Introduction

Good morning, let us turn to Luke chapter 7. I trust that you have already read it, but after reading it, have you discerned the author's purpose in writing this chapter? What exactly was the author thinking? He certainly did not write disjointedly, stringing random segments together. The author aims to convey a central idea, presenting the story in segments to argue his point.

When we read the Bible, can we decipher the author's intended outline? Writing requires an outline; only then can readers comprehend the material. As we read this chapter, can we discern Luke's intended viewpoint? Can we understand the perspective that Luke is trying to convey?

Luke recorded the Gospel he witnessed and compiled it into the Gospel of Luke. The entire Gospel of Luke thus proclaims the Gospel. Chapter 5 speaks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; chapter 6 speaks of the Gospel that makes us like the Heavenly Father; chapter 7 speaks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a Gospel of power. Which, then, is the true Gospel: the Gospel of power or the Gospel devoid of power?

To this day, we find that some arguments persist. I am often asked if I am Pentecostal, which strikes me as odd. When I ask which denomination they belong to, they claim to be Evangelical. When I ask them what Evangelical means, they cannot answer. Consequently, I have grown less fond of the term Evangelical because I am convinced that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of power.

Luke, in chapter 7, is essentially conveying that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of power. We must address this question: why, in the Church, has the Gospel of Jesus Christ transformed from a Gospel of power into a Gospel devoid of power? To my astonishment, I have discovered that people have not only lost the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ but also regard the powerless Gospel as the true Gospel, constantly defending the powerless Gospel, which I find regrettable.

Recently, our assistant received a Christian who learned about us through the website. Upon seeing us, he realized that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed a Gospel of power, as we have witnessed too many healings. He also had many problems and contacted the assistant, who asked him a simple question: why could his own church not resolve his issues? The man could not answer.

We need to understand that a Gospel without power is not the Gospel at all. If we apply the standards set forth in the Gospel of Luke and the teachings of Jesus Christ, we are in serious trouble today! Why do we not resemble Jesus? Some argue, How many can be like Jesus? I am not Jesus! People regard unlike-Jesus as orthodox and classify like-Jesus as heretical, much like the Pharisees classified Jesus as heretical.

Clearing Up Misconceptions About the Gospel of Power

You must understand that the Gospel of Jesus Christ recorded by Luke is a Gospel of power. What is this power? It is something that many of us, including John the Baptist, find perplexing.

John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ (Luke 7:18-19)

Do you find this confusing? John the Baptist baptized Jesus. John personally witnessed the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus, and he heard a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. He even said, I am not worthy to untie his sandals. Has John forgotten all these things? Surely not. So what is John the Baptist's confusion? It is this: I am in prison; why do you not intervene? If you are the Messiah, you should free me from prison.

But what is Jesus' thought? He is willing to die, without concern about imprisonment, and concerned to you or not? For those of us who come into this world, it is normal for prophets to be killed, and it is normal for them to be hated by the world. Jesus once told a parable about how God sent a prophet who was killed, and then He sent another prophet who was also killed. Therefore, in Jerusalem, prophets are often killed. The master sent his own son, but they killed the master's son.

This is what our Jesus Christ says: I do not care if I die, and I do not care if I am imprisoned. So why would I be concerned about your imprisonment? He only cares about one thing: that the Gospel I preach is a Gospel of power.

So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: 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. And blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’ (Luke 7:22-23)

Jesus did not answer whether He was the one who was to come. Instead, He responded that the Gospel He preached is a Gospel of power. The Gospel He preached is that the blind see, 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. What was John the Baptist's reaction upon hearing this? I do not know what changes occurred in John the Baptist after hearing this, but we know that John the Baptist was later beheaded.

Jesus said, Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me! Where do people stumble? They stumble over whether the Gospel is a Gospel of power or a Gospel devoid of power. Jesus Christ did the following: the blind see, 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. Where do people stumble? They stumble over the power of the Gospel. I have encountered quite a few such situations, and I encourage you to reflect on this carefully.

