I. Introduction:

Good day to all. Today, I will be speaking on a topic I find particularly interesting: “Jeroboam’s Folly.” Why this subject, you may ask? It is because these instances keep surfacing in my mind, and I struggle to comprehend why these individuals acted with such foolishness. God grants Jeroboam a kingdom, and he proceeds to create golden calves, inviting divine rebuke. Was this not akin to needlessly stirring up trouble? Consequently, I have become engrossed in studying Jeroboam's blunders. Previously, my focus was on acquiring wisdom, but neglecting the study of folly hinders true wisdom. Falling into foolishness while believing oneself astute is indeed perilous! I have recently had something of a breakthrough in my research, and thus, I share my findings with you today, much like a academic paper.

Many years ago, I was filled with curiosity about the concept of destiny. Is one's fate predetermined? I delved into the matter extensively, and in the process I found myself in a state of bewilderment, for if destiny is immutable, life becomes unbearable. Discovering that misfortunes are predestined is unsettling. I realized that such a notion leads to despair. At that time, I sought a means of altering my destiny, of exchanging an ill-fated life for a fortunate one, a cursed existence for a blessed one. Finding this promising, I committed myself to this study.

I felt compelled to initiate such a project. I studied and researched, seeking discussions in temples, yet these explorations yielded no resolution. I then visited churches of various denominations. Omitting the intervening details, I ultimately chose Jesus, for He possesses the power to alter destiny. He has dominion over life. To those seeking a better life, He grants it; to those desiring a wretched one, He allows it. Thus, He governs life, enabling one to exchange it for a blessed existence. Decades have passed, and in retrospect, I believe that was the most intelligent decision of my life.

In my middle age, I faced a mid-life crisis and unemployment, a predicament common among many in their forties or late thirties. The reasons for such crises need not be detailed here. One might ask, having changed my destiny, why I still encountered a mid-life crisis? In truth, even this crisis was a stroke of good fortune. How so? I reflected on my desires. I had ample time on my hands. I made another judicious choice, embarking on a new career path. This decision led me to establish a goal, not of accumulating millions, but to help others gain wisdom. I envisioned a world where everyone, like myself, could turn to Jesus and exchange their lives for blessed ones. I endeavoured to share the gospel with all, earning the moniker “Christian.” While unconventional, I found the nickname quite agreeable.

A blessed destiny is indeed desirable, and yet, many are unaware of this. Some, like Jeroboam, experience great miracles but remain oblivious to the path of wisdom. Have you changed your destiny today? If not, and you persist in relying on your own abilities to shape your fate, allow me to offer a warning: abandon this notion! Are you more intelligent than I? I was not successful, and I doubt you will be. If you are more capable than I, then proceed to forge your own destiny, but I hope you do not create a Jeroboam destiny, for that is the height of folly! Foolishness is never a desirable trait.

Jeroboam, the individual I will discuss today, has long been a figure I could not comprehend, a “stupid egg”! This may not translate well; perhaps it is better rendered as a century egg, or better known as pidan(松花蛋). Alternatively, there's the Maodan (毛蛋), a delicacy that would certainly baffle Westerners. In essence, Jeroboam was either a fool or a Maodan(毛蛋), or better yet, a pidan (松花蛋), which we can translate as century egg. Only profound foolishness could lead to such a detrimental decision, one that culminated in a lack of burial and the ruin of his house! What act prompted such a harsh judgment? That is precisely what we shall examine today in the story of Jeroboam.

Subsequently, I observed a prevalence of folly. One of my cousins, though younger than my father, experienced a mid-life crisis and accumulated substantial debt. My father arranged employment for him, only to have him antagonize the very leader who had secured the position, siding with those opposing the leader. As a child, upon returning home, I inquired about my cousin's progress. My father simply replied, “Fool!”. Can you comprehend such behavior? Securing employment for someone, only for them to rebel against their benefactor, is beyond my understanding. Jeroboam embodies this type of person.

