Introduction

Good day to all. I am sharing with you a topic of considerable intellectual depth: Abundant Assurance of Understanding. Each week when I preach, I aim to share something fresh. I have been addressing the issue of understanding for the better part of half a year now. Why do I strenuously urge everyone to be clear-headed in their understanding? Because if one's understanding is not clear, what can one do? I genuinely do not wish for anyone to become a fool in their faith. Earlier, when I spoke on Creating the Future with Faith, some were perplexed. They said they had plenty of faith but no future!

There was a sister with an illness who, lacking good understanding and upon hearing from an unreliable source, believed that getting married would 冲喜 (bring luck and dispel misfortune), thus curing her illness. This was, in fact, a fallacy. Later, through prayer, she claimed God revealed to her that she should seek out and marry an older man in a specific place. She did so, but her illness did not improve. Yet, she considered this a testimony. In reality, it was a manifestation of her lack of understanding.

There are many stories about those lacking understanding. I know a pastor who, in prayer, saw the promising development prospects of a piece of land. He traveled a great distance to that location. The land looked exactly as he had seen in his vision, so he spent all his savings to purchase it. When I met him, he was in dire straits. The land was barren, serving no purpose, worthless, and impossible to sell.

Then there was a sister and brother whose church tried to match them, claiming they were divinely matched - a perfect couple. The sister married the brother, only to discover he had a penchant for prostitution. During the divorce proceedings, his ugly side was fully revealed. Can we truly say this was a divine match? We really cannot prove it.

Everyone needs to be discerning in many matters. For example, in investing in real estate, one must understand what real estate is all about. If you do not, you are easily deceived. When investing in stocks, you must thoroughly research stocks before deciding whether or not to invest.

I am someone who pursues clarity in understanding. The Bible states that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can command a mountain to move into the sea, and it will obey you. Yet, in real life, have you ever seen this happen? No. Does Jesus lie? Many Christians might think so but dare not say it. In truth, Jesus Christ speaks the truth, but many prayers go unanswered. The problem lies in that they believe they have great faith, but this faith is not rooted in understanding.

Although the topics I share with you are somewhat difficult, I strive to explain them clearly. Someone brought back thirty million from Italy and partnered with locals to start a business, investing in a large restaurant with integrated catering, tourism, hotel, and lodging facilities. They were defrauded and had to engage in litigation. A local church sent a team to reside in the hotel to pray for him, but even after praying for a long time, the issue remained unresolved. Eventually, he returned to Italy, having lost all thirty million. It was heartbreaking! Why were the prayers of the local church ineffective? Such perplexing matters are not uncommon in churches. This is the problem of a lack of clarity in understanding.

I have never seen in the Bible a church sending a team to reside in someone's restaurant to pray for the owner. This is a truly critical issue. If one's understanding is muddled, it is difficult to succeed, let alone establish a church, which is a complex systems engineering project. If your understanding is not clear, you cannot do things well! Everything in this world is closely related to understanding. For example, many of us send our children to school to address the issue of ignorance in understanding.

You must know that ignorance in understanding can lead to death. If one is fond of making hasty decisions without seeking to understand what God says in the Bible, how can one succeed? The scripture we will be reading for this topic is from the Book of Colossians. The writing style of Colossians is very similar to that of Ephesians, with some repetition. Many phrases are difficult to grasp without personal experience because many churches fail to realize the promises of God's glory and power.

Over the years, I have made a bold attempt to return to the foundations of the Bible. I study the Bible verse by verse, each section requiring immense mental effort. Whether it is Luke, Matthew, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Genesis, Isaiah, Samuel, or Kings, I have put in a great deal of effort. People think that the pastor preaches well and must enjoy preparing the sermons, but each time I preach, I feel like I am shedding a layer of skin. I do not study the Bible haphazardly.

These years, I have also ventured to establish a glorious, victorious church based on the word of God. Why? I said long ago that the theme of the New Testament is to establish a victorious church. Later, the church failed to be victorious because it did not believe in the word of God and did not act according to it. Let me share some embarrassing things - please do not laugh at me. I thought to myself at the time, Who can Jesus attract to believe? Why would anyone follow you just because you tell them to believe in Jesus? It was impossible! So I preached about braised beef, roast chicken, ham sausages… and people actually came. But is that what the Bible teaches us? No!

