Introduction

Good day to you all! Let us turn to the Book of Acts, chapter six. After reading it, you might find yourselves in a fog, unsure of the main point. When Luke penned the Book of Acts, he depicted the prevailing understanding of things at the time, which carries profound implications. I can honestly say, without exaggeration, that I exerted tremendous effort to gradually unravel this matter.

In fact, from the first chapter of Acts, Luke's narrative is divided into two parts: the first part chronicles the Jerusalem church, while the latter part records the deeds of the Apostle Paul and the Antioch church. There is a fundamental distinction between the Antioch church and the Jerusalem church. The Jerusalem church exhibited shortcomings in its governance. Many things were in a state of ambiguity, appearing indistinct from afar and perplexing up close. I cannot help but perceive such a state as utter confusion! How many among us are engaged in such muddled activities on a daily basis, accomplishing nothing of value?

Ignorance renders one spiritually blind, which presents significant challenges! For example, can one effectively manage a business without a coherent management system? How should a nation be governed? One must possess knowledge, wisdom, and intellectual acuity. Therefore, I summarise the theme of Acts chapter six as Church Management Requires Intellectual Understanding of God. We must first clarify the concepts. Do not remain intellectually crude, unable to comprehend even the most basic principles.

The Concept of Disciples

Let us first clarify a few concepts. Once our concepts become unclear, everything unravels. So now, let's delve into the concept of disciples.

Now in those days, when the number of disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. (Acts 6:1)

If the increase in the number of disciples within the church is a positive phenomenon, why would there be neglect of widows when everyone is giving generously? Even if some were overlooked, any disciple could readily rectify the situation. However, what was their understanding of the concept of disciples at that time? Of the twelve apostles, the one who replaced Judas was chosen by lot, indicating a deficiency in understanding from the outset and a confusion regarding the concept of disciples. In fact, Jesus had already elucidated the concept of disciples with clarity. With spiritual discernment, it is evident that those were not true disciples; one might even describe them as a pack of sly foxes. If the growth of the church's numbers is accompanied by a corresponding increase in problems, it signifies a failure in management. For example, if a business expands but management fails to keep pace, it will collapse.

So, what exactly is the concept of a disciple? Peter and his companions believed themselves to be disciples, but they fell significantly short of the standard. They confused the concept of disciples and mistakenly believed that the continuous increase in disciples was a positive sign. But who truly qualifies as a disciple? Jesus' miracles and deeds during His three years of ministry were extraordinary, yet He only managed to garner twelve disciples, one of whom was named Judas. Although they were called disciples, they still fell far short of the standard Jesus set.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29)

A disciple must be able to forsake parents, spouse, children, land, and houses for the sake of Jesus Christ. If we apply this standard, the landscape appears quite desolate. The concept of a disciple is profound. It is not normal for those who have increased in number to turn around and complain. As the number of disciples increases, problems should diminish. The concepts of the church and disciples should have been clarified from the very beginning of the church's establishment. In fact, Jesus had already made it abundantly clear. The question is, how many pastors can truly grasp the concept of disciples? Most likely, they are on par with Peter, simply hoping to fill the pews in the church.

I myself have served as a pastor and once hoped to fill the church's pews. Just imagine, if so many seats are empty, newcomers will feel disheartened and may not return. At times, I have even considered whether artificial intelligence could provide some mannequins to fill the seats and make up the numbers. If we offer a course charging five thousand dollars per person, and only one person attends, how can the course proceed? How can one preach? Why has Chinese Mingding Destiny been able to reach where it is today? Many people once felt that my demands were too high, saying that it was impossible to build a church in this way, but even if it is impossible, one must still build according to God's word.

A disciple is a disciple. I have high expectations of disciples, and correction must be administered when necessary. As the saying goes, Spare the rod and spoil the child. People are prone to folly, and if one instance of folly is left unchecked, others will follow suit, as if infected by a contagious disease. Chinese Mingding Destiny places great emphasis on paying the price, it is by no means a so-called theology of grace, yet it bestows abundant grace. This is because many here are willing to offer their lives to God, which truly elucidates the concept of disciples! Jesus does not need people to fill every seat; He rejoices even for just one true disciple, which is better than a hundred believers.

From faith to faith, the work of the church is to gradually train people to become disciples. Jesus was not in a hurry; even before His crucifixion, the disciples were not very disciple-like. However, here, as the number of disciples increased, so did the number of complaints, which sounds rather strange. If one does not understand what Luke wrote, one might mistakenly believe it to be a positive thing. It is actually a subtle irony, a veiled criticism. Those who understand it, upon reading it with Paul, immediately understand that they only considered themselves to be disciples.

