I. Introduction

Good morning. Today, we will continue with the series on foolishness. Only by discussing foolishness can we become wiser. From Monday to Thursday, I struggled to decide who to talk about today. Initially, I considered Moses' wife, Zipporah, but then I wondered if I should talk about Lot's wife. I thought, why am I starting with people's wives? No, I should focus on the priests. Last time, we talked about the spies who were unable to enter the Promised Land. In fact, many people were struck down by God in the wilderness. Today, I have chosen Nadab and Abihu, who were burned to death while serving God. It's quite frightening, but don't just be scared after listening. God told them: lest you die. If you read the Bible carefully, you will know how great God's grace is. God said: Don't do this; do it according to God's word, lest you die. As a result, Nadab and Abihu did not operate according to the rules and were burned to death by God's fire.

Everything must be done according to the rules. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. People must abide by human rules. I have a grand idea in my mind: to teach people to abide by rules from life to death. In fact, from life to death, we are learning rules. For example, learning to drive. Of course, you can't drive when you are just born, but when you grow up, you have to learn to drive and get a driver's license. The first subject is about the rules of driving. If you don't abide by the rules and are willful, you will die quickly if you drive fast. If the speed is more than 100 kilometers per hour, an accident is like jumping from a dozen floors high.

All disasters can be divided into two categories: natural disasters and man-made disasters. God's actions are called natural disasters, act of God. So what are man-made disasters? Many years ago, during the Soviet era, there was the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which exploded because an operator did not operate properly. Oh, it was scary. When I watched the TV news back then, the fire could not be extinguished. It was a violation of the rules. This small operator caused so much trouble and directly brought down the Soviet Union. Natural and man-made disasters! You must know that priests must abide by the rules of priests. Like us pastors, I am a relatively rule-abiding person. I have abided by the rules since I was a child. As a student, I was a good student; as a worker, I was a good worker; as a professional, I was a good professional. I abide by the rules and basically don't mess around.

How did I live by abiding by the rules since I was a child? I lived well. Without man-made disasters, how could I not live well? Look at those fools who always violate the rules. Today, they create some man-made disasters, and tomorrow they create some man-made disasters. Who can you turn to? Then you ask God: God! Why is this happening? God says: I want to ask you, why are you doing this? Being a Christian, you are a very lousy Christian; being a programmer, you are a very lousy programmer; being an accountant, you are a very lousy accountant. Why? It's because you don't abide by other people's rules. When you write a program, you have to write it according to other people's requirements, right? If you don't write it according to other people's requirements, you don't even need to think about it. The things you write can't run. There are still problems even if you write according to the requirements.

Some people don't abide by the rules since they were young. You must know that not abiding by the rules since childhood is a very serious issue. For those of you who have children, I will give you an idea: Train your children to abide by the rules since they were young. If you train them to abide by the rules since they were young, do you think this child will not live well in the future? Of course, destiny is also difficult to change, but there will be fewer man-made disasters. If a person has fewer of his own man-made disasters, it is at least better than having man-made disasters, so train them to abide by the rules since they were young. It is very upsetting when children don't abide by the rules. Some parents bring their children to me, and the children jump on the sofa for a while and then jump down. I really want to beat them up. I glared at them and said: This is not your home. When you come here, you have to abide by my rules. As a result, the child was so scared. If he really doesn't abide by the rules, his parents won't discipline him. When he comes here, I will definitely discipline him. I am definitely good at disciplining children. The children I have disciplined are all very good.

In life, people have summed up a series of rules. These rules are turned into codes of conduct. You should do this, and you should not do that. Just like there is an electric wire with a lightning symbol on it. You should know that you can't touch it. If you touch it, you will be electrocuted. The parents I teach all have the ability to discipline people and teach people to establish rules. The rules that people have summed up actually reflect the laws of how people can live well. If people can often reflect on their own foolishness, then people will definitely become smarter. Why do I always talk about the series on foolishness? Nadab and Abihu were burned to death. We can still eat a whole roasted lamb, but who can eat Nadab and Abihu after they are roasted? No one can eat them.

