Exegesis:

Introduction

Good day, everyone. I am very happy to meet you online. We continue to discuss Leviticus 19. This chapter speaks of many things that are not to be done. The first two lectures dealt with selfishness. Selfish people are very foolish, only thinking about what they can gain, not what they can give. Thinking only of themselves, not of others, considering only their own feelings, not the feelings of others, and then becoming very, very LOW. So selfishness is a very foolish thing. At the same time, selfishness is also very corrupt, but people do not know it. How do people attract ghosts? Selfishness! Selfishness will attract ghosts.

The second is loyalty. Think about it, disloyalty is fatal. In fact, disloyalty is called adultery, and adultery is disloyalty. The problem of adultery is difficult to solve in this generation. I once gave you an account, which is the account of the curse. The account of the curse is very interesting. People do not come into the world from cracks in the rocks, but are born of their parents. If the parents are selfish, the grandparents are selfish, and the ancestors of all generations are selfish, then suddenly it is your generation's turn, and the curse you receive is very deep. Where does the curse come from? No matter who you are, whether you believe in the Lord or not, whether you know God or not, you live under a curse. Where does the curse come from? Whoever violates the word of God, whether you understand it or not, you live under a curse.

Dealing with the lusts of the flesh

God has established a rule that when a person comes into the world, he bears the curse of his ancestors for three to four generations. His parents, his grandparents, his maternal grandparents, and then up to eight, and then up to sixteen. Sixteen ancestors become eight, eight ancestors become four, and four ancestors become two. This is your origin, this is how you came to be. Thank God, we only bear the curse of three to four generations. After a person gets married, the burden is heavier. I am not against marriage, I am just stating a fact. Once married, one person has thirty curses, and two people together have sixty. Two people have to bear the curses of sixty people.

I once had a friend who had many curses on him. I calculated for him that he originally had sixty from marriage, and if he had an affair outside, he would have ninety. If the other party had been with many men, then she would have one hundred and eighty, plus your sixty, that would be two hundred and forty. He said, Oh, then I must have eighteen thousand! I said, Then how are you going to live your life! But he didn't care much and continued to do it.

People do not understand the spiritual laws and think that adultery is a matter of mutual pleasure. This matter of mutual pleasure is fatal. After two people, willingly, finish doing it, the curse continues to be placed on people. So the curse of adultery is very deep. Chapter 19 basically talks about the issue of eating, dividing it into three aspects: selfishness, adultery, and disloyalty. I will describe the content of this chapter in two aspects. The first is to deal with the lusts of the flesh, which is manifested in terms of sex and in terms of eating. Dealing with the lusts of the flesh, from another perspective, is dealing with the mentality of poverty. The second is to deal with the mentality of selfishness.

Actually, Adam and Eve did not commit a sin in terms of sex, but the mouth is too evil, the mouth is greedy. He saw that the fruit was both beautiful and delicious, and that eating it would make him wise. Chinese people have a lot of knowledge about eating. There is something called 补形 (bǔ xíng) to nourish the form, eating liver to nourish the liver, eating heart to nourish the heart. Some people want to improve their sexual function, so they buy a big pot of bullwhip, thinking that it is very nourishing. Can eating things be like this? In fact, people do not know that eating is a very spiritual thing. Adam and Eve made a mistake in eating.

Eating is a Spiritual Matter

So if you think about it carefully, you will find out what the situation of greedy people is. A big fat person, weighing two or three hundred pounds, three or four hundred pounds, with a bottle of Coke in the left hand and a big bag of potato chips in the right, eating with a smack. I hope you are not offended. If you are offended, it is purely coincidental. What will happen if you go on like this? They are not very smart. Greedy people must be stupid. How can greed make people stupid? Greed is the lust of the flesh. The strongest need of the flesh is really not sex. 饱暖思淫欲 (bǎo nuǎn sī yín yù), before thinking about 保暖 (bǎo nuǎn), they think about the food. Last week, I picked up ten yuan, and as a result, I ate a bowl of noodles. If I didn't have these ten yuan, where would I go to eat this bowl of noodles? 一分钱难倒英雄汉 (yī fēn qián nán dǎo yīng xióng hàn)! Why? I was hungry for a long time, and I picked up ten yuan. The first thing I wanted to buy was that bowl of noodles.

So eating reveals the diverse nature of human beings. So eating is a very carnal thing. For example, people think that their belly is their god, and they live to fill their belly. Can such people be successful? People think that they have to earn money to eat enough, and to earn money they have to work, and they have to be afraid of the boss. They feel uncomfortable when they are scolded by the boss, which brings a series of restrictions. Many people live and do only one thing: eat and then excrete, excrete and then eat, work to earn money, and then eat again.

