Introduction

Good morning, everyone. We continue with the sixth lecture of the series "The Gospel of Apostle Paul," titled "Jesus Christ as the Head of All Things for the Church." Last time, we discussed the Apostle Paul's gospel, "For it is the power of God." However, the power of God is rarely seen; what we often encounter is a powerless gospel.

It is considered normal to believe in a powerful gospel as if it were a powerless one. Sermons talk about fearing God, having life, and a whole lot more. But when it comes to power, it's only human power, not God's power. To believe in a powerful gospel as if it were powerless is very corrupt, somewhat like turning the Gospel of Jesus Christ into Mahayana Buddhism.

Why is it like Mahayana Buddhism? Mahayana Buddhism also abstains from desires and mortifies the deeds of the body. What is the difference between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism? Mahayana Buddhism talks about a theory, a doctrine; Theravada Buddhism does a lot of things that seem to have some power. Later, Theravada Buddhism became more popular, while Mahayana Buddhism was not so popular.

Back to our theme, building a church without power, without the presence of God, and then claiming to be orthodox is very corrupt. In fact, that is not the Gospel of Apostle Paul, nor the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Where is the problem? I tell you, the church thing is not done right. If the church is not the body of Jesus, that's OK, but don't become the body of the devil. Hanging the sign of the church, but not seeing the power of God in the church.

In fact, many preachers have seen such churches. He preaches in the church, and the more he preaches, the poorer he becomes, preaching himself into a poor man. Many of our brothers and sisters used to serve in churches, and later came to us, and they all walked this path. They used to build churches, but they could not see God's promises, nor God's power, and it was very hard, with many struggles. I myself have walked this path. But thank God I reacted quickly, because my approach was, if I didn't do it right, I would quickly change.

What kind of church can release the power of God? A church with Jesus Christ as the head can release the power of God. What kind of church has the presence of God? A church built on the rock of truth according to the word of God has the presence of God. What kind of church can overcome the powers of hell? The church of Jesus Christ can overcome the powers of hell.

In fact, I tell you, I started building a church as an exorcism church. People who were bound by demons in mental hospitals, I literally set them free. But later, I found that just doing this was not enough, and many things were not right. So overcoming the powers of hell is a good evaluation criterion.

Building a church that cannot overcome the powers of hell, what does it mean to not overcome the powers of hell? It means building a church that cannot solve even a major illness like cancer, let alone a minor illness like kidney stones. Is that still the church of Jesus Christ? All they do is encourage the brothers and sisters in the church to go for physical examinations. We don't do that. As soon as the body is examined and cancer is found, oh, this pastor starts to get busy.

I once met such a pastor. A sister from his church came to me and said, "Pastor, a sister in our church has been diagnosed with cancer." Not long after, she came to me again, "Another sister in our church has been diagnosed with cancer." Oh, I really felt sorry for this pastor. You think a cancer patient in the hospital, it takes several months to treat. If they die, he doesn't have to treat them anymore. As long as the person is still alive, he slowly treats them.

That pastor was exhausted. Every time he visited the patient, he didn't know what to say. Saying too much was not right, saying too little was not right; comforting was not right, not comforting was not right. Then he said to me, "Our church has another case of cancer." I said, "Oh my God! When will it be your turn in your church?" Don't think I'm saying this to be mean, aren't they all in line? It might be the pastor's turn soon.

So what kind of church can overcome the powers of hell? The church of Jesus Christ. If you cannot overcome the powers of hell, without the presence of God, without the power of God, what does that mean? It means it is not the church of Jesus Christ. Whose church is it? I don't know. When it comes to this matter, I still have the right to speak.

At that time, I wanted to build a church, but I didn't understand. I thought building a church was an easy thing. Then I visited each church one by one. One day I went to a small church, with only a few scattered people. In that place, you really couldn't see the work of God, only the work of demons. I sat in the last row, and the pastor was preaching on the stage. Not to mention my current level, even at that time, I knew he was talking nonsense as soon as I heard it.

