Introduction

Good morning! Let us turn to Luke Chapter 6. What is Chapter 6 about? Reading it section by section, it seems fragmented, and it is difficult to grasp the central theme. However, I assure you, unless the author is incompetent and fails to express himself clearly, the reader should be able to understand the author's intent. Often, the author's message is quite clear; the challenge lies in our understanding of his intention. For us as readers, grasping the author's intended meaning is crucial. If someone writes you a letter and you misinterpret it based on unfounded assumptions, you fail to understand the writer's intention.

We must be particularly careful, as poor language skills can be a significant disadvantage. If your language skills are weak, you may struggle to understand others' intentions, misinterpreting their words. You might perceive good intentions as harmful or mistake malicious individuals as benevolent. This would be chaotic. Chapter 6 is rather lengthy, but I trust that everyone has read it thoroughly. After reading it, what insights can we derive? I have diligently attempted to identify a central theme for this chapter, though my interpretation may not be definitive. I will share this theme with you for your consideration.

What does Luke, the author, intend to convey in this passage? Luke is essentially conveying what Jesus said and did. Luke's perspective is that we should be like our Heavenly Father, a theme that permeates the entire Bible. We inherently possess the image of God and have the capacity to be as rich as our Heavenly Father, but since partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we have lived more like demons. Cain was a mental patient, and Lamech was an even more severe case. Observing those around us, we find that most people suffer from mental illnesses to varying degrees. We often receive messages from others without understanding their intended meaning.

Are we truly like Jesus, like our Heavenly Father? This is crucial. Some might argue, How is that possible? There are only a few like Jesus. How could I possibly be like Him? It is not a matter of possibility. If I were to ask someone, Do you want to be rich? they would undoubtedly answer, I want to be rich! I dream of being rich! If I were to ask, Do you want to be as rich as our Heavenly Father? they would say, I want to be as rich as our Heavenly Father.

In reality, everyone desires to be like our Heavenly Father, but their actions often resemble those of demons. Whether it involves coveting someone's money or property, there are countless stories. Today, the Bible calls us to be like our Heavenly Father, not as an option, but as a command from Jesus. You and I both believe in Jesus, so how can some interpret that there is no need to be like Jesus? If we believe in Jesus, we must believe in His words. If you do not believe what Jesus says, then who do you believe in?

It is important to understand that Jesus' demand for us to be like our Heavenly Father is the problem that salvation seeks to resolve. We must not mistakenly believe that our physical efforts of fasting, abstinence, and chanting scriptures will have any effect. After all these efforts, there is actually no use. Only with God's help can we be like our Heavenly Father. Our God helping us is the true intent of salvation. While we were still sinners, our Lord Jesus died for us and was crucified, shedding His blood and sacrificing Himself to remit our sins.

If God remits our sins and blots out our transgressions, is it possible for us to be like God? The kingdom of heaven is near, and salvation has come upon us, with the light of Jehovah shining upon us. However, the problem is that even when people's sins are forgiven, they still do not repent, and we remain in darkness. If we repent, you and I can both become like our Heavenly Father. But the choice to do or not to do, to achieve or not to achieve, lies in hearing the word of God and acting upon it or not. If you hear the word of God and do not believe, how can you act?

Some say, If someone strikes me on the left cheek, should I offer them the right cheek as well, wouldn't that be a disadvantage? Many of us do not realize that this is not a disadvantageous act. Being like our Heavenly Father is the true intent of salvation. Today, God is restoring the glorious image in which He created you and me. God is restoring us to become living beings with spirit. God is restoring us to become wealthy individuals. God is restoring us to become intelligent and wise individuals. God is restoring us to be like our Heavenly Father, possessing the power of our Heavenly Father!

The Sabbath Was Made for Man

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:1-11)

The first story is about Jesus and his disciples picking some heads of grain on the Sabbath, rubbing off the husks, and putting them in their mouths to chew. The kernels tasted quite good. As a result, the Pharisees noticed and said, Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath? When this matter reached Jesus, he responded, David entered the temple and ate the consecrated bread, so why was there no issue? Because the Pharisees revered David and dared not challenge his actions, they considered David's actions to be correct.

The second story is about Jesus entering the synagogue on another Sabbath, where a man with a shriveled hand was present. Many people were watching Jesus to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. Seeing them, Jesus said to the man, Get up and stand in front of us. And he said, I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it? These words are truly challenging. He looked at everyone and said to the man, Stretch out your hand. The man stretched out his hand, and his hand was completely restored. As a result, those people were filled with anger because they felt that Jesus had violated the Sabbath.

