Introduction

Good day! This is the ninth lecture in our series on the New Era Christian Transformation. Do you all know what the topic is? It's on church pastoral care. You know, from the moment I became a Christian, I was filled with confusion about the word pastoral care, very, very confused. Why? Because I didn't even know what it was. Back then, my pastor liked to visit our home with a bag of fruit, sitting there chatting about trivial things. I didn't find it meaningful. From a young age, I haven't really liked idle chatter. Although I sometimes teach everyone to chat, this kind of chatter is really meaningless, and I feel like it's a waste of my time. But he still thought that was pastoral care. So, this matter of pastoral care became a very deep confusion in my heart.

In this lecture, I want to talk to you about the pastoral care of the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. This isn't something haphazard; the pastoral care of the Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a systematic pastoral care, a pastoral care that is more in line with the Bible. I want to tell everyone what pastoral care really is, because the pastors I encountered before accomplished a very great thing: they prompted me to explore what pastoral care is all about.

Today, if you are a Christian in a church, you will find that what they do is not called pastoral care, but free-range farming. No one pays attention to you, and you don't need to pay attention to anyone. What pastoral care? But as soon as you want to leave the church, the elders and pastors all come to your house. I think it's really weird! They don't show up when the members need them, but they definitely show up when they are about to leave. It's so strange! So, I want to let everyone know: What exactly is pastoral care? How should pastoral care be done? In my logical system, in what I talk about, I will talk about what to do and how to do it. I tell you, if you do well in the first step of choosing what to do, and then in the second step you choose how to do it, you can't possibly be confused!

The most important thing in pastoral care is binding and release. You must be released from oppression, from disease, from bondage. Otherwise, how can you function? Full of demons, you can't do anything, and as soon as you try, you ache all over, you feel uncomfortable, you can't do anything. Those who are oppressed by demons must be set free, and the captives must be released. We have talked about this enough. This is one aspect: binding and release. We have also changed the term to healing and deliverance.

The second is mortifying the flesh. Everyone rarely hears this, but I tell you, Paul's gospel has many clear teachings on mortifying the flesh.

The third is proclaiming the word of God, so that people can establish a logical system based on the word of God. The word of God is spiritual, and spiritual things are explained with spiritual words. See how well I'm speaking? Some people may want to test me: Where does your pastoral care system come from? Did you invent this, or does the Bible say it? I can guarantee that it comes from the Bible. I don't easily invent anything. All I can do is implement God's word well. I'm already secretly happy if I can do that.

The fourth point is implementing the word of God.

I'll give you a teaser. What do I mean? Do you know where these words come from? First, healing and deliverance; second, mortifying the flesh; third, reading the word of God; fourth, implementing the word of God. When I was examining a colleague, he said: A smart person reads the word of God and then does it. Smart! Why? Implementing the word of God, reading the word of God and then doing it. Why talk about the word of God? I won't talk about it anymore. Good! What is pastoral care? Can everyone remember these four aspects of pastoral care?

How to do pastoral care? First, establish relationships; second, build faith; third, construct a spiritual knowledge system; fourth, solve people's problems. Solve people's problems—oh, he lacks a girlfriend, introduce him to a girlfriend. Is that called solving people's problems? When he fights and gets divorced, he starts scolding you. What problems should be solved? Solve people's growth problems in a spiritual way. Many churches only solve such things: when a man is old enough, he should marry; when a woman is old enough, she should marry. That's all they do, but I don't do that.

So, everyone should begin to know why we say this is a new era of Christian Transformation, because the previous Christian Transformation was in the past generation, and the entire definition of pastoral care was so vague. We are clarifying it, definitely not just talking nonsense. Did Martin Luther establish a logical system of pastoral care? No! It would have been good if Martin Luther had. All of these things are what we, the Chinese Mingding Doctrine, have continuously summarized, organized, and sorted out from God's word over these past few years.

How did we sort it out? Because we actively and proactively did pastoral care. We encountered many problems in the process of pastoral care, and then we solved them one by one. Ah, so that's what God's word says. I tell you, the pastoral care that the Chinese Mingding Doctrine speaks of is definitely effective. Think about it slowly. If it's not effective, why would I tell you? That's the law I summarized from practicing God's word. How important is that! It's not that I was racking my brains there, and then suddenly had a dream, and then came to tell everyone: Ah! I saw an angel! The angel told me how to do pastoral care, the angel said that pastoral care is this... that thing is called metaphysics. My entire pastoral care system is actually continuously summarized in the process of doing God's word.

The Apostle Paul wrote many epistles to build up the church, but he did not clearly write out the two words pastoral care. It is the Chinese Mingding Doctrine that has clearly sorted out this matter of pastoral care. It is very easy to use. Therefore, the latter glory will be greater than the former glory! This can really solve problems. In these past few years, I feel that many churches are just messing around, so I really want to give them the treasure, but they may not like it. So, this is called a transformation. But whether they like it or not, those who seek will always be able to find it.

Among us, there is a sister who has a neighbor who is full of confusion. Being full of confusion is a good thing, why? Those churches don't clarify these things, so it's normal for people to be confused. Then she began to seek, and after seeking, she began to listen to these sermons and Bible studies of the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. The more she listened, the more addicted she became, because she was a seeker. As a result, one day, many people in her church were listening to our Bible studies and sermons.

This friend of ours is also a pastor in her local church. Many people are related to her, because she really wants to do pastoral care well, but no one tells her how to do pastoral care. Those pastors who just mess around continue to tell her how to mess around. So, she was learning and seeking in confusion. After seeking, she really couldn't stay there any longer. So, the first thing she did in 2023 was: Pastor, I'm not going to your church anymore in 2023. The pastor asked: Where are you going? She said: I'm going to the Chinese Mingding Doctrine.