Then I looked up and saw a row of lights on the top of the stage in that church, hanging on a large iron frame. There were many bats hanging upside down on the iron frame, their eyes shining brightly. I blinked my eyes and realized it was a vision. It disappeared for a while, and then I saw it again. What is this? God said, "This is the demon that controls this church."

I can tell you, if you hear that people in this church get cancer, there are demons in this church, no Jesus. If this church has disasters, it proves that there are demons in this church. I thank God that in our midst, cancer comes and is healed, and people in our midst do not get cancer.

In those years, I built a church without the presence of God, and it was very painful. Why? Building a church with roast chicken, roast duck, and braised beef, how could that have the presence of God? It just attracted a bunch of gluttons. Later, I quickly repented. Why did I repent? My job was gone. When I didn't build a church, I was very blessed, rising straight up in the workplace, very good. When I started building a church, it was bad.

That's the problem. You build a church, but it's not a church with God's presence, isn't that the presence of the devil? In the end, you lose your job. Was there exorcism? Yes, there was exorcism. But at that time, I remembered one thing, "Lord, Lord, I am coming." Jesus said, "I never knew you." Wouldn't that be a tragedy? I deeply repented and began to build the church according to the word of God.

This matter made me understand the concept of the church. What exactly is the church? What does the church look like? What kind of church is God's church? After losing my job, I didn't ask God, "God, why?" As if I was very reasonable. I didn't have the guts. I only asked God, "What should the church look like?"

Thank God, God told me through Ephesians what the church looks like: to put all things under its feet. The church must see the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, and let the power of God be manifested in the church in such a great way. Then I did a lot of research on what the church should look like, and I gradually understood.

The click rate of the church pastor's preaching videos can be very high, your stage can be very beautiful, your lighting can be very infectious, your drummer, guitarist, and band are also very good, and the singing is very accurate. But is this the church? This is not the standard of measurement at all.

When I repented in the second year, the church changed. I didn't have a job, I had plenty of time. No money, but time to pray, time to study the Bible, time to serve. In the second year, miracles and wonders blossomed everywhere, and all diseases had to be healed. Of course, some served for half a year, some served for a few months. At that time, I had a clearer understanding of the glory of God, the power of God, in the church. So everyone must know that the standard of measurement is very important.

What kind of habit should brothers and sisters develop? No matter what you do, you must clarify the concept. For example, if you are an accountant, you must clarify the concept; if you are doing decoration, you must clarify the concept; if you are a carpenter, you must clarify the concept of carpentry; if you want to make a car, you must clarify the concept of the car; if you are doing artificial intelligence, you must clarify the concept. It is impossible to do it right if you are not clear. So brothers and sisters, if those standards are not the standards for measuring the church, isn't that troublesome?

What is the standard of the church? If we go back more than a hundred years, the standard of the church was the pipe organ. What kind of church is it without a pipe organ? Modern churches without drums and guitarists don't seem like churches; without sound, lighting, stage, and worship, it doesn't seem like a church. Is this the standard? It's not the standard. In the Bible, whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament, I really haven't seen it. This thing does provide some emotional value, and they think it's good, but I think this thing is not the standard revealed in the Bible.

When the church is not the church, I tell you, God knows, the devil knows, only you don't know. Many people build churches, ten thousand, twenty thousand people! They think there are twenty thousand people, how can they make mistakes? One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand people, how can there be mistakes? But the Bible doesn't say that one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand people won't make mistakes. I tell you, once you fall into that pit, God knows it's not the church, the devil also knows it's not the church, only he himself doesn't know, isn't that a tragedy?

There was a pastor who went to preach the gospel and serve many years ago, and then had a car accident that killed his two-year-old child. Before the child died, he was rushed to the hospital, and the couple knelt in the parking lot to pray for the child, asking God "Why?" You say why? There is no why, there is only one why, which is that it was not done right. I have a characteristic, I often say: Not done right? What does it look like when it's done right? You must understand what it looks like when it's done right, isn't it a tragedy if you don't understand? Such a big negative stimulus, such a big disaster has come down, and you still don't know that you haven't done it right, isn't that killing you?