The failures of those years have deeply taught me that we must build a victorious, glorious church according to the word of God in the Bible. Ephesians and Colossians both discuss building a victorious, glorious church. Facts have proven that God's promises are faithful in Jesus Christ. Some say, How can we live if we believe in this way? So, I look at the lives of our brothers and sisters, and they are all doing quite well. During this year's pandemic, there were many cases of brothers and sisters being financially blessed, almost to an overwhelming extent.

One sister worked in Shenzhen for five years and only earned a few thousand RMB. I said, Stop working there. Come here; I'll train you a little, and then you can go find another job. She came and trained with me for some time, then found a job with a salary reportedly two or three times higher than before. What happened? I'll tell you, our blessed brothers and sisters owe me a favor. Why? Because whatever I bless prospers!

Those who associate with me find it difficult not to be blessed! Later, I discovered that this aligns with the Bible. What does the Bible say? I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you. These words are powerful! I feel like I have a bit of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in me. If you truly follow me on this path of faith, building a victorious, glorious church, you will surely be blessed.

One sister in her sixties owed a lot of money. She was capable, but the more she worked, the more she lost. Things were very bad. Recently, I severely reprimanded her because she was stubborn. After I scolded her, she messaged me saying that she earned over ten thousand RMB last month. These things are happening around us. If we have God's glory and power, will we lack money? No, we will not lack money.

If the church is not built according to the word of God in the Bible, you will not see the kind of divine power and abundance described in Ephesians and Colossians, because all of God's abundance is in the church of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, not all churches are in Jesus Christ, and it is unclear what kind of churches they are.

An old pastor of a church was very humble. A member rushed into his office and scolded him for an hour. His staff asked if they should call security. The old pastor was quite endearing, saying, Don't call security; let him scold me! The old pastor even kneeled before the member, and only then did the member cry and the issue was resolved. However, the root of the problem remained. Why did this happen? In many churches, group leaders fear the members, district leaders fear the group leaders, and the pastor fears the district leaders and deacons. How can this be victorious? How can a disorganized mob fight a battle? I think there is a problem with this kind of humility!

Today, do we see, in our faith in Jesus, as described in Ephesians and Colossians, that principalities and powers are trampled underfoot, that all things are trampled underfoot, that Jesus is the head of the church, that the church is the body of Jesus Christ, that Jesus is the head of the church, and that all things are under the feet of Jesus Christ, which is also the feet of the church? In a victorious church, you will see God's exceedingly abundant grace and promises. This is the honorable, glorious, and powerful gospel.

Do you want to see the honorable, glorious, and powerful gospel? You say, Of course! I dream of it! Then you must be filled with the knowledge of God and have abundant assurance of understanding. If you have abundant assurance of understanding, it is difficult not to experience God. So, what does it mean to have abundant assurance of understanding? Next, I will explain it to you.

Scripture

I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3)

Prayer

God, open our minds today, so that every brother and sister may be filled with the knowledge of God, fully know God, and fully know Your will. God, open our minds and take away all ignorance in understanding from within us. God, let our faith be built on the foundation of knowing You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Background and Purpose of the Scripture

Paul's purpose in writing Colossians was very clear, because the Colossian Christians had been deceived. Why were they deceived? Because as they believed, they did not hold fast to Christ, the head, and began to worship angels. The antecedent of Christianity is Judaism, which has a history of worshiping angels.

However, Paul never mentioned angels in the Bible. We rarely see Paul's letters mentioning the number of heavens or seeing a particular angel. Would saying that solve any problems? After you say it, others cannot refute you because there is no way to know if you actually saw the angel.