In my service within the church, numerous individuals have received blessings through my ministry. I have prayed for women facing potential miscarriages; I have prayed for those suffering from pregnancy-related ailments, and they have been healed. Indeed, I have even prayed successfully in situations where ambulances have been summoned. These individuals sought my help with childbirth and employment matters. My ministry is extensive, encompassing all aspects of life, for I have God's backing. Yet, after receiving such help, some of these same individuals aligned themselves against me. The situation reminded me of my cousin, or rather, Jeroboam. This is disheartening! This is a common situation, with many inexplicably gravitating towards those who oppose me.

Consequently, ministry can be disheartening. Serving others, only to be met with opposition, seems pointless. While such occurrences were once prevalent in our church, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the congregation, they have decreased recently. I was taken aback by their ingratitude. Some pastors have inquired whether we face similar challenges. I have replied that we have, but not to the same extent. I attribute this to culling out the ungrateful—one by one, until our church has been cleansed.

Though it is less common now, one individual, who had benefited greatly from my ministry since childhood, has recently faltered and departed on his own accord. While I could have expelled him, I refrained from doing so. I find it preferable when individuals choose to leave of their own volition. This is because of my good rapport with Lao Ma. Lao Ma assists me in building the church. He once asked how he could help, and I replied that he could help by removing the trash, Lao Ma is my designated trash collector, while I gather treasures. This arrangement keeps our home clean. I maintain a positive relationship with 老马 , as he efficiently removes the metaphorical “Jeroboams” from our midst. He informs me of each removal, but refrains from revealing who will be next, a role he relishes.

While I am cognizant of the identities of such individuals, I will continue to minister to them as if ministering to God, until they leave with 老马. Some inquire whether I am aggrieved by this. While I can suppress these feelings, I am indeed saddened. The loss of my pet dog would cause me grief, let alone the departure of individuals. I am pained by their foolishness. Many are individuals that journeyed with me during periods of great difficulty in the church, after which they left for reasons unknown. I long for them to receive more grace.

I also empathize with God, who faces far greater ingratitude than I do, if we observe The Bible, from the exodus to creation of Aadam and Eve until now. God's capacity for forgiveness is immense considering the sheer volume of the ingrates He encounters. Like rotten fruit during a summer harvest, their choices reflect their impaired minds. Their fate is self-chosen.

Recently, several images have repeatedly surfaced in my mind, one being the creation of the golden calf by Aaron. This troubles me greatly. Why did the people willingly contribute such abundant offerings of gold and silver to Aaron, resulting in the creation of the golden calf? And that golden calf could be made after melting the gold and let it cool down, not by shaping a mold or anything like that , It's a miracle! They did not use a mold or pour it. When melted and cooled, a golden calf emerged from the furnace. Can you believe it? I tell you, it's a great miracle. But it's still golden calf. I keep talking about absurdity, and it all started from the story of the Golden Calf. Aaron is the most absurd of them all, he made a golden calf then said, This is the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and then announced that everyone would keep a festival to the Lord tomorrow. What was he even thinking? I am speechless! I don't understand why he would do that!

Because of the golden calf that Aaron made with the people, many people died! What did you do at that time? Tearing up a calf killed him. Why not live well? No, I just wouldn't live well. I really can't understand things in the Bible. Does anyone have a solution? Do you understand? It would be great if you can understand, but I just can't understand, why is my brain not working? Can't explain the actions of a fool. Brothers and sisters, you can't explain when you face a fool, you can't explain it no matter what, right? So how stupid does it have to be to be like this? After researching to and fro, I can only sum up one result, this is life! Life of a fool!

So today I will give you an explanation of the pictures in my mind, that are all big and small absurd happenings coming out one after another! Later, another picture appeared in my mind, Jeroboam. Jeroboam also made two golden calves, which is more absurd than Aaron. Aaron teares one golden calf, but he put on two, he doubled it. You said Jeroboam teared this golden calf, does he know that Aaron once put a golden calf? He knows it; Did he know that many people died when Aaron created the golden calf? So he did knows that too. Then I was even more puzzled. Now that he put out two golden calves, are you looking for death? Are you tired of living? I found that there are many people in this world who are tired of living. As a result, he didn't die after pulling a golden calf. At that time, he must have thought: Isn't I doing pretty well? It's pretty good.

