Introduction

Good day to all. Today, I am excited to share on a particularly stimulating topic: “To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” We have covered six lectures on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and this is the seventh. The previous lectures covered the power of the Gospel, which were easier to explain. But proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor is more difficult. To be frank, I am doing research every week, and it exhausts me. Why? Because I am unsure how to explain it. Many have inverted the Gospel of the year of the Lord’s favor, turning it into a Gospel that is not favored. That is problematic.

Some think this year of favor is the millennium. It is not. The year of the Lord’s favor is the union of God and man. That is the year of favor. The millennium is God and man reigning together on earth for a thousand years. Proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor, Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” As a result, the blind receive sight, and the lame walk.

Many diseases were originally caused by human sin. Thankfully, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of God’s favor. This is why I lead you in prayer. You do nothing and yet receive grace. Migraines are healed, the blind see, and the lame walk. You might say, “You are exaggerating.” No, this is the truth.

The issue is not what you do for God but what Jesus has done for us. Jesus accomplished a Gospel, which is to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Originally, you were objects of God’s wrath. Even if you came to me for prayer, you would still be objects of God’s wrath. But because we enter into Jesus Christ, we are favored by God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What great grace we have received!

I think Buddhism is stronger than us. Why? Because they perform small prostrations every three steps and large prostrations every five steps, knocking their heads until they bleed. How pious they are! We have not paid such a price. All the price was paid by God for us. What grace this is! If not for God’s favor, my prayers for you would be useless, even if I prayed until death. It is when we are at our worst, just coming to know God, that we receive healing. How good is that?

I marvel at how vast, long, high, and deep God’s grace is! How abundant is God's glory! God’s grace surpasses what we ask or imagine. This is not what we deserve but the grace of God. Never think that I am good. Remember, it is not I who accomplished this for you, but Jesus Christ.

When Jesus spoke these words, He had already prepared to go to the cross, to sacrifice and shed His blood for us. If you do not want to incur God’s wrath, stop flaunting your capabilities. You must be gentle and humble before God to receive more grace. Always remember that we are unworthy, and it is because of God’s grace and mercy.

Every time I lead someone to prayer and they receive healing, I thank the God I serve. It is because of God’s grace. So, I am annoyed when people worship masters. If you are to worship the greatest, worship Jesus. I deeply know that it is by the Lord’s wounds and the precious blood of Jesus that we have received the Gospel of being favored by God today, that we are favored. This is the jubilee of being favored! Now, let everyone come before God with boldness and without fear, no longer thinking themselves to be good but rather thinking themselves to be unworthy.

I thank God that I can receive such a Gospel, have such blessings, and be used by God to receive this glorious office. How good, how blessed! I have met some pastors who always feel that serving requires paying a great price. He said, “Don’t you also prepare your sermon until seven in the morning?” That is also grace! Don’t misunderstand; it would be troublesome if you misunderstood. I am not showing off myself, but I am sharing with a heart of gratitude. What a gracious office this is!

Why speak on this topic? The reason is simple. I have seen with my own eyes that many have insisted on believing the Gospel of God’s favor into a Gospel of disfavor. They have turned a powerful Gospel into a powerless Gospel, a Gospel of casting out demons into a Gospel of being chased by demons, and a Gospel that sets people free into a Gospel that enslaves people. Is this not a tragedy? Suffering from cancer, suffering from myocardial infarction – any infarction is enough to bear. Why suffer both myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction? Because people are too stubborn, and eventually, you become an “infarction”.

Yesterday, a sister sent me a video. After watching it, my heart grieved. A pastor was sharing his experiences: having three heart bypass surgeries, then getting cancer, fighting cancer for many years, and experiencing much suffering. Would sharing these stories bring many troubles? I tell you, when people experience these things, they still say in their hearts, “God, why is this happening?” Of course, they cannot say this on the pulpit, only in private. Anyway, if you asked me, I would probably say it.

I was really moved after watching it. You know, surgeries on the intestines, where the incision does not heal after the surgery—oh my goodness, just thinking about it scares me. Can you imagine? A cut that is often soaked in stool—that is really deadly. I wish everyone could receive the benefits of this Gospel. Our God is still a God who favors people, and His promises will never fail. It is just that people have problems in receiving God’s promises. I hope that today, everyone can return to the grace of God and receive God’s promises again. God’s promises never fail.