In the early years, I was very active in the church, attending every meeting, every prayer meeting, every small group, not to mention Sunday meetings. Then, a brother who was familiar with me had an accident. This brother and his wife both loved the Lord very much. Besides loving the Lord, they also loved cars very much, so they bought BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, and Maseratis, all very good cars. Driving from Singapore to Malaysia, they crashed into a bus, the car was destroyed and the people died, the couple and their child all died.

Then my pastor presided over the funeral, and I went to attend. I saw that the faces were sewn up with needles, which was scary. I thought, if he was still alive, would he ask God "Why?" If he doesn't ask when he's alive, he has no chance to ask when he's dead. I stood next to the coffin and thought: Not done right! In my bone marrow, there is a word called "Not done right," what does it look like when it's done right? I tell you, before the car accident, there were many things that reminded him that it was not done right, but he may have ignored them. I sighed, he had no chance.

Not long after, in my church, a young pastor happily drove his car and crashed into a sprinkler truck. The sprinkler truck was watering flowers on the side of the road, driving slowly, and his car was a sports car, with a low front, so it was easy to get in, and the car was destroyed and the people died. I went to attend the funeral again, and I stood there by the coffin, watching his wife holding a baby of a few months, oh, I said: Anything can happen.

Do you think it was the devil or God who did it? Do you still like cars? I never dared to like cars again! I can only love God. "God! Let me love you well all my life, with all my heart and all my strength." I ask you, does God reign or does the devil reign? Always remember, God reigns.

After this incident, I was studying the Bible once, and I came across Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, who offered strange fire before God, and then fire came out from within and burned them to death, and God's temple became a crematorium. Can everyone understand? Offering strange fire in God's temple immediately turns into a crematorium. Then I thought, I offer roast chicken, roast duck, and braised beef, how well that strange fire is offered? Fortunately, I didn't become that braised beef, roast chicken, and roast duck, I still have a chance to know that I didn't do it right.

Oh my goodness, I was so scared at the time, I said: God, in this life, I will offer myself to you, may you have mercy. May your word always be in my heart, always let me know that I didn't do it right. So "Not done right" is engraved in my bone marrow. Nadab and Abihu are just a stick drawn out of the fire, that fire is a crematorium.

Oh my goodness! Quickly change! I'm not stubborn, I change quickly, this is my advantage. Just like when I was a child, my dad would beat me up, I wouldn't argue with my dad. I immediately said: Dad, don't beat me, I'll change. How could my dad be willing to beat me anymore? I'm not stubborn, and I'm not stubborn, I suffer less.

So, building a church means building one where God is present. But with God's presence, you cannot offer strange fire. Building a church means building one with God's great power to overcome the forces of darkness. Building a church means building one that co-labors with God, built on the rock of Jesus Christ. Any preacher must understand that Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology for building the church. All of the Apostle Paul's epistles are epistles for building the church. Therefore, build the church according to the Book of Ephesians.

Some time ago, an old pastor told me: "The Book of Ephesians is a book for building God's glorious church." After hearing this, I deeply remembered it. At first, I couldn't quite understand it, but I read it well. The Book of Ephesians says, "The church can put all things under its feet." This is extraordinary. The church has God's glory, the church has God's power, and the power manifested to us who believe is so great. Among us, you will experience many blessings. It is not easy not to experience blessings.

So, we previously gave twelve lectures on "The Gospel of Jesus Christ," and five lectures on "The Gospel of the Apostle Paul," plus the sixth lecture on "The Gospel of the Apostle Paul," for a total of eighteen lectures. As a preacher, laying a good foundation, laying a good theoretical foundation, is very important for building God's glorious church. Whatever you do, you must clarify the concept and then implement it rigorously. That old pastor told me: "Build a church, you must be self-sufficient; build a church, you must read God's Word well; build a church, you must pray more." I think I have implemented it best, really, not at all casually.

Whatever you do, especially building God's glorious church, you must clarify the concept of what the church looks like. Do not build a church like you are building a house for the Lord, and then say: "Lord, I have built the house." The Lord says: "I don't want this." You are decorating a house for someone, and after the decoration is finished, the customer says: "I didn't want this." Then how do you collect the money? It would be good if they didn't ask you to pay compensation.

