Introduction

Good morning, everyone. We will continue with our series on The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have already covered eight sessions, and the ninth session is I will build My church on this rock. I will be sharing with you another paper. Last night was another sleepless night. Why? Because I really wanted to write this paper well, as if I were defending a thesis. I want to explain The Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly, and one of the most critical things is to build God's church on this rock. This sermon title is from Jesus' own words.

Let's briefly review. The first session of The Gospel of Jesus Christ was called The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. If the Spirit of the Lord is not upon us, that's troublesome. But if God's Spirit is upon us, that's extraordinary. Today, we can lack many things, but we must have God's Spirit upon us. Above all, do not have the spirit of demons. If the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, we are united with the Spirit of the Lord, then you are extremely capable. The power of the Holy Spirit, the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, will be upon you.

The second session of The Gospel of Jesus Christ was called He has anointed Me. Anointing is a big mystery. Some people buy a small bottle of anointing oil in Israel and smear it all over themselves, thinking it's a medicinal balm, but it's not. He has anointed Me is an appointment, giving you a task. In God's Kingdom, anointing is to make you a king. Once anointed, you become the high priest. It is a Mingding Doctrine.

God's Spirit is upon us to fulfill God's Mingding Doctrine. To do what? To preach the gospel to the poor. This is the third session of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. To preach the gospel to the poor, so that the poor become rich, is a very important logic. Many people believe in a gospel and become poorer and poorer. What kind of gospel is that? We are called to preach the gospel to the poor, but after preaching, they become even poorer. Being poor is definitely not a good thing. So I tell you, we are called to preach the gospel to the poor, and blessed are the poor, for you shall become rich.

The fourth session of The Gospel of Jesus Christ was To proclaim freedom for the captives. Those who are taken captive can be brought back. The fifth session, Recovery of sight for the blind. Someone said to me, Teacher, can you talk about spiritual blindness? I wanted to talk about spiritual blindness, but what if they are really blind? Later, I discovered that this recovery of sight for the blind is not about spiritual blindness at all. Jesus enabled a man who was born blind to see.

The blind receive sight from birth, why? So that the glory of God may be seen. Do you understand? The glory of God must be seen. The captives are freed, truly taken captive. And the blind receive sight, truly blind. This is the glory of God. I tell you, if you can do such things, you are incredibly powerful!

Then the sixth session, To set the oppressed free. If someone comes to church and is not free, someone tells me, Teacher, this sermon you preached has made me feel oppressed again; it has made me stumble. I often hear such words. What is the logic here? What do you mean I have made you feel oppressed? You have never been free. What do you mean I have made you stumble? You have never stood up.

You are so lazy, so selfish. I must set you free from there, but you don't come out and still think I have made you stumble and be oppressed. You say, Teacher, after listening to your sermon, I feel terrible. You should feel terrible. You have been in the flesh for so long, feeling bad for so many years. You come to me and blame me? I must release you so that you feel better.

Then the seventh session, To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Because of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we are all accepted. Whoever is clothed in Jesus Christ, that is, you don't rely on yourself but come before God through faith in Jesus Christ, is accepted. This is why God listens to the prayers of those who seem to be in a mess.

Last week, we discussed We will do what the Lord Jesus did. The Lord Jesus said, I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. Is this good news? Of course, it's good news. Others may not believe it, but I do! Those who believe in me will also do it. Because of this statement, I have received so much grace. My mother's waist was paralyzed, but she was never paralyzed until her death. Isn't that a great grace? You must desire to do what the Lord Jesus did. How smart must one be to desire such things?

Now, the ninth session, I will build My church on this rock. Can you connect this with what we have discussed before? Yes. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus must also do what the Lord Jesus did. How to do it? I tell you, don't mess around. Do it through building the church. Because the Lord Jesus will build His church on this rock to complete the work He has not finished. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of the church, so the view of the church is very important. Even today, many people still live in self-cultivation. I can't say anything good about this. Some people build churches but don't nurture them. They only give birth but don't raise. What do you think about that? I only preach the gospel and don't nurture. What kind of mother is that? It's quite disturbing. Churches or organizations without nurturing are deadly. Giving birth without raising, aren't they scumbags?

So, brothers and sisters, be careful not to follow those people. We must serve the word of God and have the heart of a father and mother in nurturing. For though you may have countless teachers, you do not have many fathers. How much of a price must be paid? Who doesn't pay a price to raise children? Everyone pays a price. So, be sure to know that nurturing is very important.

