The Enigma of Salvation

Luke Chapters 1-3 are all about preparing for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah whom Israel had been anticipating. By Chapter 4, the Messiah the people had longed for had finally arrived. In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, from Adam to Abraham, and then from David to Jesus Christ, generation after generation, those who were destined to die passed away, and some died with hope, hoping that the salvation of Jesus Christ would come.

We have always had confusion about the salvation of Jesus Christ. What exactly is the salvation of Jesus Christ? When I first believed, they took me to very traditional churches. The teachings I heard in the church were basically that after believing in the Lord, one can go to heaven after death. People are still very concerned about what happens after death. For example, in my classmates' group, when someone's parents die, everyone says in condolence: May Uncle Zhang rest in peace, may Uncle Li rest in peace...

What exactly does it mean to rest in peace? We should pursue hope in eternal life, because people live and then die. Before the salvation of Jesus Christ came, people were filled with enigmas about salvation and evangelism.

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit is to Enable People to Overcome Temptation

Luke is very fascinated by the matter of being filled with the Holy Spirit. His logical system runs through the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. John the Baptist was already filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother's womb. When Jesus Christ came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus Christ. In fact, the matter of being filled with the Holy Spirit brings enigmas and confusion to many people.

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. (Luke 4:1-13)

After reading this passage, we all become puzzled. Why did the devil come to tempt Jesus after he was filled with the Holy Spirit? Are being filled with the Holy Spirit and being tempted by the devil two different things or one thing? I think it is one thing! Back then, being a Jewish believer, like being a Christian today, is very attractive to demons. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, it will attract even more demons, because the devil's initial work is to hinder people from turning to God. When the devil saw that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, he personally went to tempt Jesus for forty days.

We who are Christians must be careful not to think that we are saved after we believe, nor should we think that we are invincible after being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible records that we must be like Jesus. After we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we must walk the path that Jesus walked. Once a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, the devil will come to tempt them. Don't think that this is not God's arrangement, because this is exactly God's arrangement.

What we are talking about is the victorious gospel, and also the gospel of being filled with the Holy Spirit. We must remember the two words victorious. Living without victory is still living, and living with victory is also living. Is it better to live victoriously or to live without victory? As the saying goes: the victor is king, the loser is a bandit. The same is true of political struggles, whether it is infighting within a party or between two parties, the result is the same.

Today, we brothers and sisters must know why the gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Because only by being filled with the Holy Spirit is there a possibility of victory. Without being filled with the Holy Spirit, how can one have the ability to overcome? Don't think that it is a good thing if Satan is not looking for you. If the devil personally comes to you, it means you are high enough level. If you are very ordinary, does the devil need to come in person? Satan can send a little demon and knock you down. But a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit will definitely attract the greatest demon.

In the past few years, I have observed a phenomenon: all those who pay a lot of attention to being filled with the Holy Spirit are full of people who have fallen. For example, I met a pastor who had problems with his lumbar and cervical spine. I told him: I am especially capable of dealing with this kind of problem. Praying for people with lumbar and cervical spine pain has immediate results, and this is indeed the case.

This person had been a pastor for dozens of years and had suffered from lumbar and cervical spine disease for more than twenty years. I prayed with him, and he really got better. As a result, what did he say to me? He said: When we established the church, we were very charismatic, and we also had speaking in tongues and being filled with the Holy Spirit, but later we didn't like to do it. Then he got a body full of illnesses, and his wife was still a patient with depression, living a very hard life. Why is this the case? Because being filled with the Holy Spirit strikes at the dark forces of the devil, and the devil will personally come forward. When you cast out fewer and fewer demons, the devil will not let you go.

There was another person who led a wave of healing, exorcism, and deliverance movements decades ago, which had a great impact on the Christian faith throughout the country. Later, when I met him, he said: I used to cast out demons, and I cast out many, but the demons came back after I cast them out. I saw that casting out demons had no effect. I found it strange that if casting out demons had no effect, why would Jesus cast out demons? So I was thinking that when people are filled with the Holy Spirit, they are most easily fooled, because the devil hates people serving with the Holy Spirit the most. When people are constantly fighting little demons, Satan comes to tempt you.