The Concept of Management

Over these past years, I have put in a great deal of effort to study management. Management is very important. Here, I must offer some praise for our church's management, although there are still many shortcomings. I often read the Guanzi. In Chinese historical records, the Chinese nation, more than two thousand years ago, ruled a vast country, deploying armies of two hundred thousand on foot. Since ancient times, countries have relied on the concepts of national management and governance. The church also needs management. The concept of management did not originate with the church; in fact, from the very beginning, when Adam and Eve were created, God's task for them was to manage the earth and govern it—to manage the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and the beasts on the land.

Management is the task that God has given us. The things God created are perfect, not for everyone to eat, drink, play, sing, dance, shout for joy, and sing Hallelujah at the top of their lungs. Leaving aside everything else, even the mineral water bottles after dancing need to be managed; otherwise, wouldn't it become a garbage dump? Management was needed in the days of Adam and Eve, which is certainly in accordance with the Bible. However, Peter and the twelve apostles were unaware of management. Church management is the responsibility of the person in charge. Without management, an unsavory church will be established, so I manage it strictly, and a management system has been formed.

Even if the church is managed to its current state, it is still a far cry from God's requirements. The management of Peter's church at that time was even worse. They simply did not understand management. Everyone thinks that if something goes wrong in a province, the governor is responsible, right? If there is a problem with a company, the person in charge is responsible because they did not manage it well. Not managing well is no one else's fault, nor can one pass the buck. Some of the twelve apostles began to complain, including John.

Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:2-4)

Many churches follow this path. They do not know how to manage, because they only devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. But the question is, what responsibility has God given us: prayer and ministry, or management? Let me give you an example: Solomon met God in a dream, and God asked him, What do you want? Solomon replied, I want wisdom to manage the people of Israel. Solomon knew that he must have wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge to govern the people of Israel. Then, in the New Testament Bible, the church also needs to be governed, but Peter and his companions completely shirked their responsibilities. They even complained and paraded that they were devoted to prayer and the ministry of the word. If they cannot even manage meals, what else can they manage?

Regarding the governance and management of the church or the shepherding of God's people, Jesus had already made it clear that management is not for everyone to come to church to eat and drink. My management is not about how much you eat, but how much you do and how many problems you solve. Such management later caused many people to leave, because they just like to play and do not like to work. They are afraid that after being brainwashed by my management system, they will become someone who works. My management concept is to enable the brothers and sisters of the church to grow!, but don't manage them so that everyone becomes a fat person. Nothing grows except the flesh and the desire to gratify it.

The desire to gratify the flesh increases constantly, which leads to complaining when they eat a little less and increasing discernment of good and evil. Our management is such that if you are only worth a thousand dollars, you will be worth ten thousand dollars after you grow through management. Through our continuous teaching and training, people grow, which means that the governance of the church must be in place. Recently, I have been concerned about the governance of the church again, because we cannot stay in the current state. Everyone thinks it is all good, but it will not be good after all. Know that we are still far from the requirements of Jesus. God gave me a talent of silver. If you are that talent of silver, and I can turn you into ten talents of silver, then you are great.

I rack my brains to think about what to do next. The management of the church needs to recognize God in understanding. In fact, what I am talking about is God's word and God's will. Of course, I will quickly adjust when I have not done it right myself. I also often ask myself: Are the concepts right? Have I figured it out? I am afraid that I have not done it right. You are blessed to come among us, because this is a well-managed church! No matter how you do it, it is just a method, and our management must deal with your flesh.

We have all kinds of weapons to eliminate all the dirty and filthy tumors, so that you become extremely prosperous and can start creating value. Start to come out of poverty, and the problem of laziness must be dealt with and become diligent. I will use various methods to repair those who do not deal with their own flesh. I can make you uncomfortable for a while with just a few words. Some people say that they were still happy before, and I made them feel uncomfortable. If I don’t make you uncomfortable with laziness and the problem of pampering your flesh, can you come out of it?

The polishing here is not the same concept as rubbing it on the ground that we talked about. Rubbing on the ground is a state of being beaten, but polishing can make you a shiny fine gold, and become a precious and glorious vessel that can be used by God. The management of the church must keep up. Paul managed very well. I have not learned many things from him, and I am still learning now.