Many people build churches without nurturing. Talking about it brings tears to my eyes. In the past years in the church, how much I longed to be nurtured, but there was no nurturing. It was self-growth and self-destruction. Thankfully, God had mercy on me and didn't let me be destroyed. Am I picking on the church? No. Because I grew up in a church without nurturing, I later told God: God, if I build a church, I will build a church with nurturing. I want to be a nurturing pastor.

You know, God's intention is the church, and all things will be united in Jesus Christ through the church. Everyone must know that the church is the body of Jesus Christ, the church is God's wisdom, the church is God's mystery, which God has revealed to us today. Jesus Christ Himself builds His church and will build this church on this rock, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)

Isn't this what the Lord Jesus did? The things the Lord Jesus did are all done through the church. Don't be confused. Some people often use exceptions to find me. Teacher, I have a question. That so-and-so doesn't build a church, but his prayers are quite anointed. I wonder, what does your question have to do with me? What do you want to prove? It proves nothing.

But today, I am speaking the words of the Bible. You give an example, and I don't know its origin. I just don't like being someone who only gives birth but doesn't raise, always fiddling around here and there. Our church is a nurturing church, and everyone must be nurtured. Although I can't do it all alone, I train people to do it.

The work that Jesus did not complete must be handed over to His church to complete. Jesus Christ will build His church on this rock. This rock is the rock of truth; this rock is Christ. We build His glorious church on the body of Christ. This is called working with the Lord.

The word Christ causes a lot of confusion. Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Christianity, what is Christ? Let me briefly explain my simple understanding. Christ is the anointed one. What is the anointed one? Christ is the one who completely gives Himself up and sacrifices Himself. This is the Son of God, the one who accomplishes salvation. Christ is the Messiah, the Messiah is the anointed one, who sacrifices himself, a self-sacrificing Lord.

So, what does Jesus Christ mean? It means He is the anointed one, He is the Redeemer, He sacrifices Himself, He accomplishes salvation, and through Him, we can live out God's glorious appearance. That is the key. So the church must be built on the rock of Jesus Christ, and you must at least have the genes of Jesus Christ.

Built on the rock of Jesus Christ, what do we do? Train people and give them away. Jesus sacrificed Himself, and we should also sacrifice ourselves. Jesus performed miracles, and we should also perform miracles. Jesus set the captives free, and we also set the captives free. Jesus set the oppressed free, and we also set the oppressed free. Jesus made the blind see, and we also make the blind see. Jesus made the lame walk, and we also make the lame walk. I tell you, training people and giving them away solves problems. Why? Because that is the image of Jesus Christ.

In my years in the church, I have found that the church trains people to be selfish. It trains people to be selfish inside and out, only wanting to receive grace. Do you understand? We also talk about receiving grace, but we must return to the word Mingding Doctrine, but many churches only want grace. We used to do that too, going to church and saying, God, bless me, bless me. Those who want to receive blessings, come forward. They all rushed forward, and the pastor blessed them.

You know, I used to be incredibly good at teaching people to be selfish, better than most people. I spent money and effort, and they just came to eat, attracting a bunch of bums, a bunch of selfish people. After eating, they packed up and took the leftovers home. Chicken, duck, ham, and beef were good meals. I thought that next week, they would bring the people from their dorm, but two weeks passed, three weeks passed, and no one came. Instead, they had pimples all over their faces.

I said, You bring back so much food every time, what do you do with it all? Why don't the others from your dorm come to eat? He said, Teacher, I didn't give it to them. I said, This Sunday, I have become the one who supplies you with a week's worth of meals. Packing it up like that, oh my, pimples all over his face. How selfish is that? I thought I could bring a few more bums, but he became a big bum, unable to bring even small bums.

Later, I changed. Why? God dealt with me. God really dealt with me, and it was no joke. He dealt with me very harshly. I let you spend money and effort, I left you jobless. You think you can raise bums? Can bums build a church? Then I was jobless. Selfishness reached its peak, and I woke up.

Then, I bought mineral water for two mao (毛， a fractional Chinese currency) a bottle, put it on the shelf, and put a label on it that said: Take a bottle and put in a one-yuan coin. He said, Teacher, you used to have chicken, duck, and beef. Now we have to pay for a bottle of water. Do you love money so much? I said, No, I want to change the bum church into a self-sacrificing church. I used to spend money and effort, but then I raised a group of selfish people. Now I want to return to the logic of giving away.

