To Know That You Often Get It Wrong

Good day to all. Let us examine the Book of Proverbs together. In my study and reflection, I dislike presuming and making things up on my own. Instead, I endeavour to gather useful resources. My aim is to find a classical text for us to study together, but I could not find one. In truth, learning and reflection is a philosophical topic. There is an English term, 'Critical Thinking', which involves critical thinking and problem-solving. I have taught Critical Thinking in the university, and I had intended to make use of it, but I found it rather difficult. After much dilemma, I finally decided to lead everyone in examining the Book of Proverbs, which is an excellent book.

The theme of the first chapter of the Book of Proverbs is: Learning Knowledge, Intelligence, and Wisdom! I will certainly interject Critical Thinking and problem-solving into our studies. The Book of Proverbs was written by Solomon, an unprecedentedly wise man, before whom and after whom, there was none like him. He built palaces when he was king, and he was an impressive man. I believe that his words are worth listening to!

Over the past years, I often swallowed my tears because I could not find a good mentor. I often yearned for someone to correct me, teach me, admonish me, and rebuke me, but no such person appeared. Thus, I groped my way forward until today. Thank God! In the process of seeking, God has truly been gracious to me. Since I was young, I had hoped to become a wise, intelligent, and knowledgeable person. In my pursuit, there is something I want to share with everyone: Solomon was an expert, knowledgeable and wise. Many of his words are beyond our understanding, but regardless of whether you understand it or not, it is crucial to recognise that we are not good enough. If we think too highly of ourselves, we are in trouble.

There are many experts in the world: Jesus is one of many; Solomon is one of many; Moses, Samuel, and the Apostle Paul are all recognised experts in history. However, when we read their books and do not understand them, we may wonder, 'Can what they say be acted upon?' This is foolishness. Fortunately, in the past years, I came to know God and had the Bible. Often, when reading the Bible, I do not agree with many things. But whether I agree or not is not the point. I only know that I am of low standing, of a very low level. Once a person knows that they are not good enough, they will seek. But, if you think too highly of yourself, you will not heed the words of experts.

Would you like to know what Critical Thinking means? In Chinese, it means '批判性思维'. Some people might think it is an alien language, and not know what it is. Let me give you a common and plain translation: What is Critical Thinking? It is often thinking that you are doing it wrong! It is often challenging yourself: 'Am I doing it right? Why am I doing it this way? Is there a better method?' Later, I discovered that many people in this world often think that they are always right, and that they are the best. As a result, they turn out to be the number one fool in the world! Becoming a joke to others. The problem is that if a person is often self-righteous, that is a very serious issue. Such a person will find it difficult to learn and grow.

You must understand that Critical Thinking is often thinking that you are doing it wrong, and then going to learn. Learning from whom? Learning from others. I often find that some of the people I pastor will argue with me until they are exhausted. The moment I suggest, You should do this or that, they would say, No! It is this way, it is that way! They love to explain irrelevant matters. I can only say, Alright, let it be then! Because people always think they are right. If people did not think they were right, they would not do it. People never challenge themselves. If the Pharisees had challenged themselves a little, using a bit of Critical Thinking, they would not have crucified Jesus. The Pharisees thought they were right, and they crucified Jesus, then shouted: His blood be on us and on our children! They did not know what they were saying.

I want to tell everyone that in everything, examine it, ponder over it, study it, and verify it. Even if you are doing it right, is there a better method, a better tool, a better logic, a better system to continually challenge yourself? In this world, the Christians I respect the most are those who stand on the podium and say, I am an Evangelical! Pastors who stand on the podium and say, I am an Evangelical pastor! They think it is a glory. I often wonder, what is an Evangelical pastor? Does he truly understand what he is saying? I do not know if they understand. Later, I defined Evangelicalism. Where did Evangelicalism come from? I have done research on this.

In earlier years, some people said, God is dead, The Bible is not the Word of God, The Bible is not the truth. As a result, some pastors and seminary professors refuted, No! The Bible is the Word of God! Hence, it was divided into two camps. One camp believed that the Bible is the Word of God, and the other camp did not believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Those who believed that the Bible is the Word of God are called Evangelicals. Those who said that the Bible is not the Word of God, and who also teach philosophy in the seminary, are called Liberals. The great philosopher Nietzsche said, God is dead. Later, someone added, God is dead, and Nietzsche is crazy.

