Introduction

Good day to you all. Let us delve into Chapter 13 of the Book of Acts. To be frank, I have been listening to and reading this chapter repeatedly since yesterday, yet I remained puzzled about the author's intent. It seemed disjointed, like random strokes of a brush. In such instances, I know I have yet to grasp its essence, compelling me to persist in my reading. I am unsure how many times I have perused it, but eventually, I discerned the chapter's central theme: God had appointed Paul as a light to the Gentiles, or rather, God had called Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.

From this chapter onwards, Peter is scarcely mentioned, having receded into the shadows, his pursuits unknown. Peter possesses numerous shortcomings. Indeed, many brothers and sisters among us need to enhance their theoretical acumen, to possess a lucid understanding of their actions. Apostle Paul, in contrast, was an intellectual; he professed knowledge where he had it and admitted ignorance where it was lacking. Throughout the ages, God has been in quest of vessels, a truth as sure as iron. God, seated upon His throne, looks down, seeking those with understanding and those who seek Him. Alas, He rarely finds such individuals. But when He does, He abides with them, granting them success in all their endeavors.

Each of you ought to aspire to understand God's will. Though the path may not always be smooth, it shall be filled with God's glory! This chapter marks the beginning of the Gospel's transition from the Jews of Jerusalem to the Gentiles, shifting the Gospel's center from Jerusalem to Antioch. God called Paul to be an Apostle to the Gentiles, though He had called many others before, none heeded the call.

God is Always Seeking Those After His Heart

Upon reading the entire Bible, a sense of sorrow arises within me, a lament for God. Some may say, You presume too much. God is not sorrowful, so why should you be? In the time of Abraham, God chose one Abraham. I ponder, why could God not find more Abrahams? Surely, there is no issue with having more, but the difficulty lies in finding them! How wonderful it would be to discover Abraham the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or even more. Yet, only one was found. Abraham had but one son, Isaac, and through Isaac, two sons emerged, but one faltered, leaving only Jacob. Jacob fathered twelve sons, and ultimately, only Joseph stood firm. God is ceaselessly seeking those after His heart. Is it not reasonable for me to feel sorrow for God upon witnessing such desolation?

Among the multitude of kings in Israel, only David aligned with God's heart. I long to be such a person who aligns with God's heart so that, besides King David, there would be another, me, a rarity to be cherished. If God searches and discovers you with difficulty, He shall surely abide with you, pouring out His glory upon you. God seeks a partner, for He possesses abundant resources. His actions resemble venture capital, seeking a partner for co-laboring. Yet, God's investments often end in failure.

This time, God has finally found a partner, reclaiming all His past investments. Do you wish to be God's partner? God desires to invest in you, but you must be after His heart. In the Bible, humans either do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord or that which is evil in His sight. If you are truly after God's heart, the heavenly treasuries shall be opened for you, and God shall grant you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. You shall possess a vast array of keys, and all manner of weapons shall be at your disposal.

In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong sought treasures far and wide but could not find the weapon that suited him until he arrived at the Dragon Palace and found the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the divine pillar of the sea. However, even this staff had its limitations, for many demons possessed magical artifacts. Whenever Sun Wukong encountered a powerful artifact, he had to ascend to Heaven or descend to Earth to seek treasures to subdue the demon. In other words, we must possess treasures to vanquish demons. If God grants you the keys, you may choose any treasure from Heaven, but the prerequisite is that you be after His heart. God held the keys and asked Peter if he wanted them, but Peter declined. God sought other Jews, and they all gave the same answer.

Jesus replied: “A man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ” (Luke 14:16-24)

Paul had been waiting in the wings for a long time. When God called Peter to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, Paul was waiting somewhere. Paul was waiting for work, like athletes hoping to get on the court, some needing good relations with the coach to get a chance. Behind them are benchwarmers. Paul was an excellent substitute, waiting eagerly. The director saw that the others were not working out and the chosen ones were failing. Only then did Paul get his chance. In reality, many receive revelation, but many fail, not listening. God tells them to go east, but they insist on going west; He tells them to chase dogs, but they insist on catching chickens.

