Introduction

We are sharing particularly good news, the fourth sermon in "Sharing the Benefits of the Gospel," titled "The Gospel is Preached to the Poor." I myself experienced poverty in the past, and it was a particularly difficult time. I hated being poor. If you have ever lived in poverty, you will certainly hate it. When you cannot find a job, and you are living a very hard life, barely making ends meet, not knowing if it is bad fate or bad luck, you always feel like there is an evil force working against you, bringing you misfortune.

Someone preached the gospel to me, saying, "Believe in Jesus and you will have eternal life." What is eternal life? I have not even figured out this life yet! If this life cannot be helped, can it help me gain eternal life? I am not stupid, I do not believe in that stuff. They were kind enough to drive a long way to pick me up for their gathering, and there was food after the gathering, but those unlucky days never seemed to end. I said, "Forget it, this stuff does not work. I need to find something that works."

My thinking was very practical. I just wanted to find a God who could help me. I felt that the "believe in Jesus and you will have eternal life" message they were preaching could not even put food on the table. If the problems of living cannot be solved, can the problems of death be solved? I do not believe it. I came to a conclusion: when preaching the gospel, never just preach religion. Let us preach a benefit, do you want a benefit? Later, I really did receive a benefit. I found a job, and my life got back on track. I realized that the Lord Jesus I knew was very real, and He cared about my living.

Do you all think this is good news? My God cares about my living, He is not indifferent. We care, and He cares. Until now, what I have been doing is sharing the benefits of this gospel with everyone. I believed in the Lord because I was looking for a job, so those who come among us looking for a job will definitely find this kind of grace to be effective.

Do you know how miraculous the job I found was? The boss of the company that hired me, I am now good friends with him, he is over seventy years old. At that time, he was hiring, I was in my twenties, and he was in his thirties. He laid his hands on the resumes and prayed, saying, "God, bless me with a capable person." My God is so divine, He whispered my name in his ear. My resume was in broken English, completely nonsensical.

The next day he prayed again, and my name was whispered again; the third day it happened again, my name again. He decided to persuade the human resources department and a junior boss below him. My goodness! I got a job that God gave me! If God did not help me, forget it, I would have received a letter saying, "I'm regret to inform you," that is, regrettably informing you that you were not selected. God is so amazing! I really needed a miracle-working God.

Later, I often told everyone, "You need to eat, you need a job, you need that salary." I tell you, God customizes and creates a job for you. My God is so awesome! I really do not like poverty, so I received the benefits of this gospel. I tell you, the gospel is preached to the poor. If you feel rich and not lacking, you will not understand. But why do I still need to talk about this? It is not that because I do not understand it, I do not need it. Everyone still needs it.

There was a sister who had depression, and I helped her recover more than ten years ago. Then she worked in Shenzhen for five years. I asked, "What is your salary?" She said, "Seven thousand." Can you live on seven thousand in Shenzhen? If you can live on seven thousand in Shenzhen, that would be great, that is a pauper's wage. I said, "Let us not do it anymore, our God is a God who makes people rich!"

Later, she quit that job, received some training, and found a job that paid over twenty thousand. Do you think the difference between twenty thousand and seven thousand is just over ten thousand? No. Because with seven thousand, you probably would not have a thousand left at the end of the month. That is not three times, everyone is calculating it wrong. The money you have left after working is a difference of more than ten times! The difference between saving a thousand and saving ten thousand is ten times! Thank God! My God does not like poverty, my God is definitely a God who solves your financial problems. The God I serve is so good.

Preaching religion is quite detestable. I knew at the time that it was useless. Some people preach and get confused about what is good and what is not. What is the benefit of preaching a religion that makes people poor? What is the benefit of preaching a religion that makes people sick? Someone who could walk, but in order to sell crutches, makes them sit in a wheelchair and buy a pair of crutches. Is that not the trickery in Zhao Benshan's skit? Are you working for God or working for the devil?

Poverty is not good, sickness is not good. In the kingdom of God, there is no poverty, no sickness. Coming before God is not to give God any benefits, but to receive the benefits of this gospel. It is precisely for this reason that we have blessed many people.