Oh my goodness! I can understand how this pastor felt. That feeling is very bad. I have felt it in the past. But sympathy is sympathy, and feeling uncomfortable is feeling uncomfortable. The problem is, it’s not that I’m happy because the church has one more person. In fact, I’m sad instead. Why? Because a pastor doesn’t clarify these things, and then does a lot of ineffective things.

As a result, as soon as this sister said she wasn't going, a bunch of pastors and elders ran to her house, almost to the point of moral kidnapping. I was filled with emotion! But I thought, she listened to a New Era Christian Transformation, and this time she has something to say: Pastor, don't try to persuade me anymore! The people I should be most wary of are you, this group of people who just mess around. Whether they are heretics, or what kind of end—whether it's one end or an extreme—we don't even need to care, because our church doesn't even have an end! Our church is about to be wiped out. Whether they are heretics or extremists, at least they are still in the circle. You aren't even in the circle, so just wipe it all out, disband it, and go do what you should be doing. These are the words I taught her to say, and this is how I taught her to handle this matter.

So, what is the fundamental problem? The fundamental problem is, is that even a church? The sick aren't delivered, those who should be pastored aren't pastored, and a bunch of people who shouldn't be pastored are pastored. Then that place is full of confusion, and no one solves this confusion. I want to tell her, you really need the Christian Transformation of the New Era, to re-establish a church with a pastoral care system. What have you turned the church into? It's too unseemly!

We have to clarify that pastoral care really makes people grow! When they grow, they will be joyful; when they are joyful, they will be happy. They will live a good life! Even paying the price is willing and joyful; it's a glorious price. I believe that our ten lectures on the Christian Transformation of the New Era will become a spark that can start a prairie fire, igniting a fire in various places.

Some people build with wood, hay, and stubble, while others build with gold, silver, and precious stones. But God's fire will happen and will test the work of each person's building. We don't doubt that many pastors love God, but messing around is not acceptable! Later, I ran into many snags in the matter of church pastoral care, because I felt that this was a treasure, and I wanted to give it to people, but they didn't want it. It wasn't that the members in those churches didn't want it, but the pastors didn't like me. Why didn't they like me? Because as soon as I spoke, they would recognize themselves.

Once, a group of pastors wanted to hold a special meeting, and they dragged me there. I thought I would just listen below. I listened to that thing—sometimes they blew the horn woo woo woo, sometimes they raised the flag and waved it, sometimes they spoke in tongues, sometimes they interpreted tongues. Oh! For me, I had to be patient. The only thing I could learn was patience. I felt this thing was meaningless to me. Too low-level, it didn't solve any problems. I said: What is this doing?

As a result, they dragged me up there too. They said to me: You go on stage and speak too! I told them: Don't let me speak, because if I speak, I will offend people. They said: You speak, it's okay. I said: Really okay? They said: Really okay. Then I had to speak. Then they asked: What are you going to speak about? I said: I will speak about loving the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. I really went up and spoke, but after I spoke for a little while, it was over! The pastor below gestured to me directly, a pause gesture. Did he think I was playing basketball? It's easy to invite me, but difficult to send me away. Didn't I have to finish speaking?

I gave these pastors a bath, not a rub, but a thorough scrub. Oh! How exhausting! Many leaders of their churches were there too. As soon as I spoke, they all recognized themselves. Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength—I answer the phone no matter if it's 2:00 AM, 3:00 AM, 4:00 AM, or 5:00 AM or 6:00 AM in the morning. They turn off their phones at 10:30 PM! Could they stand it when I said that? I tell you, their faces were red, black, and white, all mixed up. If they were performing a play on stage, they would almost be in Peking opera.

This generation desperately needs pastoral care. Pastoral care is paying the price! I ask you: Is it easy to raise a child? To bring up a child, you have to hold them and feed them milk, put on diapers, change diapers. Finally, you raise a child to adulthood, and then you have to constantly send them to kindergarten and elementary school, and you have to constantly teach them. I tell you: It's exhausting!

If I were to tell stories, there would be many. I ask you: Are you willing to minister to a sister who is living under the control of depression? For a month, two months, three months, and it's not like it's ministered to all at once. If it were released all at once, that would be fine, but the truth is, it's often not all at once! I tell you, the pain of spiritual children is often on the shoulders of us pastors. We weep with them, we experience these pains together, and sometimes we are disappointed and speak harshly. Just like that, we do pastoral care with the heart of a father and mother.

Brothers and sisters, pastoral care is proof of loving God! Do you love God? If you don't love God, what pastoral care are you doing? And not all children are well-behaved. Some of them are very bad, and they will often say hurtful things to you, and you still have to endure it? Who told you to raise such children? Brothers and sisters, you must know that what I am talking about will push the entire Christian Transformation of the New Era, from the first lecture to the ninth lecture, to a climax.

Church pastoral care is not a joke; it is really paying the price. I thank God! I later obtained a great grace, because I didn't quite understand what this meant before. Everyone must know for sure that pastoral care can nourish life; pastoral care is a great grace! Everyone must know that if pastoral care is not grace, then it's troublesome. Pastoral care is not giving, but receiving. In these past few years, because of establishing a pastoral care-based church, I founded the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. I tell you, God has been gracious to me, allowing me to clarify many things.

One day, I was leading a Bible study and came across what? Some people enter the garden at 8:00 AM to work, some people enter the garden at 12:00 PM to work, and some people enter the garden at 5:00 PM to work, and they get off work at 6:00 PM. As a result, after getting off work, everyone gets one dollar. I was thinking: God! What is this logic? Why do they all get the same wage? Ah, I understand, because for those who come in to work at 8:00 in the morning, the work itself is a reward. This is the conclusion I came to. Would you say this is God's heart? Originally, serving God is itself a reward. Working is not for the sake of getting that one dollar. If working is for the sake of getting one dollar, then you are taking a big loss.