First, the Sabbath was made for man. God established the Sabbath not because He needed it, but because we need it greatly. Why? Because the Sabbath allows us to draw near to God. However, the Pharisees became foolish in their faith after believing, and became foolish after reading the Bible. Why? Because they felt that on the Sabbath, nothing could be done, not even doing good, and even wanted to harm Jesus, which is very strange. Our Heavenly Father is not as rigid as the Pharisees; our Heavenly Father is full of grace and compassion. Some become foolish in their faith after believing, to the point where they lack common sense. These are not the image of our Heavenly Father.

I once knew a pastor whose friends described him as socially disabled because he did not know how to use Alipay, WeChat, or buy airplane tickets. All he knew was how to pray and speak in tongues, which is very strange. Today, we must have common sense and be normal individuals. Christians should not become detached from the world as they believe. If that is the case, it would be problematic. Eating a few heads of grain on the Sabbath is not a big deal; it is not important.

Someone wrote a book called Keeping the Sabbath, which says that one should not spend money or work on the Lord's Day. As a result, some people, after reading this book, dared not do their homework on the Lord's Day and waited until after twelve o'clock on Sunday to start rushing to complete their assignments. Yet, on the Sabbath, the man with the shriveled hand was healed. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It is definitely a good thing! Picking heads of grain may not be a good thing, but it is not important. The problem with the Pharisees is that they could not distinguish between the healing of a withered hand being a good thing or a bad thing, which is troublesome!

Today, we must change the rigid state we enter after believing; this is not the image of our Heavenly Father. We must be like our Heavenly Father, full of grace and compassion. We must know that the Sabbath is to solve people's problems, not to do nothing, not to observe that time; that does not have much use. Today, we need to learn how to restore the grace and compassion of our Heavenly Father. We must do proper things. If you do not value the Lord's Day and feel that going to work to earn money is more important, then go to work to earn money, but I do not think it is worth it. If the company has a day off and requires overtime on the Lord's Day, but can rest next week to participate in the Lord's Day, that is normal.

We must constantly restore basic common sense. Today, there are many people who do not believe according to God's word. When some people are sick, they cannot do what the Heavenly Father does, nor can they do what Jesus does; they just talk about it. Why are the diseases of some Christians not healed? Because these Christians are filled with the rigidity and dogma of the Pharisees and scribes; they cannot strictly adhere to and obey God's word, but they are skilled at violating God's word.

Our Heavenly Father Has Abundant Grace, Mercy, and Power

Jesus went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and everyone tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. (Luke 6:17-19)

If we are like our Heavenly Father, we will have the power of our Heavenly Father, and power will go out from us to heal the sick. I often long to be like our Heavenly Father, because being like Jesus is God's will, which is a good thing! Many people have been healed through my hands, but many of them think I am a charismatic after being healed.

In the previous chapter, we spoke about the gospel of Jesus Christ. This chapter continues to further interpret the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is that the gospel itself should be like the Heavenly Father, with grace, mercy, and power. I once argued that if a person has power but does not love you, or a person does not have power but loves you very much, neither of these two people is helpful. If this person loves you and has power, like our Heavenly Father, then that is helpful. Our Heavenly Father loves us and has power, how wonderful!

Why do I cling tightly to God? Because when I was not clear about who God was, He began to help me and turn around my bad situation. Why did God help me? Because He has mercy, grace, and love, and does not want me to live in that bad state. The demon tormented me, but tormented me into the kingdom of God, which is very interesting!

To be a Christian is to be like the Heavenly Father, not only with mercy and grace, but also with power. Those who were sick came to Jesus, no matter what their mentality was, Jesus healed them all. Jesus knew that they would later distance themselves from God and would not be his disciples. Jesus sees people very accurately, but our God is a God who gives out, not for anything in return, but simply gives out freely.

We must also be like this, freely receive and freely give. Many times, we encounter such patients who come to us, and my colleagues ask me what to do? I said: Heal them, and then let them do whatever they want! If they are willing to build God's glorious church with us, we will run together; if they are not willing, there is no need for moral kidnapping. Therefore, brothers and sisters must have the grace, mercy, and power of the Heavenly Father.

From the first day I believed, I was full of interest in the powerful gospel; a gospel without power is useless. Just like the first church I went to, the brothers and sisters were very kind. Seeing that my wife was sick, they introduced expensive doctors to us, but after spending the money, the disease did not get better, which was very miserable.