Eating, drinking, excretion, and sleeping are the five basic needs of life. Who manages these? Old Ma. Some people suggested that I explain Old Ma. In fact, Old Ma is the name of an evil spirit. I got to know it unintentionally. Old Ma manages eating, drinking, excretion, and sleeping. For example, constipation is Old Ma, diarrhea is Old Ma, coughing and leaking urine is Old Ma, gluttony is Old Ma, and greed for drink is also Old Ma. From the mouth to the butt is the place where Old Ma manages. Places with Old Ma are very smelly. Have you ever come into contact with some people who have a natural odor? This is Old Ma. What's going on? Because Old Ma manages these things.

Once when I was chasing Old Ma away, I asked it, What do you manage? Old Ma was quite obedient and said that it manages the toilet. We in Northeast China have something called 马葫芦 (mǎ hú lú), which is actually a sewer. We often see a round manhole cover on the main road. After opening it, it is full of sewage. Urban construction cannot be separated from 马葫芦 (mǎ hú lú), cannot be separated from the road, and cannot be separated from the toilet. This is too magical. The names we give are closely related to Ma. Eating is an Old Ma. When I see that people's way of eating is not right, it is the control of Old Ma. Some people eat with food falling all over their mouths and are still able to eat a lot. Some people can eat a whole pot of rice.

There is someone I know, the amount of rice their family of three eats is the amount that another family eats in a week. What they eat goes into the belly of Old Ma. Gluttony is the most obvious thing about the lust of the flesh. Chinese people are very good at eating. If you ask me what is delicious, Chinese food is delicious. The more a place belongs to Old Ma, the stronger the taste of Old Ma, and the more people in that place love to eat. Sichuan is the top province in China when it comes to eating. Sichuan is the 天府之国 (tiān fǔ zhī guó), and its food culture is very exquisite. You can observe carefully, places that can eat have some unique characteristics. I am not despising anyone, I am just talking about some cultural issues.

Gluttony is due to a Mentality of Poverty

The Israelites' sacrifices were very interesting. After they offered the sacrifices, the sacrifices went into the bellies of the priests. The fruits of the first three years could not be eaten and had to be thrown away. In the fourth year, the fruits were to be holy to the Lord and, after being sacrificed, went into the bellies of the priests. God gave the Israelites a requirement for the sacrifice. This requirement was a bit strange. The sacrifices could be eaten on the first and second days. On the third day, the sacrifices had to be burned with fire. If they were not burned with fire and went into the belly, they would be an abomination.

It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day; and what remains until the third day shall be burned with fire. And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people. (Leviticus 19:6-8)

Let me explain, being cut off does not mean killing the person, but means not having the status of an Israelite, and not having a relationship with God. Why is it not okay to eat on the third day? I pondered this matter, what exactly happened that God did not allow them to eat like this? What were the Israelites thinking in their heads? They might have thought: This is so good! So thrifty, we can't waste it. Is it that serious? Does it need to be cut off? How did it become an abomination?

A person's single thought led him to eat the sacrifices on the third day. He thought: How could this food spoil? I can't put it in the refrigerator, so I'll just put it in the pot and stew it, and it won't spoil by the third day. He did this because he was reluctant to throw it away. On the one hand, he felt that eating it was more economical, and on the other hand, he felt that burning the food was a waste. When we look at this matter, we all feel that burning it is a bit of a waste, and we are reluctant to throw it away. Being reluctant to throw it away is because of poverty. The person thought that throwing it away was a waste, so he ate it. In fact, eating it was also a waste.

My father was afraid of living a poor life. He had a strong mentality of poverty. He used to eat all the leftovers at home. He felt that it was not a waste to put it in his own belly. As a result, he later developed diabetes. I found that all people who like to eat leftovers get diabetes. Thrifty people like to eat leftovers, for fear of wasting food, and as a result, they end up with diabetes.

Diabetes is to cure these people. I let you care about eating. This time the doctor tells you that you can't eat it, you can't eat it even if you want to. Diabetes is a ghost attracted by gluttony. Why gluttony? You see, we Chinese say that even if we become ghosts, we have to be full ghosts, not starving ghosts. So people attach great importance to eating, which is fully reflected in the lusts of the flesh. So if you think about it carefully, gluttony is fatal. Later I found that people who are gluttonous have many illnesses. Thank God, I am not gluttonous, so I have few illnesses.

Man lives not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

In the Bible, there is a feature that the Bible records the need to fast and pray. When Jesus came into this world, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and then baptized in the Jordan River. Then he began to fast and pray for 40 days and nights. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, his first words were:

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

Greed and gluttony are closely related. After people are gluttonous, they are afraid of not having food. On the one hand, they are greedy, and on the other hand, they have a mentality of poverty, so they are reluctant to throw away leftovers. In Leviticus, the priests of the Lord God could not give sacrificies to others, but these priests had a mentality of poverty and profaned God. Today, many people who are pastors or who run and manage churches have a mentality of poverty.

