Introduction

This week, I will begin preaching a sermon to build up everyone's faith. Although it is about building faith, the key issue is to know where we have offended God. The title of this sermon is "A Dwelling Place for Your Name." I am very grateful, grateful to have God. From the day I knew God, wow, thank God! Otherwise, how desperate would people live, unable to see hope in despair.

But because I have God, even before I knew Him, I sought God, and He opened up a path for me to know Him. I am truly grateful that I have God to pray to and seek, and that my prayers are heard. You know, I have a saying: "How can one live these days without God?" But many people would say: "Oh, how can one live these days believing in the Lord?" I am also shocked.

There was a sister who had cancer. Her son is among us, and she didn't dare tell her son that she had a minor illness and a small surgery, fearing that her son would worry about her. When she found me, I prayed with her. Do you know what happened? She underwent chemotherapy, and during the fourth round of chemotherapy, she completely collapsed. Continuing chemotherapy would certainly lead to death, and not continuing chemotherapy would also certainly lead to death for her.

Then I prayed with her, and all the side effects and symptoms of chemotherapy disappeared. Later, the cancer was completely cured. I said, "Then you should follow me and believe in the Lord properly, right?" To live a blessed life believing in the Lord, one must first tithe. She actually only had a salary of about two thousand dollars, so tithing two hundred dollars is nothing, right? It doesn't amount to much, but she just wouldn't do it.

Later, she suffered. She couldn't breathe lying down, and she couldn't sleep sitting up. Oh, she suffered a lot. She wanted to go to the local church. I was very surprised. What was this person thinking? I also thank my God because He has done many amazing things through my hands. She gained hope, but she didn't receive it, did she? How can one live these days without God?

Later, she came to Singapore to see me and said something that made me feel like I had swallowed a dead fly. She said: "Pastor Liu, my son believes in the Lord with you like this, how can he live these days?" Oh, what is this person thinking? How can one live these days without God? Didn't you just come out of despair? Isn't it? How can he live these days? I just couldn't understand it.

In the past few years, I have been truly grateful to have God, and I am also grateful that God has given me the grace to start building a victorious church and also to create the Chinese Mingding Doctrine, which is how to build a church. You know, this is such a good thing. Then last night, I was ministering to a sister who had bowel obstruction and ovarian cancer, which is not a common suffering.

In the past few days, when we were ministering to her, she was in great pain at night. The brothers and sisters from the eighteen counties among us, their prayers are all effective. Why? This is a dwelling place for God's name. Your prayers are effective here. As a result, yesterday she asked me: "Pastor Liu, how can I have such great faith?" After listening, I said: "My goodness, how much faith does that require? You need to know that I am receiving benefits. Do I need faith?"

Everyone, tell me, I am receiving grace, so do I need great faith? If something is beneficial to me, do I need great faith? What kind of talk is that? Our brothers and sisters need to know that I am not stupid. I can distinguish what is good for me and what is harmful to me. I told her a few testimonies.

One of the testimonies was about my own experience. I am alive because of God's grace. How can one live these days without God's grace? Bowel obstruction, appendicitis, colon cancer, ankylosing spondylitis, my hip was failing, my knees were failing. What is the point of living like this? Isn't it? I know God is God, and I need God.

To live well in this world, I need God's grace and God's benefits. Isn't it? This logic is very simple, and not only do I need a God, but I also need the greatest God, the God who controls all things in the universe. He not only has the ability, but He also loves me.

Then you know, this sister said to me: "Oh, then we have all believed wrongly." I said: "Then what do you believe in?" They all felt that they had made great contributions to God, just like I used to. If it were not for God, I would not know if I would be in this world today. When I first came to Singapore, I encountered many unlucky things. Originally, people didn't have much hope for living, and I felt that it would be better to die sooner rather than later.

Later, before deciding to jump off the building, I said: "Let's see if there is this God." So I went everywhere to find Him. Later, I walked into the church. Oh, this God is good. This God is full of grace and full of mercy. Later, God gave me a job, which was particularly good. As I walked, when I reached forty years old, I had all the symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. But thank God, I didn't go to the doctor. His skills are not as good as mine. If he could solve it, would it still be called cancer? Isn't it?