Nietzsche became mentally ill. If you ask me, Why did he go mad? I would say, He was possessed by a demon! He said that God is dead, so how could the demons not come after him? Of course, this is what I am saying. This great philosopher Nietzsche later went mad. Many people accepted his teachings. God is dead is something that no one can prove. Was Nietzsche crazy? Nietzsche truly went mad. We must know that those Evangelicals are those who believe that the Bible is the Word of God, but the problem is that they cannot live it out. Look at those Evangelical pastors speaking eloquently, but their actions are nothing like Jesus. Nietzsche's entire theory has a system; some people find it brilliant, but is it called wisdom? I do not know!

The Best Way to Learn is to Learn from Experts

The Book of Proverbs is a very wise book in the Bible, written by Solomon. As I introduced earlier, all my life I have wanted to find experts, even if it means going through fire and water, I am willing to do it, even if it means shedding blood, tears, and sweat. Later, I truly found an expert, Jesus. The Book of Proverbs we are now discussing was written by Solomon. The New Testament was written by Paul, who spoke of the words of Jesus. So, if you want to become a knowledgeable, wise, and intelligent person, it is all in the Book of Proverbs. I tell you, if you write a book and go crazy like Nietzsche, you can look for me; I can solve the problem of depression and the problem of people being possessed by demons. That is my profession.

If you want to know whether God exists, you must use Critical Thinking. What is Critical Thinking? It is often thinking that you are doing it wrong, so you will seek, and by seeking, you will find! He said that God is dead, does he really know? In fact, he does not know, and he cannot prove it. So, why did he say that God is dead? He said, Look at the tragedies in this world. Someone was killed by a car yesterday, someone was killed by a car the day before yesterday. More people are killed by cars than by Covid.

He said, If God is still alive, how could He allow these things to happen? He got it wrong, and he did not understand, so he came to such a conclusion. Why do I believe that God is alive? I used to think that this is how humans live. If you had asked me to read the books written by Hegel, Kant, and Nietzsche, I would have thought that they were very well-written. There was also a great writer who wrote The Old Man and the Sea. After finishing it, he shot himself. All kinds of things happen in this world.

Today, I have found a treasure that can make people smarter, so I feel that this profession is good. Someone asked me, What do you want to do? I said, I only want to do one thing, to make people smarter! To make people smarter, to give them wisdom, to give them knowledge. This profession is very good; this profession is better than launching artificial satellites. They are doing heavenly things. That heaven is called the first heaven in the Bible. The heaven that we study is higher than the heaven that they study. Our heaven is the heaven of the spiritual realm, called the third heaven, which is the heaven of God. The second heaven is also the heaven of the spiritual realm, but it is the spiritual realm of the devil.

Let us study the Book of Proverbs. Let me introduce two interesting basic concepts: indirect experience and direct experience. Let me ask everyone, is the knowledge we have learned acquired indirectly, or directly? Indirect experience is the experience we gain after reading a book, and then doing as the book says. When we do it, we find it to be effective and we know that he is an expert. Learning from others is called indirect experience; if we invent something ourselves, that is called direct experience.

We drill wood and eventually smoke rises. We know that we can make fire by drilling wood. In fact, people knew this thousands of years ago. You still think you are amazing? Now who uses that method to make fire! You discovered it and you are shouting: I have discovered a great invention! That is not called discovery; people have already discovered it. You say that you discovered that wheels make things run faster. No need for you to discover that, people have already discovered this. You say that you want to build a car. No need for you to invent it. What you make might not even work. Someone says, I want to write Dream of the Red Chamber. Someone has already written Dream of the Red Chamber! Another says, I want to write Journey to the West. Someone has already written Journey to the West! Yet another says, I want to write Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Someone has already written Romance of the Three Kingdoms!

You will find that many things are indirect experiences! The words we learned in the first grade were all invented by others; the mathematics we learned in the first grade of middle school were all discovered by others; later, the engineering techniques we learned in the first year of university were all invented by others. We are learning from others all our lives. Therefore, indirect experience and direct experience are two basic concepts. That is to say, we must often learn from others. For example, playing the piano, can you surpass those who play the piano well? It is very difficult. Those performers like Mendel, Beethoven, are geniuses, very amazing.

We must know that many things need to be learned. Let me ask you: what wisdom have you learned in the past? What intelligence have you learned? If you have not learned, then I will give you four words: hopelessly foolish! We become foolish if we do not learn! We have a neighbour called Old Granny Wang, who has never learned anything in her life. What she says is unrefined. All her life until she dies, she is unrefined. She only knows those words, Have you eaten? Have you drunk? Have you slept? Have you played? She only says these things when she meets people. Can there be wisdom in listening to a little bit of radio and watching a little bit of television? It is not possible!