How many of us treasure Jesus? If you do, then congratulations! You receive the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, break the golden egg. The golden egg is full of treasures. God seeks those after His heart, filling our hearts with hope. When I founded the church, I did it blindly, relying entirely on a surge of enthusiasm. Some questioned whether I had been called by God. Even if I had not, it did not matter. One day God would call me. I longed to live in God's will.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the ruler), and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-4)

Paul likely prayed month after month for God to send him, but God did not respond. At that time, Peter had not yet failed. In this chapter, Paul finally had the opportunity to appear. God told Paul and Barnabas to go and do the work, to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, to be a light to the Gentiles. Those who were called earlier disappeared, like God calling Adam in the Garden of Eden, hiding and not daring to respond. When God struck the church in Jerusalem, chastening them, Peter should have understood God's intention. It is like a band with various instruments, but no matter what the conductor does on stage, those below do not listen and play and sing on their own.

God persecuted the church in Jerusalem, even sacrificing a few people, but the people still did not wake up. However, while the church in Jerusalem declined, the church in Antioch rose because God finally found those after His heart, and there was prosperity. So you know why I hold tightly to God's will, looking around all day to see where God's will is, wanting to know from God what I should do. God revealed to me to establish Chinese Mingding Destiny, and how to proceed next.

It has not been easy for us to get to where we are today. Many people poured cold water on us, one ladle after another. The old-fashioned pastors thought that what I was doing would not work. In fact, I can be considered the pioneer of establishing an online church. In the past, many deadly problems were released through telephone prayer. Once when I was leading prayer, a person was thousands of miles away, following along with prayer on video. But suddenly, he fell in front of the camera, and I could not get any response no matter how I called him, which scared me. At the time, I could not do anything but cry out to heaven. When I bought a plane ticket and went to where he was, I found that he was unresponsive and unconscious.

I thought he would die like that. Who knew that after praying for an hour, he came back to life? The prayers at that time were like ghosts crying and wolves howling, all relying on God! Many people think I am not good enough and ask me, How many people do you have? I ask them, How many people does the physical church have? As a result, they are embarrassed to say. This is the trend. One day, those who said I was not good enough came to me, saying that I had foresight because the start of the epidemic affected the physical church. These people began to admire me, actually because I held tightly to God's heart.

God will call people again, calling Apostle Paul in the days of Apostle Paul because there are no traditional concepts inside Apostle Paul. I do not have traditional concepts inside me. Breaking traditions is what I am good at. The people I serve break traditions. When people come to me, no matter who they are or what situation they are in, I will break the bonds of morality and value that this person will receive God's grace. As a result, God's grace has been spread out a lot through me. For example, I am speaking here, and you are typing there, owing me a favor. Over the years, God has found a David, and we will be little Davids. David is after God's heart, then I can also be a little David after God's heart.

God is constantly searching, treating those He finds as treasures. If you want to be after God's heart, do not fail. It is useless to compete with me, because I only recognize my God. No one can deprive me of the right to serve God. Get ready, even if there are more people, God can arrange positions for you. Even if other churches fail, our church has a place for you. If the epidemic lasts longer, more churches will be destroyed. Who told them to be the church in Jerusalem? In fact, before the epidemic, God revealed to a prophet. Unfortunately, this person's video cannot be found now. God said through this prophet that He would personally tear down those churches. The church in Jerusalem in those days was God's doing. Because they are too rotten, people who do not know God's will are useless to keep.

We Must Understand God's Will

How can we understand God's will? To understand God's will, we must have a very deep understanding of God's Word. When Paul went to Jerusalem, he wanted to get an official position, but not only did no one want him, but people inside and outside the church always wanted to kill him. In the end, Paul became a benchwarmer. However, during Paul's time on the bench, he continued to improve his theoretical level. So some people say that they haven't had any business for a year. Isn't that great? You can have time to improve your theoretical level and prepare yourself.