I have God, and I passed another hurdle. I am still alive today, which is very interesting. You say, how can one live without God? Isn't it? How can one live without God? So I am especially grateful to God for allowing me to serve Him. God chose me to serve Him, to build a church, a dwelling place for His name. Everyone who prays in this place receives so much grace.

If God had not chosen me to build such a church, a dwelling place for His name, then just slowly fix it in your original church. It's useless. One of our sisters, whose child is quite old, still wets the bed. She looked everywhere, but it was useless because that place is not a dwelling place for God's name. Even the pastor has cancer, so what's the use?

God's will is to build His glorious church on earth, a dwelling place for His name. People here offend God, turn back to God, raise their hands and pray in this place, and God hears their prayers. This is Solomon's prayer when he later built the temple.

There is an extremely wrong understanding that we think God needs us, that we have made great contributions to God. In fact, we have received great grace. The most severe saying in Taiwan is, "What else do you want me to do?" Believing in the Lord, what else do I want you to do? I don't want you to do anything. It's as if you want to make a contribution, as if you have already made a great contribution.

Some brothers and sisters, church leaders, serve God. They serve until they are exhausted, as if God needs them to be exhausted. If all these misunderstandings are removed, people will be fine. Once, I ministered to a pastor with brain cancer. I said, "How did you get brain cancer? Tell me about it." He said: "You see, we pastors only rest one day a week. I am responsible for so many small groups. The small group leaders serve and serve, and they are replaced every three years." As soon as I heard it, I heard the problem. It turned out that he regarded serving as a chore.

Everyone, don't think that I am making a great contribution. No matter how hard I serve, it is grace to me. I am willing. For example, people play computer games, and they are very happy playing them. They think about playing them all day long. Will they be tired? No. People who like to read novels will not be tired from reading novels. People who like to play games will not be tired from playing games. People who like to play mahjong will not be tired from playing mahjong. Does everyone know that people can burn out from serving God? Don't you think it's strange? Because they don't love God. If you don't love God, it will definitely be hard.

So I tell you, the Chinese Mingding Doctrine is really organized from the Pauline theological system in the Bible. Our work is grace. If you think work is a chore, then you can suffer well. For me, work is grace, so I won't burn out.

Why is work grace? People give me a platform. If I don't have that platform, if I tinker with it at home, what can I tinker out? I can't tinker it out. Without such a large network and such a large computer room on campus, what would I do with building one at home? Who would use it? No one would use it. So work is that people create many problems that I need to solve, and I happily solve them, solving them until I grow very well.

You ask me if I have pressure? No pressure. I like to work. When I was in school, I liked to go to school. When I was working, I liked to work. When I am serving God, serving is grace, and building a church and serving is grace. Wouldn't you say that it's enviable for a lifetime? As a result, oh my goodness, some pastors are rolled up.

This lifetime is all about rolling up others, and I have never rolled up myself. People say: "Pastor Liu, where do you get so much time? I have 24 hours a day, and you also have 24 hours a day." Actually, that's because I have God! So I live happily.

From Genesis to Revelation, we have accumulated a lot of data. Then think about it, some people have been pastors for many more years than me, thirty or forty years more, but they have no accumulation. Work is grace, serving is grace, tithing is grace, and giving up is also grace! I tell you, what Jesus said, giving up this for God, giving up that, giving up wives, children, and parents. Later, I realized that giving up is grace, giving up is gaining.

That's great, it turns out it's so good. Then you say, such a good God, isn't that a blessing? How can one live without God? So I am really grateful, and I also thank God for using me to restore the theological system of Jesus Christ in our time. After restoring it, I also gave it a name, called Mingding Doctrine. Mingding Doctrine, I was born for this, I live for this, and I will die for this. This is my lifelong pursuit. Oh, this enjoyment, if there is no God, who do I live for, who do I live for, who do I die for? I can't figure it out at all.