As a result, many people's problems in the church are disappearing, and their relationships with their landlords are improving. God's blessings are coming and those who couldn't get permits are getting them. So we must return to such a culture and become people who give away.

Among us, if there are pastors listening to my sermon, I will give you a suggestion. You say that many people are using our materials, and I let them use them. I don't charge a penny. I want to give them away. Everyone who hears what I'm saying about giving away must readjust this principle, and let Jesus Christ build His church on the rock of Jesus Christ, which is the rock of truth.

Later, I found that many churches have low requirements for their members. They don't take notes, they don't study, and they let things go in one ear and out the other. Their minds are still full of the old ways. You know, the rock of Jesus Christ is a rock of truth, so people must climb the rock of Jesus Christ, which is called climbing the mountain of the Lord and entering the temple of the God of Jacob in the Old Testament.

It is a tragedy for people to build a church and stay at a very low level. If you read Rick Joyner's The Final Quest, you will know that the lower levels cannot win. For example, with things like faith, prayer, and sanctification, the devil can still crush you because the level is too low. So, if you are a pastor, building a church must constantly improve at the level of spiritual understanding and build a victorious church.

You must improve constantly in the understanding of Jesus Christ and climb spiritual peaks. Do what Jesus did. As you continue to climb, in the process of climbing on the rock of Jesus Christ's truth, you will find: Hey, there's a small door here. Open it, and there's the key to the kingdom of heaven. Open another door and find a magic weapon.

Everyone knows that Sun Wukong subdues demons. You will find that there are many powerful demons because those demons have magic weapons in their hands, so Sun Wukong can't defeat them. Then he goes to heaven to find reinforcements, and in finding reinforcements, he finds a treasure. After taking the treasure from heaven, he defeats the demon's treasure. I tell you, the keys to the kingdom of heaven are like finding treasures, so we seek and find, and we knock and the door will be opened. Then, taking the keys to the kingdom of heaven, we subdue demons on earth.

In the past years of subduing demons, this tossing and turning is like Honor of Kings. I tell you, I also play Honor of Kings in this spiritual world. Honor of Kings is a great name, the glory of Jesus Christ. Every time I can't win, I have to return to the truth of Jesus Christ, find the key, and then I know how to deal with this demon and that demon.

So, I encourage you, if you are a pastor building a church, by all means, get a few more brushes, a few more keys, and a few more magic weapons. Prepare more brushes to brush these demons, because these demons and the powers of Hades all need a few brushes to deal with them.

So, doing what Jesus did, having the image of God, is constantly knowing Jesus Christ in spiritual understanding, climbing spiritual peaks. When you reach the top of the mountain, that is the church of God. Jesus Christ will build His church on this rock. So build it, climb it, and try your best to climb up. This is why building a church requires both self-sacrifice and knowledge.

Like my kind of self-denial, which isn't really self-denial, but consuming roast chicken, roast duck, and marinated beef – that's not self-denial, that's just plain foolish. Do you understand? Is it good for me to spend money and effort? No, it is not. Why? Because the people I train are useless good-for-nothings. Therefore, our self-denial needs to be re-understood, re-positioned, and the knowledge of God must be constantly clarified.

Some people tell me: Teacher, I also deny myself. I say: What kind of self-denial is that? They say: You see, the other day the church said to donate things from home to the church, so I donated the broken rice cooker from our house. What you gave up wasn't self-denial; you gave up a broken rice cooker. Do you understand?

Back when we had a physical church, there were indeed people who brought a broken rice cooker. I ask you, aren't these people disgusting? How disgusting. I said: Take it back. The church is not a junk collector. I am denying myself! They even thought they were being great. Oh my heavens, they gave up a broken rice cooker, and I still have to take it and fix it. The rice cooker is full of dirty things. If the church accepts this kind of thing, what will it become?

I tell you, learn to give the best to God. Selfishness is a detestable thing. I have seen many extremely selfish people, and the consequence of selfishness is certainly poverty; the consequence of selfishness is certainly disease. Selfishness is very hateful. If I can lead you onto the path of following Jesus Christ, if anyone follows the Lord, let him deny himself. Those who deny themselves build God's glorious church. This is the wisest choice in a person's life! Who builds the church? Those who deny themselves build the church. When Jesus Christ sees someone who denies himself, He takes them to the holy mountain to build His glorious church.

However, not all who build the church are self-denying. The church Jesus built is built with self-denying people. The church built by the Pharisees is the church of the Pharisees. It hangs a sign saying it's a church, a temple, but it's all just selfish Pharisees. The Sadducees build the church of the Sadducees; that is not the church of Jesus Christ.