One sister accidentally saw the amount of people's bonuses. At the end of the year, she went to the copier and saw the copied amounts of the bonuses. Some people just slack off. She felt that she had done so much work. As a result, she saw that her bonus was the same as other people's, and she started to get worked up when she got home. She threw this and threw that. When her husband saw it, he said: What are you throwing? Why? Because working itself is a reward. Do you understand? Some people don't work and get this money—OK! Then I work, and I also get this money. What am I comparing myself to? Am I comparing myself to who works less? You may not understand this time, but it doesn't matter, because you have your own set inside. Maybe when you see that bonus amount, you will also throw things when you get home. So, many people work and work, and they end up in this situation today.

You know, when I work, I have never asked my boss for a raise, but my salary has increased the fastest. My logic is very simple. Do you know what my logic is? I do everything I can do. I do two to three times the work of ordinary people, but I get the same salary as them. But it doesn't matter. You say, why doesn't it matter? Because I grow! Everyone listen carefully. Some people have never figured out this set of logic, but I want to be joyful, so I am seeking. How can I be joyful? I can only be joyful if I grow! Then how can I grow? I need to learn. The best learning is to work and solve problems. Then working and solving problems will make me smarter and more experienced and knowledgeable. So, working and solving problems is itself a reward.

After solving various problems, I will grow, and I will continue to grow until my superior is transferred away, and then the boss above will say: Hey, you come up and sit in this position! I go and sit. Is there a lot of work in this position? Yes, but did the salary increase? No, it didn't. But the problem is, my boss said: This guy is too amazing! He is a talent. We can't let him go! We can't let him be poached. After a while, the salary increased a lot. Later, as I kept working, I got promoted again, and my superior left again, and I sat in his position again. The boss said again: This person can't leave, can't leave.

Based on my logic, people would have to crown me the King of Diligence! I just love to work. Loving to work makes me grow. See, I'm joyful, right? Ordinary people can't compare to my joy, but ordinary people also can't compare to how much I work. Later, I tell you, I do the work of five, six, or even seven or eight people by myself. One of my colleagues told me: Teacher, you have written almost ninety books. I can tell everyone: I have indeed written almost ninety books. Many pastors, you say they might write two or three books in their lifetime, which is pretty good. Then I've written so many; just don't listen to them anymore after this! Do I do a lot? I do way more than that. I do much, much more. Why so much? Because I like to work.

Let's read the scriptures. This is an external tradition. Pastoral care is the same principle. I want to tell you that in these ten years of building a church, I have grown a lot. When I look at something, I know it's a treasure. When I look at something, I know it's trash. This thing should be done this way, and that thing should be done that way. I have summarized many methods. Now I incorporate all these methods into the computer, and in the future, just work with the computer! Then you will grow. I tell you, it's really amazing! So, you say, is pastoral care and service a reward? It is definitely a high reward. So, today, everything I do prospers.

Scripture

Jesus appeared again to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. This was now the third time he appeared to them. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)

Prayer

Lord! Arise our brothers and sisters, let everyone become a person who loves You, let everyone become a person who does pastoral care. God! Let us willingly and joyfully pay the price for Your kingdom. God! You once promised us that if we give a cup of water to one of these little ones, we will certainly not lose our reward. God! You have already prepared the reward. Today, prepare our hearts. God! Let this sentence be deeply imprinted on our hearts, let us often hear You asking us: Do you love me? God! We love You, and we want to do pastoral care for Your flock. We love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength. Because of this love for the Lord, we do pastoral care for God's flock, so that God's flock can all live out the image of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Scripture Background

Do you say that John and the Apostle Paul were in the same system? John is quite interesting. John waited many years before he wrote the Gospel of John. When did he write the Gospel of John? It was when Peter and Paul had both died, so he could write whatever he wanted without any pressure. If Peter were still alive and took John's book and asked: John, what's wrong with you? Why are you looking for trouble? If you write these words in the Bible, people will take them and ask me, Peter: Peter, how do you explain this? I would have to tell people: Don't interpret it forcefully! If you interpret it forcefully, you will bring destruction upon yourselves. And they ask me: Do you love me? Do you love me? Take care of my sheep. Later, I tell you, John saw that Peter had died, and he saw that Paul had died. Only then did John dare to write this passage.

You find it intriguing, don't you? I am not picking a fight with Peter; why would I do that? He is dead. Anyway, he cannot come after me for retribution. I sleep soundly at night, undisturbed. No one will knock on my door at night, announcing, Peter is here. I am not afraid of that. Even if Peter did come, I would have a debate with him, questioning his actions. And then he would dare to come find me, how shameless. If Peter loved God, would Jesus have asked him repeatedly, three times? No, He would not have to ask three times. Actually, Jesus was thinking, I know you do not love Me very much. Why did the Lord Jesus ask? Let me tell you, John's writing style is quite remarkable!

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” (John 21:3)

I am going fishing, is that a divine calling? Then they said, We will go with you also. They went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Is going fishing what God instructed you to do? What is the church? After Jesus appeared to me twice, Peter might have thought he was mistaken or something, or should I just go fishing, so I can barely make ends meet to survive and make a living? Am I making sense? He went fishing. Remember when Jesus called Peter, He said, I will make you fishers of men. Remember that? But they caught nothing all night.

You were originally meant to shepherd God's flock, so Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? Do you love Me more than these fish? Fish can be sold in the market! Can Jesus be sold in the market? No, Jesus cannot be sold in the market. Then how am I supposed to live, how am I supposed to survive? I am telling you, many people do not interpret this passage of Scripture as bluntly as I do. My interpretation does not allow you to fake it.

Then Peter said, Yes, Lord; You know that I love You. Did Peter truly not know the answer, or did he pretend not to know? Did he heed what the Lord Jesus said? “Do you love Me more than these?” Fish can get money in the market that I can't. How I am going to cash me, can I cash Jesus? What Peter was feeling was beyond words. What do you think Peter should have answered at that moment? Lord, you know that I love you. In His heart, Jesus was thinking, If you really knew, you would not go fishing, and I would not have to waste My breath. So Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.”