The reason why you haven't done a few things right in your life is because you don't know the laws of things and don't abide by the rules. So we must be careful today, because the probability of you abiding by the rules when you do something again is very small, because you always want to be fast. Are there any like this among us? Oh, I want to get rich quickly. There is an opportunity here. I will give him one million, and he will give me three million by the end of the year. I will have three million all of a sudden. As a result, even one million is gone, and that one million is still borrowed. How unlucky is that? You always want to be fast. Who won't the devil deceive if not you? Some people are stupid in this way. They want to build houses quickly, quickly build houses. If they are built and collapse, it is better not to build them.

Some people don't abide by the rules. They work from the age of twenty to thirty and return to the original point; they work from the age of thirty to forty and return to the original point; they work from the age of forty to fifty and return to the original point; they work from the age of fifty to sixty and return to the original point, and they still owe a lot of money. We must know what the reason is? Why are other people financially free when they live to sixty, but I am in debt when I live to sixty? It is because of one thing: not living according to the rules, not learning, and not knowing the rules. For example, when engineers develop software, they say: Launch it quickly, launch it quickly. I said: Slow down, test everything well. No, it must be launched. As a result, the online system collapsed. At least seven or eight million were burned in those years. Seven or eight million were burned, and nothing was left, just a pile of garbage. Why? Not abiding by the rules of software development. It is even more fatal to be a priest. They are burned to death on the spot, which is even more serious than the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion.

You must know that when people serve God, they must follow the rules of serving God. We should do what God says and not mess around. Some people do projects: List it quickly, list it quickly. I am wondering how many people will be harmed after this thing is listed? I said: God, please don't let him list it, many people will be unlucky if he lists it. That is not serving God, that is serving mammon. So brothers and sisters must know that when I become a priest serving the living God, oh, I am terrified. Why? Because I have been shocked by electricity, but God has grace and mercy. In the beginning, I messed around when building the church. I was thinking about how to attract people? Moses raised a snake in the wilderness, and I raised roast chicken, roast duck, ham, and spiced beef. Is that a rule? As a result, the curse was very deep. I reacted a little faster, and then the job was gone. Isn't it a curse that the job is gone? As a result, I deeply reflected and stopped doing it. I began to build the church according to God's word, but I implemented as much as I received.

People like me are very rule-abiding people, and I am also a very creative person. The software I designed and the houses I renovated are all very good. Is it a bit difficult to be a person like me who does not violate the rules and is also creative? Nadab and Abihu were creative and did not abide by the rules. They learned it themselves in Egypt. They took the whole censer, put some fire and incense in it, and then brought it to God. They were 8bq on the spot. Can you joke about that? They were told that they would die if they did that. Brothers and sisters, if you want to be Christians, you have to learn a lesson from Nadab and Abihu, lest you also be 8bq.

You say: It's okay, I call on God's grace, I call on God's mercy. Mercy and grace are not used like this. Otherwise, you pray in tongues while touching high-voltage wires. I will see where the grace and mercy are. It won't get better. Grace and mercy can't stop you from touching high-voltage wires. You must not be like some people who are lying on the road stupidly. Others say: A car is coming. He asks: What kind of car? The answer: A bicycle. He says: Let the bicycle run over me. Who has nothing to do and comes over to run over you? Isn't that fraudulent? Others say: Another car is coming. He asks: What kind of car? The answer: A motorcycle. She says: Run over me. Then a driver who was in a daze came along. He didn't know there was anyone there. Then he dozed off a little and didn't see it. Crash, he died. Isn't that deserved and courting death? Not abiding by the rules is fatal!

So priests must deeply understand God's word. Do you know how I study it? I observe that if a pastor dies, I have to study it carefully; if a brother dies, I have to study it carefully. At the beginning of this year, I just attended a funeral. One of my friends was a pastor, and he died of COVID-19, lying in a coffin. Some people say: Why are you gloating? I am not gloating. I said: If I don't abide by the rules, I will be like this too. My research method is a bit損, but if you observe more, you will sum up the rules.

I was particularly upset for a while. Why? I almost didn't abide by the rules. Can priests do business through priests? Suppose I am a priest and say: Oh, the temple is very good. Rent out the small house next to it to exchange silver notes, and rent out another small house to sell chickens, ducks, and sheep. Then notify everyone that you don't need to bring a sheep from afar. I have sheep here. You just need to bring some money. Is it good? You must know that what I hate most is doing business with members in the church. Many people are still quoting scriptures there. There are 10,000 members. If one person buys a book and earns one yuan per person, that is 10,000. If one person earns 10 yuan, that is 100,000. There are many such things as selling insurance and doing pyramid schemes.