I tell everyone, no matter what serious illness you have, you must know that it is because we have incurred God's wrath. Because if people do not live for God, but only live for themselves, isn't that incurring God's wrath? Hold on tightly to Jesus Christ. Later, build a victorious church, build a dwelling place for God's name. In this place, none of God's promises have failed.

Everyone, don't think that it is difficult to be healed. It is very simple to be healed. Don't think that it is difficult for doctors, and it is also so difficult for God. That's not the case. Start building our lives on the foundation of pleasing God. Don't say, how can one live these days? How can one live these days without God? You have already lived like this, which is a very miserable way, and you still can't figure it out. Isn't that a tragedy?

So everyone, don't think that it is just empty talk. Mingding is: I was born for this, I came into this world for this, I live for this, and I will die for this. With God, pleasing God, living in God's abundant grace for a lifetime. It's not that I am destroying the worldly things inside you to harm you. Why would I harm you? What would I gain? Isn't it? I am letting you receive benefits, but it hurts my heart to see you rushing towards destruction all day long.

I tell you, none of God's promises have failed. Do you believe it? I believe it. If you look closely at Jesus healing the sick, it is such a simple thing. He touches them and they are healed. Later, I found that Jesus didn't do it very well. Jesus healed too quickly. I used to do it quite quickly too. They were healed immediately. Then before they had time to repent, they changed back. When the illness comes back again, it will be troublesome.

Everyone, we must know that our Chinese Mingding Doctrine has done a very, very great thing, which is to build a church that is a dwelling place for God's name. Then people pray here and receive promises. God is a God who hears prayers. But have we built a church with God's glory? It is still very far away, still very far away. So start striving to have Jesus. It is so good to have God.

Scripture

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. And when you hear in heaven your dwelling place, hear and forgive. (1 Kings 8:27-30)

Prayer

O God, grant us a heart like Abraham, that we may emulate him in seeking the best blessings. O God, just as Abraham offered Isaac and received the most wonderful grace, let us also offer ourselves completely. O God, You are our Mount Moriah. We want to offer our most precious possessions in this place, so that this place may become a dwelling place established for Your name.

O God, give us such a heart, that we may emulate Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that we may possess the gates of our enemies, that we may overcome all enemies on this earth. Let all nations be blessed through us on this earth, because we have obeyed Your word. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scriptural Background

You know, there is something very miraculous about the background of this scripture. David, relying on God, fought and triumphed, and the entire nation prospered greatly. David had a heart to build a temple for his God, and having this aspiration was extraordinary. In that era, David began to have this desire, but God said, "You do not need to build a temple for Me; I will let your son build a temple for Me."

Does God really need this? In fact, David also knew that God does not dwell on earth. Solomon also believed this: "Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this temple I have built!" You might say it's not a small, dilapidated house; it's all covered in gold. What more do you want? Covering it in gold is something you are willing to do because you believe it is precious, using the best for God.

David made the best preparations for God, accumulating a great deal of materials. We are not clear about his system of weights and measures, but it was probably more than two hundred tons of gold. Let me tell you, with that two hundred tons of gold, if we were doing renovations and had the house decorated, what would you think if I asked you how you felt about the door frames being gold-plated? What if the toilet lid was gold-plated? That would be incredible, wouldn't it? Only Middle Eastern tycoons would do that. But David, in that era, three thousand years ago, prepared more than two hundred tons of gold.

You might ask, how did David earn these two hundred tons of gold? David said one thing: "We give to God what comes from God." At that time, many surrounding countries were moved, not knowing why, and in a moment of enthusiasm, they brought a lot of gold to befriend David. "What gifts do you bring?" "I bring gold." And what did David give them? A bag of tea.

So David accumulated more than two hundred tons of gold, as well as other copper and silver, which were abundant. You see, a large pile of gold exchanged for a pile of tea; of course, the tea is just my speculation. Where was it to be built? The place chosen was Mount Moriah, where there is now a mosque. The original temple is today's mosque; this place is called Mount Moriah.