It's easy to hang a sign on a building that says Jesus Christ Church. Spend some money to buy a sign and hang it up. It might be made of plexiglass or carved from bamboo or wood. You can even imitate the calligraphy of Emperor Kangxi. Do you think you can just write church and it becomes a church? That's your family's church. In our generation, many people build churches, but if it's not a church built by Jesus Christ, then it's troublesome.

You say: How do you know? The church built by Jesus Christ does the things Jesus Christ did; the church built by the Pharisees does the things the Pharisees did; the church built by the Sadducees does the things the Sadducees did. Why have I been preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ for so many sermons? The reason is simple. There are many churches now that are churches of the Pharisees, churches of the Sadducees, and churches built by Jesus Christ. So I think, Oh my, there are so many churches with signs.

This Gospel is the Gospel of the church built by Jesus Christ. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus also do what the Lord Jesus does. Therefore, I tell you, if you see a church that doesn't do what the Lord Jesus did, but does a bunch of things the Lord Jesus didn't do, then who knows what it is? I lament that building a church is a very dangerous job. You can't mess around. If you mess around, you will definitely suffer. You say: How do you know? I've messed around before.

In the past few years, do you know what God has been doing? There was an old prophet who prophesied a few years ago, saying: God is going to tear down many churches. Isn't God building the church? Why tear down so many churches? Tear down many churches of the Pharisees! Tear down many churches of the Sadducees! So I tell you, if you mess around blindly, you will be cursed.

Therefore, we, as a group, must become self-denying people, to complete the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did not finish. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What Jesus did in the past doesn't end when Jesus was crucified on the cross; Jesus Christ will continue to complete His work through His church. The latter glory will be greater than the former glory. It's truly amazing. Now, let's read the scripture, Matthew 16:18-19.

Scripture

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19)

Prayer

Oh God, today You will build us on this rock. Oh God, may this group of brothers and sisters follow You. We have decided to deny ourselves and follow You. Oh God, build us on this rock of truth, and the gates of Hades will not overcome us. Oh God, You will give us the keys of the kingdom of heaven; what we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Today, we will continue to complete the work that Jesus Christ did not finish on earth.

Oh God, use us, raise us up, so that this generation may see Your glory, so that this generation may enter into Your grace. Oh God, give us such aspiration, give us such knowledge and wisdom, to know how wise the choices we are making are. Today we decide to deny ourselves and follow You, to build Your glorious church, in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

Scripture Background

The background of this passage is the first time Jesus mentions the church. We talked about before, that Jesus said in Nazareth: Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Jesus Christ is going to be crucified. Do these words, fulfilled in the ears of those people in that era, does it end with Jesus' crucifixion? Actually, no, it's just a comma.

What is Jesus talking about? He tells His disciples, I am going to Jerusalem, I will be killed. The disciples hear, Killed? Oh no, this scripture is fulfilled in our hearing, and it's going to end here. No, after being killed, He will be resurrected on the third day. What for? Resurrected on the third day, so He can hand over this work to the church. After the resurrection, He will build a church filled with the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, entering into a higher stage.

Jesus Christ died, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven, and the church age just began. As soon as this church age begins, it then enters a stage where people can trample on the devil and be victorious. No need for Jesus Himself anymore, He uses you and me, these bodies of flesh and blood, all ordinary people, walking on the street, unremarkable, speaking crudely, but able to trample on the devil.

You come all the way to see me, and you will find that I am just an average person, not handsome at all. Many brothers and sisters listen to my sermons and can't see me as a person, so they imagine what kind of person I am. Later, an older sister called me and said: Pastor, you are the man of my dreams, which was a joke. Because she doesn't know what I look like, she thought I was very handsome, but in reality, hey! Unremarkable.

To the naked eye, it is unremarkable, but in the spiritual realm, it is eye-catching. The power of Hades in the spiritual realm cannot overcome him. Why? Because he is building God's glorious church! God's work has left a small piece for us. I tell you, I am especially excited when I think about this, that God actually left a piece of work for me.

Jesus didn't finish it. If He had finished it, there would be nothing left for us to do, which is wonderful. As for whether I am the man of someone's dreams, that's not important. What is important is that I am doing a very great project, working with Jesus Christ to build God's glorious church, holding the keys of the kingdom of heaven, trampling on the devil and the enemy. Oh, this is so magnificent!