Luke wrote that the church was lacking management, and the disciples began to argue after the number increased. Peter and his companions could not even manage meals, so what else could they manage? The church is not about prayer and preaching. Since ancient times, God's will has been for us, those chosen by God, to be raised up and be able to manage God's people. People like Nehemiah, Solomon, David, and Moses are all very powerful management geniuses, and we should emulate these people. The concept of management is to turn a person who used to be worth a thousand dollars into a person who is worth ten thousand dollars after being managed here. The value will continue to increase in the future, and they will be blessed by coming here. How good it would be if a person who was so poor that they could barely squeeze out a penny became a generous person!

Peter and the others hired seven deacons, but they did not know how the seven deacons managed, and the leaders did not care, so they just messed around. But here, if you tell me that the problem has been solved, I will also ask you how it was solved. What is the key point of this problem? Someone said that he fixed the sewer pipe. When I asked him what the key to fixing the sewer pipe was, he could not explain it clearly. In fact, it is very simple, as long as it does not leak, and the key to solving the leak is to tie the duct tape, which is called understanding. The concept of disciples and management is to turn a believer into a disciple, and there is still a long way to go.

The Concept of Church Prosperity

Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7)

Here it is mentioned that the word of God prospered, but it had already prospered during the time of Jesus. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly. If there is a lot of delicious food in the church and you can eat whatever you want, the number of people will definitely increase. I used to do this before, and I prepared roast chicken, roast duck, and sauced beef, a dazzling array of dishes. In just one year, the number of people in the church increased crazily, and as a result, a group of gluttons were attracted, and finally they were full of acne.

Here there is a question, is the increase in the number of people in the church prosperity? Has the word of God prospered because of this? Many years ago, I questioned the fact that there were many people in the church, but the word of God was not prospering. The church is full of all kinds of people who do MLM, sell health products, or sell insurance, because there are many people in the church, which is convenient for them to recruit people to the church, and they recommend their products after the meeting. Jesus is sidelined by them. Can this really make the word of God prosper?

There are many people in the mall, but the word of God is not prospering, because they are all people who pamper themselves. During the May Day holiday, billions are spent on food. That is not called the prosperity of the word of God, nor is it called the prosperity of the church. The number of people does not prove anything. The number of disciples represents the prosperity of the church, so Chinese Mingding Destiny has very high requirements. Don’t think that you will be fine if you come in, but you have to go through continuous training, teaching and carving, and I am thinking about how to make people grow all day long.

Is there a correlation between church prosperity, the flourishing of God’s word, and the size of the congregation? Many churches measure success by headcount. In my management, I do not count heads but rather how many problems you have solved. Up till now, many of you still have unresolved issues. You must correct your understanding of what constitutes a thriving church and the flourishing of God’s word. As disciples multiply, so do complaints. Many get confused after reading this: believing that they should devote themselves to prayer and preaching, and not be involved in management. Management is indispensable wherever people gather. When everyone sings praises, you are reaching a dangerous extreme.

And the saying pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch. (Acts 6:5)

Constant Reflection Is Key

We must constantly reflect, is this the word of God? Do we truly know God in our understanding? Can we discern where we have gone wrong? For example, if a written programme does not run, it is abandoned. If a car is built but cannot run, and instead must be pushed, then it is not truly a car. We must reflect constantly: if an aeroplane cannot fly or a car cannot run, it means it is poorly built.

Building a church that lacks God’s glory but is filled with strife and complaints is not a church either. We must constantly reflect: is this the word of God? The kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, yet many churches are solely concerned with gratifying the flesh. I used to follow their example, but I quickly repented because it did not solve any problems.

We must constantly examine ourselves in light of God's word, removing the misconceptions within us. The most potent aspect of Chinese Mingding Destiny is its ability to dispel misconceptions in the Christian faith. Others interpret Acts 6 with a positive spin, while I, like Luke and the Apostle Paul, approach it from a critical perspective. If things are done haphazardly, businesses, schools, and churches will suffer, even if the church has God’s presence.

Misconceptions About Devoting Oneself to Prayer and Preaching

Devoting oneself to prayer and preaching is not the sole responsibility of the church and its pastors. The church must be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. The leader of the church must take on the responsibility of management, governing the church! People need divine wisdom and knowledge in their understanding. Ignorance is never a good option. Devoting oneself solely to prayer and preaching is not the responsibility God has given; rather, He has called us to shepherd his flock. Jesus constantly spoke of shepherding the sheep of God, yet people often stray from this path.