When I saw the power of Jesus manifested, I knew this was good! From the time I believed until now, I feel that a gospel without power is not a gospel, and a faith without power is useless. What is the point of going to a church without power? So, in Luke Chapter 6, the gospel of Jesus Christ continues to move forward, which is to say that we must be like our Heavenly Father, not only with a compassionate heart, but also with power.

It is very good if a person can do what Jesus does, so everyone must start practicing. I wrote a book, Do Healing and Deliverance Like Jesus, in which the first chapter is about imitating Jesus. We must be like Jesus, because we have come this way. Everyone must know that a powerful gospel is not a gift; the pure gospel must be like this. Luke Chapter 5 is what Jesus showed us, and Chapter 6 is God teaching us to be like our Heavenly Father, not only with a compassionate heart, but also with power.

But having power alone is not enough, just like a witch doctor. Witch doctors are actually very powerful. Many years ago, when I first believed, I knew a gambling king from Southeast Asia, and I once invited him to our church to share his testimony. His father was a gambler, and he did not like to go to school, and had no knowledge or culture. Suddenly, one day, he heard a voice: I want to make you a gambling king! This voice entered him, and he did not have the skills of a cheater. He gambled with others and won every time. Originally, he was dealt a bad hand, but when he turned over the cards, they became good cards. He was stunned, because these were not the cards he was dealt. The things in the spiritual realm are very powerful, and changing cards is invisible.

When I was a child, I saw shamans in the countryside. The old woman lit a bundle of incense. She never touched alcohol, and would get drunk if she drank a little. But when the evil spirit possessed her, she drank two catties of white wine like she was drinking mineral water, and ate one or two catties of raw meat. The incense burned very brightly, as if oxygen was blown on it. This is not fake; do not disbelieve the things of the spiritual realm. Those fortune tellers calculate so accurately; these are unimaginable. What I want to say is that witch doctors can also cure many diseases, but the problem is that we must have the right way.

The things in the Bible are very much in line with the right way. I am an intellectual. If some things do not sound logical, I feel that they are unreliable. The logic of the Bible is very good and very simple. Why? Because I committed sin, so I was cursed, and the demon legally corrupted me in my body. Now Jesus Christ shed His blood and died for me, paid the price of my sins, and rose from the dead, so the demon cannot legally corrupt me. I can drive out the demon, which sounds very reasonable.

What is sin? Sin is violating the words of God, so it is important to do the words of God. The things in the Bible are very good, we must read the Bible well.

When People are Poor, Hungry, and Weeping, They Thirst to Seek God

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. (Luke 6:20-26)

This passage is similar to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, and it may be a bit difficult to understand. Why are the poor, the hungry, and those who weep blessed? Why are the well-fed in woe? Jesus is speaking about a crucial spiritual truth.

If I had never sinned, and I ate well, drank well, and lived a comfortable life every day, would I believe in the Lord? It would be difficult for me to believe. It was precisely because I was tormented by demons, was very poor, and lived a hard life every day that I began to seek the truth. When people are suffering, they seek the meaning of life, because every day is a struggle. But they are unwilling to die, and they want to see if there is a God in the world, so they begin to seek God. To put it bluntly, I was driven to the church by demons, poverty, hunger, and weeping.

After entering the church, the poor become rich; the hungry are satisfied; and those who weep rejoice. If people are poor and have a hard life, they desire to seek more truth. After finding it, they begin to long for the kingdom of God. It's like the stock market: no matter how low the starting point, as long as it goes up, you make money. Poverty is a state of being at the bottom, so anything you do will cause it to rise. That's why the poor are blessed, that's my interpretation.

When people are hungry, anything tastes good. Someone fell on hard times and couldn't get enough to eat every day. An old man made him a bowl of radish soup, and he thought it was delicious. After he became emperor, he wanted to drink radish soup every day, so he searched the country for the old man who had made him the radish soup. After he found him, the old man made him a bowl of the same radish soup, and he asked the old man why it tasted so bad now. The old man said that he had never changed the recipe for the radish soup. Why do you think it tastes bad now? Because you are now a full man, so nothing tastes good to you.

When you are at the top, you will fall. When you are at the bottom, you will rise. When you see the stock market has fallen by a third, buy quickly, it will definitely rise. For example, the Dow Jones Index rose from 18,000 points to 30,000 points, you can make a lot of money. Some people think that being rich is a blessing, being full is a blessing, and rejoicing is a blessing, but that's not the case. When people are weeping, once they rejoice, the feeling is very strong. If you rejoice every day, you become numb to the feeling of joy.

