Introduction

Good day to all. Let us examine Chapter 4 of the Book of Acts. From the very start of our study of Acts, some may feel I harbour biases against Peter. I would say I am reasonably objective. Did Peter do some things right? He did some things right. Do not think he was entirely useless. In this world, finding someone entirely useless is a task that would take more than five millennia.

I have titled this chapter Giving Glory to God for Miracles Performed. In my years in the church, the phrase I have heard most is give glory to God. Everyone is accustomed to this phrase, yet church problems continue unabated. Even if a pastor personally establishes a church and performs miracles, and the congregation gives glory to God, later, even deacons and preachers fighting in the church are said to be giving glory to God. These incidents have deeply affected me because every time I hear giving glory to God, I recall many things that do not resemble glorifying God. Giving Glory to God for Miracles Performed means truly giving glory to God!

Five Thousand Believers from One Sermon

For a long time, I have envied flourishing churches. Pastors, to some extent, feel it is a tragedy when the church lacks people. Take my sermons, for example; if only a few listeners are present, it is truly uninspiring to preach. The idea of one sermon leading five thousand people to believe has profoundly impacted me, yet my sermons have not led to a single conversion, filling me with confusion. I beseeched God to be merciful; miracles performed should give glory to God, but no miracles occurred.

Later, I began to seek reasons. Could it be a lack of faith from God and the Holy Spirit? This is why I diligently studied the faith granted by the Holy Spirit. Eventually, I realised that faith is not something we can control, not a choice within us. We give glory to God, attributing it to the faith bestowed by God.

In such a situation, I would like to complain: God, did you not give me faith? So that my sermons would lead five thousand to believe? This situation was excruciating because I was then counselling a patient with depression. After praying for three consecutive days, not only was it ineffective, but the depression seemed to worsen. I felt despondent; why do I lack the faith granted by God? I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if the faith bestowed by the Holy Spirit could solve all problems once it is granted!

Someone who helped me establish the church was quite interesting. When the Holy Spirit descended upon him, granting him faith, his hair stood on end. If the hair were longer, it would be an afro, as if electrified. At that time, as long as he prayed, the other person would be healed completely, not an exaggeration, absolutely true. But here's the problem: his hair rarely stood up; sometimes it did, sometimes it did not. I eagerly awaited his hair to stand up, but later, I lost interest because his hair standing up was entirely beyond human control.

Later, I realised that since the Holy Spirit is given by God, why did Jesus criticise us for disbelief or little faith? It turns out that the faith Jesus spoke of is the faith we choose within ourselves. The faith given by God gives glory to God; the miracles performed, healing after the hair stands up, give glory to God; we are not entitled to pass the buck.

Faith is a choice of man. When I started the church, people often poured cold water on me, and I felt utterly disheartened. However, I have a character that few can match. I choose to believe; those who pour cold water say I am not called by God but serve God solely out of fervour. Yet, I do not care; even if God has not called me, I will serve Him according to His intended calling. I must serve God and persist until God calls me.

Churches are full of those pursuing the faith given by God, but few possess my persistent faith, so it does not matter if no one believes in my sermons. Later, I discovered in practice that seeing five thousand conversions from one sermon is indeed seen in videos, but consider what happened afterward.

Reverend Bonnke preached in Africa, and certain African countries have an extremely high percentage of Christians. These people claim to be Christians, yet it is where you find the most swindlers. I am not being sour grapes. Although preeching a sermon resulting in 5000 conversions has not happened to me, after detailed investigation, those who convert thousands, even 50,000 or 500,000 people after one sermon, often do not amount to much. Those who once vowed loudly, giving glory to God, do not seem to glorify God very well.

Hearing one sermon and having five thousand conversions indeed gives glory to God. Yet, something is missing, because God chooses those who belong to Him. God's treasure is a group of people with character, who have faith like mine. Some may think I am boasting and will be stoned for it. Nevertheless, I still want to tell you the truth.