There was a colleague who came to the church many years ago. Why? He had a white card. Do you know what a white card is? Some people have a green card, some people have a red card, some people have a white card. If your white card expires and you cannot find a job, you are out of here, it is very hard. Either you cannot find a job, or the permit application is not approved. As a result, after he came to our church, he found a job. He even negotiated with the company to the point where the contract stated two thousand, and he said, "It does not matter, I can return two hundred to you later."

But do you know how amazing God is? The company offered him a price of two thousand two, including tithes. At the time, when he believed in the Lord, he just wanted to find a job. Fortunately, he was not stupid. Unlike some people who say goodbye to the church after finding a job, he has persisted until now, and later received even more benefits. That is really good!

Some Christians and pastors consider sickness and poverty to be good. Is that not detestable? Even non-believers say "Congratulations and be prosperous" when they enter your house during the New Year. Who says "Congratulations on misfortune, congratulations on poverty, congratulations on being in debt"? If you say, "Congratulations on your poverty, congratulations on your debt, congratulations on your illness," would they not beat you up? I would beat you up too. Even worldly people can distinguish between what is good and what is bad. How is it that after believing in the Lord, they cannot distinguish anymore?

I really did meet a pastor who was dirt poor and looked very miserable. Later, he said to me, "Pastor, you do not know, I am so poor now that all I have left is spiritual things." You are poor because you are spiritually poor first, you silly child. But we dare not say it. When it comes to such things, I particularly hate that kind of false gospel.

Among us, there is a sister whose whole family has experienced many graces among us. But her father did not like me. He particularly liked a pastor who had had cancer and heart disease, and particularly liked what he preached. He said to his daughter, "That pastor speaks so well, unlike your pastor who speaks so harshly." As a result, he got cancer from listening. Why? Because what he was listening to was a spiritual transmission, and he was very much in agreement with it in his spirit.

Later, he went to the hospital for surgery and said to his daughter, "Can you find a book written by your pastor?" Actually, he did not want to read it, he just wanted to put it under his pillow to ward off evil. Thank God, the surgery was quite successful. I think it was because our God remembered his daughter's sake, He remembered him.

After getting cancer and having surgery, should you not stop listening to those things? Do you believe in a pastor who had cancer, or do you believe in a pastor who heals cancer? No, he still listened. As a result, he had a stroke this time. I thought, is this the gospel of stroke? Is this the gospel of cancer? I was filled with emotion.

He had personally witnessed his son being delivered. His son was crazy, sometimes running naked in the streets, with well-developed muscles, and no one could stop him. As a result, his son was much better among us, a normal person. He just found it strange, not knowing that this gospel is not the gospel of cancer; this gospel is not the gospel of finding a doctor; this gospel is not the gospel of solving the problem of stroke in the hospital.

Do not believe that poverty is a good thing, do not believe that sickness is a good thing. The salvation that our God has given us, the gospel that He has given us, is to solve poverty and sickness. The Bible says it too bluntly: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor.

Is leprosy good? Leprosy is not good; is being lame good? Is being blind good? None of them are good; is poverty good? No, I do not want it. If believing in the gospel means getting this, then forget it, I do not think it is much of a gospel. So I think, the gospel we believe in is certain: the blind can see, the lame can walk, those who have leprosy can be cleansed, and cancer can be healed.

When leading the prayer just now, a sister said that she was taking care of a cancer patient who had believed in the Lord for more than thirty years and got cancer. She felt it was normal and that she was still very spiritual. "You cannot say I am not spiritual, I am spiritual to the point of having cancer, you cannot blame me." What kind of logic is that? Later, this sister of ours boldly said to her, "You have a cancer personality." As a result, she believed it after hearing it. I think she will be healed soon, she is currently hanging on in the hospital.

So brothers and sisters, you need to know that this is a gospel, and we must receive the benefits of this gospel. Why do people consider sickness and poverty to be good things? Do you not find it strange? In fact, deep down they do not like poverty and do not like sickness. Who likes sickness? No one is there saying, "Lord, give me cancer." Is there? That must be a mental illness. Why? Because they have not believed correctly. Why have they not believed correctly? Because they are concerned about face.

For example, if someone gets cancer and goes to the hospital, and the pastor visits, they start talking nonsense, saying, "This illness is also a blessing." Those are false comforts, they are curses, how can they become blessings? If God said, "Then I will give you a disease, do you want it?" Can you pastor like that? No. If you pastor people into cancer, do you not think there is something wrong with what you are doing? I speak quite bluntly, and many people particularly dislike me for saying this. But this is indeed the word of God, the Bible does say so.