The idea of seeing and worshiping angels does not bring clarity in understanding. In the Old Testament, Daniel sought to understand what God's will truly meant, so God sent an angel to convey God's meaning to Daniel. But in the teachings of the Apostle Paul, there is no pursuit of angels speaking to us. Yet, people are filled with myths and interests in food, festivals, new moons, Sabbaths, etc., much like Christians today.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

These people are unclear in their understanding and do not know the abundant glory, grace, wisdom, and knowledge in Jesus Christ. In reality, all wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus Christ.

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 3:10)

Why has the church lost its power today? Because it has been taken captive by these empty deceits, human traditions, and elemental spirits of the world. What we are doing is to restore what the Apostle Paul spoke of, to be filled with the knowledge of God and have abundant assurance of understanding, so our understanding must be clear. I thank God that we dare to say these things today because we have walked a path of practice and have achieved results.

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ (Colossians 2:9-11)

We lack nothing in Jesus Christ. What else do we care about? In Jesus Christ, poverty is not God's will. There is all abundance, and all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus Christ. If we build a victorious church according to His will, and become one with Jesus Christ, we become the body of Jesus Christ, and then the power of Jesus Christ is transmitted through the church, manifesting God's glory and power to the people of the world.

The background of this passage is that the Colossians' understanding was unclear, they did not know the abundance in Jesus Christ, and they lost a complete view of the church. Paul, for the sake of the body of Jesus Christ, fills up in his flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. According to the power working within him, he wholeheartedly serves this God, so Paul is genuinely serving God. In contrast, the state of the church today is that many churches have fallen into the situation described by Paul in Colossians, being taken captive by human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world.

Many people also pray in tongues and do healing and deliverance, but they do it very poorly. Why do they do it poorly? Because the church is not victorious! People do not pursue building a victorious, unified church that deals with the flesh of Christians and is filled with the power of Jesus Christ. Instead, they bring psychology into the church. Can psychology compare to Jesus Christ? Is that not an elemental spirit of the world? Why do these churches do this? Because the church has lost its power. Many churches pursue understanding, but they are deceived by the devil, enter into speculation, and lose the great power of the gospel because speculation involves nitpicking over words.

Some advocate interpreting scripture with scripture, but this is a speculative path. If you hear a pastor preaching and referencing Greek, Hebrew, and nitpicking over words in the Bible, that is likely a loss of the power of the Holy Spirit. Some churches pursue spirituality and enter into gifts. Some teachings are very interesting. Some anointed pastors die and are buried in a certain place, and people go to that place to蹭点恩膏 (scrounge some anointing). It is like in the Bible, when Elisha died, many people went to his tomb to蹭点恩膏 (scrounge some anointing).

Is that important? Why not be clear in understanding? Walking this way leads to metaphysics. People look neurotic, like a religious charlatan, losing understanding and no longer resembling Christianity.

Some churches pray for people's headaches. When that person is being delivered, there is a manifestation of evil spirits. Many people are frightened, afraid that one day when the pastor points a finger, it will be their turn.

Some church people pursue spirituality, anointing, and prophetic gifts, but I do not promote these in the church. Although there are such teachings in the Bible, I do not promote them in that direction. I want to promote in the direction of understanding and spirituality, to build the church according to the word of God. I believe God will lead us step by step.

The Christian faith in Jesus is a complete system of spirituality and understanding, doctrine and power. Chinese Mingding Destiny is to restore the complete and comprehensive faith system that Paul transmitted. The theme of Colossians is to build a victorious, glorious church. This is the background and purpose of Paul writing Colossians.

Fully Knowing God's Will in Understanding

To fully know God's will in understanding is no easy feat. Merely reading the words may give a semblance of knowledge, yet leave one uncertain. If, upon reading, you act accordingly, God will guide you step by step, illuminating the meaning within the Scriptures. God earnestly desires that we fully know His will.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. (Colossians 1:9)

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. (Colossians 1:15-23)

Paul writes of Jesus Christ, whom we believe in, as the God who transcends all things. If we seek God, we should seek the greatest God, not a lesser one. Otherwise, when faced with problems, some may be resolved, while others remain unresolved. If you know Jesus Christ, do you require other gods? No, you do not. The question then is, how do we connect with Jesus Christ? He is the head of the church, the body of Christ, with all things under His feet, and all the treasures of knowledge hidden within Him.