Some people say, Lord, I entrust all these sheep to You! You entrust them to Jesus? Jesus entrusts them to you, and then you entrust them back to Jesus? What are you trying to do? Trying to instruct your boss to work as your employee to finish the tasks? Have you ever seen me ask an employee to do something, and then the employee hands the task back to me? And then I hand it back to him, and we just keep playing the blame game. In my case, I am not going to take the blame. Is this not just passing the buck? If you had such an employee, would they get a beating? Of course, they would get a beating. “Forget about it, go away. I’ll ask someone else to do it. If nobody is going to do it, I will do it myself.” And on top of that, I do it very quickly. Jesus meant, well, I don't know that you love Me, so He asked again, Simon, son of John, Peter, do you love Me? If, after the first question, he had responded with certainty, I would have thought Peter definitely loves Me and would not have needed to ask a second time. Peter said, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Heavens! Jesus said, “Tend My Sheep.”

But within Peter, he was thinking, How unlucky to encounter an all-knowing Jesus. How am I supposed to deal with this? If I say nothing, that is not good. If I say it, what I did earlier would be embarrassing. He was really thinking that going fishing and selling the fish in the market, how was I stared at by Jesus, how annoying; how am I to live my life? My wife and children are waiting to eat and drink! Is it strange? You could just say, Lord, I do not seem to love You very much.” “Lord, I really screwed up; I went fishing because I wanted to take the fish to the market to sell and exchange for money to support my family. It would be better to tell the truth. But no, he must say, Lord, I love you. Jesus said, I know you do not love Me very much. Is that not all messed up?

I am telling you, this interpretation of the passage is from the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. Many people will feel uncomfortable listening to it because many people are walking the path that Peter walked. They do not have the heart of a father or mother to be a shepherd of God's flock. If Peter really had this heart, God would not have needed to find a Paul to do the work. He simply entrusted it to God, and God passed on the work to Paul, causing you to lose your job! So the third time, He said, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him the third time, Do you love Me? Grieved about what? God knows everything. All the little calculations in my heart have been seen through. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.” Why did John write this? And then John wrote this below:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” (John 21:18-19)

The flavour revealed between the lines makes one feel that this situation will often occur. It says that when a person is old, he will be girded and bound, and taken to a place he does not want to go. What does that mean? Let us all talk about it. What does it mean to be taken to a place you do not want to go? Simply unwilling to die! You do not want to die, but you are forced to die. Is that what it means? Is that what it means? John is quite mischievous! John wrote this thing and circulated it among Christians, giving us a very clear picture. Peter was unwilling to die, and he immediately exposed this matter. In reality, it later signified by what death he would glorify God. Did you hear that? I ask you, was Jesus willing to be crucified? He was willing and joyful! Was Paul willing to die for Jesus? Willing, willing! But Peter was forced. How many brothers and sisters are willing to die for Jesus? If you do not have the will to die for Jesus, and you have not lived enough, then live a few more days! What is the point of living? Is living so interesting? How should you shepherd God’s flock?

I am feeling really emotional now! He was unwilling, but he still had to die and go to a place he did not want to go. Brothers and sisters, I tell you, I am now preparing myself, and I am willing to die. I once mentioned in a sermon that if one day I am kidnapped, do not redeem me, never give them the money; keep the money and spend it yourself! Do not redeem me. I will tell those kidnappers: You guys are so unlucky to kidnap me!” “I have always wanted to commit suicide, but I could never bring myself to do it. Today, I finally found someone who can do it to me. Thank you, everyone! You do not need to find a ransom; I have already arranged it; I have already told them about it. I am willing to die! Would not those kidnappers feel like they had swallowed a dung beetle? My goodness, what am I supposed to do? Let him go! There is no other choice. Killing him is not meaningful, and not killing him is also not meaningful. But if you kill him, you will complete his work. If they say, No, from now on, you will sweep our toilets and do it every day. I would sweep the toilets so happily. Maybe I'd move the kidnappers to tears in their life. They also did not understand. What is the reasoning? On the contrary, I am thinking: “What are they thinking?

Only those who are willing to die for God can preach the pure gospel! Willing to die for God, willing to pay the price for God, willing to give their lives to God and no longer live for themselves can pay the price and be able to serve with the heart of a father and mother! Am I saying this in the right spirit? Does everyone seem to read some new things every time you read the Bible with me? When John wrote the Gospel of John, it was many years later, and he witnessed Peter's life and recalled Jesus' words, and his heart was filled with emotions. Why was he filled with emotions? Because Jesus' words about shepherding were too heavy, so John understood Jesus' meaning at this time. When did he understand it? Only after Paul and Peter were both killed. In fact, I am telling you that Paul's heart and Jesus' heart were of the same mind, not just empty slogans.

So, my brothers and sisters, do you know how important shepherding is? Peter was not a shepherd, but Paul was a shepherd. So later on, John's thoughts were really renewed because of these things and reorganised the teachings of the Apostle Paul, and then wrote the Gospel of John, raising the matter of shepherding to a very, very high level. To what level? Do you really love God or not? Do you love yourself or do you love God's flock? I have to say ahh! My brothers and sisters, I can only wish good luck to selfish people! The more you cherish your life, the more you will be bound to a place you do not want to go. The more you do not want to die, the more the spirit of death will torment you. The more you give your life for Jesus, the more Jesus will let you gain your life.

Is this connected to the previous lecture? So the entire lecture, the first lecture is connected to the second lecture, the second lecture is connected to the third lecture, the third lecture is connected to the fourth lecture, all the way to the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth lectures, they are all connected. One lecture is connected to the next, one ring is connected to the next, and they are interlocked! So when teaching this passage, I want to encourage everyone to learn to shepherd! Because people do not shepherd well, what are they doing? They only focus on their own personal well-being. You need to know why you cannot shepherd, why you cannot be fruitful and multiply because you only focus on your own personal well-being. Personal well-being and fruitfulness are not the same thing. If you only focus on your own personal well-being, how can you be fruitful? Everyone thinks about it. Personal well-being and fruitfulness are not the same thing.