In the past few years, my favorite sermons have been about the church. Moses building the tabernacle is a shadow of our current church building. Moses built the tabernacle according to the pattern God showed him on the mountain; David built the temple, which God drew for David with his finger, and later Solomon built it according to David's blueprint. So, we also build the church according to God's revelation, and then when you finish building, God's glory will fill it.

Speaking of the church, this is the complete gospel. Without the church, it is not the complete gospel. Previously, we talked about "Baptism of the Holy Spirit," "Abraham's Faith," "Children by Promise," "Christ Has Freed Us for Freedom," "This Gospel Is the Power of God," but without this sixth lecture, "Jesus Christ as Head over All Things for the Church," the previous ones cannot stand.

Paul, sent by God, preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, became an apostle of Jesus Christ to establish the church, and then summarized these in the Book of Ephesians. I think when we rigorously implement according to God's Word, how can God not know us? We co-labor with God every day, how can He not know us? Those who work alone there, how can God know them? So, the church is the most critical piece of the puzzle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Gospel of the Apostle Paul.

There are many things that mislead people in the church, such as: prophets, anointing, oil, charismatic gifts, being born again, receiving the Holy Spirit, etc. But once you leave the establishment of the church according to the Apostle Paul's Book of Ephesians, the previous ones cannot stand. Now read the scriptures, Ephesians 1:17-23.

Scripture

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:17-23)

You may not be able to understand everything, but doesn't it sound powerful? Putting all things under our feet, if this is really true, that would be great. We must build a church that can put all things under its feet. Jesus Christ is our head, appointing him to be head over everything for the church.

Prayer

Lord, may you continually do the work of revelation among us, let us build on the foundation of the Apostle Paul, build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, build your glorious church, according to what you have revealed in the Book of Ephesians, let us be able to please you, accomplish your will, and build a church of Jesus Christ.

May Jesus Christ reign and be preeminent among us, may the church be his body, may the Spirit of God, the glory of God fill us. God, lead us today, let us have the blessing to co-labor with you, build your church, so that we may see your glory in our days on this earth. In the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

Scripture Background

When Paul was writing the Book of Ephesians, he was finally able to take a vacation. What vacation did he take? He was arrested, sitting in prison, with food, drink, and a place to sleep. At this time, what else could he do besides pray? He re-sorted and summarized the things he had done in building the church in the past. When he wrote the Book of Romans in the past, he talked about the truth of the gospel; the Book of Galatians also talked about the truth of the gospel. That is to say, the church piece of the puzzle seems to be relatively missing. Although he established the Corinthian church, the Ephesian church, the Galatian church, the Philippian church, he established many churches, but the logic and theory of building the church were not summarized.

When it came to writing the Book of Ephesians, Paul said: "Look at how busy I am, so busy that I forgot to write about the church." So Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians in prison, filling in the most critical piece of the puzzle for building the church. After we read it, we know that this is a summary of his past ministry theory. So that old pastor told me: "To build God's glorious church, you must read the Book of Ephesians."

In fact, we have studied the Book of Ephesians more than once, maybe three or four times, because the theory of building the church is too important. We talk about the Gospel of the Apostle Paul, this piece of the puzzle is indispensable. Ephesians, beginning with verse 3,

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

In Christ means in the church. Don't think that in Christ, it seems like entering the belly of Jesus Christ, no, it is in the church. If you lack spiritual blessings, why? Because you are not in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, we naturally become descendants of Abraham, naturally inherit the blessings of Abraham, God makes our name great, and makes our descendants a great nation, which is extraordinary.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." (Ephesians 1:4-7)

In the One he loves, that is, in Jesus Christ, still the church, all talking about the church.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, which is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance." (Ephesians 1:13-14)

This suddenly connects all the things we talked about earlier in the Gospel of the Apostle Paul. Do you still remember? We talked about "Baptism of the Holy Spirit," "Abraham's Faith," "Children by Promise," "Jesus Christ Has Freed Us to Be Free," "This Gospel Is the Power of God," and now we talk about "The Church," this last piece of the puzzle.

