Introduction

Good day to you all! Let us delve into Chapter 10 of the Book of Acts. As time unfolds, we gain an increasingly clear understanding of how God operates. In the Old Testament, it is explicitly stated how God chose Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, and how He was with them. Similarly, in the New Testament, God selects vessels. For those willing to be pleasing to God, it is a remarkable thing to be chosen as a vessel by Him!

God posts a job advertisement, a grand recruitment poster visible throughout Heaven and Earth. Who among us is willing to serve as a vessel chosen by God? When God recruits, everyone is eager to work for Him, as they believe it is advantageous to be employed by the Divine. Does God impose a limit on the number of positions available? No, there is no limit; as many as are willing are welcome! He does not disdain the flawed, nor is He averse to the excellent; neither too many nor too few are turned away, as long as one possesses a heart to serve God.

So, what can I do when working for God? At this juncture, I must express gratitude to my alma mater, an institution that instills rigorous discipline in aspiring aerospace engineers. My professors lamented my decision not to pursue missile research. However, missile research involves the fragmentation of human beings, and the atomic bombs that obliterated Hiroshima are terrifying! Later, I realized that my own work surpasses even aerospace engineering, reaching into the heavens. My work demands precision and benefits from engineering training.

The theme of this chapter is God working in partnership with His chosen vessels. Returning to the matter of God's recruitment, I expressed my desire to serve God during the interview. God, upon observing my humble self, seemed unimpressed. Nevertheless, my inner zeal could not be suppressed, and I offered to serve gratis! Consequently, I thrust myself into service, and God did not restrain me. I followed God's instructions. Benefits like the Five Insurances and One Fund were of no concern to me! As I continued to serve, God recognized the merit in my efforts.

What task did God select me for? I do whatever God asks of me. When God called for the establishment of a church, I established Chinese Mingding Destiny, which is a great grace! Wang Yangming established a system of mind studies, unifying knowledge and action, with profound influence in China, Korea, and Japan. The Japanese, in particular, study Wang Yangming even more diligently than we Chinese. Five centuries have passed in the blink of an eye. When God instructed me to establish Mingding Destiny, I complied.

I am often overcome with emotion, pondering what merits I possess that enable me to receive divine revelation? This is genuinely not of my own making; our God is a God of revelation! Our incompetence is of no consequence, for God will reveal Himself to us. Know that revelation is powerful. Revelation is not merely a snap decision or a fleeting thought. Rather, it is revealed to those who persistently seek it. That Chinese Mingding Destiny has reached its current state is a result of traversing snowy mountains and grassy marshes. God desires such a character, one of continuous seeking and exploration!

As you study the Bible with me, you will discover that my exegesis is intriguing, akin to storytelling. The content of my exegesis carries the flavor of revelation. Therefore, I established Chinese Mingding Destiny because God chose me, not through my own merit, but through God's grace! I possess a systematic understanding of theology and diligently analyze it. Since the time of the Apostle Paul, I am the first to have read the Book of Acts with such clarity. At times, I jokingly remark that one such as I appears only once every five hundred years.

God is a God of Revelation

In every generation, God continuously performs the work of revelation, revealing Himself to His chosen vessels. Was Peter a vessel chosen by God? Yes! Initially, through visions and speech, God chose Peter to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, a truly miraculous event.

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side. And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. (Acts 10:1-8)

Believing in Judaism and being devout are both efficacious. Consequently, God appeared to Cornelius in a vision, and an angel entered his home and spoke to him; this is revelation! If there is no revelation, can He still be called God? Later, many churches eliminated divine revelation, for the simple reason that they are not vessels chosen by God. If one is not a vessel chosen by God and lacks a persevering and devout character, then it is all over. How many years did Cornelius practice devotion? Suddenly, divine revelation arrived! Just as they were approaching Peter's residence in Joppa, Peter experienced an incredible vision.

On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. (Acts 10:9-16)

Immediately after this occurrence, someone knocked on the door and summoned Peter, who went. Upon arriving at Cornelius's house and having spoken for only a short time, the Holy Spirit descended upon Cornelius.

While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. (Acts 10:44-46)

What mission did God send Peter on? It was to show Peter how God chooses people. Peter was to understand, from Cornelius's being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, that he was to break through tradition. However, at this critical juncture, Peter failed to break through tradition. Had the Apostle Paul been in his place, there would have been no need for an entire sheet, nor for the numerous revelatory items it contained, to be shown to Peter.