You know, Chinese Mingding Doctrine has a golden rule, which is, “We are often mistaken.” If you read our 102 Course, there is a lesson on “We are often mistaken.” Is it not a problem when people are sick and not healed? We still do not know that we are mistaken and think that God is mistaken. If we are mistaken, the results will prove it to you. Never think that you are not mistaken and that God is mistaken.

A sister came to me and stayed with me for some days. I told her about my golden rule. When I sent her to the airport before she left, she hesitated and was embarrassed to ask. Just before she was about to board the plane, she could not hold back any longer and said, “Teacher, how can you have this disease and that disease?” Do not think that our God has become a God who does not heal because I am sick, and that the Gospel has become a Gospel that does not heal. There is no such thing. I am not the standard.

Everyone must know that I have many bad habits. Think about it, being pretty good since I was young, to the point of being the “child of someone else's family” that others talk about. I did well on college entrance exams and went to a good university. I still had a little pride in my heart. I am telling everyone my secrets. I have a bad habit inside, which is that it is hard for me to tolerate foolishness. Later, I felt that I was foolish, and when I thought others were foolish, I showed impatience on my face. Is that not also foolish? It is much better now and getting better and better.

I believe that my God is still the God who heals me. Because I was mistaken, I cannot blame God. My temper is so big, and then I hold it back. How can I not get sick? Then, whenever I want to lose my temper, I immediately suppress it. Now my temper is getting smaller and smaller. Some people say, “Teacher, you have been quite Buddhist lately.” No, I am of the Jesus system. Thank God!

How did I answer her back then? It would be too passive to try to prove that I have no problems. I said, “I am a model of sinners.” The Apostle Paul said that he was the foremost of sinners. What qualifications do we have to say that we are saints? Thank God! I have a golden rule, which is that I know I am mistaken and that I still have many things to deal with.

Later, I found a basis from Paul. What basis? I must discipline my body and bring it under subjection. Oh, how good is this Jesus system! I live with great joy. Because if you always want to prove yourself, how do you do it? Admit that I am a sinner, and the problem is solved immediately! There are still many things that I have not understood.

I am very grateful that everyone listens to my Bible studies and my preaching every day. Why are you still not tired of it now? Because I am always growing. You often hear, “Oh, this seems like it hasn’t been taught before.” “Ah, that hasn’t been taught before.” I feel that it is so good to grow throughout one's life. Later, I concluded that growth in Jesus is endless.

I believe that my God is the God who heals me. I believe that God is the God who saves me. I believe that God is the God who favors people. I must strive hard, and I will never say, “I serve very hard.” If I do say that, then I am demon-possessed and talking nonsense. Can you tell that I only slept at seven this morning? You can’t tell. I have given too much. I am a saint. That is bad. I have believed the Gospel of God’s favor into a Gospel of disfavor.

Know that serving is all grace! After careful observation, I realized that pastors who do it like me are very content. You know that? I'm so glad I became a pastor. I didn't want to be a pastor before because the pastors I saw didn't live like they should. I really didn't want to. I am so content being a pastor, all thanks to the grace of Jesus Christ.

Recently, I met an old friend who said that his high school classmate had died. Then he mentioned that another old friend was seriously ill. I couldn't help but speak up. Actually, I didn't want to evangelize and stammered a little, saying: You have to know what I do. I really solve the problem of diseases. At that time, a few old friends were drinking and talking about this. I said, If you really get sick, those who are willing can come to me. Why did I say this? I know that my God is full of grace and full of mercy.

A few days later, my friend came with his wife, who had more serious lumbar and cervical problems. This is our specialty. I arranged for a sister to serve his wife, and she got much better in a few days. It's not because she is good enough, but because of Jesus Christ, God favored her, and she did nothing. In a few days, I also want to find an opportunity to serve this old friend of mine. His joints have problems. It would be troublesome if he becomes paralyzed when he gets old.

In my faith, my God is a God who favors people, because Jesus Christ has already accomplished salvation on the cross, allowing people to receive grace. What we proclaim is the Gospel of the year of the Lord’s favor. It is not because he is good enough, but because our God hopes that everyone can receive the benefits of the Gospel. The Gospel I preach is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that the year of the Lord’s favor has come.

Every time I preach the Gospel, I give grace. I am not preaching a religion. As for what people want to do in the future after receiving grace, let them do it. When you come to Chinese Mingding Doctrine, you will experience God's great grace! Chinese Mingding Doctrine is to remove those erroneous theological concepts from the church and let people return to the grace of God.