Why did the Apostle Paul describe the power of God so clearly when he wrote the Book of Ephesians? It highlights a problem: in the days of the Apostle Paul, there were many who opposed Paul. What did they oppose? They turned the powerful gospel of the church, the gospel of putting all things under its feet, into powerlessness. Not only Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, but all were like this.

Do you know why? The most important work of the devil is to deprive the church of its power. The church began to go astray, and then still felt that it was orthodox, and did not know that it was wrong when it had an accident. It turns out that the church can so easily lose the gospel of great power, and so easily confuse the definition of the church.

Originally, God's plan was to unite all things in heaven and on earth in Jesus Christ. Now we are to be united with Jesus Christ, so that the church can become the body of Jesus Christ, and then put all things under its feet. You say, what a transcendent faith this is? It is not only a transcendent faith, but also really sees God's work among us, it is not a fake.

Does Paul need to give examples to testify to these things? No. The things Paul did were all miracles and wonders following him, and the gospel Paul preached was all powerful. So Paul said: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power." Can this sentence be imprinted in your ears? I tell you, this powerful gospel of God is nothing without power. If the gospel is all wise and persuasive words, it is nothing. Brothers and sisters must know that no matter how eloquently you speak, without the demonstration of the Spirit's power, it is nothing.

This is God's plan! God's plan is in Jesus Christ, that is, through His church, to give us spiritual blessings, the adoption of sons, to be holy, God's redemption, to receive the Holy Spirit, the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, all in Jesus Christ. This is a very important concept.

Entering into Jesus Christ by Faith

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. (Ephesians 1:7)

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13)

What is this talking about? Once we believe in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, we begin to enter into Christ. What do we do in Jesus Christ? We begin to put to death the passions and desires of the flesh, begin to be completely united with Jesus Christ, begin to live out the likeness of Jesus Christ, and deal with anything that is not like Him. You look in the mirror, and if this part is not like Jesus Christ, get rid of it, and begin to be a little like Jesus Christ.

I want to remind everyone that being sealed with the promised Holy Spirit is just the beginning. What is the beginning of? The beginning of entering into Jesus Christ, that is the key! What do we do when we enter into Jesus Christ? We co-labor with God to build His glorious church, and then these other things come. What happened later? The church even lost the thing of being sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

So what is the Gospel of the Apostle Paul? It is the gospel of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. After being baptized in the Holy Spirit, then enter into Jesus Christ and build God's glorious church. To what extent are many Christians confused now? I have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, I have been saved by grace, I have been born again, I can go to heaven after I die. How strange does that sound?

The church is the wisdom of God. Only in the church can you become holy. Outside the church, you run to the deep mountains and forests, and you will not become holy, because you cannot find anyone to distinguish good from evil with. So, believing in Jesus Christ is just the beginning, the beginning of entering into Jesus Christ, building God's glorious church, and then putting all things under your feet.

Bestowing Upon Us Every Spiritual Blessing in Jesus Christ

I ask you, if you are impoverished, heavily indebted, and plagued by misfortune—thankfully, not a car accident—why is that so? Do not question God; instead, examine yourself. It is because we lack all kinds of blessings.

You might say, "Teacher, I even reside in the church." But that church is merely one with a signboard, and it is uncertain whether it is in Jesus Christ or in the devil. It is unclear where it is, constantly chanting "Amen," perhaps existing solely within that "Amen." Being in Christ is not about being in "Amen"; it is about being bestowed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Bestowing upon us every spiritual blessing is a clear testament, not mere words from Paul. If you consider a car accident a blessing, then may you receive more. If cancer is a blessing, may you receive two. If being indebted and utterly impoverished is a spiritual blessing, then may you receive three. What is that? I tell you, this blessing is the blessing of Abraham.

What is the blessing of Abraham? If you read Genesis chapter 12, God said to Abraham, "I will surely bless you." What is this blessing? "I will make your name great, I will make your descendants a great nation, and you shall possess this land." The last part is even better: "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3)

Every spiritual blessing is in Jesus Christ. As descendants of Abraham, we inherit the blessings of Abraham, which are spiritual blessings. Therefore, you must know that no one can curse you anymore. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse." You are closely connected with God.