Many absurd people, those ingrates, later left the church and said: I am living a good life. It's nice to be alive, that's because you don't live long enough, if you live long enough, you must will see the end of the absurd person, especially the end of the golden calve tear-er. I'm not scaring you, why should I scare you? That's what the Bible says. Jeroboam created two golden calves, what's the matter? Today I will tell you that this thing is closely related to the thoughts in people's minds. I think what should I do? In fact, I just hope that everyone can avoid Jeroboam's stupidity. If you can avoid Jeroboam's stupidity, that's great, that's when you can avoid a lot of disasters. Jeroboam is even more amazing, he said: This is the God who brought you out of Egypt. The golden calf is the God who led them out of Egypt, and a group of people have already died in front of them. Later I found a passage in Bible:

Nevertheless Jehu departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, to wit, from the golden calves that were at Bethel, and that were at Dan.(2 Kings 10:29)

Strange or not? one after another, it is the same. So today I made up my mind to drive out all the calf tear-ers from the church. There cannot be calf tear-ers in the church. Once you tear a calf, once you drum, it will produces an Aaron, and once you drum, it will produces a Jeroboam. Jeroboam did this for the people too, the people like golden calves so much, it is very troublesome to go to Jerusalem to worship God, and it is so refreshing to build a golden calf at the door and worship it. Oh, I am so emotional. Today, Chinese Mingding Destiny's understanding of the Bible and understanding of God is completely different from what I received in the church in the past. Now that I think about it, many churches say after building a church: This is the church of Jesus Christ. Is it like a calf tear-er? Is that the church of Jesus Christ? Fishing in the church, gathering a lot of fishing friends, playing this, playing that, selling pyramid sales, selling insurance, introducing partners, are you all tearing up a calf? I'm convinced, this is the church, this is the church of Jesus Christ, why can't can't see God?

I used to know a pastor who was very interesting. Don't pick on me, I'll just lay the groundwork first. He built a church. As a result, there were too many bitches in that church. I have to tell everyone today, don't think you are a woman, I don't want you to be a bitches, I hope you to be a man, as for the matter of men and bitches, let's not talk about it for now. As a result, these bitches was diagnosed with cancer. Wow, the pastor was so tired that he had to go to the hospital to see them. After a while, another checkup revealed another cancer. May I ask you: Is that God’s church? When did you hear about God’s church, click, a cancer, click, another cancer.

As a result, one of the bitches came to me and said: I don’t know when it will be my turn. Then wait slowly, aren’t they queuing up? Just wait, i don't know when it will be your turn. It's just like that, gossip here and there, still a church, gathers together all the absurd things, but still tearing a golden calf. What Aaron and Jeroboam were tearing were golden calves, but the objects they tore were also yellow and soft, but they were shit calves. That's so stinky! Many churches say: This is the gospel, this is God, this is salvation. Everything added up, is it? How does it sound wrong? I have also seen some churches that have nothing to do and say: This is a heresy and that is a heresy. It seems that he is the truth, but he does all these things. I tell you, Jeroboam's stupidity still exists in this era, look out, it is really full of large and small Jeroboams. So today let’s learn about Jeroboam’s stupidity.

II. Scripture

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David; If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.” Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. (1 Kings 12:25-30)

III. Prayer

God, may Your words enter our hearts today, that we may know the foolishness of Jeroboam and that this world is full of large and small Jeroboams. God, give us wisdom and understanding today, that we may come out of Jeroboam's folly, that we may gain wisdom and understanding, and that we may trust in You. God, may Your word be a light to our path and a lamp to our feet today. God, lead us, that we may know You more and more, that we may not deviate from Your way. God, give us wisdom and understanding today and come out of Jeroboam’s folly. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

IV. The Background of This Passage

What is the background of this passage? Jeroboam was once a minister under Solomon, a very intelligent man. If Solomon thought he was so intelligent, how intelligent must he be, right? Jeroboam was a smart man who helped Solomon manage many things, such as managing high-speed rail, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Machinery. He was very smart, to the extent that Solomon thought he was very powerful, such a man it is. Then Solomon did something stupid. He worshiped foreign concubines on the mountain. Three palaces, six courtyards, and countless concubines in the harem. As a result, he gave them whatever they wanted, and finally he became confused and worshiped their gods with those women. Then God was extremely angry.