Who was the first to know about this? Peter was the first to know about this. Jesus asked: Who do you say I am? As a result, everyone said: You are John, you are Elijah, you are Jeremiah, you are Zerubbabel. After speaking for a long time, Peter said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ is the Messiah. Then Jesus was happy, and He said: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

This saying is also quite interesting. What's interesting about it? It means that it was not Peter who knew this; in fact, you don't know anything; it was revealed to you by the Heavenly Father. Don't be misled by me. Let's get back to the main point. The main point is that Jesus said this sentence: I tell you that you are Peter. I will build my church on this rock. It is said that the name Peter means small stone. Jesus is very humorous; our God is very humorous. You are Peter, you are a small pebble, but I will build my church on this big rock. Not built on a small pebble.

Don't you think this is very interesting? You are a small stone, but I am going to build my church on this big rock, on this solid rock, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

What does that mean? It means Peter, I will build my church on this rock. If you are someone who works with me to build the church, even though you are a small pebble, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. That's why I say that although I am unremarkable, although I am just a small pebble on the roadside, trampled on by people, if you are a co-worker with Jesus Christ in building God's glorious church, that is something extraordinary.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. You are just a small pebble, but it doesn't matter, God can make you so powerful that you can build the church on the rock, and the powers of Hades cannot overcome you. Isn't that amazing? Can't you just walk around with your shoulders squared in the spiritual world! Isn't this good news? Although I am a small pebble, if I am used by God to become someone who builds God's church, then the small pebble has the same power as the big rock. This rock is the rock of truth.

Later, I thought, God said long ago that God does not dwell in temples made by human hands, but God dwells in the temple He Himself builds. What is used to build it? It is us, these small pebbles. Once we, these small pebbles, are used by God, we become precious rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and agates. Everyone must know that gold has a price, but gemstones are priceless.

How do we become gemstones? Jesus said, Don't you want to do what I do? If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. If you want to do what Jesus Christ does, you must deny yourself. If you don't deny yourself, how can you play? Some people don't want to deny themselves and still want to poke Satan's butt. Don't even think about poking Satan's butt, even if you kiss Satan's butt, it won't work. Once Satan grabs you, you will be sitting under his butt.

So, it is a great risk for those who do not deny themselves to build the church. Isn't there a news story circulating recently about kissing whose butt? Actually, whether you poke his butt or kiss his butt, if he is Satan, he will take your life. Remember, don't stir things up when you have nothing to do. If you want to stir things up, you must first deny yourself. Do you understand?

Denying yourself means doing what Jesus Christ does, and then you can poke Satan's butt. Just don't go kissing someone's butt. Ka, poke a hole, and let him have two eyes from then on. Satan will have a mark on his body from now on, with two eyes on his butt. Why? Because one of them was poked by you. He can't do anything about it, because you have denied yourself, so he cannot overcome you. So I tell you, if you want to follow the Lord, you must deny yourself.

Speaking of self-denial, I still have some experience. No one can take away my determination to serve God. I can do anything, I can suffer any loss, but it will not do to take away my calling. I will not allow him to take away my right to serve God. This is my call to come into this world. If everyone has the same determination, your heart will suddenly be enlightened.

Have you denied yourself? Yes, I have. Then what does it matter if your husband has a mistress outside, or even a platoon of them? It has nothing to do with us. We can happily be this small pebble on earth, we can take up the keys of the kingdom of heaven, trample on the devil and the enemy, and poke a few more holes in Satan. This is the background of this passage.

But before the background of this passage, Jesus also said, what did he say? He said, Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Everyone feels, What kind of bread can their yeast make? Jesus said, No, it is to beware of the teachings of the Sadducees and Pharisees. If you listen carefully to this generation, there are plenty of teachings of the Pharisees, plenty of teachings of the Sadducees, and a lot of people who ruin people's faith.

I tell you, the Chinese Mingding Doctrine is very hardcore. A pastor came to me and said: Pastor, I have listened to your Chinese Mingding Doctrine. I said: How do you feel after listening to it? He said: Someone asked me if this Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a heresy. I see that many people like to catch heresy, and they have caught us here.

He said: This is how I answered. After listening to it, it doesn't seem like heresy, but it's quite extreme. It is extreme in carefully observing and following the word of God, speaking according to the word of God. Why? Because that's what Jesus said. If you cannot deny yourself, then don't follow Jesus; you cannot follow Him. If you want to follow Jesus, you must deny yourself. If you love your parents, wife, brothers, sisters, and children more than you love the Lord Jesus, you cannot be a disciple of the Lord Jesus.