I prayed for a person, and as a result, her bone and joint pain disappeared completely. After she was healed, she brought her entire family and drove over ten hours to see me. I took them to a restaurant for a meal and thought that we should have some wine while entertaining guests. However, they were shocked. What were they shocked by? They said that their church elder had told them, Christians cannot drink alcohol!

Where did that come from? When Jesus Christ attended a wedding feast and the wine ran out, Jesus turned three large jars of water into wine. Jesus must have drunk from those three jars of wine. I think Jesus certainly did not oppose drinking at the feast. If He had, it would have been problematic. There is nothing wrong with drinking, and in the Old Testament, those who were blessed had an abundance of new wine. What is the problem with these people? They often attach great importance to unimportant matters. For example, praying before meals—is it really that important? Many people consider this to be very important.

At that time, when John the Baptist sent people to find Jesus, what did Jesus say?

So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: 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. (Luke 7:22)

Jesus did not mention praying before meals, nor did He mention drinking alcohol. In other words, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not closely related to drinking alcohol. Throughout the entire seventh chapter of Luke, if you look at it segment by segment, you will see that the theme of Luke's seventh chapter is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of power.

The concerns of those people I mentioned earlier—they are concerned about whether or not to drink alcohol during meals. In fact, we rarely drink alcohol, only drinking a small glass when entertaining friends. Perhaps some critics will criticize me for saying this, but I am not afraid, because Jesus Christ Himself drank alcohol. I am not saying that this is important. In fact, I am saying that the power of Jesus Christ is the most important thing.

After I prayed, that sister's illness was healed, and even her sister-in-law improved significantly. However, what was surprising was that a prophet from their church, upon seeing what I had done, told her to stay away from me, and she actually did so. It does not matter if she stays away from me. I will not look for her. We are not lacking in people or money here. If people do not want to associate with me, so be it.

If that prophet were truly a prophet of God, preaching a Gospel of power, I think this prophet would have solved her problem long ago. Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is one that makes the blind see, the lame walk, and the deaf hear. It is a Gospel that raises the dead. This is what Jesus Christ did. If Jesus Christ did all these things, and if Jesus told John's disciples to tell John these things, should we not follow Jesus today and do the same things that Jesus did? If our Gospel is not yet a Gospel of power, then we really need to think carefully.

After Paul established the church in Corinth, he left for a while. During this time, some people went there and said, We are preaching the true Gospel. As a result, they changed the Gospel that Paul had preached to them. The Corinthians even thought that what those people were saying was good. Later, these people no longer followed Paul. So Paul wrote 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. In fact, there was also a book called Middle Corinthians, but it was not included in the Bible because it was lost.

In the Corinthian letters, Paul discussed one matter: he said, I will come to you. Paul meant that we cannot look at whether these people can speak, but we must see whether they can put it into practice, and see whether the power of God is manifested when they do it. Where did Luke's Gospel come from? Luke was with Paul. Luke spent a long time with Paul, mostly with Paul. In other words, although Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke, Luke did not actually see Jesus Christ, nor did he follow Jesus Christ. He followed Paul. So what he wrote was actually what he heard from Paul.

Why did Luke dare to write it? Because he personally saw the Apostle Paul doing these things, and even Luke himself could do these things. We know that the Gospel that Luke preached is a Gospel of power, a Gospel filled with the Holy Spirit, and a Gospel of great power. If you finish reading the Gospel of Luke and then read the Book of Acts, you will find that it is still talking about these things. What I mean is that the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke is saying that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of power.

The power of Jesus Christ can be released through people's faith

Everyone should take a closer look and think carefully about how Luke argues. He begins by telling the story of a centurion. This centurion had a servant who was near death. This centurion was a good man, a good boss! When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and save his servant. Please see the following scriptures:

When the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, ‘This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.’ So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends ahead to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:3-10)

This passage tells that the power of Jesus Christ can be released through people's faith. The Gospel preached by Jesus Christ is so powerful that Jesus would have to accompany these people to heal his servant, but the centurion said, Lord, no need! You have authority. Just say a word, and my servant will be healed. It is difficult for us to imagine such faith, but I think this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a powerful Gospel that can manifest God's glory.