Then God found Jeroboam through a prophet. God thought Jeroboam was smart and gave him ten tribes, asking him to separate ten tribes from Solomon's family and make him king. Solomon still managed his original group of people, which was Judah. As a result, Solomon knew about this. How did Solomon know about this? Jeroboam must have told Solomon: Hey, God gave me ten tribes. It doesn't sound right. Solomon goes down, and Jeroboam goes up. Can it be done like that? As a result, Solomon wanted to kill him, so he fled to Egypt. After Solomon died, Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeded to the throne. After he succeeded to the throne, he returned from Egypt. Because Jeroboam was very smart, his power was still there. Many people came around Jeroboam to find Rehoboam. As a result, Rehoboam made another stupid mistake.

The ten tribes followed Jeroboam and formed a country called Israel. In fact, the entire country is called Israel. The place Jeroboam separated should not be called Israel, because Solomon and David's original country was called Israel. But after Jeroboam separated, he said that the country should be called Israel, and that his ten tribes were orthodox, and that Solomon and David's country should not be called Israel, but should be called the kingdom of Judah. This is how the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel were formed. The kingdom of Israel seems to have inherited the orthodoxy, but the problem is that Jeroboam faced a very serious problem: the people went to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah God. Tourism revenue is huge, and offerings must be offered, so doesn’t that all belong to Rehoboam? You see, the calculations are very clear, it’s annoying.

For example, if people in North Korea want to go to South Korea to worship a god, wouldn’t the leaders of North Korea be upset? Or if the people in South Korea go to North Korea to worship a god, that’s annoying. Think about it: all the money is spent on others, so what should I do with my economy? Oh, after thinking about it, it’s annoying: then if I continue to do this, won’t they kill me? My people are all people of Jerusalem. One day they kill me, won’t the country still belong to Rehoboam? In fact, when he came here, it was from God, not from his own intelligence. He forgot that these ten tribes were actually given by God.

At this time, after thinking about it, he suddenly thought of Aaron and thought: Aaron created a golden calf, so I’ll create two. As a result, this matter is modeled on a model and learned from the example. Oh, I’m so smart, give him a thumbs up, with lots of golden calf emoticons. I thought to myself: Oh, how smart I am, I can even think of golden calves. That’s pure nonsense. As a result, he felt that his idea was too good, so he said to the people of Israel: This is the God who brought you out of Egypt. Aaron created golden calves back then, so only Aaron’s descendants can be priests. Look, he quoted scriptures. Is there a golden calf in the Bible? Yes, Who made it? Aaron made it, awesome! So everyone must know today that you must have a source for whatever you do. Jeroboam also knows that you cannot be without the classics; this classic is the classic of destruction. As a result, he made a golden calf. Look:

Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”(Kings 1 12:28)

He thought this was a good idea, but it was actually a bad idea. Today, our brothers and sisters must know, how many times have we regarded bad ideas as good ones? Pushing myself into disaster, there are many of them. Today, we try every means to do this, do that, and do a lot of things. Oh, immigrating is so troublesome; corrupt officials don’t know what to do after being corrupt, so they become naked officials. Anyway, it’s all about trouble, messing things up. We have made many of these methods, all of which were invented by us human beings. It simply cannot compare to one method, which is to rely on God! If you rely on God, you will be fine wherever you are; if you do not rely on God, you will have problems wherever you are. So let’s not count the things that have already happened. What should we do in the days to come? In the days to come

As a result, Jeroboam placed one golden calf in Bethel and the other in Dan. How did he justify this to the Israelites? He said, It's more convenient this way. Do you think this is like opening a 7-Eleven? If you open a 7-Eleven convenience store, that would be great. The red and green bars wave, telling people, Come here to buy things, it's so convenient, right at your doorstep. There's a business model, core technology, a management team, and a management system. Money flows in rapidly, fantastic! But Jeroboam in that era established two convenience stores. What's that? Make more gold and create more, right? Put one at every doorstep, that would be great. But he made two, probably for easier management. Then he told the people, It's more convenient this way. The people applauded enthusiastically, So convenient, used to travel two hundred kilometers, now only fifty. Many churches do the same thing now, for convenience. But is it just about convenience? It's not that simple.

