I. Introduction

Good day to you all! The topic for today may seem peculiar, but it is exceptionally good. I urge you to remember this day, for from today onwards, many forms of oppression will be released. Have you been oppressed by the need to take notes? Toiling away until four in the morning, finally producing a note. Today, I tell you, you will surely be set free, no longer needing to grind. You might say: Is there such a thing? That would be excellent. Surely, you need not fear anymore. Why? Because you can copy notes! Do not be afraid; what is there to fear? I need to lead everyone out of the devil's lies once more today.

Today's topic is Caught in Your Own Schemes! Many find it amusing and say to me: Alas! Note-taking is difficult. I kept wondering: How difficult can note-taking be? I have even placed the notes online. Later, I understood that they dare not copy! They rack their brains trying to find their own words, attempting to compose their own vocabulary. Oh my goodness! It turns out they were composing their own words. Today, I tell you, there's no need to compose, isn't that liberating? See, it is indeed liberating!

Over the next few weeks, we will begin with Recognizing the Devil's Schemes. This is a series; recognizing the devil's schemes. You may omit recognizing if you wish, and simply call it The Devil's Schemes Series. This series is particularly good and will bring liberation to many and set many free. Today's topic is Caught in Your Own Schemes! Actually, isn't writing notes a matter of being caught in your own schemes? It's not a problem I brought upon you. Let me shift the blame; you have oppressed yourselves, haven't you? I do not know why you dare not copy.

A child studying in Singapore was consistently failing his compositions. One day, he came to me and said: Teacher, my compositions consistently fail. I said: Ah, I understand. He said: How do you know? I said: You consistently use your own words to write compositions, hence the failing grades. Come, open your textbook. He opened his textbook. I said: Do you see this? Have him recite, recite, recite. When this topic comes up again, write as much as you can remember, write according to what the book teaches you, because we cannot invent the words of Jesus; we must copy the words of Jesus. So, later, he came happily: Teacher, I got over 80 points.

See, coming to me alleviates pressure immediately. Why? Because previously, he was caught in his own schemes! What schemes? The scheme of always feeling the need to use his own words, which is utter nonsense. I do not know what you are thinking; I have said many times that you can copy. I copy Jesus, straightforwardly! But be sure not to copy without engaging your mind; after copying, if asked: What did you copy? I do not know! That would be troublesome and deserving of a spanking! Copy it boldly into your minds, and I tell you, you will surely score eight or nine out of ten, or even more. There are reasons why children do not perform well in their studies. If you adjust this method, it will be extraordinary.

The matter is this: We are often oppressed by the thoughts within us. Our own inner thoughts are oppressed, but we never know where those thoughts come from. When I say that you can copy notes, everyone is overjoyed. Many are excited and can finally speak the truth: Mine are copied. Now you can say it openly. Have you copied them into your minds? I think that as long as we store things in our minds, that is good. I am not making it difficult for you by having you write; I want to enable your minds to understand clearly.

Today, I also want to tell everyone something: I am not asking you to write down every word I say. That is not note-taking. Only write down the main points I make. I do not like extensive notes; I prefer concise notes. Is this good news? You might say: Teacher, when I was in school, they always wanted me to write a lot; why do you prefer me to write less? If you only write one sentence when taking notes today—Caught in Your Own Schemes—and you can remember that, I would be thankful. If you write a great deal but forget that you were caught in your own schemes, that would be troublesome.

Therefore, today, brothers and sisters, we must digest things into our minds, and then clarify them in our brains. People are oppressed because they are too attached to their own inner thoughts. The devil dwells in people's thoughts. The more people cling to their own thoughts, the more easily they are oppressed; that is called self-will. Reflect on this slowly. Actually, those thoughts have never been verified, and we do not know where they come from. Then, as soon as people doubt their own inner thoughts: Is that really the case? No, it is not. Then what should it be? If you have even a slight doubt, I tell you the devil's power will immediately be reduced by half. What cannot be controlled? I tell everyone, you must become wise! If you do not become wise among us, I would feel wronged; I would cry and shed tears. Your minds must be clear.

Do you all know that the degree of self-will differs among children from birth? When my mother gave birth to me, I was naturally not self-willed. You ask me why I was naturally not self-willed? I really do not know. Another child my mother gave birth to was naturally self-willed. He loved to cry. I was naturally born not crying, no matter what was done to me. Sometimes I would fall off the bed with a thump! and I still would not cry. My mother saved a lot of trouble. Another child my mother gave birth to cried every day for no reason and was controlled by his inner thoughts. You say this child is so young; where do those thoughts come from? I have no way of knowing.

Therefore, I have conducted a rough survey. If this resonates with you, please give me some feedback and tell me whether what I am saying is true: Children who love to cry from birth are prone to various kinds of mental illnesses and later develop depression. They are all children who loved to cry when they were young. It is hard because they have a sense of self-will. They must have this and must have that, or else there will be trouble. Self-willed children are prone to mental illness. Therefore, when some people are self-willed, their parents indulge them. When they grow up, they are prone to being even more self-willed. The more self-willed they are, the more self-righteous they become. The more self-righteous they are, the more they are oppressed by their own inner thoughts. Later, they develop mental illness and are caught in their own schemes. Do you all agree with my statement? It can still be corrected when they are young, but I think it's probably too late when they are older. You might say: Teacher, my child is already over thirty. I think it is probably too late for those over thirty.