Peter lacked a deep understanding of the Old Testament, hence the elaborate arrangement. Had Peter been able to break through Jewish tradition, God would not have needed to arrange the vision. Why? God tailors His approach to the individual. Given Peter's nature, God presented him with this particular lesson: a vision of beasts, creeping things, and birds to slaughter and consume. Upon arriving at Cornelius's house, Peter suddenly realized the meaning of the vision of animals, insects, and birds, and of God's declaration that what He has cleansed is not to be considered impure.

God reveals Himself to us at pivotal moments. For example, in past years, I have broken through many traditional concepts within myself. I read the Bible many times and noticed that very few people explain being filled with the Holy Spirit. When Cornelius was filled with the Holy Spirit, no one explained it to him. After reading the entire Bible, I found no descriptions of being filled with the Holy Spirit causing one's hair to stand on end, lips to move uncontrollably, or incessant talking. There were no explanations of speaking in tongues. Those who led others to speak in tongues, such as Cornelius, did not first explain how to pray in tongues.

Later, I made a bold attempt: as long as those attending the church for the first time were willing to believe in the Lord and seek God, they were guided to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit truly filled them! The process was so simple that I myself was shocked. In fact, being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are never explained in the Bible. One is either filled with the Holy Spirit, or God does not fill them, and no one can force God to fill them. Only evangelicals explain being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, often at great length. Do you now understand the reason for this? Why does Chinese Mingding Destiny not offer an explanation? Because the Bible does not offer one! Is it not natural for God to pour out His Spirit on people?

When I broke through this tradition, some people objected, and I had to explain it to them. Thankfully, no one has been frightened away thus far! When I first believed in the Lord, the church I attended did the same, and I was not frightened.

Therefore, God is a God of revelation, and Chinese Mingding Destiny originates from divine revelation. When I initially read Genesis Chapter 1, I could not understand it. I knelt on the ground and prayed continuously. After two weeks, God suddenly revealed Himself to me. I am absolutely convinced by God's words, which I could never have conceived on my own.

Before that, I had read the Bible for many years but truly did not understand Genesis Chapter 1. Therefore, the content of Genesis Chapter 1 that I share with you is unique to Chinese Mingding Destiny. I used to not understand why God told me about the creation of the universe in the beginning. Even if He told me, I would only have a superficial understanding and wonder what I was to do with this knowledge. God! Why do You tell me about Genesis Chapter 1? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, as if it were for your information. I pondered what God was trying to tell me. I could not return to the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth to create another one. God's words at the time were truly revelation, not something I fabricated. God said that I was created in His image, and that I should create as He creates.

This sounded wonderful! However, I could not return to create the heavens and the earth. God said: No! Many people live in the darkness of the deep. Let My Spirit pour out, move, and declare; let there be light, and there will be light; let there be hope, and there will be hope! God said that I was created in His image, and I should do as He does. Are there many people living in the darkness of the deep? Many people who initially came to Chinese Mingding Destiny were living in the darkness of the deep, but now their hearts are illuminated. This is the result of the Holy Spirit moving and our praying together! When I proclaim, you have hope within you, and those who dwell in darkness see a great light.

By the time we reach the Book of Acts in the Bible, no one throughout history has questioned Peter, nor have many questioned James, the author of the Book of James. When we study the Book of Acts, we always bring up Peter for discussion. Even with someone like Peter, God still uses him, chooses him as a vessel, and works with him. If God chooses Peter but does not work with him, and deliberately makes a fool of him, our God is not such a God.

We must know that at critical moments, God will surely reveal Himself to us! At this time, God's revelation to Peter was that Gentiles were to believe in the Lord. In fact, when God revealed Himself to Peter, He knew that Peter would falter in the future, but God still worked with him, revealed Himself to him, and spoke to him. Some brothers and sisters may ask why they have never heard God speak to them. That depends on what kind of person you are. God is surely a God of revelation, and He will surely speak, whether through visions, voices, languages, or silent thoughts. God will surely reveal Himself to people.

God Works With His Chosen Vessels

If God does not work with a person, there will clearly be no miracles. If God is to work with him, one will surely see God's work in him. Peter is an example of God working with him. Every miracle performed by Peter was performed by God. Therefore, as vessels, we must strive to be fit for God's use. Paul said that we must be vessels of honor, lest we become chamber pots after all, which is not honorable!

A person had an antique that he polished daily and used to drink small amounts of wine. One day, he had the idea of taking it to an antique shop to have it appraised. After examination, it was discovered to be a chamber pot, not for drinking wine or tea. He felt disgusted for days. In wealthy households of the past, there were many kinds of vessels: chamber pots, wine pots, teapots, and water pots. If you cannot be a wine pot, then you must at least be a teapot; if you cannot be a teapot, then a water pot will do, but you must not be a chamber pot. To be a chamber pot is to be a lowly vessel.