Does one possess persistent faith? Will one retreat when facing difficulties? When you are sold into Egypt or thrown into jail, can you become the best slave and the best prisoner, still believing in God? That faith is what the Bible gives us. Abraham, encountering famine in the land of Canaan, still upheld his belief that this was the promised land God had given him. Those with such faith are treasures in God's eyes!

When I was young, I told God: God, I want to be a treasure in your eyes! Therefore, what I preach, the Chinese Mingding Destiny, is not about seeking five thousand conversions from one sermon and giving glory to God. What I seek is that all our brothers and sisters are no longer merely believers but disciples of Jesus Christ. A few days ago, I saw a comment on the website asking when I would do discipleship training. It reminded me, so I decided to have an event in August: making disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus never wanted believers; Jesus wanted disciples.

We must not be mistaken, thinking something is good after just reading it; I used to think so too. But now, I think it is not good because a step is missing, like placing several tons of gold-bearing ore at home during gold panning. In reality, there are only a few valuable gold nuggets inside. Do you want the gold ore or the gold? Gold ore is useless; gold is useful. These five thousand people are like ore. Peter did something glorifying God, but he forgot a step: what does Jesus want?

Peter preaching a sermon that led to five thousand conversions is unparalleled to this day. However, selecting disciples from these five thousand is rare. Our vision is to build a holy, unified, glorious, truth-abiding, and victorious church of elite soldiers. Elite soldiers are disciples, those who truly devote themselves to Jesus Christ are called disciples. Unfortunately, few can forsake everything today, and I am still constantly selecting treasures.

Courage of Peter and John

Peter and John were not without courage. After being arrested, they stayed in jail overnight. The next day, the high priests, with a crowd, began to question Peter and John, asking by what power and in whose name they had done this. As a result, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and had courage. He also gave glory to God and began to speak directly, facing their inquiries.

Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They made the apostles stand before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:6-12)

What Peter said at this time is impeccable, and it is indeed what the Holy Spirit spoke through them. Even so, we must know that our inner choices, our character and faith, are still what God wants. Everyone can tell that Peter and John had been with Jesus, because after being filled with the Holy Spirit, they had courage.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is effective. I encourage everyone to be filled with the Holy Spirit often. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit and also read God’s Word diligently. Being filled with the Holy Spirit cannot replace reading God’s Word, nor can reading God’s Word replace being filled with the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues cannot replace praying with understanding, nor can praying with understanding replace speaking in tongues. Do not think that speaking in tongues cannot be effective in enhancing understanding, so it is unimportant. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit and study the Bible diligently; we must pray with understanding and speak in tongues; we must receive power from the Holy Spirit and be filled with the knowledge of God in our understanding.

At that time, people could tell that Peter and John were courageous and very capable. If these two could persist in this courage to the end, God would not need the Apostle Paul as much, and Apostle Peter could continue to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Then, we might be reading the epistles of Apostle Peter instead of the epistles of Apostle Paul. Being filled with the Holy Spirit can definitely bring courage.

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:29-31)

Being filled with the Holy Spirit has miraculous effects. We must know that being filled with the Holy Spirit is just the beginning. Don't be too excited about the signs and wonders that follow; it is normal. When studying Acts Chapter 3, I downplayed the role of signs and wonders, but that doesn't mean they are unnecessary, nor should you think I said signs and wonders are unimportant. Signs and wonders still confirm that the word preached is the foundation, but it belongs to the very প্রাথমিক level.

Although Peter and John gained courage and spoke boldly, they lacked the heart to build the church. The church is the body of Jesus Christ, and the body of Jesus Christ is God’s will. Once people intellectually believe that preaching a sermon leads to five thousand conversions, they think they have done everything right. Having courage and feeling that everything one says is right is destructive.