I have seen a pastor who felt that God was very poor and that he had to help God save money. He had been working in the church for 30 years, but it wasn't going well. I said, After you go back, first raise your salary. His salary was even lower than that of the lowest-income worker. This is blaspheming God. Our God is a wealthy person, but now many people blaspheme God, and in the end, they become an abomination.

Think about it, some people think that they are helping God by giving offerings. In fact, this is blaspheming God. So if you don't understand the meaning of giving offerings, I can't accept your money, because it is dirty and blasphemous to God. Our God is very wealthy. He owns the entire universe. I thought that people could dig a gold mine on this earth and be happy. The gold, agate, jade, and gemstones in the earth can be dug on the earth. The universe is many times larger than the earth. It shows that the gold in the universe does not count, and the gemstones do not count. When you get to the temple of God, the floor is paved with gemstones and the pillars are made of gold. These are nothing.

So we don't need to save money for God. God calls that money unrighteous money. Don't have this mentality of helping God. We only have the part of being helped by God. So now we need to know that our heavenly Father is extremely wealthy, so don't be like these priests, leaving these sacrifices until the third day. Our God is not lacking, so we don't need to save these.

Building a Church with a Mindset of Abundance

Later, I also proved one thing: Don't underestimate my frugality in personal life, but when it comes to building the church, I dare to spend money. I don't have a stingy attitude; I am definitely not stingy because our Heavenly Father is extremely wealthy. I don't need to shortchange employees, so my staff all have a mindset of abundance.

A person who has never seen the world cannot have a mindset of abundance. Utterly penniless, with others owning houses while they don't, others able to afford university education for their children while they can't afford it for theirs, they will inevitably be poor and unable to serve. Therefore, not everyone can be a pastor; you can't do this job without the skills. If you become a pastor and keep eating day after day, you will surely be cursed and cut off by God. That is living a life that offends God.

From the beginning of building the church, whether I built it correctly or not, I had an abundant mindset. I contributed money and effort, buying roast chicken, roast duck, and soy sauce beef – of course, this was blasphemous. Poor students came to church to eat; I used the Old Ma's (老马) method to attract people to believe in the Lord. How blasphemous! It was terrible. At that time, I didn't recognize Old Ma, was deceived by Old Ma, and was not victorious in the spirit.

One of our sisters always left a lot of leftovers at church after eating, and even packed them back. I thought she was packing them to share with her roommates, hoping they would see how good the food was at church and come. But a week passed, and her roommates didn't come to church; instead, she developed some pimples on her face. I asked her, Did you give the food you brought back to your roommates? She said no. I said, What did you do with the food you brought back? She said she could eat the leftovers for a week, saving money on meals.

How can a person with a poverty mindset be abundant? We must not only deal with the desires of our flesh – not everything should be put in our mouths! Our inner mindset is crucial. If we think our God is a poor God, how can we be wealthy? If you believe our God is a wealthy God, that my Heavenly Father is an extremely wealthy Heavenly Father, that all He has is mine and all mine is His, how can you be poor? Didn't I tell you long ago? Money will flow into your pockets! It's not when you're rich that money flows into your pockets, but when you're poor that you possess an abundant mindset.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that our church was utterly penniless at the beginning – no money, no people. But I had an abundant mindset, I had a victorious mindset, I firmly believed that my Heavenly Father is an extremely wealthy Heavenly Father. See, people are different.

We run a network church. Once, I was leading a meeting online, when video was still available - now you can't find it anymore. I showed my Apple computer in front of the camera, and I saw someone typing in the chat: This guy is pretty wasteful, using an Apple computer! Could it be I can't afford an Apple computer? Why use an Apple computer? Because I didn't know much back then. Someone among us was an Apple fanatic, loved Apple to death. I felt like the missing bite in the Apple was his. He said Apple was good, so I bought one, thinking we must use good things to serve God! But later I found out it wasn't that good; an Apple computer still needs to install a Windows system.

I am saying that a poverty mindset is prevalent among Christians. Are you afraid that God will not provide in the future? In fact, fearing that God will not provide is the greatest disrespect to God. If we don't know that God is a faithful God, a wealthy God, that our God doesn't want us to be poor, we, as priests of the living God, cannot have a poverty mindset, cannot make our bellies our god, thinking that whatever is eaten into the stomach is good, is what we've gained. In fact, it ends up in the toilet the next day.