One of our pastors shared with me that there was a sister whose whole church also listened to our Bible studies and our preaching, and their church also prayed for her. As a result, after five years, the breast cancer seemed to be getting more and more serious. Later, the pastor of their church said, You should go to Chinese Mingding Doctrine. After she came, our pastor served her, and her condition got better and better. How do I know? Every time I lead in prayer, she types fewer and fewer words.

There was also a sister from a local church who also had breast cancer. Their church was a loose church. A group leader served her and then left. The sister came to us, and our pastor served her, and she also got better. What was the reason? Because she turned away from a wrong Gospel back to God and re-believed in the Gospel of the year of the Lord’s favor, in which God is favorable. We really need to know that our God is full of grace and full of mercy, and our God is very humane.

One of our sisters came from a very absurd and wrongly taught church. What did that traditional church teach? Even if I am sick, I will go to heaven. How strange does that sound? This sister had depression. She came to Singapore, and because her symptoms flared up, she called each church, but no one cared. Why would people care about that? They care about the number of people attending meetings and collecting offerings. Depression is so difficult to serve!

Later, she contacted me. That was in the early days of the church. I served her, and she was finally delivered. Remember, this place heals cancer, heals depression, and heals lumbar, cervical, and shoulder problems. This place is a place where God favors people, and this place is favored through Jesus Christ. Because this place has a golden rule: we all feel that we are not very good and rely on God's grace, so God is gracious to us.

If you walk in here arrogantly, wanting to give God a lesson, can you receive grace? Is that not provoking God's wrath? I tell you, where does receiving grace and receiving God's favor begin? It starts from knowing that we are not very good.

That traditional theology is very corrupt. I would rather be sick and go to heaven. They think they will definitely go to heaven. Why do I think that they will go down to hell? They believe the wrong Gospel. If they do not go down, what else is there? That traditional theological system is very corrupt, specializing in making people suffer, feeling that suffering is very good. They also cannot distinguish whether the suffering is for God or for a curse.

One of our sisters also received grace. Her service cannot be said to be that good, but she is very attentive, although she is very busy with work, and she is still very attentive to pastoral care. Her mother had cancer. Her mother was not a good believer, but because God remembered her, her mother was healed. I feel that our God is so humane. He not only favors us but also has mercy on our families.

You say, It seems that my family has not yet received God's mercy. Then you should first fix yourself. Not only her mother but also her father received God's mercy. I feel that if you love God, then it is a case of one person attaining the Tao and all their animals ascending to heaven. Those who belong to you will be remembered by God; because of you, one person becomes immortal, and all their animals ascend to heaven.

Because of God's grace, we have all become children of God. Many people believed the Gospel, were delivered, and then were enslaved by the yoke of slavery, falling from grace. What we want to talk about is to return to the Gospel of the year of the Lord’s favor and receive grace again. Let’s read the Bible, Luke Chapter 4, verses 16 to 21.

Scripture

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He said to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)

Prayer

God, we come before You once again, clothed in Jesus Christ. Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we come before You with boldness and without fear, calling You Abba Father. May the Heavenly Father be gracious to us today, guiding us once more into the truth, into Your Kingdom. Through the Gospel accomplished by Jesus Christ, let us once again be accepted by You, once again be freed from this yoke of slavery, and remove the absurdities within us.

In the name of Jesus Christ! We declare that through Jesus Christ, we shall once again be accepted by God, once again be shaped by God, so that we may become more and more like Jesus Christ. We thank You, Lord Jesus, for the salvation You accomplished for us on the cross, in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

Scripture Background

Jesus Christ knew long ago that people would alter this Gospel, and to enjoy altering the Gospel is profoundly corrupt. After a person believes in the Lord, there will certainly be something that comes to corrupt you: that thing is the law. Then you will try to please God by keeping the law, trying to please God through your works, ultimately incurring God's wrath. Therefore, Jesus knew long ago that people would preach this Gospel incorrectly. I tell you, this battle has not ended to this day; throughout the ages, people have lived in this kind of demonic lie.

Jesus was proclaiming one thing: what was He proclaiming? Announcing the year of the Lord's favor. The Jews of that time, under the oppression of the Roman Empire, from Moses all the way to Jesus Christ, for nearly one thousand five hundred years, the Israelites acted out one tragedy after another. Is this the promised land? God, have you made a mistake? Oh, God, why do you hate us so much? God, how could you allow such things to happen to us? At that time, the Israelites were actually very confused, extremely confused. Look, we have received Your covenant, yet we live like this today, becoming the laughingstock of the world.