I have a lot of skills, and people ask me to do software, training, and consulting. Now the problem comes, should I charge money or not? I also feel that it is real money. I often tell everyone to look at those that are vanity of vanities, but when real money comes, it doesn't seem so empty. Is that how everyone is? Touch your wallet and see how good it is for other people's real money to enter my wallet. No! Why? Priests can't do this. But my heart itches. I struggled for a long time. Even a rule-abiding person like me still struggled for a long time. What will happen to your comprehension? It may be difficult. Later, after thinking about it, I figured it out. I have to abide by the rules. Priests cannot make money or be greedy for money. This struggle was experienced because of what problem? Money! Because Jesus once said: You either serve God or serve mammon.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

In fact, I have met many pastors who love money. It is really not an exaggeration. What they are speaking is all the word of God, but in reality, they are like celebrities running穴. There is a team behind them. How powerful is that team? They have economists who study how much money each performance will earn. So you must be careful. Not abiding by the rules is particularly fatal. It is really courting death for a priest of the Lord God to offer strange fire. What I have summarized is the law. I have read so many cases in the Bible. Balaam is a case, Jeroboam is a case, the ten spies are a case, Ahab is a case, and today I will bring out Nadab and Abihu to tell everyone about. You must know that the mortality rate of priests is very high. If you observe carefully, I believe you know many pastors who are Christians. You have to observe how this priest was 8bq. You say that God does not have grace and mercy? Grace and mercy are given to those who trust in God. It is really courting death to know that it is not God's way and to come up with your own set.

Some people type and say: Teacher, some pastors are doing live streaming to sell goods. We have studied this matter and cannot do it. Brothers and sisters must know that being a priest means freely receiving and freely giving. Your offerings are your willing giving to God. We are not a transactional relationship. God will definitely bless you according to your offerings. I give away a lot, and it is not an exaggeration at all. Those who are close to me will definitely receive grace. I will never take advantage of you. People like me don't eat what they can't afford, don't drink what they can't afford, and don't buy what they can't afford. I don't need to ask for help from others, I just give away. Moreover, I am full of treasures. Pigs are full of treasures, and I am also full of treasures. God has established the rules, and we must abide by the rules to build God's glorious church. How good is that!

II. Scripture

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire in it, added incense, and offered unauthorized firebefore the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’” And Aaron remained silent. Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered. Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair go unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, the entire house of Israel, may mourn over the fire the Lord has sent. Do not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting, or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said. Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.(Leviticus 10:1-9)

III. Prayer

God! We thank You for allowing us to have the honorable title of priest. God! We thank You that You have chosen us to be Your holy children. God! Today, let us be able to thoroughly understand Your words and act according to Your words, because we live by every word that comes from Your mouth. God! Today, give us wisdom and intelligence so that we can please You in Your sight in the days of this world, never offer strange fire, never serve You according to our own will, but serve You according to Your heart and according to Your will. Today, give us wisdom to become a wise priest and Your faithful and good servants. God! May You have mercy on us, remember us, and let our hearts care about Your will in Your sight, receive Your grace, see Your glory, and become a holy vessel, so that we can learn a lesson from Nadab and Abihu. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

IV. Background of the Scripture

Regarding the background of this scripture, you must know that the Israelites left Egypt to enter the Promised Land. I was wondering what should be done first? If we want to fight, we should first build an arsenal to smelt copper, iron, and steel. The steel production must go up, and the weapons must be advanced, right? No. The first thing to do in the wilderness is to promulgate laws and build the temple. What is the relationship between building the temple and fighting? Because the most important thing in fighting is spiritual warfare. If the spiritual battle is won, the earthly battle will be won. This logic is very clear.

After the Israelites left Egypt and entered the wilderness, the first thing to do was to make a covenant with God, and the second thing was to build God's tabernacle. These are all called battles. The battle that God led the Israelites to fight was not an ordinary battle, but a spiritual battle. The first thing to do in this spiritual battle is to establish a spiritual center, build God's tabernacle, have God's presence, and only with God's presence can we enter the Promised Land. Without God's presence, we cannot defeat by relying on the flesh. Leviticus talks about how priests should serve God in the temple. In fact, it is worth thinking about for us who are pastors and small pastors. If we lose the battle here, there is no need to fight other battles.