Later, we gave it a name called Mount Zion, and later another name called Temple Mount. I will supplement some of these terms for everyone: Temple Mount, Mount Zion, Mount Moriah. Then Solomon built the temple of the Lord God on this Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, Temple Mount.

Mount Moriah is the place where Abraham offered Isaac. You know, Abraham took his son Isaac and walked towards Mount Moriah, walking for three days. And it was Isaac himself who carried a bundle of firewood to that place. After placing it there, he was bound and placed on the firewood. Isaac was in his thirties, and Abraham was in his one hundred and thirties.

Then, just as he was about to raise the knife to cut Isaac, Isaac did not cry out. You would think that an ordinary person would cry out, wouldn't they? "You are offering Isaac? What are you doing? What are you going to do? Why are you offering me? Why not offer yourself?" The father and son were not like that. Isaac thought, "You are going to offer me to God? Oh, I have long wanted to offer myself to God." This father and son were incredibly miraculous.

As a result of this offering, God said, "Do not cut him; stop! There is a ram over there; take it and offer it." So Isaac was replaced. After this replacement, God said to Abraham, "Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, I swear by Myself, that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

Mount Moriah has a history; it is where the story of Abraham offering Isaac took place. Abraham offering Isaac and David offering these things to build a temple for God are all in the same vein. But the question is, did God really need that Isaac? Did God really need Abraham? Did He really need David's gold? Did He really need the temple that Solomon built? No. It is that people must have a value system inside, and this value system is that things must be worthwhile!

If something is not worthwhile, then it will be abandoned. Why do it if it's not worthwhile? I ask you, how smart was Abraham? He was the smartest of the smart. He calculated that offering it to God was infinitely good. Is it good to dedicate one's life to cancer? It's not good to dedicate it to cancer. Is it good to dedicate it to a car accident? No. What about dedicating it to God? Dedicating it to God is the best. "I live for this and die for this. If I can return to God, it is infinitely good."

If you want to build a church established as a dwelling place for God's name, then build it with your life, offering your life to God. I have had such a concept for a long time; I really don't want to suffer in this world. If God says He will take me tomorrow, I don't want to wait until the day after. If He wants to take me now, I don't want to wait until tomorrow. Many people don't have this concept; many people think that "it's better to live poorly than to die well." Then you just live poorly.

Because of this, I thank God that I truly have such a heart to establish a church established as a dwelling place for God's name. I ask you, is it worthwhile or not? I tell you, I never do anything without a return. "You are quite utilitarian?" In fact, only fools don't look at returns. Am I a fool? If it's not worthwhile, would I do it? I knew long ago that this was worthwhile.

At that time, I was unemployed, and I had time to pray, pray, pray. God's word came to me: "Are you willing to die for Me?" Oh my goodness, one day when you hear this, you must remember what I taught you; don't be foolish. Tears flowed down my face at that time. I said, "God, since You can look up to me and even ask me such a question, I can't wait to die for You. I am willing, I am willing!"

Some people ask me, "Teacher, how did you hear that?" I tell you, it was really heard. I am willing to die for God. I ask you, will I be burned out serving God? Can I be burned out? Try burning me out. Can I get cancer from being tired? No. I am willing; I love God, and I am willing to do this.

Therefore, building the church is filled with gratitude, building a church with God's presence, a place established as a dwelling place for His name. So everyone comes here and receives grace. Then I thought, is Abraham offering Isaac and Solomon building the temple a coincidence? No, this should have been in the same vein from the beginning.

In this passage, after Solomon built the temple, Solomon prayed, "God, do You really dwell on earth? Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this temple that I have built!" Everyone must understand this; this is very well said!

If Solomon had said the opposite: "God, I have built a very beautiful house for You; I built it with gold. What do you think? God, look how good this is; come in quickly!" That would have been terrible; that would be called idolatry. So Solomon built the temple meticulously, building it very rigorously, and he did not think he had done particularly well.

Then he also said, "Does God really dwell on earth? Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this temple that I have built!" This attitude is correct. So our brothers and sisters must know that this is only established as a dwelling place for God's name, a place to hear prayers, nothing more.