Some people have said to me: Teacher, how many people can do that? Isn't there a group of people doing it? This is a very wise decision. Many people are foolish because they bring the teachings of the Sadducees and Pharisees into the church. They believe in the Gospel of the Pharisees, and then they are still catching heresy all day long, this is heresy, that is heresy. Isn't that evil?

You say, how can you defeat the devil like that? Wouldn't you be rubbed on the ground by the devil? It's not Satan's butt that has one more hole, it's his butt that Satan has poked one more hole in. You say: Why does this sound so vulgar? It is very important, only by being so vulgar can everyone listen clearly. Originally, the Lord Jesus wanted to build His church on His rock, and the materials for building the church are this group of self-denying people.

I lament that many church pastors told you to be wary and careful before you came to the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. Careful of what? Careful of the glory of God. You say, where has that all led to? Now I tell you: we must beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Today, looking around, there are too many absurd doctrines taught in the church, too common.

I lament, God, may You raise up Your people everywhere! No matter which church you are in, no matter which corner of the world you are in, after hearing my sharing, you can make a decision. God, I will follow You, I will be a wise person, I will do what You do, I will become the material for You to build Your glorious church, I am that self-denying disciple. This is great, you can't do this without a bit of wisdom.

At times, I find some people quite foolish. When building a church, one should do it properly, according to the word of God. But no, they insist on creating a Sadducean church, a Pharisaical church. They talk about self-sacrifice, yet only sacrifice halfway. Since you've sacrificed half, why not sacrifice completely? Instead, half is in the world, half in heaven.

Do you know why building God's glorious church is so good? There's a preceding passage where Jesus says to his disciples: Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves that fed five thousand, and the seven loaves that fed four thousand, and how many basketfuls of broken pieces you gathered? Do you all understand what this means?

Those disciples said: We understand. Jesus said: Understand what? Why did Jesus say this? If you truly emulate Jesus Christ, you can perform the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. Even today, we often experience the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. God's provision is extremely abundant, never lacking.

Brothers and sisters, if you are becoming more and more prosperous, you are experiencing the five loaves and two fish. If you can often experience the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, what will you lack in this life? Nothing. I tell you, a person who builds God's glorious church, a person who sacrifices himself, will lack no good thing in this life. That's the background of this passage.

It is Jesus Christ Who Builds His Church

It is Jesus Christ who builds the church, not you and me. We are merely co-workers with God, for God does not dwell in temples made with human hands. Many people have an extremely confused understanding of the church. Teacher, should I follow you online on Sunday, or go to our physical entity? I'm not even sure what kind of entity your physical entity is, because people understand the physical to be the church, and the online is not. Can everyone understand that?

I tell you, this is the church. What is this church built with? It is built with you and me, with all of us becoming one in Jesus Christ, and that becomes God's glorious church. God does not dwell in temples made with human hands. Next to your house, there's a sign that says church. Go inside and look with spiritual eyes. It may be a church built by Jesus Christ, or it may not be.

Remember, buildings are of no use. Why? Because the Tabernacle of Moses that God first built is gone. The temple that David and Solomon built is also gone. And Jesus said, I will destroy these, and not one stone will be left on another. So, what is God's material? God's material is you and me, not that brick, not the stone, not the cement. The church next to your house is a landmark in that small county. Why? People go there to take wedding photos. It's for taking photos.

So, brothers and sisters, we must re-understand the definition of the church. God wants us to become one in Jesus Christ. Why should we build a shepherding church? Because that is the heart of Jesus Christ. Even though you are thousands of miles away, when I lead you in prayer, it works. Even though you are thousands of miles away, when I minister to you on the phone, it works, and the garbage in your head is knocked out. On the contrary, those that put up a sign for a church, but do not have the substance of a church, that is abominable.

So, the Lord Jesus wants to build his church. Our church is built by the Lord Jesus. You say, How do you know? Because it is built according to the words of the Lord Jesus. We are constantly receiving the word of God, allowing the word of God to be fulfilled in us.

The Lord Jesus Will Build His Church on This Rock

The Lord Jesus will build his church on this rock. What exactly is this rock? This rock is Christ. And what is Christ? Christ is truth.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

So, on this great rock is the truth of God. Jesus builds this church on this rock, so that we can do what? So that we can ascend the mountain of the Lord, and enter the temple of the God of Jacob. When we walk the road of Jesus Christ, that is the road of life; when we walk the road of Jesus Christ, that is the road of truth. Brothers and sisters, do not be lazy. If taking notes is difficult, how can you learn the truth? I tell you, if you don't take notes and do problems in school, you will definitely fail the exam, no need to even think about it.