We must break away from lowly things, and do honourable vessels, God reveals Himself to us, and work with His chosen vessels. Since there are vessels that manifest God's glory, there must also be vessels that manifest God's wrath. People like Peter and Cornelius were vessels chosen by God, and God worked with them. This working together is different from working together to manifest God's wrath.

We must know that working for God is very good! God's recruitment advertisement has never been withdrawn. God has been recruiting in Heaven and on Earth. If you are a wise person, then you will say to God: I am here! Even if God does not notice you, it does not matter. You must brazenly ask God for a free trial period, and slowly you will get through it. Like the Apostle Paul and I, we all squeezed in, unlike Peter, who entered naturally without having to squeeze. However, entering naturally and later faltering is another matter.

The previous chapter mentioned that Paul was a backup, and God placed Paul this backup in Tarsus. When Paul was in Tarsus, he thought daily about understanding God's will. Paul was impressive, crafting precise engineering. God continuously revealed Himself to Paul, and he became an apostle to the Gentiles. Being an apostle to the Gentiles was originally Peter's job, but Peter's job was taken by Paul. Paul was a backup, and you may think that being a backup is not good, but Paul did not think so. He constantly waited for those in front to falter, so that he could pick up the slack.

Jacob had twelve sons, and the first three faltered. The fourth son, Judah, picked up the slack and won without even trying. The later sons had no opportunity to pick up the slack, and Joseph, ranked eleventh, was even further away. Even so, it does not matter. There is no need to pick up the slack, for God invented another job. In the kingdom of God, there are so many job opportunities that there will never be unemployment. The key is to avoid faltering, so you must not falter in your pursuits.

Some people profess their love for God the moment they open their mouths, insisting on serving Him. But when love comes along, they marry. Then, they declare with conviction that even though they are married, their son can serve God. What is all this? I thank God! I have never dropped the ball, and I pray that the brothers and sisters among us will not drop the ball either. I know you have a heart that loves God, and so did Peter. He too said he loved God, but he dropped the ball. Why does this happen? Because the vessels God desires possess certain critical attributes, which I will discuss later. And I have such attributes.

God set Paul aside for a while to see if the person ahead would drop the ball. When Peter dropped the ball, Paul was lined up and became the apostle to the Jews. Originally, Peter was the apostle to both Gentiles and Jews. The work God had initially arranged for him was so glorious! Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Regiment, was a powerful and influential man, yet he had to listen to Peter. Whatever Peter said, that's what had to be done. But Peter dropped the ball. Later, Paul took over this work, and his race forward pleased God.

Even if you drop the ball in the future, God will still have mercy on you and give you a chance. It's like when we make a bad hire; there are many stronger candidates outside, but we will still give you a chance because you are within the circle. Brothers and sisters, understand my painstaking efforts. It's not because you are good enough, but because you are not good enough. Since you have come and are in this circle, I want to put in 120% effort to mold everyone into vessels fit for God's use. Chinese Mingding Destiny is about doing just that. To be a vessel chosen by God, one must constantly adjust oneself.

Being a backup is not easy. For example, in a romantic relationship, finding out you are someone's backup is not pleasant. But Paul was fine with it, diligently serving as a backup. Later, he wrote a series of epistles, including Galatians, Romans, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, and even Hebrews. God works with the vessels He has chosen. Since God has chosen me, I pray that I will never drop the ball in my life. Of course, I don't want to monopolize this position alone. The more God chooses, the better. How wonderful it would be if God's kingdom expanded more and more, bringing all of God's people before Him.

What Kind of Vessel Does God Desire?

God works with the vessels He has chosen, which means God is the boss. He wants us to become a certain way, and that’s what we become. If God wants us to have the right mindset, we must correct our mindset. If God wants us to serve well, we must serve well. Throughout my life, I have been a top-notch employee. No one can beat me. I anticipate what the boss hasn't even thought of. How much more should we, as vessels chosen by God, never miss a thing?

God's will must become our will. We must seek to please God. If I still seek to please people, I cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ, nor can I be a servant of Jesus Christ. If we are servants of God, we must seek God's will and be satisfied. It may sound lofty and impractical, but what I am about to say will be very down-to-earth.

To be a vessel chosen by God, the first thing one must do is break through tradition. If you cannot break through tradition, you cannot be used by God. In this era of our faith, those who speak in tongues are called charismatic churches, and those who do not speak in tongues are called traditional churches. That's roughly the situation. I wondered why the church was like this. This pleased God, and I was chosen by God. Because when I saw the traditions left behind by the church, my first reaction was that these things do not conform to the Bible. These traditions have been passed down for hundreds of years, from the darkest periods of the Middle Ages. Can they be the truth? Tradition is not the truth. When Peter was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, it was God's will. The Apostle Paul understood this very well, and he broke through tradition.