If a pastor gets cancer, how can he preach on the pulpit? He has to explain it and rationalize the disease. Why? Because he does not want to say that he believed wrongly, and still thinks he is suffering for Jesus. Someone typed, "A pastor told my mother that cancer is proof of suffering for Jesus." Oh my goodness! May God fulfill it according to his words.

So people believe and believe, and they believe into being concerned about face. After believing into being concerned about face, they distort the gospel and are cursed. I tell you, believing in the wrong gospel is cursed, and preaching the wrong gospel is also cursed, it is very scary. In the Christian environment, being concerned about face is a very common phenomenon, so common that it exceeds our imagination.

Recently, I felt that some names are not good, such as names like "Glory" and "Hannah," which sound very religious. Can you give a name that looks more normal? Even "Wang Jianguo" sounds like a person's name.

As a result, someone named "Glory" was told by his small group leader, "Change this Glory." Then he objected, saying, "Do you think I am not glorious? Do I not deserve the name Glory?" The small group leader was choked up and could not breathe for a long time. Why? Because he came from a church that was very religious and heavily controlled by a religious spirit. I said, "Let us not worry about him, if he feels glorious, then let him be glorious."

As a result, he recently hit someone while riding an electric bike, and was afraid of being extorted, so he fled. The police came to find him, and this matter could not be hidden. He found his pastor and said, "Teacher, pray for me." What about the previous glory? That was just for show. He felt he was very glorious, but he was not glorious at all, he was just putting on a show. The glory he propped up with the name Glory had no glory.

Thank the Lord! Have you learned a lesson? Yes. Do you still insist on this name Glory? So I think, what we brothers and sisters need to admit is that there are shortcomings in me, and I am too lacking. Later, he found out that his son and daughter-in-law had been cheated out of hundreds of thousands, and he had to help pay off the debt. What kind of life is that?

If we are not concerned about face and do not covet empty fame, and truly live out the glory of God, I do not have to be called Glory. If you admit your lack, God will fill you up. What we do is to share the benefits of this gospel with everyone. Being concerned about face is extremely corrupt and loses the benefits of the gospel.

So never engage in empty gestures, for they are utterly futile! If you dabble in superficiality today and tomorrow, it will eventually cost you dearly. How can we benefit from the Gospel if we are unaware of our deficiencies? I often ask, "What ails you?" And they reply, "I am without flaw, absolutely perfect." But can anyone truly be perfect? They are not, they merely perceive themselves to be.

We must begin to recognise our shortcomings, for it is in these areas that we are impoverished. If we lack wisdom, we are paupers in wisdom; if we lack health, we are paupers in health; if we lack joy, we are paupers in joy; if we lack wealth, we are paupers in wealth. But today, I come to tell you that there is good news for the poor, a solution to poverty. Let us turn to the Scriptures, to Matthew 11:2-6.

Scripture

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:2-6)

Prayer

O God, we confess before You that we are poor, that we are deficient in many ways. May Your Gospel fill our every need. O God, for those among us who lack wisdom, fill them with wisdom. For those who lack health, fill them with health. For those who lack wealth, fill them with wealth. Grant that we may, throughout our lives, benefit from this Gospel, lacking nothing in Your presence.

O God, purge the rubbish from our minds, that we may know this Gospel and its benefits, that we may know You as the Lord of Heaven and Earth, that we may know You as God, and that we may come before You with reverence, in spirit and in truth, to receive Your grace.

O God, may You perform this wondrous work in us, illuminating us with the Holy Spirit, that we may open our eyes and see our inadequacies, see our poverty. In the name of Jesus Christ, we declare that by His wounds we are healed, by His poverty we are made rich. O God, grant that we may receive the benefits of this Gospel, that we may believe in the Gospel You proclaim, in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

Scriptural Context

Why speak of receiving the benefits of the Gospel? Because the true Gospel will surely bring benefits. It is not to say that one believes wrongly and assumes that is the way it is. Never mistake your own experiences for truth. To suffer from cancer and then claim that the Gospel is one of cancer is preposterous. It would make Jesus turn in his grave.