Therefore, I have ministered to many examples. Anything can be resolved except for what people have become convinced of within themselves. It is difficult to deal with what people have become convinced of themselves. People die on what they have become convinced of. Many among us are convinced of their own sets of ideas, resulting in illnesses all over their bodies. They suffer. People are actually caught in their own schemes. You might say, how are they caught in their own schemes? They are deceived by their own inner thoughts. You know, I have ministered to these individuals. Speaking of them brings tears to my eyes. I truly do not want them to be like this. To be honest, it seems that they are not really qualified to be so convinced of what they are convinced of, but they are so convinced nonetheless.

Some time ago, someone left a message for me on the website. He said: Pastor, your sermon has tripped me up. Before you spoke, I still had some faith, but after you finished speaking, I had no faith left. After reading it, I said, how did you know you had faith before? It wasn't that I tripped him up; he had never gotten up in the first place. He was simply displeased that I said he hadn't gotten up yet.

I tell you, you must recognize this devil. The working method of the devil is not: a headless corpse, wearing a large white robe, coming out and saying, I am a ghost, woo! That rarely happens. I have hardly ever seen such a thing. Have you seen it? No. The devil has also never said: I will keep you from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Minions, go! Rush up and hold him down, pry open his mouth, and shove the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil inside! I will make you eat, and we will see if you do not. That does not happen. What does happen? While talking to you, you go and take the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil yourself. You take it yourself while talking. Brothers and sisters, please do not blame the devil! The devil did not shove the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil into your mouth; you took it yourself. Is that the case? Some people do not take just one; they carry a basket of it home. After carrying a basket of it home, they put half of it in the refrigerator because they fear that the bit they have left will spoil. Isn't that asking for trouble? They are deceived by themselves. Then I tell you, the devil's working method is particularly considerate of your wishes and never forces you! That is where the trouble lies. I tell everyone, self-righteousness is a very bad habit! I tell you, many of the people to whom I minister are self-righteous.

Yesterday, a sister came to me, and she told me her story. Her brother-in-law developed lung cancer. His lungs were completely rotten, his breathing was failing, and nothing was working. So, she ministered to her brother-in-law, along with leaders in our group. They ministered to him until his lungs were completely healed, but the cancer had already spread to the lower half of his abdomen. Then, upon hearing the word offering in church—although we would not have accepted an offering from him—hearing the word offering frightened him: They want money! He ran away and died! What kind of mind is that? Half of him was healed, his entire upper body was healed, from his abdomen and stomach up to his lungs. The things he spat out were so dirty. Alas, what kind of mind is that?

Some time ago, there was a couple where the wife was complaining. Why? Because her husband had headaches and toothaches, etc. The wife, a sister in our group, said: It's okay; he is discerning good and evil. I asked: How is he discerning good and evil? The sister said: He is discerning good and evil because when you are preaching, teacher, and you say his head is full of poop, he feels as if you are saying that his head is full of poop. As a result, he has toothaches and headaches, which can be resolved through repentance. I said: Oh my goodness, there are even those who are tattling. I said, did you discern good and evil by tattling? That guy had toothaches, eye pain, and nose pain. If he starts peeing and pooping, that will be troublesome.

Are many people's thoughts strange? Their thoughts are very strange. When I am preaching, I am very careful not to mention their names. I do not point and say: Hey, Zhang San! Your head is full of poop. I did not say that, right? Hey, Li Si! Your head is full of poop. I did not say that. If I did, then I apologize!

Yesterday, I received a phone call. Why? She made this phone call to me because I had disbanded a group since no one had paid attention to me from Monday to Saturday. I originally used that group for ministry. Her thirty-year-old daughter developed mania and was screaming wildly in a mental hospital. There is a tragedy in my line of work: People come to me with mania, and once the mania has subsided, they ignore me. They get better, and they do not even say hello to me, as if I am invisible. I am here worrying, while they are enjoying themselves. Alas, I called her: Ah, it is better. She said: Teacher, it is better. It is good that it is better. I said: I have a suggestion for you. Why is it that when I lead you in prayer, it is as if I am the one with a mental illness? Oh, teacher, let's just pray to this point. It is as if I am the one who needs you to pray for me.

Her child is already thirty years old, so she is not that young. But every time the child wants to sleep, she says: Teacher, let's just pray to this point! What kind of mind is that? That is the result of indulging the flesh since childhood. Are people's thoughts very strange? She said to me: Teacher, actually, she had a manic episode a few months ago. That was when the demon came. She went to the mental hospital, had an injection, slept for more than twenty hours, and then she was fine. I ask you: Was it better? If it was better, why is it here again this time? It was not better; the demon was hiding. This time, is it better again? It is not better; where is it better! People are harmed miserably by their own thoughts. Everything can be changed except for people's own thoughts.

I have so many examples like this. Someone with brain cancer was healed through prayer. After he was healed, he ignored me and left me hanging here. I was still waiting to minister to him, but I was no longer needed. He and his wife happily posted on their Moments. When they come looking for me again, it will definitely be because things have gone wrong again! I am telling the truth, but people do not like to hear it. I said: Are you really healed? He said: Why? Do you not want me to be healed? I said: The demon has hidden again. We are constantly harmed by our own thoughts. You must know that people must break free from self-righteousness.