I have great contempt for the matter of eating. Isn't everything the same? I know good food tastes good, but I don't have that strong desire to eat good food. Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. This is so good! A person who knows God knows the Word of God. Man lives by the Word of God, but many people don't believe in the Word of God.

Imitating God, Being a Generous Person

The Bible says that one sparrow is worth two copper coins, yet God feeds it; a raven neither sows nor reaps, yet God feeds it. They are black, ugly, and unsightly, eat dirty food, and look dirty, eating rotten food, yet God nourishes them. How precious are you and I! Isn't living a very simple thing? Does a person with God lack anything? You won't lack anything; you and I are much more precious than ravens.

Sometimes we say: God, look at this person, how rotten, how bad, how evil. Why don't you strike him dead? We are much more stingy than God. God also hopes that one day they will suddenly know God! Our God is more generous than we are; God lets the sun shine on the good and the bad, lets both the good and the bad breathe the air. God's generosity exceeds our imagination; God's abundant mindset exceeds our imagination. Therefore, we cannot be stingy; we must be generous.

Speaking of generosity, it's not just about eating sacrifices; eating sacrifices reflects a person's mindset. Should we have a broad mind, be a blessing to the whole earth, see the needs of this generation, become generous people, and be a blessing to many? We serve these people without seeking a penny, not serving them to get them to donate to the church after the service. We hope they will be blessed through our service. Even if we ask them to donate, it is hoping they will be blessed.

I don't want their money; my Heavenly Father has plenty of money. Why would I want their money? If the church relies on people's few hundred dollars of donations, the church cannot continue. Because of God's miraculous provision, the church has never lacked. Today, the church's network expenses exceed our imagination, and we give it away freely. Why? Because this is called an abundant mindset!

Possessing an Abundant Mindset

Having said so much, we want to deal with the most concentrated expression of the desires of the flesh, which is gluttony. If people are not gluttonous, what do they need so much money for? Living in a two-square-meter bed, eating 9-yuan noodles, how much money do you need in a lifetime? You don't need that much money. What are you doing with so much money? We don't have that lack mentality; we have an abundant mindset. When the Israelites entered Canaan, God gave them a great test. For three years, these fruits could not be eaten but had to be thrown away. God commanded it, so we did it. Was it a waste? No, God was testing our mindset. Do we know that there is abundant provision in the Father's kingdom? What if three years of fruit are thrown away? People still live!

Didn't China have three years of natural disasters? My parents came from that era and survived! Some say many people starved to death. If a person is gluttonous, he didn't starve to death, but the greedy ghost took his life because the feeling of eating inside him was extremely strong. If the feeling of eating inside is not very strong, being hungry is not that serious. For three years, the fruit cannot be eaten, and the fourth year's fruit must be offered to God, waiting for five years. Watching the fruit cannot be eaten, but someone passing by the orchard cannot move his feet. The fruit looks good and tastes good, the mouth is drooling, and he can't help but pick one to eat. The result is a very deep curse. Those Canaanite evil spirits and unclean things immediately enter him because he is gluttonous.

Therefore, those of you who are gluttonous, I don't know how to help you. If you can overcome it once, you can overcome it twice. If you can overcome it twice, you can overcome it three times. Eating is just a feeling. When you want to eat again, kill that greedy spirit. If we have a poverty mindset inside, use the Spirit of God to deal with the poverty mindset. So thank God, God is dealing with our greed and gluttony. The evil spirit behind gluttony is Old Ma. When Old Ma talked to me, it said it had never lost a battle, but it actually lost in front of me. I am also honored to be able to beat Old Ma.

Therefore, brothers and sisters who are seriously ill or have many illnesses should pay attention: Chinese people say that illness enters through the mouth and trouble comes from the mouth. Take good care of your mouths. A person who trusts in God, our mouths never lack, because God knows we need food. Doesn't the Lord's Prayer say: Give us this day our daily bread? Don't we say this every day? God will surely provide food and drink, and we will surely be satisfied. Those who trust in God lack no good thing; what is lacking is a victorious mindset. People no longer live for the belly. Not eating is nothing.

Next, you must not eat anything with blood. There is no reason; just don't crave these things. Some people are greedy, and they eat it regardless of whether it has blood or not. Can they not be cursed in this life? Carrying a curse, strange things will happen.

《Leviticus》Chapter 19 is finished. In the days to come, we must deal with Old Ma, the evil spirit behind gluttony. After dealing with it, people will become smarter, live happily, live with joy, and live prosperously. It is normal to eat something occasionally, and it is normal to like to eat delicious food, but you cannot be gluttonous. Eating has its rules. Using our mouths according to the Word of God is definitely the key to living out prosperity and living out God's glorious image. That’s all for the mouth issue.

May God bless everyone!