The context of this passage is that John, imprisoned, hears of Christ's deeds through his disciples. They come to John and say, "That one you spoke of, the one whose sandals you were unworthy to carry, do you know what he is doing?" John asks, "What is he doing?" The disciples reply, "He is doing things we do not understand: the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them."

John wonders, "Is this the Saviour? Is this the Messiah I spoke of? Is this the Jesus Christ who was to come into the world to save His people?" What was John thinking? In truth, John imagined, "Jesus Christ has come to organise a mighty army, to overthrow the Roman Empire, to liberate Israel from this colonial yoke." He envisioned a revolution.

"Jesus, what are you busying yourself with? You should be recruiting an army, freeing us from the Roman Empire's colonial rule. What good are the blind? What good are the lame? Can they fight? And what is this nonsense about five loaves and two fish?" These were John's reactions. Was Jesus being nonsensical, or was John the Baptist's mind addled?

When his disciples went to Jesus to inquire, Jesus' response was remarkable: "Go back and report to John what you hear and see." Had he not already heard? John had already heard in prison what Christ was doing. Jesus repeated, "Report to him what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor."

What does this mean? If you hear but do not understand, write a reflection. Like some of our brothers and sisters, after reading, the pastor asks for a reflection. "I have written it." "The reflection is inadequate, rewrite it." It does not matter if Jesus' words differ from your own thoughts; your thoughts are wrong. Understand? Do not cling to our own ideas; we must cling to God's ideas. Do not get it backwards.

We have our own ideas, and when we see what Jesus does, we think it is not quite right. Jesus then asks you to write a reflection. If your ideas differ, rewrite it. Have you had such an experience? Your thoughts and intentions must not follow your own ideas; you may have your ideas, but they may be skewed.

The Chinese Mingding Doctrine is very powerful in this respect. What is God truly saying in this passage? What does God want me to do? Not what do I want to do? Some challenge me, "What if you get cancer?" If I get cancer, I will tell everyone I got it wrong. You say, "If you got it wrong, wouldn't the Mingding Doctrine collapse?" If the Mingding Doctrine collapses, God does not collapse. If I get it wrong, God still sits on the throne as God.

So our ideas are not important. If you must persist, do not persist in your own ideas, but persist in getting things right, in finding the answer. I have a characteristic: I like to persist. When I find I cannot persist, I quickly surrender. Those around me know, "This is not right; what I said before does not count." Because it is not about persisting in a viewpoint, it is about persisting in getting things right, in finding the answer. The context of this passage embodies this very idea.

As a result, Jesus said, "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me." How does one stumble on account of Jesus? It is when you have your own ideas, and Jesus' actions do not align with your ideas, that you stumble. You stumble. John, upon hearing this, must have felt like he had swallowed a dung beetle. I suspect John did not reflect and died without mentioning it again.

People are like that; anything that exceeds our cognition and imagination, we often distort. Why? Because I cannot do it, so it must be false. I am different. If Jesus says so, if that is the Gospel, then we will make the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead raised, cancer healed, the poor have the Gospel preached to them, and the poor will become rich. Everything will be resolved.

Brothers and sisters, if you become rich one day, do not forget me, for I truly persist in this faith, persist in your becoming rich. The problem is, those in need, those who are deficient, are called the poor.

The interpretation of "poor" can be complex. "Poor" means lacking, deficient. Even if one is wealthy, if one feels lacking, that is poverty. When this "poor" person suddenly becomes "rich," it must begin with changing the rubbish in their mind. Why are people poor? Because their minds are poor.

This Gospel makes you rich in this way: "I am a child of God, and my Heavenly Father has abundant riches; I will never lack." It begins there, and then you discover that God truly provides. Our church has come this far entirely because of a mindset of abundance. I thank God, for I believe this.

In the early days, the church was small, with only a handful of members. I felt that if we were to do something, we had to do it properly, so we rented a place for the church. Later, we felt the place was not big enough, so we rented a larger place, making the carpets, chairs, and stage quite beautiful. Why? Because I knew my God would provide for us, my God is a rich God, and I did not believe I would be poor, even though I was poor at the time.

This passage speaks of this very thing: the poor have the Gospel preached to them. If you do not believe, you will stumble; if you believe, you will discover that God's provision exceeds your imagination. At that time, the monthly offerings were about five thousand dollars, and we rented a place for five thousand dollars. How desolate the church was! But upon renting the place for five thousand dollars, the offerings suddenly increased to eight thousand dollars that month. And it remained at eight thousand dollars ever since. I thought God was too amazing, even though there were still only a handful of members.