This time Jesus came to put an end to this matter. So when the Israelites were in the synagogue, listening to Jesus announce the year of the Lord's favor, everyone was very excited. Oh, God has finally accepted us. Then Jesus said, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

That was what Isaiah had said hundreds of years ago. Hundreds of years later, Jesus said, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Because Jesus Christ had prepared His own body to be nailed to the cross, to die for us, to die in our place, bearing our transgressions, carrying our sorrows, bearing our curses, so that our sins would be placed on Him. So that is the meaning.

Jesus came to do this thing, and this saying accomplished one thing: we were originally enemies of God, but now we are reconciled to God. We were originally incurring God's wrath, but now we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. The Jews may not have understood until their death that the law of Moses was a huge pit, a pit for whom? A pit for the Israelites. Many people thought Moses was very great. Little did they know that under the law of Moses, the Israelites, relying on themselves, ultimately accomplished nothing, achieved nothing, but only accomplished one thing: to prove that no matter how capable the Israelites were, relying on the law could only bring curses.

Therefore, the law is too deadly. Jesus reminded us long ago when He was on earth, This is what the Gospel is like; do not get it wrong, you scoundrels. But throughout the ages, if we carefully observe the church, it is also deadly. Many Christians rush into the big pit dug by Moses.

People who rely on works receive nothing but curses; people who keep the law owe a debt to keep the entire law. It is not that if I keep one law, I am justified. No, if you break one law, it is enough to give you trouble. Look at how people now arrest corrupt officials. No matter how many projects you have done, no matter how well you have developed the city, as long as you are corrupt, you will be arrested. You say, Then how can this work be done? Who asked you to do it?

Therefore, Jesus bore our transgressions, carried our sorrows, and let our sins be placed on Him, in order to accomplish a year of the Lord's favor. Why is our prayer effective? Because we are accepted by God. Why are many of us delivered? Because of Jesus Christ. That is why I often minister to people, and their eyes go from being blind to seeing. I am moved to tears because Jesus Christ bore his pain, and our illnesses went to Jesus Christ.

When we trust in God, we come before God and are accepted by Him, our diseases are healed through prayer, and then we are born of the Spirit. But as we live, things go wrong, and we go back into the law. Have you all noticed that this pit is quite large? It is not just a pit for fathers, but a pit for grandsons. How do we become wrong as we believe? Why do we go back? Why? Because there is something to boast about in relying on works, but there is nothing to boast about in relying on the Gospel.

Believing in Jesus based on moral concepts may seem reasonable, but that is not the Gospel. That is how later people altered this Gospel. Because of the grace that Jesus accomplished, we come before God by trusting in Jesus, and the demons become illegal in our bodies and are cast out. But as we believe, we rely on our own works again. You think, I believe well, and I can go to heaven when I die. That is bad; the demons come again, and the demons become legal again.

Because whenever we rely on Jesus, whenever we are clothed in the blood of Jesus Christ, the demons become illegal residents in us; whenever we rely on our own works, plus a little self-righteousness, relying on those few laws, not even keeping all the laws, then the demons become legal again. Do you think this is not very corrupt?

Therefore, people make mistakes when they do not follow God's Word but follow their own experiences. They do not establish God's Word there, for God's Word never changes, but they treat their own experiences as truth. Think carefully about this sentence; it is very interesting. This person got cancer, and he went to the hospital to have surgery. But until now, he has not understood where he went wrong. Even to his death, he still feels that he did quite well.

Someone got cancer and even wrote a book called Striving to Love God. Do you think this is confusing? Then he also says, If Jesus does not heal you, will you still believe? Now I tell you definitively that disease and poverty are definitely a spiritual sign. People, do not be so self-righteous. If we do something wrong, we should admit that we did something wrong. I am such a big-name pastor; how embarrassing would it be for me to admit that I am wrong? Is it not even more embarrassing to continue to be wrong after doing something wrong?

Grasp my golden rule well: we are far from getting it completely right. So the background of this scripture is that Jesus emphasized the Gospel once again. This is the Gospel. Today we need to know that Jesus has set us free.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:1-4)

This is Galatians, which Paul wrote to the Galatian church. At that time, Paul was still alive and watched these people become corrupt with his own eyes. Who did this? Peter and James. James, the physical brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem church. Later, I gave them nicknames, Gaga and Dede, which sound pretty good, don't they? Gaga and Dede believed in this church as if it were Moses' pit.

