Introduction
Good day to all! Let us turn to Acts chapter 22. I have themed this chapter as Bearing Witness to the Lord Before All People. The word witness appears repeatedly in this chapter. Some chapters in the Bible are particularly difficult to examine because they lack repetition, thus obscuring the theme. The theme of chapter 21, which is Gaining Jews for God, is not explicitly stated in the text of that chapter. However, the chapter we are examining today feels much simpler. When reading the Bible, it is crucial to grasp the theme. Once you have found the theme, you will know the author's intent, and the content will generally revolve around that theme.
This chapter recounts Paul's defense before the Jews, telling a testimony. A testimony is about how one experiences God, conveying what one has seen, heard, and experienced to others. Avoid preaching overly profound theological doctrines, as doctrines, in themselves, lack persuasiveness. For instance, if I go to a certain hospital for treatment and am quickly healed, and the doctor's skill is outstanding, that is a testimony. Therefore, giving a testimony means sharing what we have seen and heard with others, much like telling a story. I encourage everyone to practice the skill of storytelling. Have you noticed that I enjoy telling stories? I have many stories, all based on my own experiences, rather than abstract theological principles.
A wealthy businessman once invited me to dinner. Whether it is a wealthy businessman or an old friend I have not seen in a while, I share stories with them rather than theology. I am not a philosopher or a theologian, but a witness, and people enjoy listening to my stories. This businessman invited me because my ministry had brought grace to his family members. Both his sister and niece had received grace through my ministry. He said that his niece is the most outstanding member of the next generation in their family, and she is very filial. This is bearing witness! The things I do bring a good name, so many people invite me to dinner that it is almost too much to handle.
Giving a testimony requires the ability to tell stories, all about what you have done. My sermons and Bible studies often revolve around the things I have done. For example, blindness, lameness, and other ailments have been healed after prayer. Yesterday, during a prayer session, many people with various illnesses were healed after prayer.
Sometimes the healing is immediate, but some ailments return after 15 minutes, or perhaps half a day or a couple of days. Some people say, This kind of prayer does not eradicate the problem. Of course, some healings are permanent because the person who was sick has truly repented. So, everyone needs to have stories to tell. Unlike other pastors, my stories are not likely to be repeated; there are new ones every day.
In the past, I always wanted to solve more of people's problems, but even now, the problems I cannot solve still outnumber those I can. For the problems I cannot solve, I dedicate myself to figuring them out. I have good news to share: I have discovered that my efforts have not been in vain. I have gradually managed to clarify many things related to pastoral care.
The topic of my research is how to make people smarter. Whoever can make people smarter will be formidable. Researching this topic has turned my hair white and burned out many brain cells. But that is okay; brain cells will eventually burn out anyway, whether for this or that. My brain cells are burning out well. Recently, there have been new breakthroughs, and I have gained a clearer understanding of many things. I believe that in ten years, I will surely become something remarkable. If it is for earthly matters, I will become a demon; but if it is for heavenly matters, I will become a celestial being. We are now on the path to becoming celestial beings, constantly growing. Some people say that I am already halfway there, but I say there is still two-thirds of the way to go. This is our Mingding Destiny, which comes from the Bible, only using different words.
The Great Commission
The first passage in the Book of Acts has been given a name, The Great Commission. Some of us are from Great Commission churches. The term Great Commission sounds good, but living it out is not so easy. A group of Chinese in Singapore gathered together to build a church called Great Commission Church, but it later closed down. Just before they closed, it happened that I was preparing to build a church. Before building the church, I needed to do some investigation, so I went to inspect this Great Commission Church.
At the time, I found that their Great Commission was about finding ways to make people dumber. The person who took me was my colleague and a member of the Great Commission Church. This person felt that Singapore was a small place, so he really wanted to go to America, but ten years passed and he did not make it. Because his heart was never in Singapore, he did not plan to buy a house in Singapore. But Singapore’s housing prices kept rising. At first, 100,000 Singapore dollars could buy a house, but later, when he wanted to buy it, it cost 400,000 Singapore dollars, four times as much. Many Chinese people have the same American dream as him, but now the American dream is probably over. It was former U.S. President Trump who proposed the American dream, but now the dream is about to die, and that is their Mingding Destiny.