Brothers and sisters, stop being preoccupied with your own small world. Deal with ourselves properly, so that we may have a heart to build God's glorious church, and then you will receive the blessing of Abraham, which is extraordinary. This is not something earned; it is what should be by right.

Obtaining the Adoption as Sons in Christ

He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. (Ephesians 1:5)

Do you think building the church is important? Without being in Jesus Christ, what adoption as sons do you obtain? You would not even know whose son you are. How can a son not be in Jesus Christ? Therefore, building God's glorious church is how the sons of God obtain the adoption as sons in Jesus Christ. Having obtained the adoption as sons of God, what is God's is yours, and what is yours is God's. How wonderful is that?

Suppose one day you meet a particularly wealthy person who says to you, "Son, what is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine." Would you still be poor? No, you would not. Now God says, "In Jesus Christ, you have become my son; what is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine." Do you think it is worthwhile? Anyone with a bit of sense knows it is extremely worthwhile. Obtaining the adoption as sons in Jesus Christ—this is originally God's will.

But what is the issue? In the process of building the church, will you grow more and more like Jesus Christ? Will you grow more and more like God? I tell you, if you do not live out the image of God, you cannot build God's church. If you build it, you will certainly live out the image of God. Why? In the church, do you love God? You do. Then, when you shepherd God's flock, will you still discern good and evil with God's flock? You will not.

We have a sister among us who encountered a person in her workplace who was lazy, wicked, and particularly discerning of good and evil. No team wanted him. This sister, a junior leader, took him in. After taking him in, she remembered what I had said. "Ah, I must treat him with a shepherd's heart. He still has the image of God in him; I must respect him." He must also want to do his job well. The sister, by respecting him with a shepherd's heart, transformed him as if he were a different person.

In fact, this sister used to be lazy herself, doing nothing, raising three children, knowing nothing, and unable to do anything. After being trained in the church, she entered the workforce. After finding a job and working for some time, she was promoted to a junior leader, and now she manages her team quite well.

What does this mean? If you are a very selfish person, only caring about yourself, you would also reject this person like the others. But she has the heart and image of God's son. She was shaped in the church and applied it to her work. Is it effective? It is. If she had not been shaped in the church, following the logic of the world, it would not have gone well.

Obtaining the adoption as sons, growing to the full stature of Jesus Christ, happens in the church. If she were not in the church, not in the shepherding of the church, could she have grown like this? Of course, she could grow like this because our pastor had already grown like this before her. Therefore, in Christ, it is certainly in the process of building the church that you can become children of God. Can you understand this now? You can understand it.

Becoming Holy and Blameless in Christ

When building the church, arranging for someone to be shepherded by you does not reveal the bad habits of the person being shepherded, but rather the problems of you, the little shepherd. Discovering that you still have flaws, are not yet holy, and still have garbage in your mind. Why? Because you are idle and busy discerning good and evil with others. How can you become holy? If you think you are quite good, but when you are given someone to manage, you will certainly manifest your bad habits and the filth within you to the fullest extent.

The church is truly God's wisdom, putting a group of unholy people together, and as they work together, they become holy. Do you not find it miraculous? Because as soon as they work together, God begins to deal with us in that place. We may have struggles and hardships within, but this hardship is worthwhile, making you more and more holy, more and more blameless, and more and more like God. Is this not living out God's glorious image? If there were none of these things in the church, you would still think you are quite good.

The church is a very miraculous place! Some time ago, a sister was discussing management with me. I said, "Management is training; training should replace management." She thought about it and said, "Yes, that's good." Can this church thing be used in a company? I said, "The logic is simple. In a company, you give him money, you manage him. Is that easy? It is easy. In the church, you do not give him money, and he still has to tithe, and then you manage him. Which of these two situations is easier?"

Of course, it is easier in a company. In a company, you give him money, and it is only right to manage him. But in the church, you ask him to tithe, and you still manage him. How difficult is that? They are absolutely not on the same level. The management of the church is a dimensional reduction compared to the management of a company; they are completely not on the same dimension.