Those who give glory to God must also know that there are still many things they do not understand about God. Even if our choice of faith gives glory to God, there is still a big difference between merely saying give glory to God and having a heart that genuinely gives glory to God. For a time, many village churches in China sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, and there were many miracles, but later, the churches became extremely desolate, and the results were not good. Some of us have witnessed this history. These negative outcomes are not my words but facts.

What this world lacks is being filled with the knowledge of God in our understanding, so we cannot remain at the elementary teachings about Christ; this is the problem. Those who have received rigorous academic training are called academics. They like to sort things out one by one, which is different from those who have not received rigorous training. Their working styles are completely different. Although I have not encountered the situation of preaching a sermon with five thousand conversions, I would thank God if I did. Even so, with miracles always following and everyone being healed, glory must be given to God.

However, these are merely the elementary teachings about Christ. I will never be excited because someone is healed or someone believes after a prayer; I still want to build God’s glorious church. Don't be excited about those who decide to believe after praying on the street. Even if you preach a sermon that leads to five thousand conversions, think carefully about these five thousand people; how much gold can you sift out? I understand very well that suddenly becoming excited and shouting to believe is far from enough. Later, there is still a huge flesh that needs to be dealt with. If the flesh is not dealt with, it becomes troublesome.

Do you know that we have arranged some things to deliberately let everyone be wronged once? For example, if you participated in a ministry and the class leader did not handle things well, not only did they talk nonsense, but they also reprimanded you. As a result, you discern good and evil. If you think about it in the opposite direction, the teacher is testing people! It’s okay! We can withstand the test; we are treasures in God’s eyes. Therefore, I like those class leaders who are not very good at handling things, but those class leaders who are not good at handling things still need to continue to grow. Some people say that they have indeed been tricked while doing ministry. After being tricked, they know what kind of person someone is. Some people show their teeth and claws when they touch the flesh, instantly revealing their beastly nature.

All in the Name of Jesus Christ

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

I cannot argue whether Peter truly understood the way to salvation, or perhaps his concept of salvation was simply dying and going to heaven, as I have said. Literally, giving glory to God is normal, but what does it truly mean to give glory to God, all in the name of Jesus Christ? Now, let me explain what it means to do all things in the name of Jesus Christ. These things were certainly done in the name of Jesus Christ, but what does it have to do with us? Hair stands on end, miracles occur, people are healed, and then what? Some ask me: Are people healed in the pastor's name?

Of course, it is all in the name of Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ was crucified for us, died, and was buried; this cannot be denied. Moreover, I tell you, it is not only in the name of Jesus Christ, but the key is whether we have faith within us, whether we live for the name of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, the blind can see, the lame can walk, lepers are cleansed, and the dead are raised. But if that all leads to a So What and gets no response, then it is wasted. In the name of Jesus Christ, depression has been healed through my hands. If Jesus Christ had not been crucified, died, buried, and resurrected, where would I be today? What ability do I have to heal on my own?

Those who are healed are healed because of my faith in Jesus Christ; I know that if a patient is not healed today, they will be healed tomorrow. If it is not healed this week, then it will be next week. This kind of faith is the faith that God desires from us. There is nothing wrong with doing all things in the name of Jesus Christ. When I see miracles happen, I make a decision: these are all in the name of Jesus Christ! I will not stop at So What, but will choose to pursue with all my heart, knowing that the name of Jesus Christ is precious. From now on, no longer shouting slogans in excitement, Lord! I will die for you, but telling myself every day: I live for God, I came into this world for God; I live for God, and I am prepared to die for God. If God wants me to meet Him, I will definitely not wait until tomorrow.