If Peter had proactively broken through tradition, not caring about what was clean or unclean, if he had understood that whoever believes is clean, God wouldn't have needed to create a big, troublesome vision with all sorts of animals, insects, and birds of the air, telling Peter to kill and eat. Peter still didn't think it was okay. If it had worked the first time, it would have been simple. Tradition is not the truth. Jesus had already told them about what is clean and unclean, but they forgot. Jesus Himself broke through tradition. But when it came to Peter, he brought tradition back.

I am naturally not very convinced by those traditions. Is the church just a row of buildings, with a row of chairs in the hall? Is that the truth? The organ on the stage plays heavily, and at the end of the hymn, an Amen is sung. These all seem to be traditions. When I read the Bible, I wondered what God's will really is. When you read the Bible, you must have seen a sentence: Our God is a God who does new things!

We cannot use tradition to hinder God's work. The Methodist Church has its traditions, the Catholic Church has its traditions, and the Anglican Church has its traditions. But with us, those are gone. The traditional organ became a drum set, and then a guitar, and that also went through a battle. However, the drum set, stage, lights, and singers leading worship were all changed by me, because these are not the main things.

Some people say singing hymns feels good. I say listening to concerts also feels good. The singers make the people below cry, but your singing is not even touching. God works with vessels who break through tradition. Later, the Apostle Paul broke through tradition, and he laid a good foundation for the church. Chinese Mingding Destiny started within the theological system of the Apostle Paul. We value God's will very much.

To be a vessel pleasing to God, one must not promote one's own name. Genesis mentions that the purpose of building the Tower of Babel was to make a name for themselves. There was a pastor who wanted to build himself into a world-renowned pastor, and now he has ended up in the gutter. So we cannot promote our own names. One characteristic of our church is that it has no name.

If you ask which pastor this church has, you only know the theology. What do you need to know the pastor's name for? I am just a small soldier, just a vessel. Fortunately, I became a noble vessel, or I would have been ruined. God does not like people promoting their own names. Once a person cares about themself, the truth cannot be upheld. If a person cannot uphold the truth, they will become hypocritical. Without truth, there is only the principle of hypocrisy.

Peter ruined himself because of hypocrisy. Never promote your own name; that's deception. Saying they want to build a pastor into a world-renowned pastor – that's all nonsense. So I always tell those who claim they want to help me build the church to stay away. I haven't even figured out how to do it myself; how can those people help? I hate this kind of person the most. I don't need people's help; I only need God. It’s only useful if God helps me.

What can people do? Can they give some enlightenment? Those who say they used to protect the pastor in their previous church also tell me tall tales. Does that mean they came among us to protect me? I don't need it! It's good enough if I don't protect you. I rush to the front in matters of life and death. We Northeasterners speak so directly, and the meaning is very clear.

As Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet to worship him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” (Acts 10:25-26)

We are just individuals and can only worship God. That's why I especially hate those who come to find masters. We are all ordinary people with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The nostrils must face down; otherwise, water will get in when it rains. We have teachers here, not masters. Peter understood at this time that he was not a master, just an individual, and he told Cornelius not to worship him. God is a jealous God; we cannot fool around with God. We must be rigorous. We do what God says, according to the words in the Bible. God works with magnanimous vessels. God actively revealed Himself to Cornelius because he and his whole family feared God and gave generously to the people.

About three in the afternoon he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming to him and saying, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” (Acts 10:3-4)

If you are stingy, calculating every time you give, you will be ruined. Our brothers and sisters must know that God's view of people is different from people's view of people. People look at the surface, but God looks at the heart. Whether your heart is magnanimous or stingy cannot be hidden from God. This is the vessel God desires, and we do accordingly. If you ask me what it means to be magnanimous, the answer is to see through life and death. What's the point of keeping people who are not magnanimous? It doesn't matter if we are scammed, harmed, or taken advantage of. We have plenty, so we are not afraid of being taken advantage of.

We are just afraid that no one will take advantage of us. As a result, once this advertisement was put out, people came. They came to work with me to become vessels chosen by God, and then I became everyone's foreman, training all of you to be magnanimous people. Originally, you came with the intention of taking advantage, but later you became the ones being taken advantage of. That's great! Let people take a little advantage. The most deadly thing in a person's life is stinginess. When people are stingy, they get rid of God. What God wants are people who can bless others.