Do you know why women live seven years longer than men? You know that? Because the child is born from the woman's womb, she is a fertile person, so their average lifespan is seven years longer than men! Children are usually raised by their mothers, and mothers pay more of the price! It is not about loving shepherding, it is about loving one's personal well-being! Personal well-being and fruitfulness are completely different. So my brothers and sisters, if you want to enable God's people to live out God's glorious image, if you want to live out God's glorious image yourself, you must shepherd! How can you live it out if you do not shepherd?

Someone said: Teacher, I arrange a person for you to shepherd, I arrange one and you kill them, I arrange another one and you kill them again. Killing one is enough. Can I let you kill three more? If I give you ten, and you kill all ten of them, and then you say, Teacher, give me another one to shepherd. But what you did was to cook and eat the past sheep, turning them into roasted whole sheep. You might as well open a whole sheep restaurant. They are all selfish to the extreme, only thinking about their own well-being, where is the fruitfulness? The question is, can I hand the sheep over to a wolf to shepherd? The next day, even the bones will not be found. So, my brothers and sisters, establish a good logical system. You cannot even explain God's Word clearly, what are you to shepherd? When people want to leave the church, they just think that the food that has reached their mouths has run away. What is that all about? What is important is not whether people have grown since coming among us, but how much they can take from their hands in offerings.

I am telling you, this generation is evil! Except for the sign of Jonah, which is the sign of repentance, no other sign will be shown to you. If Peter were really in heaven before Jesus today, he would definitely be shy. Jesus would question him: How did he do this work? I told you over and over again. I almost said, 'Forget it! Let it go, Peter.' I almost did not say to let it go, and I did not want to give up, but everyone knows that this feeling is not good. Denying the Lord three times, and then blocking the Lord Jesus from being crucified. After the Lord Jesus was really crucified, he denied the Lord three times again. After being crucified and resurrected from the dead, He appeared to him once, twice, three times, and then he went fishing, taking it to the market to sell. What is all this? It is a matter of life and death!

Let us set a shepherding goal. What is the goal of shepherding? It is the same as our goal of salvation. The goal of shepherding that I am talking about is that you grow in shepherding. You shepherd not for the sake of the ones being shepherded, but for your sake. Is that clear? Sometimes, I will put those who are being shepherded under someone's care, and I will directly speak to God in my heart: God, have mercy! This person has been assigned to this shepherd. Oh, it seems a little bad luck! I am telling the truth. It is what is in my heart, but I am telling you that people may make mistakes, but God will not make mistakes.

If you are a treasure, if you are a Joseph, even if you go to Egypt to be a slave, it cannot corrupt you. So later, I was bold enough to do this. If you are not a Joseph, even if you are placed under the best shepherd, it is useless. Everyone is beginning to know that the goal of shepherding is not for the sake of the ones being shepherded, but for the sake of the one doing the leading. It is just like a demon-revealing mirror. What you do when you are shepherding shows everyone the kind of person you are. If you want to truly restore God's glory, you must serve with the heart of a father and mother, not just putting on a show, not just bluffing, not just making a PPT.

The First Aspect of Shepherding: Healing and Deliverance

Can you imagine? If you have a disease and I pray for you and you get healed, how would you feel inside? Wow, this guy is amazing! Then what kind of relationship do we establish? We establish a relationship where I pray for you and you get deliverance. This is the initial establishment of the relationship. This kind of relationship, in order to let this person be delivered, sometimes it is really necessary to scold them a few times. In order to let this person be delivered, it is really necessary to thoroughly attack the devil and the enemy. Because a person in the hands of a demon, what can you shepherd? How can you shepherd him? If a person is in the hands of a demon, you have to deliver him! If a person is in the hands of a demon, suffering from the torment of illness, if you do not deliver him, how can he grow? So our brothers and sisters need to know, to set the captives free and the oppressed free. Only after being delivered and being free can you be considered shepherding.

The initial establishment of the relationship is healing and deliverance. So when you come, you must first be healed and delivered. After delivering some, then start shepherding, forming a virtuous circle, delivering more and shepherding more, until some day in the future, when you are not completely healed, start shepherding. When you start shepherding, you will find that you gain more. So today you need to know that in the process of healing and deliverance, many people are delivered, but after deliverance, you cannot shepherd everyone. Well, I am very experienced. After delivering them, I take a look and I decide not to shepherd this one. Let him do whatever he wants. He is not a person who builds up the church. His mind is full of his own things and he cannot listen at all! So, this is the first step in restoring the glorious image of God.

But some people are always stuck in a death spiral of healing and deliverance. He is bound, we heal and deliver him, he is bound again, we heal and deliver him again... He has been in this state from before the Liberation to after the Liberation. He has never crossed that part of history. I think I have talked enough about healing and deliverance, but the problem is that not everyone who is delivered is a sheep of God! Some people, even though they have been delivered, continue to live in the logical system of the past.

Jesus healed and delivered thousands upon thousands, but how many followed Jesus? There were only one hundred and twenty people in the Upper Room. When Jesus ascended to heaven, there were five hundred people who saw Jesus ascend, and the rest went to do whatever they needed to do, right? So, today, Jesus was only able to take such a few people, so how many can we take? In the early days of building the church, we prayed every day. What did we pray for? We prayed for one hundred and twenty elite soldiers. Not ten thousand people, not one thousand people, but one hundred and twenty elite soldiers.

The Second Aspect of Shepherding: Putting to Death the Deeds of the Body

The first aspect of shepherding is called healing and deliverance, and the second aspect is called putting to death the deeds of the body. There are too many theories about shepherding, and many pages could be written about it. There is too much content in shepherding. After healing and deliverance, it is like casting a net, then picking out the good ones into containers and throwing away the bad ones. Have you noticed that I do not do it like Peter did? What kind of work did Peter do? He worked like a duffer.” In the Northeast dialect, it is called duffer, which means a blind man, that you work very recklessly. Five thousand people believed, but he did not do any screening at all. He forgot everything that Jesus taught him. So today, we must begin to put to death the deeds of the body.