The name of Jesus Christ, what a glorious name! I cast out demons and set free those who are captive and oppressed in the name of Jesus Christ, all in the name of Jesus Christ, and all glory to my God. At the same time, a very important and shocking reaction arises in my heart: what a glorious God I serve, how incredible! I must obtain my God no matter what, and I must obtain what Jesus Christ wants me to obtain. God! You must also obtain me. In the name of Jesus Christ, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess. The miracles performed are all in the name of Jesus Christ. However, I tell you, Jesus once said: Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

I deeply know God's will. God uses us to do something, thank God! Give glory to God! Is it not even more important to dedicate our lives to God in the name of Jesus Christ, and for the name of Jesus Christ? So when you study the Bible with me, you will find that there is indeed a concept of striving within me. I will never stop at having five thousand people believe in the Lord and think that I have done something great, all in the name of Jesus Christ. I will not think that way, nor will I be excited about it. Instead, I will think about how to continue to rely on God to bring all five thousand people under the name of Jesus Christ, to become disciples of Jesus Christ, to put to death the evil deeds of the flesh, this is the key.

With Great Power the Apostles Were Giving Their Testimony to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)

It certainly looks like the miracles performed were done in the name of Jesus Christ, and all glory to God. The apostles had great power, bearing witness to the resurrection of Jesus. And bearing witness is just the beginning; truly emulating Jesus Christ is dying on the cross. The road we walk is the road Jesus Christ walked, until one day we completely nail our flesh to the cross, so that our spirit can return to our God, can be restored to the glorious image of God's original creation.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say against it. But when they had ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin, they conferred together, saying, “What are we going to do with these men?” Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. (Acts 4:13-21)

The apostles had great power, bearing witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I thank God! The apostles Peter and others had great faith, because miracles followed those who had faith. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. Don't stop at faith, or hope, but begin to enter into the level of loving God, the level of loving God is the highest level.

The apostles had great power, feeling that accomplishing things was very great. When people are excited, their faith also rises. Later, the Holy Spirit came down, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and then they had courage. Peter and John were arrested, and people gave them a lecture, telling them not to preach the name of Jesus Christ again. Peter and John said they would listen to God, not to the chief priests, confronting the chief priests. When they came back and told the brothers and sisters, everyone thought Peter was amazing.

I want to tell you, people are easily excited, and when they are excited, they feel that everything they do is right, then it is completely ruined. The apostle Peter felt that he had great power, bearing witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which was incredible. At this time, he did something unbelievable, and until now no one who wants to do this has been very successful. That is, many people sold their fields and houses and brought the money to distribute to everyone according to their needs. But in the end, it didn't work out, just like the modern Soviet Union collapsed in the end. So I tell you, both faith and understanding must be connected.

All the Believers Were One in Heart and Mind

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.(Acts 4:23-24)

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:29-31)

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

All the believers were one in heart and mind, Luke was not on the scene at the time. It may have been during Luke's time that many people still passed on this story by word of mouth. This period of history that Peter experienced made him very sure that the believers also believed wholeheartedly. However, when he went to the church in Corinth, he saw only thirty or fifty people, at most one or two hundred, which was very uninteresting.

In those days, Peter did so well that one sermon had five thousand people believe in the Lord, giving glory to God, all in the name of Jesus Christ, so people cannot say that he did not do it right. At that time, Peter was all about the people's commune, but didn't it also become desolate later? So why didn't the church reflect on why it was desolate? At that time, many believers seemed to be wholeheartedly united, but in fact, they were wholeheartedly selling everyone's fields and living there waiting for death. What exactly were they waiting for? Waiting for Jesus to come again? Two thousand years have passed, and Jesus has not yet come. Until now, they are still doing this, spreading everywhere that the end is near, and quickly sell their property, and deceive those Christians into a daze.

Not long ago, someone came to me and said that their church was doing this, selling their houses and donating the money, waiting for Jesus to come again. This is not called being of one heart and mind; otherwise, they would not have ruined the church later. Because the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and it is a matter of God's will. Is that really God's will? Many people have their own agendas, which is also called being of one heart and mind, but it is very different from being of the same mind as everyone else.