Jesus overcame this temptation; does everyone overcome it? Not necessarily. Flies do not land on eggs without cracks. We must know that on the road of Christians, there are simply corpses everywhere. As for whether you are deceived by the devil and defeated by the devil, it depends on your own choice and creation. People's choices in this world are crucial. If your choice is the same as Jesus', the devil will also be defeated at your feet.

The Devil's First Temptation of Jesus: Overcoming the Needs of the Flesh and the Needs of Living

Luke Chapter 4 is very important. There are many ways the devil tempts Jesus. Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, and after he came out, when the days were fulfilled, he began to hunger. Hunger is a feeling, and it is very spiritual. Some people suddenly become extremely hungry at night and are about to collapse. After eating something, their stomach begins to feel blocked.

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. (Luke 4:3)

Do people have the needs for food, communication, housing, and communication? Yes, they do. When people are alive, they still have many needs. For example, after waking up, there are various water and electricity bills, housing costs, and installment payments. It is not okay not to pay these bills, which is actually very hard, and people are easily confused by these things.

Many Christians are defeated in the first level and fail to pass it. For example, some people say, my child needs to study, and I need to accompany my child to study. Where do I have time to serve? I accompany my child at 8:30, and I have to go to bed at 10:30 the next day for work, and I also need to wash up. Where do I have time to serve? Who will the demon look for if not you? If the demon comes at one or two in the morning, you ask the pastor to pray for you, I tell you it's useless, because your inner choice is your creation.

We must know that work is just for food and for living, isn't it? The devil says: If you are the Son of God, you must do your job well, you must teach your children well... If you are bewitched, the things of this world will trap you all at once, then there is nothing to say, and it is useless to say anything. Sometimes I keep talking to people, although it doesn't have much use, but I have done my best.

Man shall not live by bread alone, nor by work, degrees, diplomas, children, or money. If people live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, then we will all be powerful. Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days, and he did not eat or die. According to the ordinary person's thinking, he would become a mummy. It is the Spirit that gives life to people. An ordinary person will be close to death if he does not eat or drink for a week. But when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, he is no longer an ordinary person. He lives by the word of God and the Spirit of God.

Even though Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days and was so hungry that he was about to collapse, he clearly knew that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. As a result, the devil came to tempt Jesus again, saying, If you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread. According to the habits of the people in my hometown, they would answer: What can turning a stone into bread do? It can be turned with the touch of a finger.

If we do this, we are turning the power that God has given us into something that satisfies our own fleshly needs. What is a Christian really thinking in their heart? Many people will say, I can't live without money, I can't live without food, I can't do this, I can't do that... Isn't this being controlled by the devil? Some people shout, I still have to work. If I lose my job, won't I be homeless? Otherwise, can you help me solve it?

People just don't know how powerful our God is! As long as the power of God is there, what can't be solved? In fact, some people don't have the word of God in them. If they really live according to the word of God, nothing will collapse. Even if it collapses, it doesn't matter, because we don't live by these things. Let's think about whether we live according to every word that comes from the mouth of God. A long time ago, I didn't understand what every word meant, so I knelt down and prayed for a long time. Until the revelation of God came upon me, every word is actually a complete system of faith.

Today, there are not many Christians who form a system of faith. Some time ago, an evangelist came among us to learn how to establish a complete system of faith. Those who do not have a system of faith see the Bible as scattered pieces. But as long as we establish a system of faith based on the books written by the apostle Paul, such as the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, Romans, Hebrews, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians, our understanding of the Bible will be rooted and grounded.

I have been working hard to build up the truth of the Bible piece by piece, and our Chinese Mingding Destiny started from every word. Chinese Mingding Destiny explains many phenomena. Why are some people's prayers not answered? The reason is very simple: because they do not have a complete system of faith and cannot overcome.

