. Even if you have only a staff left, if you are pleasing to God, God's blessing will descend upon you, and you will certainly not lack money. Know that those who lack money have demons upon them! They are unlucky in everything, and that is truly alarming!

I have a good friend whom I told to do deliverance ministry, but he would not listen. I asked him what he was busy with, and he said he was busy making money! I said, Don't be so busy making money; you cannot outwork the demons! How can you outwork the demons when you are full of them? As a result, the more he worked, the more he lost. Who works to lose money? It's okay when not busy; a dollar is still a dollar. When busy, a dollar turns into negative one million, or negative ten million, or negative one hundred million, or negative one billion. It is truly disheartening to see!

If someone has one hundred million, and after working becomes negative one billion, it is easy for demons to get to you. So, heavenly authority is truly good! If demons make you very poor, then enter the Kingdom of God, take up the authority of God's Kingdom, trample the devil and the enemy, push the Kingdom of God, and let the Kingdom of God invade the earth, so that the people on earth can receive benefits.

Do not be unresponsive. I think the things I do are quite amazing; sometimes I feel like I have become a divine being. But some people do not react, especially my good friends. It's not that they do not know what I am doing; they know. When we drink together, they say, Hey, be careful not to proselytize! If you proselytize, I will turn against you. I say, I dare not; I am afraid of you. But they cannot resist my storytelling, and I tell them one story after another, and they listen intently.

Frankly, what I do is miraculous. One of our brothers has a father who is an expert in education, and he also admires us. We have helped children who are not performing well academically to improve, although not yet to their full potential, but it is already very good. I think they will be even more amazing in the future. I must tell everyone that the powerful gospel we hold is a treasure. Who can receive it? Only those who are gentle and humble in heart. Therefore, Jesus exclaimed:

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (Matthew 11:25-26)

How do you feel after hearing this? Some people think they are smart, but they see things as very complicated, saying, This is not right; this is heresy. We are reading the same Bible, so why do some see it as a treasure while others regard it as heresy? They even say, I would rather not go to Heaven than to be tainted by this heresy. What nonsense is this? They have become foolish after reading it. It is not because of anything else, but because they think they are wise and learned.

As a result, God has done something very obvious, which is that the Kingdom of God is coming to this world with authority. To this day, what surprises me greatly is that many theological systems today have turned the God they believe in into a powerless God, and the gospel they believe in into a powerless gospel. In fact, that gospel is not the gospel at all, but they think it is orthodox, and then they cling tightly to these useless things.

Brothers and sisters, be sure to come out of speculation. The Bible studies of those people are very convoluted, so convoluted that I get dizzy. I am a person who reads books very well, and even I get dizzy from them. Can those who do not read well not get dizzy? Children like simple and straightforward things. When they see complex things become simple, they say, This is amazing! In fact, the good pleasure of our Heavenly Father is such. We are to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and bring them into the Kingdom of God. Are those who are speculative, hard-hearted, who think they are smart, and who make simple truths very complicated still sheep?

Today, many belief systems cannot explain very straightforward things. In fact, as long as you learn from Jesus and are a little gentle and humble in heart, you will be able to understand. Casting out demons is a very valuable thing, although it does take some effort. Struggling with demons is not something that is done in a few minutes. Many times, it really takes a long time of struggle, and it requires paying a long-term price. In order for the Kingdom of God to invade this world, we are truly risking our lives.

Be Gentle and Humble in Heart, Not Hard-Hearted

Our brothers and sisters must understand and be willing to offer ourselves for Jesus. Let us see what Jesus said:

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)

The Heavenly Father has given us authority. We receive the grace, authority, power, and glory given by Jesus through the revelation of Jesus. Paul says in Galatians:

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— (Galatians 1:1)

Brothers and sisters, be gentle and humble in heart, know that God has revealed Himself to us, know that we are human, and know that there are many things in this world that we cannot deal with, especially the disasters that come from demons. Our job is to rely on God's authority to make a breakthrough on earth and let the Kingdom of God dwell among us. If we are hard-hearted and see the many mighty works that Jesus performed but do not repent, that is truly tragic!

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:20-24)

Brothers and sisters, be careful! If we are not gentle and humble in heart and see the miracles that God performs among us, but our hearts remain hard, who can bear the judgment that we will receive in the future? No one can bear it.

In the past few days, I have experienced many things. There was a cancer patient who was about to breathe his last. After I prayed, he came back to life. Then his first words were, Modern science and technology are really good! After hearing this, I thought, What kind of brain is this? This is simply a pig's brain! He credited the medical technology for healing him after I prayed for him. What kind of judgment will such a person receive in the future! It is because people do not repent, because they are hard-hearted.

We must understand that we must be gentle and humble in heart, learn from Jesus, imitate Jesus Christ, cast out demons in this world, let the Kingdom of God come, and then our hearts will surely find rest. Everything we do is based on authority, not relying on your and my abilities, but on your and my faith in Jesus, and our gentle and humble attitude in heart.

People must know that we need the authority God has given us, we need the glory of God, we need the power of God, we need heavenly resources, so that we can trample the devil and the enemy on earth, trample Satan, and let this earth be filled with the glory of God. May God continue to raise up people who are gentle and humble in heart among us!

May God bless everyone!