What was the result? Jeroboam went up to the altar. He arranged the high and minor priests in shifts, everything well-organized and systematic. As he stood on the altar, God sent a man of God to pronounce disaster. Jeroboam stretched out his hand and said, Seize him! As soon as he stretched out his hand, it turned into a mummy. Do you know what a mummy is? It's dried meat. Have you seen Hunanese cured meat? Hanging on a wooden stick, smoked to that color. A mummy is also that color. If you go to medical school and see the specimens, they are all that color, with the smell of formaldehyde. After seeing those specimens, I couldn't eat braised pork anymore. It smelled like formaldehyde, and looked like a mummy, took me a long time to recover.

Jeroboam saw his arm turning into腊肉 (Chinese bacon) and thought, Oh no, I'm finished. He asked the man of God to pray, and his arm was indeed restored. After being restored, you'd think he would know better, right? But he didn't, he continued to make golden calves. Why? Because he was upset that the people were spending their money in Jerusalem; he was upset that if all the people went there, he would lose his life. He just wanted to preserve his own life. Did he know there was a God? Of course, he did. Could he not know after what the man of God did in front of him? Later, that man of God was killed by a lion. The story in Kings is quite something.

I once wrote a book called Doing What Is Right in the Eyes of the Lord, in two volumes, a Bible study of 1 Kings and 2 Kings. Jeroboam, on the other hand, specifically did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Isn't that just asking for trouble? So I advise everyone, don't go against God, no matter who else you go against. How can you live if you go against God? Jeroboam was stubbornly stiff-necked. Later, Jeroboam's family only ruled as kings of Israel for one generation. They were replaced, and another family rose up and killed Jeroboam's family.

Let me give you a little background. The history of Israel is like this: Jeroboam became the king of the Kingdom of Israel. The House of Judah continued with the sons and grandsons of King David, passed down through the line. That was Judah. Later, Samaria was in Israel. Israel was usurped every short period of time, until the very powerful Jezebel and King Ahab. Then their nation was destroyed. Israel was most known for usurpation; most known for palace intrigue; most known for murder, all meeting bad ends. I think, what were they thinking? It would be better not to be king, just live a good life as an ordinary person. But no, they had to go down the road of being murdered. Alas, what a lament! That's the background of this passage.

V. Jeroboam's Foolishness One: System of Logic

Jeroboam's system of logic is very interesting. That's why there are many Jeroboams, big and small, in the church. Why? Because their system of logic is different from the system of logic of those of us who belong to God. I ask you: Is the challenge that Jeroboam faced a real challenge? The people all go to Jerusalem to worship God, spend their money there, put their offerings there, tithe to Jerusalem. If you were Jeroboam the king, how would you live? How would you get your taxes? Could you collect taxes? How would the nation's economy fare? If the nation's economy is bad, the politics will be unstable. Political economy: If the economy is bad, the politics will be unstable. So if the economy isn't good, the people will riot. If the people riot, they will overthrow the local ruler. That logic is very simple.

Is this logic correct? This logic looks correct from a human perspective. So there are two types of logic: a logic of this life, and a logic of eternal life. Jeroboam was considering the logic of this life, and that kind of logic is deadly! If any of our brothers and sisters have the logic of this life, you are definitely a Jeroboam, no need to even think about it. The logic of this life and the logic of eternal life are completely different accounts! That is to say, if we are pursuing a glory that cannot perish in eternity, even sad things are just temporary, light afflictions, nothing much to speak of, because we are pursuing a glory in eternity! If you are pursuing this life, you are definitely a Jeroboam, maybe not even a full Jeroboam, just a Little Bo, Little Ye. This system of logic is a deadly matter!