A sister recently came among us. Actually, a good friend of hers had told her this two years ago. Two years ago, she developed an illness, an inexplicable fear. This is an evil spirit! She also came among us for a brief time and then went to study psychology for two years. Those two years tortured her because she was afraid! As a result, after two years, she proved one thing: that what she had been doing was useless, so she came again. You must know that human methods cannot deal with spiritual things. Without the power of God, everything is futile. Don't pick on me for saying this a bit bluntly; I really cannot find a more suitable word.

Just now, I was leading worship and prayer. Speaking of leading prayer, it is quite interesting. A sister from the internet came among us. Her mother is eighty-seven years old and has been in a traditional church for more than forty years. She developed anxiety. Is this the gospel? Is this the gospel? Being anxious and suffering. Just now, I led her in prayer for a little while, and she was better. I am also very happy. Without the power of God, this is utter nonsense! Today, know for certain that there can be no power of God without the salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross as our foundation.

I hope that among us, especially those who are sick, with illnesses like cancer, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatism, urinary incontinence, and fecal incontinence, a wide range of illnesses, I encourage you to first resolve what you have become convinced of. Are those things you are so convinced of correct? They have not been proven. If you are truly smart, then you will become convinced. But today, let's do an experiment, and I will leave some room for negotiation. How about setting aside those self-righteous things for half a year? Or set them aside for a year. If a year is not possible, then half a year. If half a year is not possible, then three months and see what the results are. People who are sick are terribly self-righteous! Cancer contains elements of self-righteousness. They all die in their own thoughts. They cannot be corrected. It is very difficult. When there is really no other way, sometimes I have to offend them.

II. Scripture

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” (1 Corinthians 3:18-19)

See, the topic I am preaching on comes from the Bible. I truly see people caught in their own schemes, and I am close to tears. I am at a loss for what to do. I once encountered an outrageous thing. This person said: Teacher, I am a very stubborn person. I said: Yes, you are very stubborn. At the time, I did not understand. Then he went on to say: Do you know where I am stubborn? I am very stubborn in ministry. It turns out he was praising himself! I thought he had understood, but he was even more confused. He would often say: Teacher, I know my problem. I said: You do not know. He said: No, I definitely know, I truly know. I can only say: Oh, ah, um. If you hear me answer like that, you will know that I am not very interested in listening to that stuff.

III. Prayer

God! Open our eyes today and open the spiritual understanding of our hearts so that we may know the reality of the spiritual realm! God! Let us know the schemes of the devil today and also know that the self-righteous nature within us often harms ourselves. God! Begin to release us today. I am willing to turn back to you. In the name of Jesus Christ, I completely reject self-righteousness! In the name of Jesus Christ, I completely reject concern for face! In the name of Jesus Christ, I completely reject self-esteem! In the name of Jesus Christ, I will repent and receive the grace of Jesus Christ! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

IV. The Background of This Scripture

1 Corinthians is particularly good! The background for this passage in 1 Corinthians is given in chapter 3. If we were to read from chapter 1, then chapter 2, and then chapter 3, today would be completely Sunday, and we would be reading until the evening. So, let's start from chapter 3. Paul established a church called the Corinthian church. Paul personally established the Corinthian church there for a year and a half, and then Paul left to establish other churches elsewhere. Others began to come. Who were they? One person was named Apollos, and he came to the Corinthian church. This fellow was very eloquent, skilled with his mouth, and very familiar with the classics of the Bible. He argued one thing: that Jesus Christ is Lord. That is good. But just because you argue that Jesus Christ is Lord, does that mean you have power? No, you do not have power.

The belief system of this Apollos is actually a system of repentance. Have you ever seen a church of repentance? They sit together all day repenting. You confess your sins, and I confess my sins. Have you seen that? But after repenting, they are still the same. They repent all day long. I think we could call that the Repentance Faction. Let's give it the nickname the Apollos Faction. These people repent all day long, and some think I am part of the Apollos group, while others think the Apollos group is no good and that they are part of the Jackfruit group, the Crown Jackfruit group, or the Seasonal Jackfruit group. They become like different types of jackfruit or even yellow pears! This is the path of repenting all day long. If you are unfamiliar with it, you can read Acts chapter 19.

This Apollos deceived quite a few people. Would you say he was serving God? Yes, he argued that Jesus Christ is Lord! Now, acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord is nothing new. Every church puts up a sign claiming Jesus Christ is Lord. Then, Peter shows up, and Apollos is there too. Many in the Corinthian church were influenced by Greek culture, with factions of Platonists and Aristotelians—a bit of everything. Greeks sought wisdom, Jews sought miracles, and after all the back and forth, the Corinthian church was led astray.

You might say there's nothing wrong with repentance, right? Nothing wrong with seeking miracles, right? Nothing wrong with having wisdom and becoming clever, right? No problem. But in the process, the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ was lost. Do you know how it was lost? You'll find that some pastors can eloquently refute even monks, but they lack power. We don't engage in such things. Why bother competing with monks? They do their thing, and we do ours.