Some said, "With so few people, why rent such a large place?" Foolish child, solving problems requires development, and solving the problems of development also requires development. This is what those who do not believe in the Lord say. If we are Christians without a vision for development, without faith, we might as well huddle in a small shack. So, if you confirm this, if you remove the thoughts of poverty within, what will happen? If you remove the thoughts of poverty, you will discover that God is faithful.

This passage also speaks of many who saw what Jesus did and had no reaction. How does it say? "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn." Like children playing house, playing a game, they are uncoordinated.

What should be the reaction of people who see what Jesus does? For example, with the five loaves and two fish, feeding five thousand people, some think, "Ah, Jesus should open a bakery, selling as many loaves as people want." This logic is flawed. What should be the normal reaction? The normal reaction should be, "Oh, this person is divine; we must listen to what he says."

But what do people see? When John came, neither eating nor drinking, people said he was possessed by a demon. When Jesus came, eating and drinking, they said he was a glutton and a drunkard. But wisdom is proved right by her children. Those with wisdom see that Jesus is the Christ, know that he is God, that he is our Saviour, and that his words are effective. People's reactions often become very strange. Know that people must pay the price for their reactions to what they see.

Despite my earnest preaching, there are still few who truly have a mindset of abundance, who truly remove thoughts of poverty, who truly know that our God is a God of healing, that our God is a God who makes us rich. Especially now, when you speak of it, some say, "You are preaching the prosperity Gospel." Should we then be failures?

As a result, Jesus performed many miracles, but the people there did not repent. What does performing miracles have to do with repentance? Because after performing many miracles, they should have thought, "Ah, this is powerful, this is too powerful; I must listen to him." But no, you say yours, and they think theirs. People have their own internal logic, so Jesus said, "Woe to you."

Jesus called those people clever and intelligent, but this is a derogatory term. What does it mean to be clever and intelligent? It means they have their own logical system. They are clever, but when they see Jesus' system, they think, "Ah, this system will not work; I will stick with my own." They all think they are clever and intelligent.

Faced with the clever and intelligent, God hides the truth, so they do not understand; but he reveals it to the simple infants. Those who think they are incapable, the Gospel works for them; those who think they are very capable, the Gospel does not work for them. I am like an infant; I feel I have not gotten it right, while they all feel they are right.

For this was the Father's good pleasure. All who are weary and burdened will find rest in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be weary and burdened? It is because they are lacking within, because they are poor, that they must bear the burden of toil to barely survive. If the burden of toil is still on your shoulders, it is because you are lacking in your heart, so you must work desperately. If you know that God will surely provide for us, do we need to bear the burden of toil? No, we should rest instead.

We are often restless, agitated, anxious, and worried, to the point where our bodies are affected. In Jesus Christ, we can find rest again. You might ask, "Are you not concerned about the future and finances of the church?" To say I am not would be false, because as humans, we naturally worry. However, according to God's Word, we should not. Is life not simple enough?

Therefore, I know that the church must move forward. No matter how tight our finances are, we continue to invest in artificial intelligence research. This is a mindset of abundance. I will not lack; my God will surely invest in me and supply all my needs. Until now, I have not lacked. However, as a manager, it is still right to manage well and not waste money.

So Jesus said, "I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me." If I do not have peace within, I must emulate Jesus, and then I will find rest. I must believe in my God, who is the God who provides for me, the God who makes me prosperous. Do you all have a sense of abundance now? Thank God, for He wants to solve the problems of the poor. Whatever you lack, God will provide.

If you feel you do not have enough rest, you will receive rest. If you feel you do not have enough money, you will receive financial provision. God will surely supply us, so I have great faith that sustains me. Many of our brothers and sisters who are struggling on the poverty line will make a turnaround. Never make a deal with God; doing so is a curse and you will not receive the benefits of the Gospel.

The Gospel is for the Poor

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Why? Because the rich have everything; they do not need God or the Gospel as much. This is not just about money. Some people have money but no peace; some have money but no joy. That is also a lack. The Gospel is for the poor, no matter what you lack. So, how good it is to say that the Gospel is preached to the poor, but the interpretation of "poor" needs to be redefined.