I ask you: Do we have that logic of eternal life inside of us? If the goals we pursue are all worldly things, you will definitely agree with something called political economy. It's hard for a person to escape this logic. If the economy is bad, the money all goes to Jerusalem, no taxes can be collected, how can roads be built? How can the people's lives be improved? It's not just a small ten percent. If you add the other thanksgiving offerings, offerings for having children, and many other things, it averages about fifteen percent. If fifteen percent is handed over to Jerusalem, how will the government collect? For example, if the people of North Korea gave fifteen percent of their money to South Korea, what would you do if you were a leader? Annoying, very annoying. Why? The system of logic is the problem. But if the money is offered to God in Jerusalem, God will surely bless me. That's God's system of logic. So the pursuit of this life and the pursuit of eternal life are two things that cannot be reconciled.

Some people are fifty percent eternal life, fifty percent this life. That's called adultery, unfaithful to God, unfaithful to the world, trouble! You cannot serve God and serve mammon. If you think from the angle of money, you are finished. If you think about everything from the angle of money, that's the system of logic of this life. What else is there? Spiritual and worldly. If you look from a spiritual perspective: God has given me this kingship. Even if they offer the money to Jerusalem, God can still make me prosperous! I ask you: Is there still a problem? Completely gone. The problem is that a person doesn't know that the resources in the spiritual realm are greater than the resources on earth. So today, brothers and sisters, we must know. Regarding this system of logic, you can listen to my Bible study of Matthew, that book is called Two Kingdoms, Two Systems of Logic, and then people will have two different pursuits.

Look at what you care about – all these worldly things, for example, having children to support you in old age. Support what old age? Get dementia, know nothing, no need for support. They joke that even in nursing homes, they have to defend their rights. I said, Know nothing, what rights are there to defend? Don't even know what pain is, which rights to defend? That's wonderful, doesn't understand anything, no need to defend rights. Some people say, If I get bullied in the nursing home, won't I have to find my son to help me defend my rights? With dementia, everything is good, so this is a matter of life and death.

If a person doesn't know the spiritual world; if a person doesn't know that our God is in control; if a person doesn't know these things, then trouble! If we have spiritual vision, look with spiritual eyes, the Father's house has plenty of money. I must do according to God's will. Jeroboam's destiny will be completely different, completely rewritten. So today we must know, many people come with a worldly system of logic, and that is trouble. Jeroboam thought he was very smart, knew these things like the back of his hand. He thought, Solomon thinks I'm very smart. I'm smarter than Solomon, how could I not understand this political economy? He trapped himself in a curse.

VI. Jeroboam's Foolishness Two: Wanting to Hold On to What He Got

Many people don't know that what they have obtained is given by God, especially Jeroboam. He obtained the kingship, but he didn't know it was given by God. He thought it was his own cleverness, thought he was very smart. Some of us, God blesses their work, and they are constantly promoted. The more they are promoted, the more they think they are smart. He says, Every penny was earned by me! If you tell the government, Every penny was earned by me, I tell you, the government will deal with you. How much more so, when you tell God, Every penny was earned by me. Everyone of those ten tribes followed me because of Jeroboam, because I, Jeroboam, have wisdom and cleverness. Then he is completely ruined!

So everything you get is given by God. Isn't it right and proper to offer it to God? If everything you get is earned by your hard work, won't it hurt to give an offering? I tell you, you must know that everything comes from God. Look at the things in this world, kingship, money, how much of it is obtained through your own wisdom? If you don't know these things come from God, you think your position is obtained through your ability, you are definitely a Jeroboam, and disaster will surely befall these people.

Many people's families become wealthy suddenly, it has nothing to do with their ability, it is given by God. What if it's given by demons? They make you rise rapidly, and when you climb up, they remove the ladder. Once the ladder is removed, you fall down with a crash. Many people don't know how their families became wealthy, and they don't know how they became poor. Yesterday, a sister was telling me about her family's affairs. Her father suddenly became wealthy, didn't know why. She suddenly uncovered a bundle of RMB in the trunk of her father's car, and then suddenly became poor, didn't know how she became rich, and didn't know how she became poor. I tell you, it's all manipulation by demons, manipulation in the spiritual realm, demons do it this way.