Paul, seeing the trouble, realized the Corinthian church was facing a variety of problems. Some there even wanted to marry their stepmothers. The Corinthian church was in chaos. Observing the Lord's Supper was no longer sacred, and nothing was done properly. As soon as Paul left, some questioned its value, viewing the communion as merely a small piece of bread and a tiny cup. They wanted to replace it with a large pot and big cups. They proposed that people skip breakfast and lunch to come to church for the Lord's Supper, turning things into a mess.

After this chaos, people there became sick and died, causing even more confusion. And then there were those not confused because their businesses were thriving. Have you ever seen such a thing? They might say, Don't say I don't love the Lord! Look how blessed my business is, and my son in America is blessed and safe! Chinese Mingding Destiny doesn't even address that. What use is it? Even non-believers experience peace!

So, in that era, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to correct the problems in the Corinthian church. And you'll find that 1 Corinthians is still useful today. Many churches today, when compared to the Corinthian church, resemble it. This Corinthian church had lost the power of the Holy Spirit, so Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, beginning by stating that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Have you read it? If not, read it carefully. This is Paul's gospel, a powerful gospel. Later, in chapter two, Paul says:

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Does that resonate? How many churches rely on wise and persuasive words? I'm not criticizing, let's just compare—does the term Corinthian fit them? It fits quite well. The gospel preached by the Apostle Paul was effective and remarkable! The Bible uses spiritual words to explain spiritual things. Chinese Mingding Destiny quotes these two sentences a lot! We used to be a Corinthian church too, caught in our own schemes, until we realized we were wrong. Even today, we haven't gotten it entirely right. Brothers and sisters, don't always think we're doing everything perfectly. If you do, then you're mistaken. We're just a drop in the ocean, a hair on a bull. We're far from perfect! We don't compare ourselves downwards; we compare ourselves upwards, realizing how far we are from Jesus! Look at how exhausted we get serving today. Sometimes we can do it in a flash, but often we truly fall short.

So today, brothers and sisters, we must understand one thing: imitating Jesus Christ is endless. That's why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians—to bring them back to the path of imitating Christ, so that the Corinthian church could imitate Paul and work with God. People would say: I'm of Apollos' party, I'm of the banana party, I'm of the pineapple party, I'm of Cephas' party. They were just caught up in that. So Paul said: all belong to Christ. Therefore, today, Chinese Mingding Destiny should never promote the name of a teacher Liu. Do you understand? No name. What name? Chinese Mingding Destiny. Whose? Chinese Mingding Destiny comes from the Bible, from the Apostle Paul. We learn from them.

Once, someone left a message for me online, writing out my full name. I quickly deleted it because I didn't want people to know. My name is not important. Casting out demons in my name is ineffective. We only preach Jesus Christ. This is a place without faces or names, only the way of Jesus Christ. So, we work with God. What am I? Paul even said, What am I? What is Apollos? What is banana? Even durian is nothing. Even Cephas is nothing. Only Jesus Christ matters.

So today, brothers and sisters, everyone can build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. If you read 1 Corinthians chapter three, you'll find that Paul says: I am a skilled master builder who has laid the foundation, which is Jesus Christ. There is no need to lay another foundation. Build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, and everyone can build, but see if what you build can withstand the test. If it cannot withstand the test, it will be burned away. If it can withstand the test, it will last forever. But Paul means that the building Paul does on this foundation is not wood, hay, or straw but is truly relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. Pay close attention!

1 Corinthians is not about speculation; it's about the power of the Holy Spirit. If God is clearly with you, how can He not manifest power? God is a God who hears prayers, but if He doesn't hear your prayers, isn't there a problem? So, no one should boast in men. Today, I remind everyone again: never boast in my name because I am nothing. I am terrible. I am not a model of holiness. I am a model of a sinner. I always know that I am never good enough. But if you are willing to imitate me in this, I still encourage you. Just as you say, He is never good enough, so am I even more never good enough? That is really the case.

Today, no matter who he is, you cannot boast in men. Even if he followed Jesus, so what? He's still a nobody who denied the Lord three times. Whether it's Paul, Apollos, or Peter Cephas, it’s okay. We all belong to Christ. We must build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. This is our church. This is the background of the passage in 1 Corinthians.

V. Reasons for the Corinthian Church's Confusion

The reasons for the Corinthian church's confusion are very obvious. Why were they confused? This confusion is very interesting.

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)

They were still worldly. As a result, this carnal person is very self-righteous! Let me tell you something, and see if it seems very self-righteous: I love the Lord very much! I say, “How do you love the Lord?” He says, “I tithe 12%!” I ask: “12%?” He says: No, it’s 20%! Everyone, tell me, what does giving 20% have to do with loving the Lord? Does it have anything to do with it? Nothing. We think that if we give 20%, we love the Lord. That is pure nonsense. Why? Because the Bible doesn't record it that way, the Bible doesn't say that.

If you love the Lord, you will keep God’s word; if you love the Lord, you will shepherd God’s flock well; if you love the Lord, you won’t be so self-righteous. Who says I love the Lord Myself? Someone else said: Look, I love the Lord very much. I said: Why? He replied: My business is doing very well! Recently, a young man said to me: Oh, teacher, recently some of my thoughts have changed, and I have actually gotten some orders! He uses getting business orders as a measuring standard. Do you think this is nonsense or not? It’s nonsense. Some people say: Look, my children are very safe in the United States, and the children and their children are safe. However, aren’t so many other people very safe?