When I founded the church, I had a lot of time, and not many people came to me for prayer and healing. At that time, I didn't have much to do, just time, and then I desperately read the Bible. During Paul's years as a benchwarmer, he accumulated a large amount of God's Word, and his understanding of God became more profound. When God finally sent Paul out, his first speech shocked the audience, explaining God's Word clearly.

So those of us who have prosperous businesses should do well, and those with poor businesses should hurry up and improve their theoretical level. When the church is prosperous, serve diligently. When it is not prosperous, constantly improve yourself. To understand God's will, God wants to call us to do His work, and we must see that God's will is the Gentiles. Calling Paul to serve others does not require as much tossing and turning as giving revelation to Peter. Giving a bunch of visions is in vain because Peter does not understand at all.

They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. (Acts 13:5-8)

The proconsul in this place is a bit like a governor, or a county magistrate, or a mayor.

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. (Acts 13:9-12)

Paul did not need to ask God whether he could eat with them like Peter did. If he needed God to remind him every time he did something, then God would become his secretary. Wouldn't that be upside down? God said to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, but he still felt that it was not good, that it was unclean. In the church in Antioch, there were prophets and teachers because Paul had accumulated a large amount of knowledge and had a very clear understanding of God. For the governance of the church, prophets and teachers, as well as pastors and other positions, were established, and everyone performed their duties. Prophets study God's will. If prophets do not understand God's will, then they are false prophets. Preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles is nothing else but a revelation given in the Bible many years ago, that is, to be a light to the Gentiles. Paul had the confidence to be a light to the Gentiles, to ask God to call him. Even if God did not respond, he continued to wait.

Some people are confused, such as Mark, who is also John in this passage. He followed Barnabas and Paul, but then returned to Jerusalem. Mark was the young man who once discussed eternal life with Jesus. He himself was the son of a wealthy family. Some people were driven from Jerusalem to Antioch, but Mark returned from Antioch to Jerusalem because he did not understand God's will and tossed back and forth.

From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. (Acts 13:13)

Paul and Barnabas had a dispute, and the two separated. This is a story for later. God called Barnabas and Paul, but Barnabas also failed. Only Paul always firmly believed that he would be a light to the Gentiles, while Barnabas was with the Gentiles, often struggling with the issue of whether he was clean or not, always falling into Jewish traditions.

To Have a System, and Systematically Know God

How can one discern Paul's high level? From verse 13 to verse 41 of this chapter, a significant portion of the scripture is used to demonstrate that Paul has a system within him and profoundly understands God's will. Chinese Mingding Destiny is absolutely not taking things out of context. Many renowned pastors preach the gospel to someone with deep philosophical attainments, but this person dismisses it, feeling that these pastors' teachings lack a system and cannot be self-justified. If something cannot be self-justified, it can only bring chaos! What those people say is pieced together from various sources, and basically none of it is their own.

This person with philosophical attainments discussed theology with me. He felt that Chinese Mingding Destiny has a system, not only capable of speaking and explaining but also of doing, able to liberate people from the bondage of demons. Our Chinese Mingding Destiny's understanding of God's word is genuinely unmatched by most people. Many of our brothers and sisters come from other churches, and they deeply resonate with this.

Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. (Acts 13:16-21)

As you can see, Paul speaks very clearly and understandably.

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom also he gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ (Acts 13:22)

What Paul says is, in fact, while continuously enhancing his theoretical level, he summed up a very core concept, called doing all things according to God's will. So what is God's will now? It is to call the Apostle Paul to be the light to the Gentiles, and Paul will certainly do it and will absolutely not fail. God's investment will definitely receive a thousandfold, a ten thousandfold return because the right person was found. I myself also like to say that God found the right person in me. If God were to question whether I can do it, the answer would definitely be yes!

Therefore, to have a systematic understanding of God, our Chinese Mingding Destiny, in its theological foundation, is still the most advanced theological system to this day. I have studied many, such as John Calvin, Wesley, and the theological systems of contemporary churches, and I feel that they really should learn how to read the textbook. Some people say they don't like to hear me say that, either boasting about themselves or belittling others, but I am actually just telling the truth. My point is to tell you that learning God's word requires a system. I have hardly heard anyone say that man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God, and that every word is the system.