Many brothers and sisters are on the periphery. They say to me, Teacher, I can't bring them. I can only bring those who love to learn. I am truly grateful to him. Those who do not love to learn, those who act blindly on a whim, are difficult to manage. Some people also say, Teacher, why haven't I brought him yet? I'm still training him on the periphery, making him take notes.

Thank God, Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a learning theology. Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology which ascends spiritual peaks, constantly knowing God in understanding, and constantly rising in the level of knowing the truth of God. If a person truly knows in understanding that it is no longer I who live, but Jesus Christ who lives in me, I tell you, you will immediately experience a miracle, and the feeling in your heart will be especially good.

Sometimes I say: What do people live for in a lifetime? They live for a feeling. If a person's whole life is a feeling of entanglement, then it will be an entangled life. If it’s a joyful feeling, then it’s a joyful life. If you climb the spiritual peak and reach the level of Galatians 2:20, my goodness, it is so bright, so enjoyable.

I said these words because I fear that many pastors will become increasingly competitive. If I don't say it, they won't know. Ah, a pastor like me has a very enjoyable job. They say that being a pastor is the most challenging job in the world, but it is not. Being a pastor is the most enjoyable job. Climbing spiritual peaks can bring a miraculous effect.

Among us listening to me, if you are a church builder, start today to challenge yourself again, climb spiritual peaks, and never dig out your sermons from a few years ago. Don't hire many administrative staff in the church, and say to them, Xiao Li, go dig out that sermon of mine and read it. Don't do that. How should you do it? Like me, you must constantly improve your knowledge of God in spiritual understanding.

So, I put a lot of effort into every sermon. Yesterday was another sleepless night. Is it hard? Yes, it is hard. Is it joyful? Yes, it is joyful. This time I have done another dissertation. The rock of truth, brothers and sisters, must strive to climb. If you want to solve your problems, put your problems aside first, and climb the spiritual peak. When you climb to the top, which is the temple of God, you will gaze upon the beauty of God, and you will receive God's abundant grace. How good is that! Bright! So enjoyable.

Those Who Follow Jesus in Building the Church Must Deny Themselves

Those who follow Jesus Christ in building the church must deny themselves. Many people cannot do it because they think they are suffering losses, but I think it is taking advantage. If you think about it a little bit, building God's glorious church endures forever. This is God revealing His will and revealing His plan throughout the ages. God has a great plan: everything on this earth is divided into two parts. Treasures are collected into His kingdom, and garbage is thrown into the garbage incinerator. We cannot be garbage.

These words we say seem understandable and yet also seem incomprehensible. I tell you, the other rewards are also extremely rich. Today I must teach you, do you think self-denial is self-denial? Self-denial is called investment, understand? Many years ago, Ren Zhengfei invested 20,000 yuan to establish Huawei. I ask you, how much is Huawei worth now? 20,000 yuan and 500 billion, calculate it, I can't calculate it, I don't know how many times over, many, many times over.

I ask you, what can you do with 20,000 yuan? Some people are stupid, some people's return on investment is not high. Ren Zhengfei despises doing real estate, no matter what, people with this kind of ambition are smart. Where are they smart? Ren Zhengfei said, That thing collects rent, how much return can that be? People don't do it. People don't do finance, they do science and technology, and science and technology have high returns. Which one really has a high return? Following Jesus Christ to build His glorious church, the return is not just a little bit, it is much higher than the return of Huawei.

You say, How high is it? Come, let me calculate it for you. The powers of Hades cannot overcome a person who builds God's glorious church. What are the powers of Hades? The powers of Hades are what make you poor, the powers of Hades are what make you sick, I ask you, is it a good deal or not? It is a good deal! People don't know, even now that science and technology are so advanced, the hospital is still like a vegetable market. The hospital cannot solve the problem. But has it been solved in Jesus Christ? It has been solved.

Some people say: How do you know? I experienced it, how could I not know? Let's just calculate one thing, let me calculate the return for you. A small cancer cell, a small coronavirus, can bring a person down. But you deny yourself and build God's glorious church, and you defeat all these things. And those unlucky things, the car drives automatically, bang, and the person is gone. If God avoids this disaster for you, how high will the return be? That can't be calculated. That's not a small goal of 100 million, that's a life.