What do these things have to do with loving the Lord? It has nothing to do with it. This is not a standard at all, it is the standard that he himself thinks. Many people in the Corinthian church said: I love the Lord very much, I am of Apollos' party. More said: I love the Lord, I am of Paul's . . . In the end, they are all worldly! As a result of this, you say, I feel spiritual, but in the end, I can't even eat solid food, I can't do anything, and the church becomes a mess. Therefore, the church is confused because a worldly person still feels that he is very spiritual. It’s no wonder he’s confused. As a result, he’s confused and can’t find his way.

So Paul later said:

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” (1 Corinthians 3:19)

The Corinthians fell for this trick. So brothers and sisters, never do these things, never be like the Corinthians, thinking you are spiritual and that you love the Lord, but in fact, you are purely worldly. Isn’t that troublesome? And you have your own set of ideas. I tell you, brothers and sisters, we must never be like this.

Someone found a job and was fired. Then found another job and was fired again. Now he has found another job. Has he thought about it? Some people think that they have made great contributions at work. The boss said: In fact, the work you do is not as good as the salary you are paid! That’s really the case. The boss said this not to offend him, but to let him study and improve. We don’t care about spending the money. As a result, his idea is: What’s your problem? You don’t like me? Isn’t this annoying! He sent his conversation with the boss to his pastoral district leader. When the pastoral district leader saw it, oh my god, to what extent is this self-righteous? How can this grow? Our brothers and sisters must start to readjust.

I'm telling you, especially these things that don't work, they are especially prone to self-righteousness. The more you don’t work, the more worldly you are, the more prone you are to self-righteousness. Isn’t this harmful? A young man, who actually didn’t study very well, couldn’t understand it, and prayed desperately: God, bless me! Let me win a game of Honor of Kings and let me see glory! Is glory seen like this? I said: That’s wrong! He said: If I can’t see the glory of Honor of Kings, then what advantage do I have? I said, what are you talking about? I see that you don’t see the glory of Honor of Kings, but you see pesticides. There is a big difference between glory and pesticides.

He also said: Do you have to strive hard to believe in the Lord? Should I be down-to-earth? Then what advantages do I have in this world? I said: What advantages do you want? He replied: It would be best if I could raise my feet, have a bottle of Coke, a bag of fries, and eat two or three hundred kilograms. That would be great, pray and pie falls from the sky, pray and it seems like a USB drive is plugged into my brain, and it is copied in all at once. How easy! The USB drive is plugged in, but what is copied in is all the devil’s lies! God doesn’t do that.

As a result, the advantage did not come, but the disadvantage came. What are these things? Christians are not following a worldly logical system! Christians are walking on a heavenly road, a road to eternity! That is why the Corinthians were confused. When an Apollos comes, a banana comes, and a Cephas comes, they become confused: Oh, Peter is so powerful, he followed Jesus! He forgot that Peter denied the Lord three times, let alone that Peter was not very good later.

Everyone should know that I still have some opinions about Peter. If you are a fan of Peter, it is difficult for you to listen to me because I will pick him out and talk about him. I am not afraid of seeing Peter in heaven in the future. He questioned me: Why do you always talk about me for no reason? I will answer him: I educate my members to not be like you. What’s wrong? Isn’t it okay to use you as an example? Did it hurt your self-esteem? I have more to say! I don’t know where he is.

So our brothers and sisters must know that the reason why the Corinthian church was confused is that it was worldly and self-righteous. Everyone must know and always remember that Hua Mingding Destiny is not doing very well, it is never good enough. If you open our website, you will see a sentence in Chinese Mingding Destiny, which is: never good enough. We are far from good enough. This is called not being self-righteous!

VI. The Devil's Working Method

Everyone began to think about it, don’t get confused. If we are not self-righteous, our God still has a chance; once we are self-righteous, God has no chance, and you have no chance. You have a chance today, do you know? We all have a chance today. You can't catch up with one-tenth of me, and I can't catch up with one-tenth of Jesus, but let's not be discouraged, let's strive hard.

How much do you know about the devil’s working methods? Let me repeat it again. The devil’s work never involves sending a few little ghosts to tie you up, prying open your mouth and pouring poison into you. I have never ground the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, mashed it into powder so you can’t see it, mixed it into water, added some honey, and poured it into you. The devil doesn't do this.

What the devil does best is ideological work. The devil is very interesting, so today our brothers and sisters will begin to learn how to do ideological work. The devil's ideological work is absolutely first-class. If the devil gets through to you ideologically, it’s over. You add some worldliness, some self-righteousness, and then you should eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil one basket at a time, game over. People only see the wisdom of the world. In fact, do you think people in the world are great? Very powerful, but those things are the wisdom of the world, but they cannot see the power of God, but people envy these things.

One of our sisters listened to me cast out demons today and listened to me cast out demons tomorrow, and as she listened, she said: What is this thing? As a result, he found an insurance company, and the insurance company said that I would provide you with the best training. When I first went, I was so excited: I learned a lot in the insurance company, and the insurance company was so good! As a result, a year passed in the blink of an eye, it was hard work, and I began to realize that this thing was not very good. Who doesn’t know how an insurance company works! Who doesn’t know how a MLM company works!