Some people say: Teacher, aren't you talking about growth? Growth cannot replace being a holy people before God and becoming an elite soldier before God. Elite soldiers are not because of the weapons in your hands, but because you have God's presence inside. This logic is clear. So Leviticus records how priests serve God. There is a very important word here: according to what the Lord commanded; according to what the Lord commanded Moses; as the Lord commanded Moses, so Moses did. Have you noticed these words? If you don't understand these words in the Old Testament, you will be destroyed.

You must know that as God commanded Moses, so Moses did, but Moses was also a person who almost died. Do you know where? Moses fled from Egypt and herded sheep in Midian for forty years. God chose and called him to go to Egypt. On the way, God wanted to kill him. Why? Because he listened to his wife's words. Have you understood the Bible? Of course, some of you are wives. I hope your husband listens to you. You will say: Teacher, why are you so unfair? We can't control this. It's good if he can listen to you. You can lead him into blessing. This Moses almost died listening to his wife's words. Pastors also almost die listening to their wives' words.

Moses listened to his wife's words, which was not what God commanded him, so God wanted to kill him. Don't ask God why these words are recorded in the Bible. Don't argue with God, and don't wrestle with God. You can't break him. Knowing that God is like this, we should be careful to avoid him and not compete with God. As a result, Moses learned a lesson and knew that this would kill people, so Moses became obedient and listened to God's words. He did what God said. You must know that victory comes from relying on God's words. As a result, God was training Aaron and his sons on how to be priests, how to wear the ephod, the robe, what hat to wear, what to hold in their hands, and gave a lot of instructions on how to offer sacrifices. Then he warned them: You must do this, lest you die.

Whether you are a Christian or a priest of the Lord God, if I am a pastor, I am also a priest of the Lord God, that will kill people! As a result, after the instructions were given, they began to offer sacrifices, and they did what they were told before Leviticus chapter 10. As a result, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu did not do what God commanded this time. I guess they should have drunk some wine that day and were so excited that they forgot God's words. They盛上火昏得乎地盛上火,加上香就献了凡火, and offered strange fire. As a result, they were burned to death on the spot. God had never commanded this before, and they invented it themselves.

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. (Leviticus 10:1)

In the very act of putting fire in their censers and adding incense, they were utterly unaware that they were courting death. It is akin to a person involved in a car accident, not knowing a split second before that a collision is imminent. Have any of you been in a car accident? I have. I was driving when, bang, several cars crashed into one another. Why? Failure to observe traffic rules, failure to abide by regulations. Nadab and Abihu died without even the prospect of providing for their descendants. This is a matter of life and death! How many things have pastors in the church done that God did not command? Now you understand why so many calamities befall these pastors? Of course, some calamities, like the stoning of the Apostle Paul, were for the sake of the Gospel, and that had God's glory. But many are not walking according to God’s rules, like Nadab and Abihu; if it is not commanded by God, there is no glory whatsoever.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must understand that you must do as God commands you to serve, and you better be cautious about what God has not commanded you. You see, I used to use roast chicken, roast duck, and marinated beef to spread the Gospel; that was not something God had commanded. In fact, even the Happiness Group has no precedent in the Scripture. Alas, old Aaron suffered. He watched his sons die, and God told Aaron: Do not mourn. Why? If he mourned, God's fire would be ignited against Aaron, and Aaron's life would not be spared; the entire congregation of Israel would have to bear God's wrath. There is a passage in Leviticus:

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair go unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. (Leviticus 10:6)

Stand on God's side, don't stand in the wrong place, don't mourn for the person whom God has struck down, or you will suffer as well. Therefore, the background of this passage gives us a profound lesson.

V. The Occupational Hazards of Priests

What is the work of a priest? The work of a priest is to preach God's Word, to present the people's offerings to God through the hands of the priest, and to bring God's power and God's solutions to the people. This is solving problems in a spiritual way. But this spiritual method relies on God's Word, so offering unauthorized fire is the greatest occupational hazard for a priest. Actually, managing the altar is decent work. After the sacrifices are offered, the priests eat, while the common people still have to till the fields and herd sheep. These priests don't have to do any of that. But God is a jealous God, so one must always be careful of this occupational hazard of being a priest.