Moses dug a huge pit. Why is it called a pit? Because the logic is that the law encloses people, enclosing them in the pit. Those who are enclosed by the law are all sinners. The law only does one thing: to prove that you are not capable, that you should stop being self-righteous. When you are not allowed to do something, you insist on doing it, you insist on thinking that you are capable. In the end, what happens? You become a colony of the Roman Empire.

Therefore, now we Chinese Mingding Doctrine want to do one thing: to let people know that they have fallen away from grace, to let us return to the grace of Jesus Christ. This time, I do not know if people will beat me up, but my heart really hopes that brothers and sisters, no matter if you were wrong before or are wrong now, will return to the grace of God. Our Gospel of Jesus Christ is full of grace, not full of cancer, but full of grace and full of mercy.

When Jesus Christ was on earth, those who sought Him were all healed. You say, Why was I not healed? Then you have not reformed well. When Jesus Christ was on earth, He often criticized people for not having faith. People did not believe! So the background of this scripture is that Jesus Christ used His own body, used His precious blood, to accomplish a year of the Lord's favor.

Through Jesus Christ, God Has Accepted Us

Through Jesus Christ, God has accepted us. Do you know what Jesus Christ used to establish the covenant? He used His blood and His body, nailing His body to the cross and shedding precious blood. This event placed the wrath that God originally wanted to manifest on us on Jesus. He bore this curse, and our curse was placed on Jesus Christ, which makes people weep just thinking about it.

Every time I pray, when I see Jesus being nailed to the cross, my heart is motivated by God's love. What a good Lord Jesus! You know how much sorrow He bore for me, how many disasters He shielded me from, how many diseases He carried for me, and even now, He still bears my curse.

What we believe in is not something else; it is the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Every time we receive His Holy Communion, what is in the cup is not grape juice; it is the blood of Jesus Christ. The bread we eat is not ordinary bread; it is the flesh of Jesus Christ. We come before God to make a covenant with God again, with a grateful heart. Do not casually receive this grace. Do not be healed and then forget, and start walking your own path again, and enter into the lies of the devil again.

When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, then He sent down the promised Holy Spirit, because we are clothed in Jesus Christ, because we are smeared with the blood of Jesus Christ, so the Holy Spirit fills us, and there is no problem. If we are not clothed in Jesus Christ, would not the Holy Spirit burn people to a crisp when He comes? We must be clothed in Jesus Christ; if people are not clothed in Jesus Christ, then it is bad. When we are clothed in Jesus Christ, the demons become illegal, and when the Holy Spirit enters us, He sets us free.

The logic is simple: Jesus pays the debt you owe, do you understand? After Jesus pays your debt, then the Holy Spirit fills us. What does the Holy Spirit do after He fills us? The Holy Spirit contends with the desires of the flesh, releasing us from the desires of the flesh, so that we may be free. The evil energy inside you is the desire of the flesh. Jesus sets us free, and the demons can no longer oppress us. From this moment on, you must choose to obey the Holy Spirit or obey the flesh. If you still choose to obey the flesh, even if God has great power, He cannot help you.

You must know the truth. What truth? Obeying the flesh is death, but obeying the Spirit is eternal life, life, and peace. So we receive the truth, and we must understand in our hearts, What am I obeying? This is what you can choose. You cannot tell me, Teacher, I cannot control myself, I cannot choose. That is a lie. Teacher, I cannot control myself. I say, Then transfer money to this account. That is not okay. Isn't that pretty good control? How can you say that you cannot control yourself?

Why? I have to explain to you that it is because you feel that doing so is taking advantage, taking advantage of the flesh. What advantage have you taken? You have not taken any advantage, only causing more diseases and more disasters. Not being able to control yourself is a lie, deceiving people. So what is the reason? It is because you do not know how glorious the grace that Jesus Christ has accomplished is. So today everyone says, Oh, I can actually choose to obey the Holy Spirit now. Oh, I can actually choose not to obey the flesh.

Actually, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, leading us step by step to put to death the evil deeds of the body. This is the key to solving the problem. Clothed in the blood of Jesus Christ, then accepted by God, God gives the Holy Spirit, casts out the demons, and takes people's thoughts captive to God. So remember, this thing to deal with the flesh is very important.

Do we have self-righteousness inside us? That is death. Self-righteousness is foolishness. We cannot be self-righteous now. Self-righteousness is a fleshly thing, and establishing our own righteousness is a fleshly thing. The comparison and jealousy inside are fleshly things. Actually, you can choose not to obey, but if you do not obey, and you feel that you cannot control yourself, you can rely on the Holy Spirit to put that thing to death.