I've seen a lot. Today, we look carefully: The former richest (首富) person is now the poorest (首负), the exact opposite of rich, terribly miserable! Climbing the Tower of Babel, then falling down with a crash. So today, brothers and sisters, we must be careful. If you think something is obtained by your own ability, and then want to desperately hold on to it, you will be in trouble. I tell you, especially Christians, if your things come from God, hold on tightly to God. Don't try to hold on to these things, myself, if he doesn't want to hold it: “Aiya, this kingship is given by God anyway, give offering to God, if God want to take it back, just take it back.” Your kingship will last a long time, I deeply understand this principle.

For me, pastor, this position, that position, I won't grab these things. People say, You're like an emperor. I don't want to do that either, whoever wants it can take it, but the problem is that God won't let you take it, you can't take it. You say, how well I live. In my industry, many pastors in churches live very painfully. I tell you, I enjoy doing this work. Why? I don't need to protect my position, do I need to protect that kind of thing, is it? I'll just do according to God's will, hold on tightly to God. If you want to grab something you got, you're in trouble.

VII. Jeroboam's Foolishness Three: Obeying the People's Will

Jeroboam saw that the people also didn't really like going to Judah to make sacrifices. There was a basis of popular opinion, water can carry a boat, and it can overturn it. I will open a 7-Eleven convenience store for everyone, come here to make sacrifices, that's so convenient, click, and opened two just like that. People really went, people just make sacrifices to the god who led them out of Egypt, how they cannot go? So he created a god according to the people's will, that is not truth. So today you know, the church obeying the people's will, is that truth? The church obeying the people's will is not truth, obeying the people's will is very dangerous.

So in our midst, I tell you, although I serve everyone, I am implementing according to the word of God. People's will? What is people's will? God's will is important, people's will is not important. Distorting the truth for the sake of people's will is nonsense, creating gods for the sake of people's will is creating calf-nonsense [牛犊子 means calf, but sounds similar to 扯犊子 which means nonsense]! So the church cannot obey the people's will, but obeys God's meaning, may God's will be accomplished, not the will of man. I tell you, those that obey the people's will will not end well! Actually, truth is not necessarily in my hands, but truth is definitely in God's hands.

I don't want to walk Jeroboam's path, to protect my position, according to the worldly system of logic, and then play some political games, our church doesn't have this kind of thing, releasing a whole bunch of calf-nonsense [扯牛犊子的事]. Everyone say, are there many things that are calf-nonsense [扯牛犊子的东西] in the church today? Many! I [扯] (nonsense) before too, but later I repented. Now, people not knowing that God can solve problems, is that not a tragedy? Ask me, regardless of what may build a church with God, all the problems are nonsense [扯犊子了], that, build everything, replacing the truth of God.

VIII. Jeroboam's Foolishness Four: Stiffness

Look, Jeroboam has already made two calves, and then his hand stretches out and turns into 腊肉 [cured meat], and then it gets better again. Should he tell the people, I made golden calves, that was wrong. Should he? Tell all the people that his decision was wrong, which politician dares to stand up and do that? His political foundation would definitely be unstable, can you understand? Wrong is right, just do it, cannot say it is wrong. If he says he did wrong, then others will say: Since it was wrong, why did you do it in the first place?” So Jeroboam is tightly bound by his own system of logic. But those of us who serve God must be supple. We were wrong, we didn't do it right. We are not managing the church based on a worldly political system, so it's normal not to do it right. I'm a person, if I don't do it right, I'll change it. I’ll repent!

But Jeroboam cannot change. I ask you: If you implement a policy and it’s wrong, what do you do? Do you say: “I did it wrong. Cannot say. If you said: “Aiya, making golden calves was wrong,” you would quickly be ousted, unable to stand. Wrong, you should continue. In the end, you must twist around it. So this is called stiffness. Pharaoh of Egypt, stiff, the same. Once a man according goes according to the worldly system of logic; once a man wants to hold on tightly to his kingship that is to give up, one does not serve God [沒有办法侍奉神] when he goes along to comply with the popular will/ public opinion. Our God is a holy God. That’s why everyone must be cautious.