How should this risk be managed? Control the foolishness within us. Why? Because Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons were essentially the highest leadership institution of the Israelites, so the occupational risk of being a priest is very high. This is a deadly operation. This is not playing around with the Chernobyl nuclear power plant; it is God's great power that is being released through these priests. If they are not careful, that thing can really electrocute people, burn people to death, generate radiation, and shoot people dead. It’s a matter of life and death! You must serve according to God's rules.

Thank God that today we can put on Jesus and serve God, but I tell you, we cannot escape the occupational hazard of not serving God according to His Word; that risk is enormous. Some people will say: Sometimes we feel that God has not made things clear. That's what you think; God has made it very clear. Aaron and his four sons, plus Moses, all need to carefully read and understand God's Word, just like operating a nuclear power plant, be careful how to operate it, because this thing is like high-voltage electricity, it will kill people. But has God made it clear? God has made it very clear. God said: Be careful, lest you die.

VI. Offering Unauthorized Fire Can Be Deadly

I myself have offered unauthorized fire and almost lost my life. A foolish priest is one who does what God has not commanded. Think about it; there are too many examples. If you do what God has not commanded, isn't that scary? It is very scary. You say: Pastor, after you've said all this, I feel a little scared. If you are scared, that's right. If you're not scared and just press a few buttons randomly, then you're just messing around. I know several carpenters, one of whom has all his fingers intact. Why? Because he doesn't use the electric saw when he's drunk. But he told me one thing: Nine out of ten carpenters are disabled. He gave me examples of who drank a little wine at noon, and then his fingers were gone when he turned on the electric saw in the afternoon. It's like mincing meat, scary. If you're a little tipsy, you should be afraid. You must know that messing with this thing can cost you your fingers, or even your life. Offering unauthorized fire is something that God has not commanded. Is this a matter of life and death?

When I first believed in the Lord, although I didn't understand the Bible, the matter of death shocked me deeply. Why was it shocking? Because this was not something God had commanded, it could lead to death. At the time, I carefully searched the Bible, flipping through the front and back, to see if there was anything about taking a censer, putting fire in it, and adding incense. God really did not command this in the Bible; it was invented by Nadab and Abihu themselves. Isn't that courting death? Later, I did something that was like offering unauthorized fire and suffered a deep curse. At that time, I contributed money and effort to serve God, but I suffered curses because I was offering unauthorized fire, adding legs to the snake. It was not drawing a snake, but drawing a four-legged snake.

You say, is there such a thing as offering unauthorized fire in serving Jesus? Of course there is. The Jesus we serve is God, and God is a jealous God, so you must be careful. What is offering unauthorized fire? It's doing what God has not commanded you to do. Serving God must be done according to God's Word. If there is no reference to God's Word, then what you do is called offering unauthorized fire. Do you understand? Brothers and sisters must know that the shepherding we speak of is summarized from the words of the Bible and is done according to God's will. Even so, I am still trembling with fear, afraid that something is not right.

Some time ago, I was struggling in the process of serving. Why? Because some people are just very foolish and have no solution. I lead them in prayer, and no matter how much of God's Word I tell them, it doesn't work. Later, I discovered that the reason why people become foolish is very simple: it is because they do too little. I thought: What if doing things affects prayer and reading the Bible? I was very conflicted, afraid of offering unauthorized fire. Later, I figured it out. This is indeed God's Word, so I lead everyone to do proper work. Some people say: I have a problem with lust. Then do proper work. Is doing proper work God's command? It is God's command. Is doing management God's command? It is God's command. In fact, later I thought that God gave us this responsibility of management when He created Adam and Eve, so serving God really requires careful observance and strictness, or else you will become like Nadab and Abihu and be finished.

VII. The Priesthood Is the Best Profession in the World

You must know that the priesthood is a very interesting profession. Priests get a double portion of the inheritance because priests serve God, and God gives them enough and more. The priest serves before God. What does he do? He offers sacrifices, like Aaron and his sons. As long as you don't offer unauthorized fire and diligently implement God's commands, then you will lack nothing. Priests are not short of money, even the priests of the Egyptian pharaoh were not worshipping God, and those priests were not short of money either. You need to know what priests do. Their feet stand on the ground, and their hands can touch God's throne, bringing God's power to the earth. Isn't this the best profession? Our Jesus Christ has become the greatest priest. We people follow along and serve as priests, we can draw on heavenly resources, we can be great princes in the spiritual world, we can plunder the enemy, and no enemy can stand before us.