If we are willing to wholeheartedly build a glorious church, which is the body of Jesus Christ, sparing no effort to make up for what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, such individuals will surely witness God’s power and glory. We must not be ignorant in our understanding, expecting to see visions or hear voices immediately. Those who pursue such things would do better to fully know God's will with their understanding. God’s will is to unite all things in Jesus Christ through the church. This becomes even clearer when we read Ephesians and Colossians together.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16)

Even the devil was created by Jesus Christ. Without the principalities and powers in the air, the issue of overcoming cannot be resolved. We should not fear the attacks of the devil. When the devil attacks us, we should regard him as our sparring partner, constantly practicing warfare through prayer. This will strengthen our overall spiritual condition. All the assets within the church, including the fallen angels, are working towards one goal: to make the church the body of Jesus Christ, a holy church.

You will see that the Apostle Paul preached the word of God comprehensively, with power, the fullness of Christ, and His glory and honor. What could we lack? We lack nothing. Do we still need to seek angels or this or that? We do not. For in Jesus Christ, all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him we have been given fullness.

Why does Paul say in bodily form? Because it is visible and tangible. If you still cannot see or touch within our midst, then perhaps you should not remain among us. Each of us has experienced God, and we have been given fullness in Him. We lack nothing and fear nothing, for He is the head over every power and authority. As long as we have faith, we can create the future and draw upon God's great power.

When I first started the church, I did not believe in these things. Later, I was disciplined by God and then repented. You might ask, do I not recognize these words? I do. Do I not know their meaning? I do. But I had not experienced them! Before experiencing, what did I rely on? Faith. The churches established by the Apostle Paul were all very powerful churches. I thought, God, I want to be like that too! This yearning evolved into faith, so there is nothing in my heart that is better than Jesus Christ.

I began to experience God from the moment I believed. Everything I have is given by God, including my life. How could I not know? When establishing the church, I said that all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form in Christ Jesus, and I want to be in Jesus Christ, to build a victorious church.

The reason for establishing the church was that I examined the local churches, and I always felt I could do better. Indeed, I suffered a great deal. If you ask me today if I regret it, I would say, no, I do not. For my destiny in this world is to serve God, to present everyone fully mature in Christ, and to preach the word of God completely. This is my destiny. Later, I began to see that God is truly the head over every power and authority, especially when I was serious about casting out demons at a cost, so that even the demons were convinced. They know God, our Christ Jesus, is the head of all things, and Jesus Christ will manifest His glory through the church, so that the principalities and powers may know God's wisdom. Therefore, brothers and sisters, begin to restore your faith in God!

Before, I read the Bible in a dry, rote manner. Later, I began to put it into practice. I was very clear that I wanted to build a victorious church in Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ would be the head of the church, and the church would be His body. Then I started doing things according to God's word, and I saw God's glory being manifested continuously.

Some pastors among us are stingy with sharing their testimonies. They believe that a testimony is not worth sharing unless it is earth-shattering. In fact, every testimony is a gift from God in bodily form in Jesus Christ! It does not matter whether the testimony is earth-shattering. Is it only good if it is like a leader, giving a lengthy speech and putting in a lot of effort? They always feel that is the way it should be, but it is not necessary. It is enough to write down the experiences of God.

I usually schedule time each week for healing and deliverance prayers. The pain is gone after prayer, the illness is gone after prayer. How wonderful is that! Is there anything better than God? I tell you, if you ask me today how I would live without God, I would tell you that I really do not know how to live without God today. How wonderful it is to serve God and live a life with God! Only in this way will you have understanding and faith, and you will bring the manifestation of God's power. Read Ephesians and Colossians carefully. All principalities and powers are under His feet.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:17-23)

This passage speaks so clearly. How blessed it is for brothers and sisters to believe in the gospel today. But what I regret is that many people followed me in believing in the Lord, and they witnessed God's power manifested in the church with their own eyes, but because someone else applied for a green card and they did not successful, they said they wanted to leave the church. And I find it weird, that those people won't think about their own issues. They are so easy leave the church. Therefore, a lack of understanding is very deadly. Why are people so easily deceived? Because their understanding is not clear.