If you meet someone in need, what do you do? Some time ago, one of our sisters was working and met a boy who had been tricked into coming to Singapore. After three months, he lost his job. He found another job, but it had no basic salary and he could not get commissions. His mother committed suicide when he was ten because his father had an affair. Many things happened in this boy's family.

This boy was in his twenties, very poor, and needed to find a job. Fortunately, some employers in Singapore are good and encouraged him to find a job with a basic salary. He shared his problems with our sister, with whom he had a good relationship. He said that poor days were hard to live through. He went to a fortune teller who said he would have a chance to turn his life around around 2025. Then the sister shared the Gospel with him, "Do you want to be rich? If you want to be rich, take this path of the Gospel." This is good news.

Although he claimed to be an atheist, he could not persist when he was at his wit's end. It was the same with me. At first, I thought I was an atheist and that I was very capable and could overcome anything, that man could conquer nature, but I conquered nothing. When you cannot persist, you have to find God.

So, brothers and sisters, give people benefits, but do not proselytize. Can your Jesus solve my work problems? Yes. Can your Jesus solve my poverty problems? Yes. That is how it is. The Gospel is for the poor. If you lack this, He can solve it; if you lack that, He can also solve it. So, be sure to preach the good news.

For example, Jesus knew that after healing the ten lepers, nine of them would leave God, but He still healed them. Why? To let people know that God is not after us, but that we may receive the benefits of the Gospel.

Boldly pass on these benefits. If he is one of God's chosen people, he will be a clever and wise person. Wisdom is proved right by its actions. He will say, "It is not enough for me to receive these benefits; I want more." And the results will increase. Like us, we are not very capable, but God gives us grace to receive things that nourish life.

The Gospel is for the poor! If you feel you lack nothing, then this Gospel has little to do with you. If you feel you lack something, come and seek, and you can receive everything, like a cornucopia with everything inside. If a person lacks in spirit, that can also be satisfied. Our God is spiritual food, satisfying the thirst within us.

That is why it is a tragedy to lack nothing. If you lack nothing, how can you seek God? If you lack nothing, this Gospel has nothing to do with you. If a person lacks nothing and idly finds a god to worship, is that not laughable?

The Needy are the Poor

"Teacher, I lack joy." That is good. "How can it be good that I lack joy?" God will satisfy you. "Teacher, I lack wisdom." God will give you wisdom; if you lack knowledge, God will give you knowledge; if you lack money, God will give you money. The salvation and Gospel that our God has accomplished are for those who lack.

Although you may not seem noble or capable, God shames the strong and the honorable. Why? Because you have received the Gospel. What you lack is supplemented by God, not by your own hands. So, the needy are the poor, no matter what you lack. If you lack health, God will give you health. You say, "Is the Gospel that good?" You still have not received it; do not doubt.

Some people feel that it is too utilitarian. I wonder, what kind of mind thinks that way? Because our God lacks nothing; He owns the universe and everything in it. He wants to give us benefits, and when we come to God to receive benefits, we feel it is a bit utilitarian. That is because something is missing in the brain, or there is an extra cog in the brain.

Why argue with God? It is right to receive benefits from God. He is my Father; if I do not receive from Him, from whom should I receive? Those who lack, return to God and look to Him. If we have made a mistake, we will deal with it. Our main goal is to eliminate this poor mentality, because our Lord, our God, is a rich God. He has everything and lacks nothing. If God wants to give you so much, and you still cannot receive it, is that not a tragedy?

Those Who Labor and are Heavy Laden, Find Rest in Jesus Christ

We Chinese are famous all over the world for being a hardworking people. No one can deny that. Chinese people think about making money all day long, and no matter how much money they make, they feel it is not enough. They endure hardship, but some hardships are really unnecessary. After enduring so much hardship and saving so much money, what is it for? They feel that having more money makes them rich, but they always feel that they do not have enough money. Would you say that they are poor? Some people feel a lack, and some truly lack, while others do not truly lack but always feel they do. So people live in toil and burden.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Why will you find rest? You can lay down your toil and burden because Jesus is taking care of you, because God is taking care of you. You say, "If God takes care of me, will I become lazy?" It is not a question of whether a person is lazy or not; it is a question of toil and burden versus no toil and burden. We are not talking about laziness now. If you ask this question, I have to tell you that you are off topic.