If God promises to give the Israelites the position of being above and not below, then those who are above the Israelites are the priests. Everyone needs to understand this logic. If the Israelites are to be above and not below, the head and not the tail, then the priest is not just halfway above, he's at the very tip of the pyramid. Don't mess up this good hand of cards. Why do I look down on some people? Because they mess up a good hand of cards. Does this ministry need people to do it? No. It's not that I need people to do this ministry, it's that you need to come and do this ministry, it's a very good place to train yourself, to train yourself to follow the rules. If you don't follow the rules in serving God and shepherding God's people, then you're courting death.

Why did I say just now that I look down on some people? Because they are foolish! I have a particularly serious problem, which I am still dealing with today, which is that I particularly hate foolish people. The priestly office is done so badly, becoming like Nadab and Abihu, who are unlucky in everything and can't succeed in anything. Can this have God's image? It's the image of a demon. Why is there a demonic image but not a divine image? Because they love the world in their hearts. So the priesthood is the best profession in the world. It is not being above all the people in the world, but above the people of Israel. How good is that! People like David and Samuel were all very intelligent people who did the best job of the best profession, becoming faithful servants after God's own heart. Did Nadab and Abihu honor this office? No. For example, many people are born in the new China, grow up under the red flag, and then fall into a pile of money, originally serving the people, but later only caring about getting promoted and making a fortune, and then they become corrupt officials. Why bother? Just slowly struggle along in this life!

VIII. Serve God According to His Commands

Brothers and sisters must know that we, as priests of the living God, must serve God according to His commands, and never become foolish priests. What is a Christian? A Christian is a priest of the living God. Why am I determined to be a blessing to many people? Because that is the responsibility of a priest. Priests are not here to make money, priests are here to win people. As priests of the living God, what we think about is serving God according to His commands, because this is the best profession in the world. Speaking of this best profession, serving God according to His commands, I conveyed this concept when the church was very desolate: This is the best profession!

At that time, several brothers and sisters quit their jobs to come to me, and I said: What are you doing here? Who told you to come? They said: Teacher, didn't you tell us to come? We want to serve full-time, to be priests. Oh my goodness, who pays the salary? I pay the salary? What happens when the money runs out? Alas, I had a big blunder. I touched my pocket and it seemed like I didn't have enough money either, how would I pay the salary? Later, I discovered that God pays the salary, God is really good! Until now, I am trembling with fear, afraid of becoming a foolish priest. Since we have obtained this great blessing, since we have obtained such a good title and become priests serving God, I wonder what kind of blessing this is from a previous life? Is it that the ancestral graves of our family are emitting green smoke? This is the traditional saying, that is, good things have come to their family.

Later, we seriously read God's Word. Our church's serious reading of God's Word is not a joke, it is that there is so much spiritual food that we can't finish eating it. Why do we seriously read God's Word? It is because we are afraid of becoming foolish priests. I am still trembling with fear to this day, walking on thin ice, I just don't want to offer unauthorized fire. Serving God according to His commands means winning people like catching fish. If you think I'm eyeing the money in your pocket all day long, won't you know it? You will definitely know it. If I'm eyeing your pocket all day long and want to stuff some blessings in it for you, you will also know it. I feel that the job of a priest is getting better and better, winning people like catching fish.

What is my hope? That you were originally worth a tael of silver, and now you are worth ten taels of silver. Tell God: God, I have come to give an account. You were originally worth a tael of silver and now you have become ten taels of silver. Is that good? It's good! God says: Well done, good and faithful servant, come and manage ten cities. If you say: Alas, I have become a feudal lord and can collect taxes. Then it's over, you're ruined again, you've become a tax collector. Priests of the living God must do what God has commanded, win people like catching fish, and shepherd God's flock. That is why I have to cook something fresh for everyone to eat every Sunday, even if it means peeling off a layer of skin.

Read God's Word seriously, be sure to be rigorous, be sure to implement it according to God's Word, because what we are doing is not a nuclear power plant, not an airplane, not a moon landing, but an engineering project that is a spacecraft flying to God's throne. In the future, we will be united with Jesus Christ, and we will receive God's glory there. How good is that! Serve with the heart of a father and mother, you cannot serve God and mammon at the same time, no. So we must make this matter of discipleship clear, make the church clear, make shepherding clear, and love God wholeheartedly, and not ruin the best job.