We are accepted first, do you understand? Then your disease is healed, then you can choose to obey the Holy Spirit, put to death the desires of the flesh, until you completely belong to Jesus Christ. So Christ set us free, so that we may be free. This is not a lie; actually, you also know it, but you have made up a lie to fool me. What does it mean to be unable to control yourself? Actually, you can control yourself if you want to. You must know that this is a treasure. The Gospel we preach is not bad news. This Gospel is the most important treasure in our lives.

If you save the time you spend on the sickbed, and save the torture of your pain, is it worth it? Worth it, isn't it worth it? Now God proves it to you in our midst. Do you still not think it is worth it? Why do people not accept this treasure? We really solved the problem of disease. How much less suffering do people have to endure? Is it so difficult to give the time we spend suffering to God and set it apart as holy? It is not difficult. Is it so difficult to give all our time to God? It is not difficult.

We are accepted first, then our diseases are healed, then we gain freedom, then we can obey the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will help us put to death the evil desires of the flesh, until we completely belong to Jesus Christ. Such a good Gospel is based on faith, based on faith, and faith is the foundation.

Recently, I have discovered that the bread and the cup of Holy Communion, the grape juice in Holy Communion, are extraordinary. They are really the body of Jesus Christ, and they are really the blood of Jesus Christ. You say, How do you know? Recently, when I am ministering, I find that when people are running out of power and are about to die, I take them to observe Holy Communion together. The covenant made with Jesus Christ is the covenant of God's children, and it is extraordinary.

I took an old person to observe Holy Communion, and the whole person started to become energetic again. I have discovered that this is really the blood of Jesus Christ, and it is really the body of Jesus Christ. Do you believe it? We must know how vast God's power is. Let me read it again, Galatians 5:1.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:1-4)

Through the Law, God Will Not Accept Us

We must always remember that relying on works of the law means separation from Christ; relying on your actions means separation from Christ. What Jesus taught and what Paul later said were not emphasized as much by James and Peter. James even clung to the pit of Mosaic law, constantly talking about it, as if looking down on his brother, “I know my brother; we grew up wearing open-crotch pants.” He forgot what Jesus said.

In fact, the 《James》书 written by James has a serious problem. What does he say? He exalts works. This act of his ruined the Jerusalem church. So, if you want to build a church, never read 《James》书. He says it's not only by faith but also by works. He juxtaposes faith and works, providing examples to prove his point, but the result is the church's downfall, making it dirt poor.

Jesus preached faith, Paul preached faith, but Jesus’s blood brother, being truly fleshly, kept preaching circumcision. Is circumcision so great? Does a small surgery on the genitals represent anything? It represents nothing; it solves nothing. It does solve one problem: making people sick.

These people went to Galatia, saying, “You must all be circumcised.” Everyone thought, Circumcision is okay, just a small surgery, so they got circumcised, which infuriated Paul. Paul said, “Are you so foolish?” Some time ago, I discussed 《Judges》书 with everyone. The 《Judges》书 starts with a compromise, leading to utter defeat.

Whether these were Israelites or Gentiles, James, with Peter as his deputy, started preaching circumcision. By observing circumcision, the Galatians fell from grace. Then many people got sick, and prayer didn't help. You say, “How do you know?” Because 《Galatians》书 says their suffering was in vain? No, it had a reason: falling from grace.

Doesn’t this resemble many churches today? Very much so. As a result, by relying on works of the law, they were separated from the grace of Christ, and then the devil came again. See how easily people are deceived. People justify righteousness by works, quoting scriptures to prove it’s right, but the result is the arrival of the devil. Because people can only incur God's wrath through their own actions before God, they will not be accepted. God will not accept us through the law. Those who were once accepted are no longer accepted, and they fall into the debt of fulfilling the entire law. Don't think that getting circumcised is the end of it; there are many other laws you must follow.

I thank God that He has given me so much grace that I can strip 《James》书 naked, exposing all its flaws. Whether from the results it produces or its logical system, it is untenable. Some promote this stuff because many people boast about their own actions. Boasting about one's own actions, always trying to prove oneself, is troublesome.

If you observe carefully, those who want to prove themselves, to prove they're doing well, end up with cancer. Why? Because I was weak as a child. They get a heart attack, I was weak as a child. Why? Because I'm tired from serving on the pulpit. It sounds awful. Why awful? Serving is a grace.