People do not know in this life how glorious and abundant it is in Christ Jesus, that all the fullness of our God dwells in bodily form in Jesus Christ. In fact, they have experienced and received fullness among us, but in the end, they still choose to abandon it, saying as they leave, I will also have destiny. Will they really? May God have mercy!

Why Are People Easily Deceived?

Why do people lack understanding? The reason is simple: they do not believe, because they are thinking only of earthly things and do not realize that they are all vanity. In fact, the root cause of all the problems a person encounters comes from their own flesh. It is fundamentally impossible for a carnal person to pray in a way that pleases God. This is the problem that hinders our prayers from being answered. But some people pray and, finding that it does not work, blame the problem on other things, never looking for the cause within themselves, and sometimes even thinking it is the pastor's fault.

Becoming anxious when they do not get what they want, they simply do not build from the foundation of faith. If the foundation is not set correctly, the following situations will occur. Some people eat the Lord's Supper with their family every day. One day, when they did not eat it, the child said to their mother before going to bed, Mom, why haven't we eaten the Lord's Supper today? For this child, eating the Lord's Supper has become a habit, but they do not know what it means to observe the Lord's Supper. Wanting to gain something, but not gaining it, they feel that they should be observing the New Moon, Sabbath, and Feast of Tabernacles. However, after observing them, they still do not gain what they want.

Then they feel that they should not eat this or touch that, but they do not want to build from the foundation. This situation is even more common among pastors, even those who have been in the ministry for thirty to forty years. Some pastors grab at anything and everything, such as blindly believing, focusing on works, spiritual gifts, or speculation, but they do not want to wholeheartedly clarify their understanding. Jacob was seventy-five years old when he began to receive his destiny, become a blessing, and start running. So, if you are fifty years old or older, it does not matter. You still need to build from the foundation and clarify your understanding.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:1-10)

People become anxious because they cannot get what they want, just like worshiping idols. If we have not set things right today, there is only one reason: you are a carnal person. If people pursue earthly things and do not pursue dealing with the greed in their minds and all kinds of carnal evils, it will lead them to dabble in unorthodox things once they cannot get what they want. They still think they have faith, but this faith is not a faith based on understanding. If you want to have sufficient faith in your understanding, you must build on the foundation of the body of Jesus Christ, the victorious church.

Having Sufficient Faith in Understanding

If you have sufficient faith in your understanding, you will surely see God's power and abundance, and receive the destiny God has for us. You will surely love God and shepherd God's flock, because we will grow in all the wisdom and knowledge stored up in Jesus Christ. We have dug up a treasure.

If you have dug up a treasure but do not know it is a treasure, and you do not wholeheartedly dig it, what you gain will be very limited. Are you spending enough effort to dig today? Perhaps you spend a lot of effort to dig into your work, but you do not spend a lot of effort to dig into the wisdom and knowledge that God has hidden in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we should know that all the wisdom and knowledge stored up are hidden in Jesus Christ. Believing in the Lord will never delay your work and study. Believing in the Lord will surely bring us into extreme abundance. Because all of God's wisdom and knowledge are in Jesus Christ, we must truly take on this destiny. We will never suffer a loss. Because all of God's wisdom and knowledge are in Jesus Christ, we should wholeheartedly pursue it like the Apostle Paul. Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theological system that fully recognizes God in understanding, being a victorious church with sufficient faith in understanding, knowing what they are doing.

If we can gain this heavenly knowledge and be clear in our understanding, I tell you, whatever you do will prosper. If you are doing programming, you will be a good programmer; if you are a lawyer, you will be a good lawyer; if you are in sales, you will be a good salesperson; if you are an accountant, you will be a good accountant; if you are a teacher, you will be a good teacher.

As we promote knowing God in understanding, God's grace, promises, and all abundance will be added more and more to us. After hearing my explanation, do you truly know in your heart what a glorious and abundant destiny it is to build a victorious church and dwell in Jesus Christ for life?

May God bless you all!