Luke's purpose in recording the centurion's story is to emphasize that our Lord Jesus Christ has authority in His hands, and all things in the universe are under the authority of Jesus Christ. Can everyone understand? The Jesus Christ who is in charge of all things came among us and said to us, This is what the gospel is like: it is to make the blind see, the lame walk, people with leprosy be cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead resurrected, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Has the gospel we are preaching now changed its taste? Do we really believe that if we believe in Jesus, we can become one with Jesus Christ? Do we believe that we can also obtain all the authority in heaven and on earth? Do we believe that the keys to heaven have been given to us? Do we believe that we can draw on heavenly resources? Do we believe that our Jesus Christ can not only do these things Himself, but also do these things through us? It is not because we are great, but because we are united with Jesus Christ to build the kingdom of God together.

Everyone must know that authority is very powerful. The story of the centurion and Jesus illustrates that if a person truly knows that Jesus has such authority in His hands, his problems will definitely be solved, especially problems related to diseases. Why does Jesus not solve the problem of John the Baptist being imprisoned, but instead solves the problem of the blind seeing, the lame walking, and those with leprosy being cleansed? Because behind these diseases are the dark forces of the underworld. When praying for the sick, we are facing the power of the underworld, the dark forces under the control of the devil. If we want to defeat the devil, the best way is to do healing and deliverance, because healing and deliverance deals with the dark forces of the devil behind it.

But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)

Think about how important this sentence is. If you read the Bible carefully, you will find that Jesus Christ rarely solves the problem of brothers and sisters fighting over property after the death of an elderly person. But when the centurion's servant was sick, he asked people to beg Jesus, and Jesus went and healed him. Do you find it confusing? This is what Jesus did in the Bible, and we should do the same.

If the sick come to me, they are blessed. Why? Because I am particularly serious about this matter, and the disciples and pastors I lead are also like me, particularly serious about this matter, they must get rid of the ghosts behind it. , and finally we must see the power of God manifested. We are not trying to solve this person's problem, but to trample on the dark forces in the spiritual realm, and finally set God's people free.

After Luke finished writing these, he felt that it was not enough, and then said:

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her, and he said, Don't cry. Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, Young man, I say to you, get up! The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. A great prophet has appeared among us, they said, God has come to help his people. (Luke 7:11-16)

Why did Luke record this incident? To illustrate that Jesus has authority and power in His hands, and what does Jesus use this authority and power to do? To heal people. Some people asked: Why are there no resurrections from the dead now? It is because we are not like Jesus, which is a very serious problem. Pursuing to be like Jesus is what we Chinese Mingding Destiny pass on. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must do what Jesus Christ did. What did Jesus Christ do? That is what the gospel originally looked like.

Today we need to know one thing, if we have the authority and power of the Father in our hands, if we happen to encounter a dead person, you can hold on to the lever that carries the young man, and then order the young man to get up, and many wonderful things will happen. This depends on whether you believe it or not. Because of my belief, I have come this far step by step, and God has performed many miracles and wonders through my hands.

Today, brothers and sisters, you must begin to have such faith, begin to pursue constantly, and one day you will become more and more like Jesus. If today is more like Jesus than yesterday, and tomorrow is more like today, walk forward little by little, and one day you can do what Jesus Christ did, because we have already obtained the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Although John the Baptist was in prison, he often had disciples reporting these things to him. This seems to be a little different from the gospel and the savior imagined by John the Baptist. After these people reported these things to John, Then John sent someone to Jesus and asked Jesus: Are you really the one who is to come? How puzzling is this, isn't it? What did Jesus say as a result:

Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. (Luke 7:23)

If our understanding of the gospel is far from the gospel that Jesus Christ said, you will definitely fall. If you do not believe that Jesus is really the savior, there will be preconceived ideas in John the Baptist's mind. We can imagine what John the Baptist's concept of the Savior Jesus Christ (Messiah) was. All Jews were very eager to see the dynasty of David and Solomon, and they all hoped that such things would happen. They would think, what is the use of Jesus Christ doing these things? He should recruit troops, they felt that Jesus should overthrow the Roman Empire, but Jesus did not do these things.