I once served a pastor in his early forties who got brain cancer. He dedicated his best years to cancer. The first thing I said was a slight probe. I asked, “How did you get this disease?” He said, “Pastor, you see, as a pastor, I have to lead over fifty small groups. I only rest one day a week.” I thought, “How strange? Does that cause brain cancer?”

Later, I understood because he was works-based. He served not because of faith; his service was filled with resentment. Did you hear the resentment? “I only rest one day a week.” I wondered, How many days do you want to rest? I boast in Jesus Christ because, through the strength Jesus Christ gives me, whatever I do, the cost I pay in service, in Bible study, in shepherding, is unmatched by ordinary people. Even the words I've written add up to over twenty million words, and besides these, I do many other things.

Since my twenties, I've basically never rested a day. I serve happily, willingly, not because of anything else, but because the love of Jesus Christ motivates me. I know this is a great grace; since God has tested and chosen me to serve Him, I am grateful. I am so happy that serving God is so good.

Once, I attended a special conference with my colleagues. The pastor in front was talking about his hobbies, which was hunting, quite bloody; another pastor liked playing with sports cars, which was a bit dangerous and easy to pick up girls. Then my colleague nudged me, Teacher, what are your hobbies? I scratched my head and said, I just love to serve.

Those who love playing Mahjong don't get tired playing all night, but those who don't like it get exhausted. Those who love playing games don't get tired playing all night. I, who love to serve, serve willingly. I am not proving anything through my actions because I know God has already accepted me. I have obtained this treasure. I can trample on the devil and the enemy. I rely on God, on the salvation achieved by Jesus Christ, and my sins are forgiven.

What can compare to this? My disasters, Jesus bore for me; my diseases, Jesus bore for me. My striving is not enough. I have no time for nonsense, what sports cars, what fishing, what hunting; I never understood what those things were for. Don’t blame me; I don’t blame them. Some people are born to fish; I am born to serve. I don’t have that hobby.

Later, I took a closer look at my colleagues, and it was interesting. Those who liked to eat, drink, and have fun all failed, disappeared, and fell behind. My colleagues, other than loving to work, just serve. Sometimes when people come, I say, “Let’s go; I’ll take you to see the night view of Singapore. Let’s all go together.” That brother also goes along, but he doesn’t like to play. We stroll around, and he is on the phone serving.

I see him leading people in prayer, serving this one and that one. He didn't see anything on the whole trip; he doesn't like to see it. He only saw the Jubilee of Jesus Christ accepting people. Amazing, isn’t it? Amazing! In the future, when I choose colleagues, I will choose like this. Eating, drinking, and having fun are out. Just find those who love to serve. All their lives, they have no hobby other than loving God.

People cannot go on relying on the law. Why do people feel that serving God is a painful thing? Because they don’t know it’s a treasure. Because they serve with their actions, I serve with my faith. God becomes my strength, and God accepts my service. Thank God.

We Believe in Proclaiming the Jubilee of God's Acceptance

God has accepted us; this is a day of acceptance. We believe in the Jubilee of God's acceptance that Jesus spoke of. God has accepted us, and we can no longer come before God based on our actions; we can no longer come before God based on doing good deeds. Not only in Jesus Christ, in the church, can we not rely on our own actions, but outside of Jesus Christ, if you always think you are a good person, that is a cancerous personality. Brothers and sisters, listen carefully: always thinking you are a good person, do you know the result? The result is suffering; that is a cancerous personality.

Who accomplished the Jubilee of God's acceptance? Jesus accomplished it. So, come before God by faith, claiming God’s promises. Coming before God in the flesh invites God's wrath. This is why there are so many strange phenomena in the church. I want to tell you that we believe in proclaiming the Jubilee of God's acceptance. Since God has accepted people, how did the Galatians lose this grace? Because they relied on works. In other words, many brothers and sisters in the church have this experience.

One sister said that when she first believed in the Lord, God loved her, and God was especially good to her, with many graces and many miracles. In fact, she also loved God. But as she continued to believe, those churches passed on the concept of works-based righteousness, probably from reading 《James》书 too much, and as a result, the more she believed, the less she had God's grace. Later, she came among us, and we preached the gospel of the Jubilee of God's acceptance.