Some time ago, a co-worker came to me and said: Pastor, there is a sister who is destined, she is going to sell her house and donate all her money. He was quite happy. I said: What are you happy about? What, is your salary settled? People sell their houses to donate, and you are happy there. What kind of mind is that? I felt so uncomfortable, I gave him a severe scolding. What do you think he was thinking? It's not that all things are to be held in common, he thought I would be happy to see the money. The thing that makes me the most unhappy is when our brothers and sisters live a poor life. What I want to see most is all our brothers and sisters prosper. It's not selling the house, but buying several houses and then being able to collect rent with several strings of keys. When did I tell you to sell all your property and donate it, and then live in poverty and sleep on the streets? Is that the priest's office? That's not the priest's office. See that? How easy it is for people to become foolish, how easy it is for priests to fall into the trap of money.

IX. Remove Misunderstandings About the New Covenant Priesthood

Many people think that this is the New Covenant. Ah, I call on Your mercy, I call on Your grace, may Your presence never leave me, may the Holy Spirit serve me, You are my salvation. Don't talk nonsense, God is still the same God. From the God who struck down Nadab and Abihu, to the New Covenant, He is still in charge. The God of the Old Testament has not been voted out. The Old Testament and the New Covenant are one God. God is still very powerful. Do you know that the sword in the mouth of Jesus Christ can kill people? So we must be careful. Jesus Christ is still that God, He has not changed. We must serve God with reverence. The more God is present, the more rigorous we must be. If Nadab and Abihu had not been serving God with Aaron and Moses before the temple, they could have found a farmer's house outside, lit a fire, and offered incense. It wouldn't have mattered how much incense they burned, because there was no presence of God in that place.

That is why some places can mess around and nothing happens, no fire comes out to burn them to death. However, if we are to build a church with God's presence, a church filled with God's glory, then the more we do so, the more rigorous we must be. God will be sanctified among those who draw near to Him, and He will be glorified before all the people. That is what this refers to. Did Nadab and Abihu reveal God's glory? Yes. Nadab and Abihu died before God, in the midst of all the people, to be sanctified and to be sanctified among those who draw near to God. The church has reached this stage today and must be even more rigorous. The principles have never changed. We cannot offer unauthorized fire before God. This explains why so many pastors have so many disasters. They are just Nadabs and Abihus. I want to remind myself not to become a Nadab or Abihu, and I also remind our brothers and sisters not to become Nadabs and Abihus.

X. Conclusion

Be a priest who is faithful, intelligent, and wise. Don't play around with God, playing around with God is a disgrace to God. Building God's glorious church is always our theme. Shepherding God's flock, becoming more and more rigorous, is so good. Perhaps some of our brothers and sisters have not yet removed their poor mentality and need to continue to remove that poverty mentality. Perhaps some people will be concerned about how those who come to work in the church are doing. They are becoming more and more prosperous. How can you prosper if they don't prosper? God makes them prosper. You ask: How do they prosper? It is a very simple thing for God to bless people. So I give our pastors, small pastors, and our brothers and sisters a reminder, no matter what, do not learn from Nadab and Abihu to be foolish priests and mess up a good hand of cards.

Let's sing a song and prepare to collect today's offering. If you don't understand the meaning of offering, please don't offer. Don't think: I offer, look, you have found so many co-workers, if I don't offer, what will you use to pay their salaries? You must know that the salary is not given by you, it is given by God. You must not offer unauthorized fire before God, you must offer according to God's Word. Some brothers and sisters really want to offer, but I tell them that they are not yet qualified to offer. When will you be qualified? When you understand the meaning of offering and begin to be willing to run this glorious road with me, with a heart of unity and building God's glorious church, then you will be qualified to offer. Don't be confused and think that the church needs money. The church is the place that needs money the least. The church is the place that needs to give out the most.

Lift up your hands with me and pray: I declare in the name of Jesus Christ that I will be a wise priest. In the name of Jesus Christ, I will reject all foolishness. God, help me today to become a faithful and good servant, to become a faithful priest, to be a person after Your own heart. God, may everything I do prosper, may You open the windows of heaven and pour out Your blessings upon me, even to the point where there is no room to receive them, so that we may be a blessing to this generation. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

May God bless you all!