I often hear some sisters say that when they were young, they were stubborn and wouldn't give in no matter how much they were beaten. Now that they believe in the Lord, they have started to change, and their hearts have become softer! In fact, this is what's smart. They used to be stingy, and now they are magnanimous; they used to be rigid, and now they are soft. We are here to fix people. After being fixed, we have the image of God and become noble vessels. If you say you are just the chamber pot God made, that's okay. After I melt it down and recast it, there will be no trace of the chamber pot left. So we must start changing, because we want to become vessels chosen by God, displaying God's glory.

God's Spirit Will Pour Out on the Chosen Vessel

God's Spirit pours out on the chosen vessel. Cornelius actually didn't have much connection with Peter. As Peter spoke, the Holy Spirit poured down. Later, I discovered that some people prayed for a long time, but the Holy Spirit didn't come down. What if God hasn't chosen them? That's quite scary. In fact, praying in tongues is a very good way to practice faith.

Many years ago, I prayed with someone who had never believed in Jesus. Her boyfriend's family were all believers in Jesus. If she married him, would she also have to believe in Jesus? So the boyfriend brought her to me to listen to what I had to say. I led her to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It was at that time that I started to change my strategy, which was to say less nonsense, because she didn't understand at all what being filled with the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues was all about. That was okay too! When she started to pray in tongues, her life was reshaped by the Spirit of God.

God's Spirit will pour out on those He has chosen, and Cornelius was like that. Peter was still talking about Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension, just a few simple words, and the Holy Spirit came down. He was filled with the Holy Spirit even before he had spoken about Pentecost. Those who had gone with Peter, who were of the circumcision party, had always been mixed up in the church, and they thought that the tradition of circumcision could not be abolished. They thought that without circumcision, it would definitely not work, that a small cut had to be made on the genitals. As a result, God gave them a very groundbreaking demonstration, which was that the Holy Spirit came upon this uncircumcised Cornelius, and then he began to pray in tongues. Is praying in tongues connected to being filled with the Holy Spirit? Yes, it is!

Brothers and sisters must know that it is God who chooses people. Later, I found that I often made mistakes. I thought this person was good, but God thought he was not good. There were also people I thought were good, and God thought were also good, but they dropped the ball. There are too many different kinds of people, but it doesn't matter. God's Spirit will still pour out on the vessels He has chosen. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Is the traditional gospel without the filling of the Holy Spirit the gospel that Jesus preached? I don't think so, because it lacks this crucial step.

Although God Foreknows That the Chosen Vessel Will Drop the Ball, God Still Works with Him

Although God foreknew that Peter would drop the ball, God still used him anyway. God had prepared a backup. If Peter hadn't dropped the ball, the backup would have been arranged for other uses. God had arranged Paul to be the backup beforehand. God's will in that generation had to be satisfied. Sometimes I think: God, have mercy on me and let me not drop the ball in my life, let me walk in your will all my life! If I really go to heaven one day, I will definitely meet Paul on the way to see Jesus. Paul will definitely give me a thumbs up, because like him, I will not drop the ball in my life. We have the same attributes and character, which is not seeking to please people.

I must also say that if Paul had not laid a good foundation, I would not have been able to go this far. So whether or not one drops the ball is a person's choice. Once a person chooses to please people, they cannot be a servant of Jesus Christ. In fact, you don't need to please me, nor do you need to please others. As long as you please God, I am pleased. I don't lack food or clothing, and I don't expect you to live. You don't need to please me. I don't even think much of myself, because I only value God!

At this time, we clearly see how God revealed Himself to Peter and was with him. Later, God also foreknew when he would drop the ball. This was to make him unable to shirk responsibility, not giving him the opportunity to say that he had been eliminated without even dropping the ball. In fact, God hopes that we can all be used by God and that none of us will drop the ball, so we must constantly break through tradition! Chinese Mingding Destiny cannot form a set of traditions either, because tradition is a hateful thing.

We must still strive diligently, because in different generations, God will choose His vessels to accomplish what He wants to accomplish in that generation. In this generation, God has chosen our team to begin breaking down all worldly logical systems and many traditional concepts. Healing and deliverance, healing the sick and casting out demons must also continue to move forward, and even Bible study is the same. What we received five years ago and ten years ago is not the same level as what we receive now. Even if God revealed it at that time, we were still bound by the concepts within us, and the level at that time was too low. We must constantly improve, and there is no end to knowing God!

Conclusion

If you are really chosen by God, remember that God will definitely work with you without hesitation! God will definitely not ignore you and let you play there by yourself. As vessels chosen by God, we must break through tradition, not promote our own names, and begin to expand our hearts. God's Spirit will pour out on us, and it will be unprecedented! Thank God!