Today our brothers and sisters must know that if a person can’t continue working in an insurance company, it’s not the insurance company’s problem, it’s our problem. An insurance company is still a legitimate profession. It doesn’t sell heroin. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must know that that thing is the wisdom of the world. Although it is legal, it is also the wisdom of the world and is actually not very good. As a result, if people are in this environment, there is no problem in loving God. However, the problem is that he has too many problems, and he cannot do well in the insurance company either.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must know that the wisdom of this world, if our hearts are attracted by this kind of thing, we will suddenly become Corinthians! After working in an insurance company for more than a year, I realized that something was wrong. How can there be joy without God? Hard work and suffering. How can you be blessed without destiny? Therefore, everyone must return to and stay on the foundation of Jesus Christ. The devil pushes people to: you pursue miracles, but the miracles are gone. Why? Not on the foundation of Jesus Christ. The more you pursue wisdom, the more foolish you become. Because pursuing worldly wisdom is foolishness in God’s eyes. It also eliminates the power of God.

Why do we walk this path? Self-righteousness. Turning the powerful gospel into a powerless gospel is a problem in itself. Recently, I reread Rick Joyner’s The Final Quest - The Army of Hell is Advancing. After reading it, I discovered what those small squads had? Face-saving, false self-esteem, fear, intimidation, self-righteousness, self-righteousness, it turns out these are all things. The devil's working method is very strange, which is to take advantage of people's self-righteousness.

Christians in the church say every day: Ah, I am so happy! I am so happy! Is there a destiny? No destiny at all. I am just happy, I am just happy, I just eat, drink, travel, go to an island, go to a lake, and be happy. Every day is like a carnival! Fight? What are you fighting for? Isn’t this great? As a result, it didn’t last long before the devil’s arrow came.

A close reading of Rick Joyner's book describes it this way: after the devil's arrow comes, people hurt each other, and after being hurt, they become jealous, competitive, contentious, and bitter, and then they begin to drink bitter water. Still happy? Gone. Still a carnival? Had no more. After being injured, they were caught by the devil, and after arriving at the devil’s army, they became the devil’s mounts, and the devil rode on these Christians to fight. No matter what stage he is in, even the earliest stage of peace and joy, there is no fighting, no improvement, no weapons, no equipment, and self-righteousness. After being shot by an arrow, he is self-righteous; after being injured, he is self-righteous; after being captured, he is self-righteous; after becoming the devil's mount, he is self-righteous; they all think they are serving God. The assumption is powerful! You tell him: You have been caught by a ghost. You are the one who was caught by a ghost. I am serving God. How sad! This phenomenon is very common.

Later, I also discovered why Christians can become foolish. Once we become Christians, some may still wonder: Why is my Christian life so miserable? It's probably because they have been captured by demons. How did they get captured by demons? How did they become foolish? It's because of self-righteousness.

Once a person becomes a Christian, they become especially attractive to demons; demons love to target Christians. Once demons find Christians, they make them self-righteous: I am already saved; the one within me is greater than the one outside. But what is so great? You should forget about it. You should give up. As a result, they become increasingly self-righteous, and the more self-righteous they become, the more foolish they become, and the more foolish they become, the more self-righteous they become. Because they don't know the Word of God at all, they are entirely carnal. It's just a little Corinthian. If I were to give him a nickname, I would call him: Little Cor, Little Lin, Little Do.

Teacher, why do you always give people nicknames? To make a more lasting impression. If you are a Little Cor, you may be at a beginner level. As you develop further, you become a Little Lin, and as you develop even further, you become a Little Do, a Little Corinthian. It's like Rick Joyner's The Final Quest. So, self-righteousness is powerful indeed! Everyone should ponder it slowly. It's like our beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses. The devil gave the Corinthians a beginner, intermediate, and advanced course. But when Paul's letter arrived, he straightened out the Corinthians and defeated the devil. Remote ministry started with Paul. We are learning well today!

Seven, How Do We Know That What Paul Said Was Right Today?

In other words, how do we know that Chinese Mingding Destiny is correct? Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying that the Corinthians were self-righteous. Wasn't Paul self-righteous himself? Paul was too self-righteous. How dare you say we are self-righteous? How can you say that? Aren't you self-righteous? Isn't what we have wisdom, and what you have not wisdom? Are you the only one who gets it right? See, the devil's face is revealed. Am I imitating it well? Very well. I have become a master of sarcasm! Many people will definitely be like this today.

How do we know that Chinese Mingding Destiny is correct? How do we know that what Paul said was right? I don't think Paul put it that way. Paul said: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on. What do I press on for? The Bible says: Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. Paul pressed on to follow the example of Jesus; he pressed on to be like Jesus! Today, we want to initiate a new era of transformation, a transformation in which everyone is like Jesus. Some people say: How is that possible? There is only one Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus wants us to be like Him, a little bit is good, a lot is even better.

Someone said: Teacher, do you think I am a little bit like Jesus? I looked at him and said: You have two points. He was overjoyed after hearing that. I said I had one, and you said I had two. No, three points. The more, the better. What I mean is, when you imitate Jesus, regardless of how well you speak, do you have the likeness of Jesus? Is it a mule or a horse? Take it out for a walk, and see if it looks like Jesus. The Apostle Paul not only spoke like Jesus, but he also acted like Jesus.