In the Bible, Jesus did not participate in elections or form political parties, nor did he lead peasant uprisings or Jewish uprisings. Before Jesus came, the Jews often wanted to overthrow the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Roman Empire that were oppressing them. They often rebelled in the name of God, but Jesus Christ, who was sent by God, did not do these things. To this day, Christians are more enthusiastic about politics than John the Baptist, and are particularly interested in electing a president, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not do these things. Jesus Christ made the blind see, the lame walk, people with leprosy be cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead resurrected. It turns out that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of power in the spiritual world.

Jesus Christ Has the Authority to Forgive Sins

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. That woman was a sinner, and when she learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house, you did not give me any water to wash my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50)

This passage argues that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. This woman must have done something improper. Although she had committed many sins, Jesus Christ could forgive her because of her love for the Lord Jesus. She knew that the Lord Jesus had forgiven her sins, so she came to touch Jesus' feet, anointed them with perfume, and kissed his feet repeatedly. Why did she do this? Because the gospel she heard was different from what she had received before.

Before, she received the gospel of condemnation; now, she receives the gospel of forgiveness. Jesus Christ has the authority and power to forgive people. When we sin and are harassed by demons, our hearts are very distressed. This woman must have had many grievances in her heart. Finally, she awaited the savior who could release her. She finally looked forward to such a gospel, so she poured the most precious perfume on the feet of the Lord Jesus.

The more sins are forgiven, the more love is shown, and the deeper the response to God will be. Of course, there are also many ungrateful people. We believe that Jesus Christ has the authority to forgive our sins. Where does Jesus' authority come from? Not only because he is God, but because he knew long ago that he would be crucified for our sins. He truly bore our sufferings and carried our sorrows. He bore our sins and curses.

The Bible says: By his wounds we are healed, and by his blood we are redeemed. This is not empty talk, but a real fact. Among us, brothers and sisters who have been severely troubled by demons, when we know in our hearts how precious the gospel of Jesus Christ is, what is our inner reaction?

The Lord said, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” (Luke 7:31-35)

Jesus is saying, Can’t you see clearly after seeing what I’ve done? Those people have no feeling at all. We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep. When they saw John the Baptist coming, they criticized him. He neither ate nor drank, and you said he was possessed by a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you said, Here is a glutton and a drunkard. These people cannot see what they should see, but they see what they should not see.

People's thoughts and eyes are very strange. They cannot see what they should see, but they see what they should not see. Jesus Christ's power is to make the blind see, the lame walk, lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead raised... How can they not see it? Which Christian has not seen the Gospel of Luke? After reading the four Gospels, everyone should conclude that Jesus Christ has authority and power, which is all visible!

However, when they see someone like Jesus casting out demons and healing the sick, for example, when we have delivered so many people, they say this is charismatic, this is some kind of faction. They cannot see what they should see, isn't that strange? They should say: Wow, this gospel of Jesus Christ is good! This is normal. But in fact, people's reactions are very strange.

One of our sisters, whose previous church had little power, came among us and saw us often praying for people and healing the sick. Then she also followed us in prayer. After she was healed, she went to our website to listen to our sermons. As a result, when she searched for Chinese Mingding Destiny online, she saw an advertisement, and she became confused, thinking that advertising was fake, which I also found strange.

In fact, these people are what Jesus spoke of: We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep. These people cannot see what they should see, nor can they hear what they should hear. She sees and hears a lot of things that she should not see or hear. Will such a person come back after her illness is cured? She will definitely come back.

Finally, let’s make a brief summary: Through the Bible, we see what Jesus Christ did. Can we draw a conclusion and know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of power? When we see that the church is not preaching a gospel of power, what should we do? Shouldn't we seek, explore, and understand? I think we should. Finally, let me emphasize again that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of power. May God bless everyone!