Overcoming the First Temptation: Living on Every Word That Proceeds from the Mouth of God

In the Bible, some statements are clearly outside the core tenets. For instance, Judas's suicide is recorded, but merely as a fact. Are we to strictly adhere to it? I once heard a joke about a king who, facing difficulties, would habitually open the Bible, close his eyes, and point, declaring it divine revelation. If he pointed to Judas's suicide, would that be his divine revelation? Christianity is certainly not superstition, but a system of faith. Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This is a foundational argument for overcoming the Devil, Satan.

Many struggle with their husbands, wives, children, and managing family affairs. I can only wish you good luck. Establishing a system of faith is crucial. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is also a Gospel of being filled with the Holy Spirit, a distinct characteristic of Luke's writing. He repeatedly mentions being filled with the Holy Spirit, such as Elizabeth, Mary, and even John the Baptist, filled from his mother's womb—all examples of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not about goosebumps or feeling electrified. These are insignificant. We never see Jesus Christ, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, lying on the ground for two weeks. After Jesus was filled, Satan tempted Him. God wants us to make a clear choice: what do we live by? If it's by work and salary, I can only wish you good luck again. As for me, I live solely on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. If God says so, I believe it! With God, there is nothing to fear, not just in this life, but even the afterlife surpasses all. Everything is trampled under our feet.

The Devil's Second Temptation: What Do You Pursue? Whom Will You Worship?

Later, the Devil, hearing Jesus's response, was astonished. He thought Jesus was quite formidable, using God's Word to counter the temptation. Actually, Satan just wanted to spar with Jesus, to see if He truly lived by every word from God's mouth. The Devil led Jesus to a high mountain, and in a moment, all the kingdoms of the world and their glory appeared before Jesus—a real-life VR experience, a grand virtual visual feast. Satan said to Jesus, Look, all this authority and glory I will give you; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. If you, then, worship me, it shall all be yours.

Both Satan and Jesus are masters. Their moves are high-level, difficult for us to understand. But no matter how high the moves, they essentially revolve around these questions: What do you live by? What do you live for? What do you pursue and desire? If you desire the glory of the kingdoms of the world, to become the commander, the highest leader, a president, or the richest person, we must ponder whether these are the purposes of your life.

Chinese Mingding Destiny has a concept called Mingding (Destiny), like the destiny Abraham received. The glory of the kingdoms of the world is insignificant, meaningless. Jesus said, You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only. Jesus would not worship Satan, even if everything was given to Him. Jesus knew that what the Devil promised was not the Devil's to give; it all belonged to God.

The first choice is to live by every word from the mouth of God, and the second is to worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. To serve God alone means letting go of everything else except God. Recently, some of our brothers and sisters have been frequently deceived by demons, and after deliverance, they continue to be deceived, not knowing when it will end. If this continues, they will be utterly destroyed by the demons.

Worshipping the Lord my God alone means we forsake other things for God. Some ask their pastors for leave, citing reasons like exams or overtime—these are human choices. But Jesus is powerful; He serves God alone. You can reflect on how many times you have forsaken God. I have never forsaken God; I forsake other things to gain my God. I will serve my God, worship my God, because that is the purpose of my life. Life without serving and worshipping God is meaningless, a painful thing, but some brothers and sisters have not suffered enough from it.

On our path to becoming like Jesus, the foundation is worshipping God, living by every word from the mouth of God. What kind of life will that be? Certainly not one miserably dominated by demons. Aren't many people dominated by demons, coming among us for prayer and deliverance? Why do they return after being delivered? Like the Bible says: the dog returns to its vomit, and washed pigs return to wallowing in the mud. Isn't this terribly foolish? When will the foolishness end? Look closely at those who serve God, living by every word from the mouth of God—are any of them living poorly? They all live out the glory and Mingding Destiny of God, the power of Jesus Christ, joy, and prosperity.