Later, we should also have such an attitude when building the church: God does not dwell in temples made by human hands. We do not need to build large houses; we need to build a dwelling place established for God's name, which is the church. The church will become the body of Jesus Christ in the future, but that is not built by us; that is built by God Himself. What will God use to build it? With jewels. Who are those jewels? You and I are jewels in God's eyes.

Then Solomon had a very long prayer, which everyone can go back and read slowly, from verses 31 to 35. All of man's needs are in God; has this concept been established? All of man's needs must be obtained from God. All of man's problems begin with offending God. You may think, "I have not offended God, nor have I taken advantage; I just love the world a little." But all of man's problems come from offending God, and the answers to all of man's needs are obtained from God. If you establish this concept, it will be extraordinary.

Our brothers and sisters must know what a great grace it is to establish a church as a dwelling place for God's name. "Teacher, I see that when I prayed in the original church, nothing got better. How is it that when I came among you, everything got better with just one prayer? And I even found an obscure, small pastor, and everything got better with just one prayer?" Because we used our lives to establish a church as a dwelling place for God's name; this is the key. So everyone must know that the church is not just a sign; we must offer our most precious things to God.

So yesterday, when I was ministering, a sister asked me, "Oh, I want to give an offering, I want to give an offering." I said, "Our church really doesn't care that much about offerings; we don't value money. The church doesn't lack money. What the church lacks is a heart of offering." If you don't understand the meaning of offering, then offering is in vain. You should first learn and understand the meaning of offering, and then talk about offering. Do you understand?

In one's life, never think that offering is the end of it. "I have given you more than two hundred tons of gold; what more do you want?" We must adjust this concept correctly. I said, "You should first learn, and when you truly understand, then it's not too late to talk about offering. You should first set this money apart as holy and keep it in a good place."

If you think offering is a loss, then don't offer. If you think offering is worthwhile, then why would I stop you, right? I won't stop you. So the things of the world are very interesting. We humans must know that if we offend God, we must repent and turn to God quickly, and then come out of God's wrath. God has abundant grace and mercy.

Offending One's Neighbor, God Judges Right and Wrong

"If anyone sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and comes and swears his oath before Your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, condemning the guilty, bringing his conduct on his own head, and justifying the righteous, giving him according to his righteousness." (1 Kings 8:31-32)

The interaction between people is actually a dispute over interests. Sometimes you think you are taking advantage, sometimes you think I am taking advantage of you, and sometimes I think you are taking advantage of me; it's just this matter. Then these two people offend each other, and then they come to God's temple and swear an oath before God's altar. This oath is extraordinary.

For example, "Oh, if I have done something to wrong you, let God strike me with lightning." A bolt of lightning falls from the sky and strikes him dead. You swear in this place before God's altar; I tell you, everything you say will come true. If you condemn the guilty, then His conduct will be brought on his own head, and justifying the righteous, giving him according to his righteousness.

Two women each had a child, and one of the children died. Then she took the other woman's child and claimed it as her own. One child had two mothers. One child with two mothers, these two mothers argued and argued and made a scene, and ran to Solomon. Solomon had wisdom from God. If Solomon said, "Let's go to this temple, and everyone swear an oath at the altar," wouldn't God be able to judge without Solomon's judgment? God is able to judge.

Our brothers and sisters must know that the wicked in this world will definitely be punished. Even if they don't swear an oath at that altar, God will punish them, let alone run to this altar, and then run to God's temple, this place established as a dwelling place for God's name, and mess around there; nothing can be hidden from God. In Chinese Mingding Doctrine, there is a saying: "God does not make mistakes." The retribution you receive is well-deserved.

If the retribution is well-deserved, you say, "Isn't this life-threatening?" So God judges right and wrong; you cannot hide it. God will absolutely not make mistakes. The only ones who make mistakes are us. Quickly correct it, repent and turn to God, and build God's glorious church; this is our Mingding Doctrine.