Cherish Guidance and Reproof

Everyone must know that education is to give people knowledge. Actually, education started from when Moses wrote Genesis. This was the earliest teaching of the Law to the Israelites, teaching the Israelites how to do things, how to behave and follow rules. As for the Code of Hammurabi, I do not know about that; I have not studied it. When we study the Book of Proverbs, we know that Solomon was truly amazing. If you ask me if I have read the works of Hegel, Nietzsche, and Kant, I have no time to read them. Now let us read the Bible:

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.(Proverbs 1:1-6)

Solomon wrote these things to make people smarter. I have explained it in one sentence. To teach people how to live, they must learn. We are not born knowing how to live. If you say that you are born knowing how to live, how can you not know how to live? At first you are an ignorant person, two eyes, one nose, the mouth must be below the nostrils, and the head is above the neck. If you are not like this, then you are disabled. What I mean is: does growing up like this mean that you are human? Later, it was discovered that apes also look like that. Is that called knowing how to live? In fact, later it was discovered that many things all look like that.

To be human, you must know how to deal with people and things, and know how to do it. The Book of Proverbs in the Bible is about this. The critical thinking I spoke of earlier, we could not write these things ourselves. We do not have the ability to write it. Do not write your own Book of Proverbs. Starting with Have you eaten? Have you drunk? That is not the Book of Proverbs; that is what Old Granny Wang next door wrote. You cannot gain wisdom from reading those. Solomon was king for many years, then he built the palace and had great knowledge. So, when he wrote the Book of Proverbs, he summarised the results of his observations and investigations in his life. What Solomon summarised was amazing. He said, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

My words are harsh, especially in pastoring. I often do not say pleasant things. A friend sent me a video, a good short video. He did not know that I would speak of this. He said, Good people are sharp-tongued, bad people are sweet-tongued. If you want to listen to nice words, then you are a fool. If you want to hear someone train you, that is caring for you. In my service, I find this particularly difficult, that is, fools despise wisdom and instruction. A few days ago, someone I was ministering to left the group. I said, What happened? I called her and said, Sister, did you do something wrong? She said, No. I said, Have I ever taken advantage of you? My service to you is free, right? My service is all for your good, right? She said, No. Then she began to argue with me.

I said, What is in your head? Because her brother is also a pastor, I have met him. The things her brother built to build the church are really not good. I said to her, That is your brother, you are siblings.. Actually, I wanted to influence her brother. I even gave her brother money, hoping to help him build the church. But people do not take our path, because our path requires paying a price. When I said that, she said, My brother is very good. I said, Can that be called good? She said, Hey! Why are you saying that? I was very surprised, what is in her head, as if I wanted to harm her. Then, she hung up the phone on me.

Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Actually, I do not want her to go astray. I do not want people to crash into the south wall, causing them to be bloodied and bruised, suffering much disaster, and finally saying that they have learned. I only hope that God is put first. That is what the Bible teaches us. But people have a pile of reasons, being busy with this and doing that, as if I want something from her. What can I want from her? After saying a few words, she still feels that I hurt her self-esteem. Does everyone understand? It would be good if they really understood. Some may not have experienced my service yet. If you have experienced my service, you will know that my service to you is all about speaking very bluntly. Because I do not want to say sweet words to take care of your face, but harm you, and in the end, you will hate me.

We must understand that the word instruction inherently carries the flavor of discipline. The Bible says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Everyone must grasp the essence of this statement. From a young age, I have appreciated being disciplined. Whenever someone corrected me, I was deeply grateful. It meant they were insightful, pointing out my flaws, and I needed to reflect on that. However, among those I minister to, often the moment I speak, some immediately retort, That's not how it is! There is too much self-righteousness within. If we search online for the term self-righteous, much foolishness is linked to it. Many videos are also recorded, even on platforms like Douyin, because fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I am like a resilient copper pea, enduring pulls and yanks, kicks and stomps, never overcooked or falling apart. This is my character in serving God, but many find it unacceptable. If what you say differs from their expectations, it's immediately wrong. They lack critical thinking, not even considering if they are right. They immediately argue, showing great disdain for wisdom and instruction. Perhaps what someone says is genuinely incorrect, but we can consider why they act that way. Are they trying to harm me? Are they trying to take advantage of me? Actually, they don't want to pull you down, just want to lead you onto the right path.

“To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.” (Proverbs 1:2-6)

Avoid Covetousness

As we continue reading in the Book of Proverbs, the most important lesson in life is found in the first chapter. People have to be ignorant to ultimately ruin their own lives. Let's look at verse 19.

“Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.” (Proverbs 1:19)

Do you agree with this statement? If you can agree, that would be good. How have many people lived their lives in the past? They die for wealth, just as birds die for food, desperately making money without wisdom. They do not understand that all who are greedy for gain behave this way. Among us, have some failed in business or investments? You will find that when you invested, your thoughts were all positive! You only thought about making money, never about losing it.

From elementary school, I learned about wicked capitalists. I don't know if I was brainwashed from a young age, but Proverbs truly says, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Therefore, a person who loves money and becomes a merchant will become a dishonest merchant; a person who loves money and becomes an official will become a corrupt official. We see the great corrupt official Heshen, who loved money so much that he ended up miserably. Are there people who don't love money? Yes! Those who retired successfully, like Fan Li, who is said to have successfully retired into obscurity.

People crave wealth and ultimately lose their lives. I don't know why people need so much wealth! What good does it do if a person gains the whole world but forfeits their life? Actually, there is no benefit at all. A person cannot use that much money in a lifetime. In Beijing, there is a famous scenic spot called Prince Gong's Mansion. Do you know whose house this is? This house was originally built by Heshen, and later the emperor bestowed it upon Prince Gong. How big is that house? It is more than 60,000 square meters, which is 200 meters by 300 meters. It is even larger than several residential areas. What is the benefit of building such a large house? In the end, they still die. Therefore, all who are greedy for gain behave this way.

If we interact with someone and find that they love money very much, you must be careful! Because as long as they think about money, they will disregard everything else. So when I make friends, I look at whether a person loves money. If a person is generous with their wealth, then make friends with them; if a person loves money as much as their life, then you must be careful. Why? Because if they cannot obtain money, they will cheat. Recently, many people have been dealt with. It is truly gratifying, who told these people to love money so much?

Everyone should know that every time after the meeting, when collecting offerings, I always say one sentence: if you do not understand the meaning of offering, please do not give an offering! Usually, when I minister to someone, I will tell them in advance, don't be afraid, I will not charge you a penny for ministering to you. We walk a blessed path. If you are willing to give an offering, then give an offering; if you are not willing to give an offering, we will persuade you not to give an offering, because you do not understand the meaning of offering. We do not minister for the sake of accumulating wealth, we love God and serve God's people, so that everyone may be blessed, and then walk the path of offering.

I often tell people, if I ask you for money or talk about money, then you know I am a scammer. Then do we talk about giving offerings? Yes! The 101 course does talk about offering. But that is indeed the word of the Bible. Let those who give offerings speak up, isn't it an investment, and then there is a return. Investing in the kingdom of God, the return is extremely generous, don't be mistaken, it is not that the church needs your offering, it is that you need to give an offering, and you have a return. Like buying stocks, you only buy when you know there is a return.

If you are a greedy person, it is difficult to understand the principles of being blessed. Because greedy people will use any means to get money, greed really kills people. A corrupt official was caught by the police, and in the corrupt official's home, they saw a cube one meter high, one meter wide, and one meter long, all stacked with hundred-yuan bills. I just can't understand, what do you want so much money for? You don't dare to spend it, and in the end, you still die. We must know that a greedy person is a wicked person. Just for this money, there are piles of wrongful convictions and unjust cases. We don't even know how many people he has harmed. Whoever blocks his path to wealth, he will eliminate them.

My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; let us all have one purse.” my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. (Proverbs 1:10-18)

What kind of truth do I want to teach everyone? Actually, a person really doesn't need much money in a lifetime. The most important thing in a person's life is to have wisdom and intelligence. The most important thing is to know what you don't know, to know what you are doing. To know what the path of greed is. If you don't know, you must learn, seek, and observe. Do not make decisions every day without thinking, ultimately making yourself miserable. If you go to Qincheng Prison and ask those people, if they could do it again, would they still do it? They definitely wouldn't do it. Recently, some people have been quarantined because of the epidemic, and as a result, they couldn't stand it after being quarantined for two weeks. But those in Qincheng Prison are quarantined for a lifetime!

The Bible says not to covet wealth, but not many listen. We must learn to listen to the instruction of wise people. Listen to the reproof and admonition of others. Don't let money confuse your mind.

Recognize Calamities from God

Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. (Proverbs 1:20-27)

This place mentions encountering calamity, encountering terror, calamity coming like a whirlwind, distress and anguish coming upon people. A person's destiny is definitely not determined by three meals a day, eating until full and then resting, but by sudden calamities that come upon them. If people don't know this, it's troublesome. Many people work hard to make money, but what is the result? Sudden calamities come upon them, and there is no time to turn back. When calamities come, there is absolutely no opportunity.