I often reflect on God's word, questioning whether what I am doing is correct. I often sit, furrowing my brow, pondering how I can help someone who calculates 2+3=8. As I pondered, God gave me revelation because everyone who asks receives, and whoever seeks finds. Consequently, I was able to resolve the issues that came to me. Therefore, you must abandon the misconception of devoting oneself solely to prayer and preaching. Many claim that for specialised tasks, one should seek a professional, but I disagree. For instance, I learned to do the plumbing and electrical work for home renovations myself, which saved a lot of time. Many dislike being around me, saying that they are easily volunteered.

My intention is not to rope them in but to enable them to grow. Concentrating solely on prayer and preaching does not work well; one must learn to manage and govern. To summarise: learn to manage people, train them to become valuable, and they will respect your management. I manage by training pastors, enabling them to help me manage. I spend most of my time training disciples, as Jesus did. Peter did not train them well, and ended up with seven deacons. Devoting oneself solely to prayer and preaching will lead to stupidity.

The Myth of Rounding Up

Some ask why there are twelve apostles or twelve tribes, questioning if the number has any special significance. It is simply a rounded number. In the generation of the Apostle Peter, Judas died by suicide, and the twelve apostles became eleven. Eleven apostles did not sound good, so there would be twelve apostles standing here proclaiming loudly, and they had to build seven deacons, so why not six? Because people thought six was not good, because six six six is the devil’s number. It is not okay to just have six, so it just had to make sure to round it up with Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, and eventually became the Nicolaitans.

There is nothing wrong with eleven disciples, but people want to round it up with a Judas. Churches love engaging in these mythical things, but I find them useless. If I have three, I make do with three, if I have multiple, I make do with multiple and skip past it. Many high-rise buildings often lack a 4th floor elevator, you will see 3A and then the 5th floor, because people do not like the number 4 and skip it. Generally speaking, it is superstition. After I finish speaking, do not worry about rounding it up, if you come across it then you come across it. As I train disciples, one, two, three, four, I definitely would not build seven. If you are the fourth, that is also fine. I myself am the fourth. Some say that the word meaning four is not good because it is the homonym of death. But I feel that dying is good, so that I no longer live, but that Jesus Christ lives through me.

The Myth of Laying on of Hands

Peter and the others did not articulate the goals, methods, or strategies of managing food distribution, or how people should manage. They simply laid hands, closed their eyes, and prayed: May the love of our Heavenly Father descend upon you. May the Spirit of God fill you, full of wisdom, open your eyes and nothing has changed. I am not telling these stories to be a laughing stock, many feel that finishing the laying of hands is the end goal, and that they can go home and have become smarter. If you believe this, then you will become stupid after going home. Laying hands on people is still common in other churches, but this is a myth. Many feel that after this is done and after the apostles have prayed and laid hands on them, that is all there is to it, but sadly it is not useful at all.

Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. (Acts 6:6)

If I lay hands on you and then assign you to do something, it is simply a religious ritual. Though the religious ritual can be useful, it cannot replace church management and fully knowing God through your intellect. If church management takes itself away from the word of God and knowing God through your intellect, replacing it with something mythical, one cannot go for the log haul. Chinese Mingding Destiny is not like other churches that tend to focus so much on prophesying and such, we have a whole theory around a complete church management, and we have high standards for it as well. If you build the church according to the theory of the Chinese Mingding Destiny, the church will definitely become prosperous.

The Myth of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

To this day, many are still influenced by this aspect, believing that being filled with the Holy Spirit represents the entirety of faith. Being filled with the Holy Spirit cannot replace reading the Bible. Some believe that being filled with the Holy Spirit is like drawing a bridge with one's finger, crossing it in one step to touch the Holy Spirit. Do not assume that after being filled with the Holy Spirit, you can go to university the next day. The result may be that you cannot even reach the level of tertiary school, that is not how it is done. When we are being filled with the Holy Spirit, we receive ability, but it must never replace knowing God through our intellect. Be sure to read the Bible, and learn how to govern. Do what you must do, the one doing accounting must understand the aspects of accounting, and the one being a lawyer must understand the law, the one doing architecture must also understand the knowledge behind architecture.

We must not live in mythology, the Bible did not say that being filled with the Holy Spirit can replace everything. From now on, never be superstitious of these items, I have often come across Christians who have said they have been saved and born again in a certain month of a certain year. I asked him how he was saved? He answered: the Holy Spirit came down on that day, the electricity went right through me from head to toe. But for now to this day since then, I look at them like they do not understand anything, nor is their intellect working well.