If your Mingding is to make money, then make it well and see what you can earn. Look at this sister, her business is very interesting. She says she is not just making money, but also glorifying God. When she is running her business, she often prays for her customers, asking God to bless everyone who comes to her store. There is a brother who is also silently being the light and salt for the Lord in his job. Before he goes out every day, he always has a prayer: "Lord, please let me meet people who need help today, and be able to bring your love to them."

Brothers and sisters, sometimes we think that making money and faith are two parallel lines, but in Christ, the two can be combined. We believe that God is our provider, and we must also do our best in the world. Let us think about what resources God has given us in our lives? How can we use these resources to glorify Him? As the Bible says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

So brothers and sisters, whether you are doing business, working, or serving at home, you must always pray and always look to God. Because He is our help, He is our strength. Let us be united in the Lord, encourage each other, and rely on the grace of the Lord to move forward.

If what you earn brings disaster, then you must be careful. Remember, all problems come from offending God. Don't ever think that God can't control it. Many of us always feel: "God, are you blind!" It is not God's eyes that are blind, but our eyes that are blind. I tell you, a curse is a terrible thing.

Does the dwelling place established for God's name also have this effect? Yes, Solomon thought it had this effect. Because if you can't find a judge who can judge accurately, then when you get to God's temple, God will find it back for you. If you are a righteous person, He will reward you according to your righteousness. God will not make a mistake.

Offending God, Defeated Before the Enemy

“When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors." (1 Kings 8:33-34)

Offending God, defeated before the enemy. What to do at this time? Return to God, then acknowledge God's name, and pray in this temple, and God will hear from heaven. Once I went to a place to eat, the restaurant was so well done, like a garden, very beautiful, it cost about thirty million. Someone saved thirty million abroad, which is also amazing. As a result, they all took it back to China and invested in building a very beautiful restaurant in that place, huge and with hotel rooms.

I was eating there, and the brothers and sisters of the church were praying for the owner of the restaurant in that place. Why? Because the owner of the restaurant encountered a lawsuit. A rascal joined him and said that the entire property was his. As a result, they went to court. As you can imagine, can you beat the local bully in that place? The court was opened by their family. As a result, the church established an altar to pray there. I asked, is it useful? It's useless, completely useless.

Later, the lawsuit was lost. After losing, the person went back to abroad in disgrace. In the end, thirty million was gone. What is this called? This is called being defeated before the enemy. Being defeated before the enemy, and then what? That place is not God's temple, is it? That place is not God's core interest. At this time, you have been defeated. I tell you, God will not make a mistake, and neither will the demons. The one who makes the mistake is yourself.

This is a very famous golden rule of Chinese Mingding Doctrine. Quickly repent and turn to God, and then I tell you, God will hear in heaven, forgive the sins of Israel, and bring them back to the land given to their ancestors. Your God will definitely give it to you.

God does not want you to be poor, nor does He want you to live a life centered on your small business. Rebuild and establish a life with a church view. Everyone must establish a church view. Without a church, how can you fight? The church is God's army. I tell you, many Christians think that their business is what they care about, and they also think it is what God cares about. Establish a divine logic and do not offend God. If you offend God, God will definitely strike you.

Offending God, God Punishes Them

“When your people sin against you, and you have afflicted them, and have shut up the heavens, so that there is no rain, because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name, and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and send rain on the land that you have given to your people for an inheritance."

“If famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or if their enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of their afflictions—and they spread out their hands toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors." (1 Kings 8:35-40)

Everyone must fear God. You must know for sure that the problem of people offending God is the root of all problems. You can offend others, you can offend this, you can offend that, but if you offend God, you will definitely not be able to bear it. So offending God, isn't that courting death?

Why do people offend God? Does everyone know why people offend God? Because people have their own core interests. I ask you, if a pastor gets brain cancer, isn't it because there is garbage in his brain that he gets brain cancer? I tell you, we must remove a lot of dirty things inside us little by little today. Those things that are born with us are offensive to God.

People are naturally carnal and naturally offensive to God. So we must clear them little by little, turn them over, and dedicate ourselves to God. So if there is famine, plague, or drought in the country, if you observe carefully, after observing, you will find that human history is the history of God manifesting His wrath. It's very magical, it all matches up.