I can tell you that there are many who are healed and delivered through me! How many exactly? What is our approximate ratio? Of those who come to the church and are really able to stay, it is less than ten percent, about five percent. If there are fifty people today, then in reality, we have ministered to one thousand people; if there are one hundred people, then in reality, we have ministered to two thousand people; if there are five hundred people, then in reality, we have ministered to ten thousand people. Are you listening? If there are five thousand people, then we will have to minister to one hundred thousand people. Why? Because after you deliver him, the next step is to deal with his flesh.

From the moment you deal with his flesh, his true colours will come out. Do you know what he will use on you? It means that when you deal with his flesh, that person will become beastly. When he becomes beastly, he will bite people. So this kind of person is a wolf, right? If he is a little smaller, we call him a weasel; if he is bigger, we call him a wolf. If he bites people at every turn, then he is a fly or a mosquito. So, healing and deliverance is a sieve that screens people out all at once.

After being delivered, people have the freedom to make choices, then they can begin to voluntarily deal with the evil deeds of the body. Why do we need to deal with the evil deeds of the body? Because the Spirit wants to contend with the lusts of the flesh. The lusts of the flesh are the bestiality of people. Some people cannot bear what I say. Even today, they still resent the sermons I gave last year because I gave a case study. When I am giving a case study, I am not deliberately looking for a person to pick on. I use a common phenomenon as an example to show that I do not really mention people's names. Some people like to apply it to themselves, but when I am talking about a phenomenon, you need to know that this phenomenon covers and summarises at least ten to eight examples. For example, I will have people feel uncomfortable when they minister to this person, then they cannot minister anymore. As a result, many people apply this to themselves and others.

You ask me what I am after? I tell you, I'm after one thing: to see if it's a sheep or a wolf. You might say: Teacher, sometimes sheep butt people too. But when a sheep butts someone, it doesn't bite. It just flares up, I give it a whack, and it behaves. Can you train a wolf? Can you turn a wolf into a house dog? You can't, that's its bestial nature. So, I might be wrong, but God won't be. What is a person deep down? If it's a beast, then forget it, let's not raise it, what's the point? So, do you all understand? The entire process of building a church, if it lacks the step of mortifying the deeds of the body, if you haven't wronged him a bit, dealt with him a bit, you really don't know what he is. You deal with him, and then you see, this wolf is quite fierce, hides quite deep, this weasel hides quite deep. Comes to pray every day, but is a weasel.

Because Romans says that the gospel is the power of God, do you all remember? This gospel is meant to mortify the flesh. So, we work with God in this way, we do as God does, so my logic is also simple. After dealing with a person's flesh, you can see what they are, I know it in my heart, I am very clear.

I don't know when Lao Ma might take you away, but I give you a comfort, don't be afraid. All those who leave the church, they live quite well, don't worry. Why? Because they are in league with Lao Ma. Like Lot left Abraham, he lived quite well. It's just that one day in the future, when sulfur and fire suddenly fall from the sky, that's another matter. I tell you all, have ambition! I tell you the truth, from the bottom of my heart, if you are taken away by Lao Ma, I have to thank Lao Ma. Some people, after being taken away by Lao Ma, I open champagne at home. But you say I sometimes get it wrong, I'm a little embarrassed, a little hurtful, in the end let Lao Ma do it, I'll leave this work to you.

So, mortifying the deeds of the body, this matter is almost a blank in today's church. Why? Because today's churches, everyone is: Ah, peace be with you; ah, may the Lord Jesus bless you; ah, the Lord Jesus loves you, and I love you too. Everyone is used to playing this game. May the lord hear you! May the Lord Jesus heal you, may the precious blood of the Lord Jesus cover you, may the mercy of the Lord Jesus come upon you! Comfortable, what can you see from that stuff? So, looking around in the church, it's all wolves in sheep's clothing, do you think this pastor is any good? No good, he'll get cancer in a few days.

So, this generation needs to bring about a transformation of New Era Christianity, bringing the mortifying the deeds of the body into the church, this is a very crucial part of shepherding. Why is it that a person is delivered, and then is taken captive again? Delivered, and then taken captive again? Taken captive, and then comes again, and is delivered again, and then taken captive again? The reason is simple: too carnal. Always so carnal, always tossing back and forth like this, is that a treasure? The Lord Jesus said long ago, a net is cast up, and the good ones are picked into the vessels. God only wants treasures, God's word is a very powerful sieve, this is mortifying the deeds of the body.

The Third Aspect of Shepherding: Studying the Word of God

When you build relationships with people, if you immediately mortify the deeds of the body, people will bite you to death, so pastors must be careful. So what to do? There is a gentler way, called sharing the word of God. You need to know that after you tell people the word of God, they feel, wow, my pastor is so enlightened; wow, so amazing! Oh, I especially like my pastor's sharing, my pastor is just amazing, every time he prays for me is so good, every time he shares the Bible with me is so enlightening, I've never heard it before. A relationship is built, isn't it? Mortifying the deeds of the body requires a relationship. If you don't have that filial relationship, as soon as you discipline them, they run away from home.

So, healing and deliverance can build relationships, healing and deliverance can build faith; mortifying the deeds of the body needs to build relationships, needs to build faith. So, I want to tell you today that studying the word of God is the gentlest way to build relationships. Building a system of spiritual knowledge is the only way to solve people's problems, so people need to know God. You say, where does the Bible say that? The Bible says this: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. God's people cannot be ignorant! People will perish if they are ignorant!