Where did Chinese Mingding Destiny begin? Chinese Mingding Destiny did not begin with nonsense. Don't be misled by my recordings on the website. Let's get back to the topic. What Paul meant was that we not only speak, but we must also act, and our actions must be like Jesus. As a result, we find that there are many people in the church who speak like Jesus, but not many who act like Jesus!

Do you know where Chinese Mingding Destiny started? I said: What kind of church is this? What the heck is this? Don't think that I was not being self-righteous. I was really being self-righteous. Later, that self-righteousness was defeated. After it was defeated, I felt like Moses in Egypt as a prince, eager to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. But when he killed an Egyptian, he fled. It wouldn't work. He had the heart but not the strength. After repenting, what did he pursue? The original desire from when he was self-righteous was to be like Jesus. He wanted to speak like Jesus and act like Jesus, but he didn't do it well. He ended up like braised beef and was severely disciplined by God! Later, he repented and didn't dare to be self-righteous again.

Then what did he do? He began to pursue acting like Jesus and speaking like Jesus. He pursued God's will. At that time, how many buckets of cold water were poured on me? People said: Forget it, give up, how can you be like Jesus? You should stop it! I heard a lot of You should stop it. I crawled over, because they pulled me down. I wanted to stand and be like Jesus, but I crawled and was like Jesus!

So everyone should know that imitating Jesus is the theological system of the Apostle Paul. How do we know that what Paul said was right? Because Paul acted like Jesus. Paul clearly said in 1 Corinthians: Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ! It is never wrong to imitate Jesus. What did Paul say? Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, today there is Apollos, tomorrow there is Cephas, the day after there is a banana, then there is a sausage, then there is braised beef, little sauce is coming, it's over, it's useless. Even if you have ten thousand guardians, when something really happens, they all disappear, they're gone. But there are not many fathers. Paul poured his heart out to the Corinthians, saying that there are not many who pay the price. Isn't that interesting?

Some time ago, a brother's daughter, thirty years old, was diagnosed with mania. He is a Christian, so why didn't he look for the pastor of his own church? Seeking guardians. I am not the pastor of his church, but I ministered to him. Brothers and sisters, today we want to be a blessing to many people, not because of who they are, or because I want to make the church bigger and stronger. No, I don't need that. What I need is to be like Jesus, with the heart of Jesus Christ, like the Apostle Paul, moving forward with the heart of a father and mother. We will see God's Spirit with Paul, and that is also my pursuit. So, God, be with me, may not a single word I say fall to the ground. It is normal to shed tears before God.

God has the power of the Holy Spirit, clearly with the Apostle Paul. So Paul wrote 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. He said: Look at the power of God that comes from God. If God is clearly with you, and God's power is with you, is it clear? And with the power of the Holy Spirit,

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4)

Brothers and sisters, now that I've said this, do you all understand? How do we know that Chinese Mingding Destiny is correct? How do we know that what Paul said was right? How do we know that what this guy said is right? I call myself this guy.

One more point, Paul emphasized the body of Jesus Christ, absolutely not solitary cultivation, but a clear view of the church. Unlike Apollos, Apollos can only say that he preaches the repentance of John the Baptist, that level cannot have power. If you ask me how I know that what Chinese Mingding Destiny says is right? Because we imitate Jesus, build the body of Jesus Christ, and then I know that God is also with us, watching what I do.

I am often very anxious in ministry. I speak from the bottom of my heart to brothers and sisters. I wish that this generation had thousands upon thousands of ministries like Chinese Mingding Destiny, ministries with the power of the Holy Spirit. Even so, it would not be enough to meet the needs of this generation. I am not hoping that other people's churches will fall apart and that our church will grow. No, that is not the way to do it. God is a God who examines people's hearts. Today, all of our things are provided for free on the website. How many churches use our materials? Maybe they have other purposes, but that's okay.

Eight, Paul's Theological System

Let me sort it out again, don't be confused by me. I started with the background of this passage in 1 Corinthians, which is that someone was causing trouble. In the fifth point, I talked about why the Corinthian church was so easily confused. Why did they become like this when Apollos came, and when Cephas came? Then I talked about the devil's way of working. There was a lot of information. Next, I talked about how to know that what the Apostle Paul said was right. These are all issues that everyone cares about. The eighth point talks about Paul's theological system.

Paul's theological system is a theological system that is like Jesus. This is just a statement, but the action is to strive for it. Just now, a sister said, You are so far away, and I am even further away. Wouldn't I be even further away? It doesn't matter. Paul's theological system is gradually growing, and he speaks different words in different places. So you can strive for it at your level, and I can strive for it at my level. Let's strive for it together hand in hand to grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ.

Paul's theological system never says when it will end. Remember, from now on, don't ask this question: When will it end? Until we see the Lord face to face. Today, we build the body of Jesus Christ, in a relationship of mutual love, with God dwelling among us. We do not think that we have already obtained it, but think that we are not good enough. Today, we will take the heart of loving God to shepherd God's flock. This is Paul's theological system. Paul's theological system is: having God's presence, having God's power. Once God's presence and God's power are lost, it is wrong.