Foreigners Come for Your Name

“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name—for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name." (1 Kings 8:41-43)

There is a very magical thing, that is, those who do not believe in the Lord come among us to pray, and the speed of healing is particularly fast. Who is slow? Believers are slower. Because believers should have known God, but they offend God again, so they suffer more sins than these foreigners. But these foreigners don't know there is a God at all, and they don't know what's going on.

Having heard of God's power among us, they come because of their reputation, and when they pray, they will experience God. The effects are all magical effects. I remember many years ago, there were two foreigners, both with cervical and lumbar diseases. They got better when they came, very quickly. They made a phone call, said a few words, and they got better.

Once I had a reunion with my elementary school classmates, and there were more than a dozen people sitting at a large table. Then you know, right in front of me was a girl who was my elementary school classmate. We all knew when we were young that she was like a little chili pepper, a very powerful girl. We were still in the same compound, the same community.

Then the Spirit of God said that she was full of diseases. You can't say that you are full of diseases when you are eating, that's too harsh. Then you know, after eating, I shook hands with them one by one to say goodbye. Then I held her hand and grabbed her shoulder with the other hand.

The next day she called me and said: Old classmate, do you know, when I was eating there, my arm was about to fall off because it was so painful. I said: How did you get sick? She said: Oh, I took care of my mother and my father. My father was paralyzed for seven years, and my mother was paralyzed for seven years. Adding up to fourteen years, if there were any in the middle, then I would have to take care of two paralyzed people. Oh my God, this life is so miserable.

She doesn't believe in the Lord, she is a Buddhist. She said: Guess what, you grabbed my shoulder, and my shoulder got better, and it's still good now, so I sent you a message. I think our God is so gracious and so merciful, isn't He? How much we hope that foreigners can know His name.

So brothers and sisters, don't preach the cross when you preach the gospel, preach the power of God. Do you understand? The cross is the power of God. Remember, Paul preached the gospel with the power of God, and Jesus Christ also preached the gospel with the power of God. This logic is not wrong. Foreigners come because of the name of God's power, and they will definitely see God's grace and God's power. Building a church should be built into such a church. This is the dwelling place established for God's name.

Thank God, let our brothers and sisters tidy up our faith again. Can we start to imitate Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and gain the gates of the enemy? Build a victorious church and gain the gates of the enemy.

Sent by You to Fight Against the Enemy

“When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause." (1 Kings 8:44-45)

In this life, disease is a problem. If the problem of disease is solved, a lot of problems will be gone. The second is to solve the problem of war. I tell you, it's too miserable to lose a battle in one's life, isn't it? After losing the battle, the soldiers are lost, and then the ship is gone, the tank is finished, the warship is gone, and finally you have to pay people money.

I tell you, losing a battle in this world is particularly upsetting. So how much we need God in our life! If you go to war, I tell you, no matter where you go to fight against the enemy, pray before God, and God will make us victorious. So I tell you, what a grace it is to be able to live in victory in one's life. Without God, how can you live? Without God, it doesn't count whether you are victorious or not.

Offending You, You Are Angry with Them

“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to their own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace. May your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you hear them whenever they cry out to you. For you set them apart from all the nations on earth to be your own inheritance, as you declared through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, Lord." (1 Kings 8:46-53)

If a person offends God in his life, I tell you it is not without hope, there is still hope. In the land of Babylon, God raised up Daniel; in the land of Babylon, God raised up Mordecai; in the land of Babylon, God raised up Nehemiah; in the land of Babylon, God raised up Zerubbabel. So don't despair, have hope! Because our God is a God who gives us hope.

Although we have offended God in the past, and God is angry with us, but now we turn back. In this place, in the victorious church, raise your hands to pray and seek, and you will be healed, and you will receive God's grace and mercy. Because we are God's inheritance, we are God's people, and according to the promise received by Moses, according to the promise received by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all problems can be solved. This is a very wonderful grace.

Our sermon this time ends here. May God bless everyone.