Toil and burden are not good! Is it good for a person to carry fifty pounds of rice on their back while playing chess? They will be covered in sweat after playing. You do not need to carry fifty pounds of rice on your back while playing chess. You need to know how to lay down the burden, because we are not feeding ourselves by the swords of our hands or by our toil and burden. It is our God who feeds us.

Brothers and sisters, do you not feel that God has been taking care of you until now? If you feel that God is taking care of you, you will be free and do what you should do, because work is a grace. If everyone believes in the logic I am talking about, they will know that people do not feed themselves by work; people are fed by God. So what is work? Work is a grace. You must do your work well and enjoy it in your labor.

If a person is not content, he will be greedy after becoming an official. If he is greedy for one hundred million, he will feel it is not enough and will be greedy for ten billion. If ten billion is not enough, he will be greedy for one hundred billion. How much is enough? Never enough. This is a poor person, and he really needs the Gospel.

Many who are weary and burdened, the Gospel is preached to you! This Gospel allows you to find rest in Jesus Christ. You do not have to carry this burden to feed yourself, because Jesus Christ has already fed you. Those who lack money, those who lack joy, those who lack wisdom, those who lack strength—it is not good to be poor in strength either—this Gospel can surely solve it. So those who are weary and burdened must know that being weary and burdened means being very poor in their bones, being busy and working very hard all day long. This Gospel is prepared for you.

Gentle and Humble in Heart

Why are you weary and burdened? You only have so much strength, you only have so much energy, and then if you carry one more pound, a single straw can kill you. So you must know in your heart that you are not capable. Only when you know you are not capable can you learn from Jesus. Jesus did not carry fifty pounds of rice on His back.

When you see Jesus walking around, His luggage was not large. Did you see Jesus carrying large luggage? No. Jesus walked around and lacked nothing. Do you not find that strange? The Bible does not say how big Jesus' luggage was. It was probably the small carry-on suitcase that could be taken on a plane. What about His winter clothes? Could God not provide? God could also provide.

So people are gentle and humble in heart, knowing that they are not capable. Let us not carry this burden, for this burden will kill people. If you are crushed by it, you will get sick and have to seek treatment. Then you will lay down the burden when you seek treatment. You should have laid it down earlier. Being gentle and humble in heart means knowing your own limitations. Then we can do according to our limitations. Do not pretend to be capable when you are not. Alas, how toilsome it is to live a life of toil.

I hope that brothers and sisters can know that the Gospel we have received is that the Gospel is preached to the poor, and that the Gospel we believe in can supplement all our lacks. Let us be gentle and humble in heart, able to admit our shortcomings. Do not play at superficiality; being full of religious flavor is useless.

For a while, everyone sat down to talk about why they believed in the Lord. "I needed a job at the time, so I came to believe in the Lord." "Why did you come to believe in the Lord?" "I was sad because I was looking for a boyfriend, so I came to believe in the Lord." "Why did you come to believe in the Lord?" "I was sick at the time, so I came to believe in the Lord." "Why did you come to believe in the Lord?" "I sought eternal life and came to believe in the Lord." Seeking eternal life and coming to believe in the Lord, how strange does that sound? Of course, if you are really seeking eternal life, that is good.

Later, many religious terms were often heard from his mouth. For example, when everyone was eating, someone knocked over a cup, and a cup of tea spilled all over the table. He said, "Thank the Lord." We felt it was religious flavor. But later, he could not do anything well. He went to the church to be an intern pastor, which was very hard because he was poor and it was difficult to be rich.

Let us be gentle and humble in heart, and be realistic. I know you lack something inside. Why not call on our God in God's presence? Call on Him, and He will give these things to us. In fact, the Lord's Prayer in the Bible also says this: Give us this day our daily bread.

Conclusion

Poverty is definitely not good. Our Lord Jesus wants to solve this problem of poverty, and poverty in every place must be solved. Now lift up your faith and know that God is the God who provides for us. In the less than six months remaining this year, let us have a great turnaround in our finances.

Believe! Seek! Trust! Remove the religious flavor from within us, remove the wrong theology and wrong myths from within us. I believe that everyone will have a clearer understanding of God in their understanding. Amen!

May God bless everyone! Amen!
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