If you imitate Jesus, you must preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. This is not something else, this is the definition of the church. Once you become a Christian, once you establish a church, you are at odds with the devil. These are two kingdoms. This world and the devil are in us, let it have nothing in us. We begin to run this theology from the lowest and most basic level, such as salvation, prayer, and sanctification, and then constantly climb up from these lowest levels. In the last days, people will go up to the mountain of the Lord and enter the house of the God of Jacob.

We begin to gradually restore the faith inside you. You may only be 0.1% like Jesus, which is okay. You can grow to 1%. You may be 1% like Jesus, which is okay. You can grow to 10%. You may be 10% like Jesus, which is okay. You can grow to 20%, 30%, 40%. You may be 90% like Jesus, but there are still places where you are not like him. Strive for it and grow gradually. We are constantly climbing the peak of spiritual truth, knowing God. Are we tired? Everyone, are we tired?

Today, I will sing a song for everyone. Are we Christians not as good as the Monkey King? If we are not as good as the Monkey King, that's not okay. We must be even more powerful than the Monkey King! I will sing a song for everyone, and everyone can give me a thumbs up. If I sing out of tune, don't blame me: just captured a few demons, and subdued a few monsters, why are there so many demons and monsters? Just crossed a few mountains, and waded through a few rivers, why are there so many rugged and difficult places? There are so many, this is called victorious theology. Don't learn from others, just learn from Jesus, just learn from Paul, we grow in learning and service.

Nine, Growing in Learning and Serving

Growing in learning and serving, constantly dealing with self-righteousness. If you have a lot of pressure today, it is because the method is not right, you don't need so much pressure. The yoke of Jesus Christ is easy, we got it wrong, we have to get it right. If you spend all day running around, getting up at five in the morning and climbing in the middle of the night, you don't need to. If you take notes: Wednesday's notes, Friday's notes, and ministry notes, if you can't finish them, it doesn't matter, you don't need to take Wednesday's notes, you don't need to take Friday's notes, just write a little bit for Sunday's notes. When you can write very freely, let's add Wednesday back, after you finish writing Wednesday's, then write Sunday's. After you finish writing them very freely, let's write Friday's. Later, you can write Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You say: That's not enough. Then write the English ones too, still so freely.

Why are there so many, our service is changing, our way of serving, our way of thinking, our way of shepherding are all changing, we want to create every step, so that brothers and sisters can help each other on the climbing road, you can take one step at a time on this step. Do you all know that we really need to deal with the problems on ourselves.

A sister found a job 996, which is from 9 am to 9 pm. Teacher, I can't attend the meeting. It doesn't matter, that place is just right for dealing with your bad habits. Her pastor asked me if I should suggest that she change jobs to ensure the meeting. I said forget it, just work there, 996 can't stop the heart that loves God.

I created 996 for myself at that time, I always worked overtime, but it wasn't really, I stayed to learn. Sometimes I learned very late, and then I also carried the big iron box back home. Did everyone understand the 996 I just talked about? It's from 9 am to 9 pm. I have a display screen at home, I can't take both back, so I only took the big iron box back home. The boss saw it, the boss was moved, and told the biggest boss of the whole school: I have an employee, like this, like this, like this... I became a story among them. Oh, we still need such employees, carrying a big computer box on a hot day... These also can't stop my heart that loves God, after I finish, I continue to read the Bible.

Today, if we clean up the wasted time, it is enough to love God. Thank God, God blessed me. Joseph was a slave in Egypt, 007, and he still has God's presence. Today, brothers and sisters, don't care about these, start to deal with lazy theology. Our service will change, becoming more and more flexible, our requirements are becoming more and more personalized, we no longer simply demand, but lead everyone to teach and learn together, teach and learn together. The people above lead the people below, and the people above lead the people above, step by step forward, to the heart of God.

Summary:

The biggest feature of Chinese Mingding Destiny is that it rejects self-righteousness. It is not that we have already obtained it, but that we strive to pursue it. We begin to climb forward step by step, in order to obtain the reward that God is calling us to obtain above, Amen!

Let's sing a hymn and start collecting today's offering. If you don't know the meaning of offering, please don't offer. Let us strive to enter into perfection, God is waiting for us, to have such a determination. Once we have such a determination, God will become our strength, God will become our help, strive to enter into perfection, this is the will of our God.

We should not think that tithing is loving God, that is just a ticket to enter. If you don't tithe, then you definitely don't love God, don't even think about it. But offering is not called loving God, but offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, becoming a person of destiny. We want to build a system of beliefs, constantly growing in service and learning. It is in this generation that God's will can be satisfied through us, and we will offer ourselves to God.

Just captured a few demons, and subdued a few monsters, why are there so many demons and monsters? We never care how many there are, just crossed a few mountains, and crossed a few rivers, why are there so many rugged and difficult places? There are so many, we are in such a place, opening up a wide path to heaven, so that God's glory fills the whole earth.

Raise your hands and pray with me: God, may you accept my offering, I want to offer myself as a living sacrifice, may you accept me, as holy, as pleasing, my offering is reasonable. God, lead us, until we grow into the full stature of Jesus Christ, in this age, manifest your glory!

Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, forever and ever, Amen! May God bless everyone!