Everyone is selfish, absolutely wholeheartedly selfish, considering only themselves. God was really not wrong, because God gave each Israelite a piece of land in Canaan and passed it down from generation to generation. Since ancient times, no one has successfully solved the problem of selfishness; only by becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ can the problem of the flesh be completely solved. That is to say, dealing with the problem of the human flesh is the core, and the most core pastoral care of the church is dealing with the flesh! Dealing with people's flesh, the selfish heart inside people does not know when it will come alive again, which is very scary.

This is why churches are full of all kinds of problems, so everyone should know that we are still dealing with this thing. We haven't finished dealing with it yet, and everyone is still studying mine is yours, and yours is mine. So no one has succeeded in dealing with the flesh in this matter, but I have to tell everyone that the reform and opening up is to use people's selfishness, and private property is sacred and inviolable. This is your own business, so you will be proactive. After you have done it, others take the money, and very few people will do it.

So it is said that only by becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ can these basic problems be solved, and even some disciples may not have completely solved them. They give to others every day, and some people feel very distressed. One person gets one share, and the things distributed are not their own, and they can get a share of other people's money, which is so good! Don't think that is social welfare, it will be ruined.

Our church trains everyone to stay away from laziness, avoid eating, drinking, and having fun all day long, and also specially deal with laziness. I must train you to be someone who can create value, not to eat with a joyful and honest heart, but to create value with a joyful and honest heart. If the concept of salvation is simply dying and going to heaven, then how do we interpret it and apply it to us living people?

One Christian said that he had to repent quickly before he died so that he could go to heaven. Have you all seen such Christians? They live in sin when they are alive, and then quickly repent before they die so that they can go to heaven. We must know that the Chinese Mingding Destiny concept of salvation is: to live out the image of Jesus Christ when we are alive, neither being like God nor like demons.

So how to live out the image of God? If you read Genesis, you will know that God is a creative God, so can you live out a creative image? The thing I am most lazy to do is to baptize patients before they die, because I don't know what use it is to do so, all because of the logic system that you can go to heaven when you die. Some people see that a patient is about to die and ask me to pray for the patient quickly, because they think that I have the ability to pray and let that person go to heaven after death. I don't have that much ability; I can't implement it at all. So it is not that all things are common, but that everyone must manage their own property well and learn to do proper things well. If you don't do proper things, you can't eat.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.(Romans 14:17)

If you do not work and do not do proper things, you cannot eat. This is said in response to the following paragraph.

There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.(Acts 4:34-35)

The poor people had a good deal, but the rich people were unlucky, letting people eat from the wealthy households! Later, in any generation, if you want to rely on eating from the wealthy households and engaging in communism, it is useless if you cannot solve people's selfishness! Everyone should know that Peter did the right thing in the beginning, giving glory to God, and gradually began to have courage, healing and setting people free while preaching. The apostles had great power, but the devil came and used a small trick to make the church loose, and there were many problems later. In the end, God really couldn't stand what Peter was doing, so He raised up a group of people to persecute the church. The church was divided and scattered, fleeing to Antioch, Rome, and Corinth, and then Paul established churches everywhere, and those churches learned from the experience of the church in Jerusalem. I also thank God that through the road that the church in Jerusalem has taken, we have also learned a lesson.

Everyone must not think that we have done this thing right, and everything will be done right. The husband of one sister said that she did one thing wrong, but her reaction was very angry. However, she did that thing right, but doing one thing right has nothing to do with doing other things wrong. There are still many brothers and sisters among us who live in this state. When you tell them, they feel that they have done something right. What can doing it right prove?

Peter had done many things right in the past, but selling personal fields and distributing them to everyone according to their needs, and then causing everyone to do nothing, and finally the church became extremely desolate. Without dealing with people's flesh, without pastoral care, and without completely solving the problems in people, they are not disciples of Jesus Christ. So we have learned a lot of lessons and established Chinese Mingding Destiny, which is the road we have taken. I hope that everyone will gradually remove these absurd things from our belief system!

May God bless everyone!
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