People have followed two paths. These are two covenants, one called the 《New Covenant》 and the other called the 《Old Covenant》. The 《Old Covenant》 is a pit. It’s not just a pit for the father; it's a pit for the grandson. You are not God’s son; you become God’s grandson. Have you noticed that if the father believes in the Lord, he is God's son; if the son also believes in the Lord, he is also God's son. In Jesus Christ, there are no grandsons, no second-hand believers. When we believe in Jesus, we are not separated from God by a layer.

Paul argued this matter, and the Galatians misunderstood this matter. What was misunderstood? The introduction of circumcision into the gospel opened a gap, resulting in many problems. The path they took was using actions, doing a small surgery on the body to prove themselves, which immediately went wrong because it was ineffective.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (《Galatians》5:6)

Here, faith is mentioned again. Whose faith is this? It is the faith pioneered by Abraham. In 《Genesis》, Abraham, by faith, claimed God's promise. In Moses's time, it was by what? By being justified by the law. But later, it proved to be ineffective. These two covenants, one covenant is for Isaac, the son of Sarah, being God's children by promise; one is for Ishmael, the son of Hagar, being slaves by the flesh. One is a free woman, a free person; the other is a slave. So, it is two sets of covenants, one from Mount Sinai and the other from Jesus Christ. Therefore, it must be effective; it will not work if it is ineffective.

So, as people believe, they embark on a path of relying on themselves. I must remind you not to fall into this pit. If you fall into this pit, I don’t know if there will be a chance to climb out. I am not scaring you; some people are deceived and die in the law. Today, all who boast in their own abilities will have trouble.

You see, if we have a heart that trusts in God, God will accept us; if we come before God with a heart to prove ourselves, there will be trouble. The truth of the gospel is not in you, and you are separated from Christ. You go from believing in the 《New Covenant》 to the 《Old Covenant》; from freedom to bondage. It is all the same thing.

So, don’t end up on the path of proving yourself as you believe. It is best to prove yourself wrong. Even if you have done a great thing, you must know that before God, you are nothing and must rely entirely on the grace of Jesus Christ. People will definitely suffer if they want to prove themselves. We believe in the gospel of proclaiming the Jubilee of God's acceptance. I don’t know if I have made it clear; I have tried my best. I believe that because of the Holy Spirit, everyone should gradually understand that those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Those Who Belong to Jesus Christ Have Crucified the Flesh with Its Passions and Desires

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (《Galatians》5:24)

You start by being accepted by God, then begin to receive grace, then begin to know the truth, and then the passions and desires of the flesh that corrupt us are put to death by the Holy Spirit. You begin to repent and are released from the passions and desires of the flesh. How is this accomplished? First, there must be understanding. You must know that it’s a loss. What do you mean by not being able to control it? You always think it's an advantage; of course, you can’t control it. If you know it’s a loss, you definitely won’t do it. Do you understand now?

So, you must put to death the passions and desires of the flesh. Our inner adultery, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing—these are all passions and desires. Therefore, those who belong to Jesus Christ, by God's acceptance, and through the Spirit of God, begin to know the truth of God, put to death the passions and desires of man, and then people no longer crave empty fame, provoking one another, envying one another.

Have you provoked each other? Doing a ministry, two people have different views and provoke each other. Why? They all think they are right. If everyone thinks they are wrong, is there any dispute? No, there isn’t. Look, if someone gets angry, “Teacher, don’t talk about him anymore; he already feels very sorry for you.” I hear the logic is wrong. He feels sorry for me? He feels I am sorry for him.

Because Abraham saw through the deal with being alive, so people no longer crave empty fame. Abraham's faith is a faith that does not crave empty fame. But how many people today crave empty fame? I can give many examples of craving empty fame. If you choose to crave empty fame, no one can help you; if you choose not to crave empty fame but can't control it, I tell you, the Holy Spirit can help you, because that is a passion and desire of the flesh.

Conclusion

God accepts people because people believe in God, not because you believe in yourself. Not because you think you are good enough to come before God, but because you are rotten enough. From then on, through the Spirit of God, you become more and more like Jesus Christ. Because the love of God motivates us to live in God's acceptance all our lives, how wonderful. Now, follow me, together because of the love of Jesus Christ, be motivated by Him, be accepted by God all our lives, and be in God's grace every day. Only in this way can we become more and more like Jesus Christ. Only in this way can we obtain great grace. Only in this way, money is not a problem.

When did Abraham worry about money? Never. Money is no longer a problem; disease is no longer a problem; living is no longer a problem; everything is no longer a problem because God has accepted us. He will give us all things; what a wonderful gospel.

May God bless everyone! Amen!
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