At this New Year, someone drew a card for someone, and he secretly told me, Teacher, I drew a card for one of my sisters. I said, what did you draw? He said, always learning, never able to understand the truth. I simply lamented that God knows people's thoughts and intentions. So, if people don't know the word of God, they will be full of confusion, so studying the word of God is a very good form of shepherding. Everyone needs to know, don't just talk nonsense, nonsense is not shepherding, maybe you can talk nonsense for two minutes, but afterwards you must quickly enter into shepherding, building their knowledge of God.

Knowing God is through knowing God's word, people live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, the truth can set people free, now you understand. Building spiritual knowledge, knowing spiritual laws, this is very important. So, brothers and sisters, when you share with people, don't forget one thing, serve according to people's thirst. If people are not thirsty, you have to force them into the trough, will that work? So, I tell you, brothers and sisters must know, serve according to people's thirst, if people are not thirsty, you can't serve them.

So, we are letting people be blessed, does being blessed require us to desperately persuade them? Someone talked about drawing cards, don't think you've got it when you draw a good one, don't be self-righteous. Don't say, some people draw this very accurately. Oh, I thank God, the scope of the preaching themes of Chinese Mingding Doctrine is very, very, very broad, so you should listen carefully. If even you don't want to grow, there's nothing you can do.

You need to see that people are not thirsty for growth, like doing homework for me to do. He says, Teacher, I'm not doing homework for myself, I'm doing it for you. But do I need you to do that stuff? After you finish it, I still have to grade your homework, what am I doing that for? So, if people themselves don't want to grow, then forget it. If people themselves don't want to grow, don't want to deal with the flesh, then let's not deal with it; if you don't want to grow, then forget it. Why? Because whether it is healing and deliverance, mortifying the deeds of the body, or studying the word of God, we pastors must always know one thing, this is not a charity, this is God's glorious church, only bring treasures into the kingdom of God, so if you don't want to grow, then forget it. If they are sifted out, then they are sifted out, I don't really care. Then you say what if you sift wrong? It's okay, God won't get it wrong.

The Fourth Aspect of Shepherding: Following Up and Implementing the Word of God

Everyone needs to know that these shepherding systems that I am talking about all have biblical sources. If you read the word of God and then do it, you are a wise person; if you read the word of God and don't do it, you are a fool, a stupid person, building the house on the sand. We have a lot of things to teach you how to share the word of God, teach you how to study the word of God, every time we do Bible study, we teach everyone how to grasp the key points. You must shepherd, you must follow up and implement the word of God.

Some people come to me and say: Teacher, I'm tired of listening to this stuff you're saying. You think I have nothing to say? I tell you, I can say one sentence that will choke you for a long time, you won't be able to breathe, do you believe it? Saying that you've been listening to it every day and it's meaningless. I said which one have you implemented? Which one have you implemented? If you haven't implemented any, then forget it. So sometimes when you talk to me about this and that, you'll find that I'm also quite good at talking nonsense. You find that I'm talking nonsense with you: Jesus loves you, and I love you too. I also play this game, but who do I play this with? I play this with those who play虚. If you play虚 with me, I also play虚 with you, I'm not like some people who say: Lord Jesus, do you love me? Do you really love me? I don't do that. When I see someone like that who doesn't seem like a treasure, I just talk nonsense and it's over. You're good, I'm good, everyone's good. If Lao Ma takes them away one day, then so be it.

Do you all know what I'm going to share in the next lecture? The topic I'm going to share in the next lecture is very hurtful, God only wants treasures, God doesn't want garbage, the kingdom of heaven is full of treasures! The garbage is all taken away by Lao Ma. Sometimes you know, following up and implementing the word of God, if you can't do it, it doesn't matter, I'm not afraid of occasionally falling, I'm most afraid of you basically not wanting to implement the word of God in your bones. Then I ask you to implement the word of God, and you still play the Dongbei person's tricks with me.

You need to know that the Dongbei person's tricks are very powerful, they say very nice things with their mouths, but in reality it's nothing. Dongbei people are the best at playing this game. Dongbei people are good at talking. The best talkers in the world are Chinese people, and the best talkers among Chinese people are Liaoning people, they speak so nicely, it's like a skit. Chengdu people can't compare, the skit is so well spoken. I'm not comparing this, I'm just making a joke.

I want us to know one thing, following up and implementing the word of God, that is a sieve, sifting out the wise people and sifting out the foolish people. In the process of following up on God's word, I usually in three sentences or two, I immediately talk about your implementation, and then I ask you how's the implementation going? Which one has been implemented? You see this dialogue is very simple, I ask: Hey, how's your problem of discerning good and evil going? How's your relationship with your mother-in-law? You say: Oh, it's still the same, I get annoyed when I see her! I said Liaoning people are good at talking, don't be offended, maybe there's one who's not good at talking, you might be a foreigner from Liaoning.

When I encounter someone who doesn't implement God's word, do you know what I do? When I lead them in prayer, I say: In the name of Jesus Christ, the spirit of death go away! Then I turn off the microphone and think: Lao Ma, take him away quickly! Then I turn on the microphone and say: In the name of Jesus Christ, Lao Ma go away! Then I turn off the microphone and say: God! Give him to Lao Ma. Don't use discerning good and evil with me when I say this, why? You're used to fooling me, then don't you think I'm going to fool you? We fool each other.

You need to know that if you are really serious about implementing God's word, would I need to fool you? If you are really serious about implementing God's word, can I not see it? If you really thirst for growth, can I not know it? Like doing things is for me to do, like I need it. Like you write a note and I owe you a favor, then if you write a hundred notes, how much do I owe you? I'll just say this: Maybe he can turn back if he suffers a bit. The things I say might trip people up, why? I deeply know what God wants. I also deeply know that all the problems are with you and me, with our personal choices. We are willing to give to God and unwilling to give to God, we are willing to die for God and unwilling to die for God, if you are unwilling to die for God, then your hands and feet are tied, and you have to die for God. Then why bother? God doesn't really need this.