Apostle Paul, while speaking, mentioned John the Baptist. Paul was in Jerusalem at that time and knew what happened. Then he spoke of Jesus Christ, quoting from the Old Testament Scriptures, arguing for a Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. The tomb is empty, but the flesh has not decayed. David decayed, but Jesus did not. From this, it can be seen that the difference in theoretical levels is significant. Even if your brain is pounded into mush, it is useless. The psalms written by David are all prophesying the coming of Jesus Christ. We must know that we cannot be justified by keeping the law of Moses, but we can by believing in Jesus Christ. This is said very directly. Later, the Apostle Paul's theological system was called systematically knowing God.

Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the prophets should come about: “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if someone tells it to you.’” (Acts 13:40-41)

Even if someone tells you, you will not believe; even if someone speaks, you will not listen. The things that God does are earth-shattering. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and stayed on earth for 40 days, appearing to His disciples. These words were all spoken to Peter, but at this time, Peter had already run off to somewhere. Those who scoff will be amazed and perish; these are all said in the Scriptures. Not systematically knowing God and scoffing at God will lead to destruction! How many miracles do people need to experience to believe? Every Tuesday night when I lead prayer, many people are healed. Therefore, we must not scoff at God and must not be lazy in building a system.

Do you really know God? Some people are quite muddled and have never had a systematic understanding of God, nor do they understand God's will. They value their work, and in the end, they don't do a good job. However, they don't know that if there is no systematic understanding of God's word, they will perish. The Bible does not record the situation when Apostle Paul preached. Even when I go out to serve, if I ask who needs to be served to raise their hands, many people raise their hands at once. Some people get better after being served once. Some long-time Christians are a little difficult to heal because they unknowingly scoff at God's word within them.

If many people pour cold water on you, can you persevere? For me, whether people pour cold water or not, I will walk this way. I look at people's needs with my own eyes, and I cannot bear not to serve them. One night, at more than three o'clock in the morning, I received an email of tens of thousands of words, telling me about countless tragic experiences. I replied to him on the spot. This person was once a patient with depression, but later got better and even found a job. When he is sick, can I always ask him to go to the local church? This is a need, a responsibility, and a commitment! It is truly weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. When each of you prospers, I will share the joy within you with you.

There are many people who need to be served now, and it doesn't matter if we can't finish. I have trained many pastors to walk the same path with me. God is with me, and God has given me all the keys to the heavenly treasure house, so I serve with God's will. I often speak a little heavily and offend those pastors, but do they really care about those sheep? Do they care about their shepherding? Isn't it for their offerings? You must know that I really don't care about people's offerings because I only care about people; this is God's will. I know God very systematically, so I have seen through the affairs of life and death. If you are willing, it is best to listen more to my Bible study on the Book of Ecclesiastes, and the problems in the world will be reduced by half because the Book of Ecclesiastes devalues the trivial matters of people's lives to a very worthless position.

God is With Those He Calls

Some people come from afar to find me to serve them, but I really don't have the capacity to serve them one by one right now. The pastors I have trained to serve you are the same. Don't worry; God is really with us because the brothers and sisters who are served are all liberated, without exception. I cast out demons very fiercely. Demons come to me to seek death. Often, as soon as I cast them out, they run away, shouting my name and saying they hate me. Yesterday, there were demons crying out that they hated me, so that's right! God is with those He calls. Where is the power in that?

When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. (Acts 13:6-11)

One day when I led prayer, the theme was living by the grace of God. Someone encountered a very tricky thing that could not be done well no matter what, and everything was stuck. This person prayed along with this recording, and as a result, it was completed without asking anyone, and when they went to look again, there was nothing wrong. God is with those He calls. If you are a person after God's heart, God will surely be with you. Miracles and wonders will surely happen to you, and you will surely see God preparing the way for you!