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:33)

How much do people understand the concept of disaster? Among us, there are some who have not seen the world, are not deeply experienced, are not deeply involved in things, are relatively young children, and some are still in school. Although these children are not deeply experienced, we can learn from the disasters and phenomena that happen to others that those who trust in God will surely be protected by God. A person who trusts in God will surely dwell securely, because disasters are under God's control. A person who loves God, God will surely save them from disaster.

Why do we value work so much, putting God below work? Because we love money in our hearts, and we feel that we must rely on work to live, which is fatal. A person who has no knowledge or wisdom in their life and only knows how to love money is a tragedy. When disaster comes, people go to call on God, but they will find that they cannot find him, because people hate knowledge, do not love the fear of the Lord, do not listen to God's admonition, and despise all God's reproof, so they must eat the fruit they have produced.

when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:27-33)

Do not wait until there is no response no matter how much you cry out. If you teach a person and reprove them, and they are unwilling to listen, there is no chance when disaster comes. Many people plant diligently, but what they harvest is bitter gourd, then you have to eat bitter gourd. If what you harvest is pig food, you have to eat it too! No one will eat it for you. People reap what they sow, and they eat what they plant. Why don't people know when they are planting? This is human foolishness. Why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of knowledge? Because the fear of the Lord knows that God controls disasters and that God controls everything.

If people fear God, how can they not know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom? How can they not know that God controls disasters and controls everything? People are ignorant and do not fear God, planting a curse today and planting a curse tomorrow, and they still feel good. Look at me! I planted it and didn't receive a curse! Why? Because the seeds have just been planted and haven't produced fruit yet! Know that once the fruit of the curse has grown, you will surely eat it.

I often really sweat for some brothers and sisters. We talk about Mingding Destiny, which is to offer one's life to God. If you don't offer it to God, who will you offer it to? Offer it to yourself? Offer it to your loved ones, what problem can that solve? Brothers and sisters, do you despise God's instruction, are unwilling to receive God's reproof, despise God's admonition, and despise God's knowledge? Know that a person dies because of their own ignorance, so brothers and sisters, do not be an ignorant person no matter what. The simple love being simple, scoffers delight in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge. How long will this go on? The things that ignorant people do are basically none of them are right. Everything should be constantly thought about, constantly pondered, constantly examined, and constantly sought, this is called knowledge. Knowledge is understanding the principles within.

I must tell everyone that God controls everything. Do not think that there is no God, that God is dead. If you shout, you will have the same result as Nietzsche. If we observe carefully, many people in this world violate God's word, and as a result, they receive a curse. The fruit of the curse is produced, and they have to eat it themselves! Pitiful people must have their hateful side. People reap what they sow! If you don't eat what you plant, who will eat it! You may not have seen him plant, but you can see him eat!

Summary

We must all learn that no matter what, do not be simple, do not be scoffers, and do not be fools. Like to be reproved, like to be trained, do not love face! If you often like people to say nice things, then you are a fool. From childhood to adulthood, I have hoped to find a wise person, looking and looking, but I can't find one, that is, no one really tells me the truth. Later, I really thank God that God let me see that wise people are all in the Bible. I hope everyone can become smart. The Critical thinking that I speak of is not critical thinking. If say this matter is critical, it means this matter is important.

We must know that having Critical thinking is not about criticism, it is about grasping the essentials, grasping the most important thing, which is we must know that we don't know many things. When people discipline us, we must thank God! Be aware of our reactions, like to find a bunch of reasons for ourselves to prove that we are not wrong, or pass the buck to others, pass the buck to the moon, to the stars, but in the end, you still have to swallow the fruit of the curse yourself! Don't become stupid! When calamity comes, you basically have no power to turn things around. I hope that our brothers and sisters will all become smart people and never encounter such disasters in their lives.

If we do not know, we will ask God. The Bible says that if we implement it according to it, we will surely obtain great benefits. We are just a beginning, giving everyone an introduction. We must not despise God's knowledge and instruction, do not be ignorant people, know that the things we are born with are not of great use. God causes wisdom to cry aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice, at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, at the entrance of the city gates she speaks, it has not not come upon you, it is just that you cannot hear it. Turn back to God, do not hate knowledge, do not love scoffing, do not love foolishness. Begin to learn to receive God's instruction, receive God's reproof, learn righteousness, justice, and uprightness, conduct yourself according to God's word. This generation needs such people the most!

May God bless everyone!