Life is full of ups and downs, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. If you are in such a state of poverty, hunger, and weeping today, you will recognise the truth of life. Why are people blessed? Because in such a state, people will explore the way of God and understand the meaning of life. You ask me why I believe in the Lord so much, because I have studied the matter of living quite deeply.

The Rich are Prone to Arrogance, and Thus Disobey God's Word

Solomon wrote an interesting passage: I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. He repeatedly mentions wisdom, madness, and folly. I was wondering what this meant. I also tested my colleagues, and their answers varied. I will tell you my answer. In fact, Solomon was writing about himself, because God gave him wisdom. For example, when he judged cases, his words were very wise.

The Queen of Sheba thought that Solomon was particularly wise, so the Queen of Sheba brought a lot of gold to find him. It is said that Sheba is now Ethiopia. It is said that after the Queen of Ethiopia met Solomon, she became pregnant by Solomon and returned to Ethiopia. To this day, there is still such a saying in Ethiopia, but no one has investigated whether it is true or false.

If people live in such a state, they will become very arrogant. To what extent? Some people can't even handle one wife, but he marries thousands of wives! Why marry so many wives? Because of arrogance, it turns into folly. Solomon began to build palaces and worship idols with the concubines of the palace, thinking that there was nothing wrong with worshipping idols. After people become arrogant, they become foolish. After becoming foolish, they humble themselves and become preachers.

Solomon said: I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly, and found that people become arrogant after they become rich. If you observe carefully, some people speak recklessly and blurt things out, and as a result, something goes wrong. Therefore, we must always keep a low profile today and live with our tails between our legs. Some people ask me: Why do you still need to live with your tail between your legs? I really want to live with my tail between my legs. I don't want to be high-profile, I don't want to be famous, I just want to live in a down-to-earth manner. Because I used to be arrogant, and now when I look back at myself, I was very foolish. Do you think I have wisdom? Yes. But with wisdom comes the capital for arrogance. Once people become arrogant, wisdom disappears and they become foolish, just like delicious meat that stinks when it goes bad.

In fact, people are not far from disaster when they are rich, laughing, eating, drinking, and having fun. This is the law created by God. King Nebuchadnezzar was very arrogant, and the ending was that he ate grass like an ox for seven years, and was raised like a beast in the wilderness. We must be clear about spiritual truths, and after we are clear, we will be like our heavenly Father. When did we see our Lord Jesus being arrogant? Never! When did we see our heavenly Father being arrogant? Neither!

Some of our small pastors are actually quite arrogant. I have to carefully build up their faith, because once they are built up too much, they will become arrogant and not know who they are. I am not digging at the foundation of their ministry, but giving them a reminder. Don't be arrogant, what are we? We are only being supported by God's grace and mercy.

We must begin to thirst to restore the glorious image of God, to thirst to be like the Heavenly Father, and there will be no arrogance, conceit, or folly in us. Our God is so wise. Jesus Christ healed a withered hand in an instant, but when did you see our Jesus Christ being arrogant? Did our Lord Jesus walk sideways? None, because God is originally like this. Chinese Mingding Destiny is a constantly renewing theology, just as climbing the mountain of Jehovah is endless, and knowing the way of God is also endless. Today we still have a lot to learn, so people must not be arrogant.

It says here that the poor are blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; the rich are in woe, for they have received their consolation. It means that if we are poor, the kingdom of God will be ours, and we will become rich. Once we become rich, we will become arrogant, and once we become arrogant, we will suffer.

It's like a cycle: as people believe, they become arrogant and suffer. Then they begin to realise that they are poor and lacking, and then they begin to seek God again. From hunger to satisfaction, from satisfaction to hunger; from weeping to laughter, from laughter to weeping, isn't this a cycle? But in this cycle, again and again, people constantly recognise our God and realise that we cannot be arrogant.

Summary

If we continue to talk about this, it may be very long. There are several more points. I will give you a preview first. Verses 27 to 36 talk about the mindset of wealth. Our Heavenly Father has the mindset of wealth. Verses 37 to 42 talk about not judging people. Verses 43 to 45 talk about looking at the fruit that is produced. Verses 46 to 49 talk about living out the word of God. Next time we will talk about these four points that I just mentioned. May God bless everyone!