Learning is Key

In the entire system of shepherding, I discovered a mystery, I abstracted, summarized, and organized this entire thing, after I finished abstracting the entire thing, I discovered that the most crucial thing is learning. If a person doesn't learn and doesn't grow, they have no way to know God in their understanding. There is no way to know God's will in their understanding, there is no way to know spiritual laws in their understanding, there is no way to live out a blessed life.

So I started to encourage everyone to learn actively. What do you need to learn when you learn? Learn management. If you implement God's word, truly implement it in your life, you must implement it in your everyday life, not in a religious life. I tell you that if you are a 玩虚 person, you are playing 玩虚 in your work as well. Everyone needs to know for sure that I have a very good management system. My management system is very powerful. I imitate God, imitate what? I sift everyone out.

If a person builds a business to make money, then you have to endure it. Slowly endure it, then what can you do if you don't endure it? You have to endure it, why? Your goal is to make money, and you need people to make money for you, so you have to endure it. So many people end up doing it and become very painful. But I'm not, I don't want to make money, I want to win people like catching fish, I just manage people well, so you know, I invented a whole set of human resources management stuff, my human resources management stuff is to make people grow, if you use my system to build a company, I tell you, this company is invincible. I win people, my goal is to build people well.

If I build people well, I ask you, can this company have no competitiveness? Some companies, do you know what kind of logic they have? Work hard! Work hard! Why aren't you working hard? He says: Boss, why should I work hard? If you don't work hard, where am I going to make money? You say, can this logic make people work hard? Look how good my system is: Work hard! Work hard! Why do you have to work hard? Look, you're only getting two or three thousand yuan in salary now, how embarrassing, do you want eight or nine thousand? Yes! Look, you're not good enough now, you're not worthy now, work hard! Grow well! If you don't know how, I'll teach you. Then find a job with a salary of eight or nine thousand. Right? Two or three thousand yuan is nothing, what is that? Grow well!

After people hear it, they feel warm inside. After listening, they say: Boss, I can't do it. What can't you do? You definitely have potential! Oh, after listening, they feel even better. No, I'm not good at learning. If you don't know how to learn, I'll teach you! How can it be so difficult, can't I deal with it? He says, then our company doesn't have such high salaries. Find one outside! The sea is wide for you to swim, the sky is high for you to fly! Someone like you, how can you not become a CEO and an entrepreneur?

After he hears it, he says, oh my god, can I do this? Then you have to live out the glorious image of God. Do you know that God has a wonderful purpose for you? I don't know. Then I'll tell you, come, I'll draw a card for you. Draw one, get hundreds of times the harvest. Wow, teacher, I'll work hard this year! Will he work hard next? He will start to work hard. Then you say these are two sets of logic. In the church, how about we do this? Do the text ministry well! Practice the text, it will be useful in the future. Learn programming well, it will be useful in the future.

After a while, he says: Teacher, you know what? I used what I learned in the company, what I learned in the church. I said, how great, blessed! Put God first. Why? How can you live a life without being blessed? Everyone sees that in the future I will definitely write a book on management, I want to teach everyone management, we will become a people who teach how to do management, that's not because of anything else, it's because God wants to bless you. Don't always be passive, doing everything half-heartedly. Today you have to grow up, and later your understanding will be clear. Some people say, teacher, look, his understanding is clear, I think it's good, but there are also bad things, because he is going to love the world next. But thank God for that too.

Look, we have shaped a person who loves the world, he had no qualification to love the world before, now he has the qualification to love the world. Love well, love hard. Then teacher, aren't we training him in vain? What's the waste of training? Isn't that putting treasures into us? Are we going to leave behind the ore and sand? That's terrible! Wow, so amazing. I ask you, people who love the Lord are crowding in, and people who don't love the Lord become people who love the Lord when they come here. People who love God are crowding in here! Then we expand the place of the tent of the Lord, from now on it will no longer be passive, but active learning. All is active learning, good or not? Good!

Conclusion

To tell you the truth, everyone is very amazing, it's just that you didn't know God in the past, didn't know God's grace, didn't know that Jesus Christ is the most precious. Didn't know how wonderful it is to love God. When you start doing shepherding in the church, you can become an O in the company. Why can you become an O in the company in the future because you do shepherding in the church? Because the church is a place to train people to do management.

The people we train among us, when they go out to companies, their level is immediately compared. Your shepherding is gaining, is loving God! What God has prepared for those who love Him is not a brain tumor, what God has prepared for those who love Him is what the eyes have not seen, the ears have not heard, and the heart has not imagined. So today, loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, that is what we should do! We must be fruitful and multiply, not养生 but生养, if it is养生, it will become a tumor pastor, a brain tumor. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, no longer pitying life, using our time to manifest God's glory, not only sifting those who are being shepherded, but even those who are shepherding are sifted out. What is the result? As a result, God's glory will be restored. Having the image of God's glory, living for one day is like living like God.

I thank God that God has given me the opportunity to start creating Chinese Mingding Doctrine, God has given me the opportunity to build a shepherding church. God has given me the opportunity to do my best in shepherding God's flock. I think this hypocritical generation will pass, and God's glory will be manifested again, shepherding the church must be done systemically, shepherding must become the mainstream of this generation. God's will must be satisfied. In the future, the fruit of my labor and service on earth will follow me into eternity, come before the Lord Jesus, and receive glorious praise, thank God! I get excited just thinking about it. God will definitely pat me on the shoulder and say: Well done! You are a faithful and good servant.

God will no longer ask me, are you willing to love me? No need to ask, not even once. God, I love you! I am willing to die for you, this is my destiny! I came into this world to do this. I was born for this, I live for this, I die for this, it is to be a blessing to many people. Every time I think about having the opportunity to serve God, I thank and praise my God, what a grace, God has made me victorious. Then putting this victory on my head, what merit and ability can have such a good thing, a life full of wonderful stories. This momentary light affliction will achieve an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison.

Amen! May God bless everyone!