Why do we do this in the church? Because in the church, people can be made holy and blameless. Therefore, people we train will certainly be above and not below, the head and not the tail, when they work in a company. Because through training, your selfishness, your discernment of good and evil, and all your evil habits of constantly trying to take advantage of others are all eliminated, and then you become holy and blameless, and you have the adoption as sons of God, and you have the power that comes from God. How could you not do well?

Can the church's management system be used in a company? Certainly, it can. In the church, it is not using money to make the devil turn the mill; in the church, the devils turn the mill for us for free. Do you believe it? A group of devils are working there. The church is powerful! All things are under its feet. Brothers and sisters are not devils; they are a group of God's children. It is not money that can make God's children turn the mill; it is not money that can make a prince turn the mill. If you use money to find a prince to turn the mill, that is not right. The prince will certainly scold you severely because the prince does not lack money. We become holy and blameless; only the church can do this.

Our textual ministry is all free. A pastor saw our textual ministry and invented a method of giving money to the members in the church to do textual ministry. Later, he shared with me that it did not work; he could not do it. Giving money could not do it, but if you give him dignity and glory, he will do it very well for you for free. Money cannot make the sons of God turn the mill. Can you understand this now?

Obtaining the Hope of Glory in Christ

In order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:12)

I tell you, if you are poor, you can truly hope to become wealthy. Because our God makes us His children, and everything in God's house is ours. How could we be poor? This is the hope of glory. This hope is not ordinary hope; it is that everything in God's house is our own. The keys to the kingdom of heaven will be given to us. We can open whichever door we want.

If you fight with the devil, you open this door and see that there are many treasures and sacred objects here. You open another door and see that there is much wisdom here that can equip you. How hopeful is that! Do you know what hope is? What has not yet been obtained is called hope. What has been obtained is not called hope; what has been obtained is already ours. Originally, there were still many things in my God's house that we had not yet taken. Let us continue to move forward with hope to take them! Take them freely!

Having Great Power in Christ

And his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:19)

You are a believer. If you cultivate yourself in the deep mountains and forests, you will not see the power of God. But if you are in the church, and then you believe, to what extent will His power be great? To the extent that it raises people from the dead. If the dead can be raised from the dead, then nothing is impossible. Therefore, in God's dictionary, there are no words "impossible." All things are possible with God.

I must tell everyone to build God's glorious church well. The mighty strength that God exerted when he raised Christ from the dead—if this power is manifested in you, how extraordinary would that be! Therefore, if someone is blind, come to me and be healed! If someone is lame, come to me and be healed! If someone has a fracture, come to me and be healed! If someone has stones, come to me and be healed! If someone has cancer, be healed! If someone has a large lump on their body, be healed! All will be healed. It is just that many people do not yet know.

If the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead is among us, what problem cannot be solved? The church that God builds among us will put all things under its feet. God's church will overcome the powers of hell. I ask you, what problem cannot be solved? We do not use money; the devils turn the mill for us for free. What else cannot be solved?

Therefore, "God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church." Can you understand this sentence? It means that the church is the body of Jesus Christ, and then all things are placed under his feet, which means under our feet. How great is this power! If we build such a church, not counting what has not yet been fully seen, what has already been seen is extraordinary.

Our testimonies are truly numerous. Now many testimonies, they are too lazy to write. What, "I prayed and my nose got better," "I prayed and this got better, that got better," they do not like to write anymore. Now they write, "I used to not like to study, but now I like to study." How great a change is that! Impossible things will become possible. Brothers and sisters, if you still have many problems, now turn back and become builders of the church.

One person had a pile of problems. Later, we arranged for him to serve. When he served wholeheartedly, he was healthier during that time. Then, for a period of time, he talked nonsense, laid flat, and scrolled through his phone. Ah! His condition was not good. Whenever he shepherded wholeheartedly, with a sense of responsibility, he began to live out God's glory, looking very sunny. Do you think this is very interesting?

Therefore, the church can do this! When you begin to obey God's will, you can overcome those that cannot be overcome, and put all things under your feet! God will make you live out His glorious image. Amen!

May God bless everyone! Amen!