The Devil's Third Temptation: Do Not Mistake Religious Temptation of God for Love for the Lord

Jesus Christ opened a path for us: living by every word from the mouth of God, living with the purpose of worshipping the Lord, serving Him only. But the Devil makes people foolish, overly religious. The Devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and said, If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ The Devil also began quoting the Bible. If Jesus jumped down, and angels caught Him, the surrounding people would applaud, and many would turn to God. But Jesus said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. This is called temptation.

Someone once said, If you heal people's diseases through prayer, many will believe. Later, the diseases were healed, but those people did not believe, because there are many falsehoods within people. People think that if Jesus jumped from the temple, many would believe, but they would not. Even if someone rose from the dead, if Lazarus walked out of the tomb, those who believe would still believe, and those who do not would still not believe. Furthermore, they would want to kill Jesus. Can you understand this? I cannot.

Today, we brothers and sisters must know that these are the Devil's three treasures for tempting Jesus, and they are also Jesus Christ's three treasures for overcoming the Devil's temptations. To this day, as long as you grasp these three treasures, I tell you, you will surely overcome. People who love the Lord easily fall into religion; people who love the world are easily pushed by the Devil to love the world even more. So, once brothers and sisters become Christians, this position, this title, is easily subject to the Devil's temptation. Some say, Doesn't the Bible say that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear?

The Bible does say that, but from my observation, in real life, many cannot overcome temptation and thus fall, defeated by the Devil. How is this explained? It's not difficult to explain. The person being tempted by the Devil does not belong to God. Those who belong to God, God will protect. But how can God protect those who belong to the Devil? Your mind is filled with selfishness and worldly logic, lacking any love for God, only having the outward appearance of a Christian. Then, do not blame the Devil for deceiving you. Should God hand you over to the Devil then? Because you are more like the Devil.

Striving to Enter Victory Through the Holy Spirit, Receiving Power

Therefore, we brothers and sisters should strive to enter victory through the Holy Spirit. Why? Because to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace, but to set it on the flesh is self-destruction. How many are self-destructing today?

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:5-13)

Obedience to the Spirit reaps eternal life, but sowing to the flesh and sowing to the passions reaps corruption. What are people following to become corrupt today? Today, we are filled with the Holy Spirit; are we obeying the Holy Spirit? Because the Holy Spirit never controls people. The Holy Spirit is different from the Devil. The Devil controls people, forcing you down that path. But if you don't want to follow the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will not drag you.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Luke 4:14-15)

What is this power? It is the power received after overcoming. After a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, they must establish a complete system of faith and begin to know God fully in their understanding. When we are guided by the Holy Spirit, knowing the Word of God, the truth of God, the Devil cannot easily deceive you. If the Devil cannot deceive you, he will temporarily leave, and you will receive great power. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today, if the Gospel we preach has no power, can it still be considered the Gospel? Some say it is not without power, but it has some power. For example, the change in a person's life, but when I look at it, their life's change is not even as good as a monk's. The life of a monk is better than theirs. So, we cannot compare like that. What do we compare? We compare how much we are like Jesus! To be like Jesus, we must be like Jesus, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, able to overcome the Devil's temptations, doing what Jesus did. This is the most basic foundation of Chinese Mingding Destiny.

Conclusion: The Gospel of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit and Having Great Power Is the True Gospel

The theme of Chapter 4 is the Gospel preached by Jesus Christ. First, we talk about the first point: the Gospel of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Without being filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot even talk about the Gospel. How can you live like Jesus? Without being filled with the Holy Spirit, where does the power come from? Without power, how can we overcome the Devil, Satan? This series of questions hinges on being filled with the Holy Spirit, after which a person is filled with the power of God.

There's a lot of content in this chapter. For example, Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. (Luke 4:40) They were all healed! We will pause here and talk about the other points next week. May God bless everyone!