The other day I had this [came to mind] [脑袋里头] with this segment [浮现出这段话]/ [segment of word floating in my head]. Joshua told the Israelites saying, “You cannot serve God.” Then people said, “So?”/ “Is it that we all serve.” The Israelites said, “What is that?! You are able to serve but we cannot?!” Actually! Right after Joshua talks, it is that he/Yahweh God is that He is a hateful God and that He is a holy God. No way! What is that? Is He a holy God. You can’t mix-up [something]. That is why it is what we all know/That’s why we need to have that [大家知道吗]/ [大家要小心]. Chinese Mingding Destiny [华人命定神学] important is that if I didn’t do that, what is right? How does the thing about do, how can I give you all this/ these mindsets [能把这种想法放在你心里], and then you won’t be. Because the result of it is not good. What you did wrong. That it is stiff. Being soft/supple, heart starts from inside on it. Did it wrong, did it wrong and it is what [犯了错] and it is nothing? People/ Someone thinks that I am pure [圣洁] and they are a model and I am more of a copy [典范] of [罪人／sinners ] the world isn’t the key point of it. You are able to mix-up the Holy Spirit in it.

So Jesus becomes a [榜样]/ [Model]. Other people go and greet Jesus like you all are holy and sacred. Jesus says “The Holiness that is in my Father.”/ “天父／The Father is Holy.” So we should often all just/ and often feel that we didn’t do it right the first time [觉着没整对] and then fix it up. [整对它]. So, we commonly [常常 ] ask ourselves. You/ People/ Someone is going to test me and ask, “Why are you talking on your platform today for 5 years?” and I didn’t know a little or had a little level [知识面] and just improved a little. The system is pretty simple. If Jeroboam is that political system then he will mix it up [扭转]. and If he does not put something [his heart the right way.

IX. Conclusion

This is from logic. Stop using/depending on your smarts. People/ Someone thinks that their [聪明] is that they are dumb. Jeoboam feels that he is the/ that they are great until it is all [死亡／death]. Did/ Can I catch/hold that/these things but is it that he is/are being [勉勉强强]/ [barely there 20 something. The one, and it is God’s heart, the anger that is from God after 20 some odd years grows/ grows into what you grab.

This one so do not put into Jeroboam’s something. Read of the word of
God properly. So just ponder/ so just consider /think about what I will say, and use something [脚后跟／your heal] to think. God is [掌管／taking care]. So [神／God] is that he protects you so never get hurt/ go out a lot and if the window is closed tight. You can’t hold Jesus back. Jesus is [灵／Spirit]. And so dear Christians/ you all in God, and what [活祭／Sacrifice] is what you/they all do right [理所当然]. And there is something, God is our path forever. Jesus is gone and that means this.

To [弃绝／abandon]/ [to be rejected] the world out for something/ and [效法／ emulate] David in the land. Take heart, and reject something/ and I shall not [蒙祝福／ blessed] is [必要／Necessary] because there is [永不停滞][Glory Forever]

[天上的父／The heavenly Father ]，

God bless you all and that you are so kind. Chinese Mingding Destiny [神／ God ] and all the things we do and here we that
[荣耀／Glory] in the things we mix-up. If you don't [奉献／ give offering ] [理所应当／ that is a fact [logic but not that much. The reason is that what [恩典／ Grace] , God.

For the surest, that we will forever now will [ 耶罗波安／] . The Holy Spirit and know/ trust God. And with a little bit of consideration that feet. [得新冠／Covid]. To trust is the best/best. [疫情是个灵／Pandemic is spiritual]. We say to all/to all God of love and let myself sacrifice myself for the world. Now [ 耶罗波安／] let go of all the past good and grasp trust and [耶稣 ／Jesus]

Lift hands together and trust with me. To/ I trust you through Jesus. I won't mix-up the things of the world. To/ I trust you to never trust [那不能朽坏之福／That cannot destroy] what I give. I give sacrifice and what [神／God ] takes is me. Praise Jesus and blessing. I believe your heart with us is holy.