The Myth of Miracles, Signs and Wonders

Stephen was well-known, and was sent to manage food distribution with great faith and being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not state how Stephen managed, but it does state that he argued with people every day, full of grace, and performed great wonders and miracles among the people.

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. (Acts 6:8-10)

We must know that performing jaw-dropping signs and wonders also cannot replace one to know God through their intellect. We must change the perceptions we have, Mingding Destiny is about church management, needing to know God through your intellect. When we read the letters of Apostle Paul, they are of the intellect. Apostle Paul uses the big signs, wonders and power and ability of God to affirm the word we have been preaching, however, we must not only preach the signs, wonders and ability of God, and that we should not live in this mythology.

Mingding Destiny has been performing many signs and wonders, but we must not live in this, and it is what I have been continually improving, of how to solve all of those bugging issues. Do not live in the mythology of signs and wonders, we must have signs and wonders, and we must also fully know God in our intellect, and we must have church management. So can you take on the responsibility of management, do not feel that you are too old to complete the task. Moses was called to govern the people of Israel at 80 years old, but those that feel that they are too old are only in their 60's, and feel that they are getting old and useless? I say to those: you are far from your death, take on the task.

We must start to gradually break through in our intellect, and not eliminate the wonders, signs and power of God, but instead, we must come to know God in our intellect, and to build his glorious church in accordance to the will of God, continually gaining victory in the spiritual world! The demon can deceive at any time, and we are still unable to cross hands with the deceiving demon. The deceiving spirit is very big, also known as Satan and the serpent, and is very mighty, and is unbeatable with the intellect of our people now.

So in the sequence of this, I have a dream that our brothers and sisters can have fulfilment of their faith, and not be deceived. If someone mentions of how his eye's are starting to become blind as a syndrome of diabetes, others may say that his back is aching due to the lack of resting during his month-long confinement, others saying their fingers are hurting due to the amount of chores and labour being worked. All sounds pretty reasonable, but these are of the people, and of Satan's deceiving logic. I have brought up a few examples, but even if you are deceived, that is okay, but continue to seek and grow, and to walk out of the deception.

The Myth of Angels

Peter and the others allowed Stephen to manage food distribution, but he lacked his abilities to manage well, and was busy debating every day. Arguing is meaningless, if others came to challenge, you are to tell him that you are not doing well, and bow your head and apologise isn't it easy enough? But they go on and on non-stop, and once they cannot speak and win arguments with him, they are arrested instead.

Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. (Acts 6:11-15)

Did people know what the face of an angel actually looks like? The spiritual realm has this specialty, and it is of how people are built with the image of God, and cows are built with the image of the cow in heavens, and horses are built with the image of the horse in heavens. The angels are built with the images of animals in heavens, they all have different looks. The Stephen that is written here is to have his face resembling the face of an angel, it gives people the feeling that resembling an angel is great, but resembling God is great instead. In the letters of Peter are the subject of angels, and the book of Jude that talks about angels, and it is of how Jews have the habit of respecting angels, and feeling that angels are great. We must know that angels are the spirits of servitude, if people are unclear in their intellect, people will live in the mythology.

Luke had written this because that is what people say, that Stephen had the face of an angel, but people do not know what the face of an angel really looks like. Listening to it may sound like it is two sets of wings, flying in the sky, resembling a cute blue-eyed doll, but is that really the face of an angel? One cannot build a church by angel's faces, one must build a church by fully knowing God completely in our intellect, knowing the heart of God, and by the plans and intentions and doing according to the word of God. Luke had written this as a irony, of how he caricatures those who love to mention the name of angels. One cannot often hear the talking about angels in Chinese Mingding Destiny, and is very rare to hear of hearing the voice of God, or seeing visions, because we are pursuing the building and creating of God's glorious church, and to know God completely in our intellect.

This chapter is not long, but I have been speaking for more than an hour. If we are to talk about mythology, many have been dug up. If I was to be asked, I really want to continually reflect on myself, and to clarify the word of God. May everyone in the gathering come to know God completely in our intellect, that in building God's glorious church, may many hope to become a disciple so that they can govern and manage God's church, shepherding God's flock, and to become a people to continually and fully dedicate their heart, spirit, and energy to love God, amen! May God give blessings to everyone!