After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” (Acts 13:15)

Don't think it's easy to go on stage and preach. It's not okay if someone goes up and sings Exploring the Clear Water River. That was in the synagogue. The reason they called the Apostle Paul to speak was because they had communicated with each other privately; otherwise, people wouldn't recognize him. As a result, once they communicated, people discovered that Paul's knowledge was too extensive and he was too eloquent. If he were to give a sermon to everyone in the synagogue, surely many people would be edified. The second week after he finished speaking, many more people crowded in, not only had they never heard such a sermon, but also many people were healed and liberated after listening to it.

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the meeting was dismissed, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what Paul was saying, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:42-48)

The Gentiles' Longing

Many Gentiles, once they seek these things about human life, join Judaism. In fact, many young people today, especially those born in the 90s and 00s, feel very empty and like to run to temples because these people have a longing in their hearts. Isn't this what we should be doing? How many people long to see God in their hearts, longing to understand what human life is all about! In fact, the Gentiles are very longing in their hearts; this is what God prepared for him during the time of the Apostle Paul. Everyone loves to listen to Paul's preaching, constantly asking questions, and Paul explains it very brilliantly. Everyone has never heard the doctrine of people rising from the dead, and God's presence prepares the way for people. Fortunately, Paul has prepared a lot over the years. He can take out any of the 500 sermons and explain them extremely clearly.

Wherever there is longing in people, God wants to give the word of life to that place. Brothers and sisters, in your place, look at the needs of this world, see the longing in people's hearts, and also see our lack. You must know that we must have more of God's word in us, and don't get carried away and say you want to serve. How do you actually serve? Do you just go up and talk nonsense? You must start preparing yourself well and improve your theoretical level. Our Mingding Destiny is not short of such learning materials.

We must see God's will and know that those who are predestined to eternal life in various places will believe in the Lord. Don't imitate those who take one step forward and two steps back. Among our Chinese people, there are people who are full of longing for God everywhere, but what we are doing is far from enough. May God add all those whom He has chosen and called to us, so that we may also prepare ourselves well and serve and meet the needs of these people well. We see a clear trend, which is the longing of the Gentiles. But Peter ran to be an apostle to the Jews and did it desolately. The Jewish churches are full of Pharisees, who are a bunch of troublemakers.

The Obstruction of the Jews

The Jews also read the Bible. Don't think that reading the Bible means that they are God's people. Although these people also read it, they are a group of scoffers who read it unclearly, and as a result, they will perish. We can clearly see a trend that the Gentiles are entering the kingdom of God, and the Jews are being rejected by God! Because they, the Jews, reject this way and judge themselves unworthy of eternal life. So Paul turned to the Gentiles. In the process of turning, Barnabas also failed, and Mark also left. Why?

Because Mark had a particularly good relationship with Peter, and the Gospel of Mark he wrote was Peter's sermon. The reason Mark left Paul and returned to Jerusalem was because he could not see clearly the matter of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles and felt that the Gentiles were unclean and impure. This was contrary to the gospel preached by Paul and his understanding of the truth. Later, Paul did not want to take Mark with him wherever he went, even if he argued with Barnabas.

The churches of this generation are the same. Although those evangelical and charismatic churches also read the gospel, they do not quite understand God's will. They have turned the word of a living and true God into a dead one. Many concepts have become extremely confused, and the examples are too numerous to count. So those who hinder us are really Christians. I once saw an article online that many of those who strangle the Chinese are Chinese. This is really a sigh, and also very surprised and incomprehensible. The Jews became an obstacle to the gospel and were rejected by God. From Moses to the later prophets, they all prophesied the ending of the Israelites being cursed by God in the future, which is to be thrown back and forth among all the nations of the world.

Summary

God has established Paul as a Gentile. Fortunately, we have him, and we can receive the benefits of the gospel. But can everyone see God's will? If you can also see God's will, God wants to raise us up in this generation so that we can become a people of light. God wants to be manifestly with us, to manifest His glory in this generation, to build His glorious church, to welcome the second coming of Jesus Christ, and we will also become the light of the Gentiles! Amen! May God bless everyone.