I say self-denial, you must deal with the selfishness inside you, that foolish energy. What can a person get with selfishness? Get cancer; what can a person get with selfishness? Get the coronavirus; what can a person get with selfishness? Get bad luck. So, is the return on self-denial high? Very high! It can overcome the powers of Hades and get the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

There is a place in Singapore where you can collect your keys. When you buy a government house, the Singapore government calls it HDB, a government flat. When you buy a house and go there to collect the keys, there is something placed there for you to take a picture of, and move into your new home as a souvenir.

Today you are holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven, shouldn't you take a picture? What do you do with the keys to the kingdom of heaven? Draw on God's heavenly magic weapons. When there is a little imp on earth that you can't beat, go to heaven and get some magic weapons. When you cast it, you will subdue it, subdue demons and exorcise monsters. If you can't beat it, the monster will catch you in its cave and eat you like Tang Sanzang. Is that a good deal?

Brothers and sisters must know that there is investment and return, risk and gain. Investing in the kingdom of heaven has extremely rich returns; investing in the kingdom of heaven has very low risk and rich gains. Oh my goodness, I like to talk about investment and return, because I can't wait for all brothers and sisters to become smart.

Those Who Deny Themselves Must Beware of the Teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees

The Sadducees are atheists, and the Pharisees are religious. I ask you, do these people's teachings sound reasonable? They are reasonable. But these people's teachings have one characteristic, that characteristic is that you have to create everything with your own hands, there is no blessing. This is selfish teaching that loves the world, discerns good and evil, gratifies the flesh, and is self-righteous.

When this kind of thing is integrated into the church, it becomes bad. Once it is integrated into the church, the church immediately loses the power of God, immediately loses the miracles of God, so the five loaves and two fish are gone. If you have five thousand people, you cook for yourself, if you have four thousand people, you cook for yourself. Once the miracle is gone, what does the church become? It becomes a building, and the people inside are all fighting each other. What's the use?

Some time ago, our website crashed. A young man sent a message saying, do you need technical support? Actually, I tell you, our church's technical capabilities are still quite good. Why did it crash? Because one of our technicians made a mistake, clicked the wrong button, and killed something and then he made a suggestion.

Later, I learned that he was a brother in a large city church, and also a small pastor. He was very emotional, why? His pastor A finished preaching on the stage, and the second week pastor B came to the stage to preach and criticized pastor A's preaching. The next week, pastor C came up and criticized both pastor A and B.

I was thinking that the people below are quite divided. What kind of church is this? It turned out to be a church built among Pharisees and Sadducees, and other strange people. Is that Jesus Christ's church? He was very emotional. He said: Your founder is amazing. You are really united. I thought that this teaching of the Sadducees and Pharisees is too corrupting.

In the past, there was also a very famous person who said to me: My branch church has a fault, which is that I hired three pastors, and the three pastors fought with each other. They either staged Romance of the Three Kingdoms, or Empresses in the Palace, or the Grand View Garden of Dream of the Red Chamber. Then I said: What do you do? He said: I have a trick, I will separate the three pastors, and each person will establish a church.

The problem is that the spirit of disunity behind it is still there. It is not a church built by Jesus Christ, it is a church built by them, so brothers and sisters must never think that putting up a sign is a church. It may be a church of the Pharisees, or it may be a church of the Sadducees, that is very miserable. Why? They don't want to deny themselves, they are all a group of selfish people.

Why is there no power struggle among us? We are all self-denying, of course we are still on the road of self-denial. We still invite Jesus Christ and God's Spirit to constantly deal with us so that we can become self-denying people. In this way, the church can do what Jesus Christ did; in this way, the church can fulfill the mission that Jesus Christ gave us; in this way, the glory of God will continue to be manifested among us, and the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection will continue to be manifested.

So, our brothers and sisters are blessed. I really hope that brothers and sisters will continue to run forward on this road, until we receive this glorious crown, and that glorious crown that cannot be corrupted in eternity is reserved for us. What do the momentary and light afflictions on this earth count for? Because we all carry the Mingding Doctrine received from Jesus Christ, to become a blessing to all nations and peoples on earth, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has several more lectures. When we finish speaking, we will know what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. It turns out that it is really a gospel. It can really set the captives free, set the oppressed free, really trample on the devil and the enemy, and really give Satan one more eye on his butt. Is it fun? It is fun. Let God send us, in any case, to inflict more blows to Satan.

May God bless everyone! Amen!