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-8)
This passage is the Great Commission. As recorded in the first chapter of Acts, the Great Commission is to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus to the ends of the earth. However, now the testimony has become a bit distorted, all talking about theology and speculation. Our church is full of testimonies, but only those that are presentable count among those we collect.
Those who have been here for a few years are unwilling to write about testimonies of headaches being healed by prayer, but want to write about high-level testimonies such as growth testimonies, feeling headaches and backaches are of a lower level. Pastors serve you for several hours, and you are healed, but no one is willing to say it. Actually, that’s not quite right. We should bear witness and testify how we have experienced God.
Acts chapter 22 is about how Paul experienced God and how he was changed. It is difficult for a person to change without experiencing God. I experienced God when I was about to die. I am humble on the surface, but I am still very conceited in my bones. In the past, it seemed to me that there were no difficulties that could not be solved, but I often encountered problems, and I was so unlucky that I choked even when drinking cold water.
Later, when I went to church, everything changed. It was simply too miraculous! I often talk about my experiences, and Paul also talks about his experiences everywhere. He was still talking about them when he arrived in Jerusalem. Because this is his Mingding Destiny, and bearing witness to the Lord is also our Mingding Destiny. Bearing witness is talking about how we came to believe in the Lord. At the same time, we also talk about how we serve people and how we have experienced God.
So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Luke 7:22)
This passage mentions that you will receive power to be the Lord's witnesses, that is, the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the dead are raised. This is the power of God. What is it called to believe in those churches and beliefs that have no power? I think they are believing in a distorted way. They should be believing in Judaism, or believing in John the Baptist’s baptism with water.
Therefore, water baptism is called John's baptism, which represents repentance. Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will come upon us, and we will receive power. Receiving power is to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This sentence has had a profound impact on me.
Many churches are not good at exorcising demons, but they are twice as good at exorcising pastors. Churches are not capable of fighting demons, but they are definitely experts in internal fighting. I have seen so much that I feel that this kind of church does not even have the appearance of Jesus, but is full of the appearance of demons. I might as well build my own church. When I first built the church, no one taught me. I just tinkered with it myself, and later I found that it was really not done right. I am really suitable for bearing witness for the Lord, because I immediately adjust when I know I am not doing it right.
At that time, I often talked to others about theology. Although I could also cast out demons, my ability was limited, and I was not doing it quite right. Later, I lost my job and had nothing to do, so I began to serve full-time. Since I was serving full-time, I tried very hard to do things right. As soon as I read the Bible, I discovered that the Bible said to gain power. From then on, a church that did not pray became a church that prayed, and a church without many testimonies became a church full of testimonies.
Do you think that people are filled with the Holy Spirit when they first believe, or after they have believed for a long time? In fact, when you first believe, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. I can definitely use scripture to explain this clearly to everyone. Because this is God's work, the Great Commission: bearing witness, receiving the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and receiving power. I broke through many obstacles, and many people disagreed at the time.
When I first started building the church, I did a bold experiment. No matter who came, they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues. As a result, they really began to speak in tongues, because they had never been to other churches and thought that believing in the Lord was like this, so they quickly accepted it. On the other hand, it was very difficult for those who had believed for a long time to speak in tongues. The Bible also does not explain speaking in tongues. So from then on, I stopped explaining it. I just told people that this is very good, and to come and be filled with the Holy Spirit with me, Hallelujah. After the other party received speaking in tongues, they began to experience God and immediately had a testimony. That testimonial was like bamboo shoots after a rain, and that’s what it means to do it right.
As for the many people who oppose it, I don’t know what they are opposing. They don't read the Bible as clearly as I do. How can I not do what God says? Until now, I can still see people online saying that speaking in tongues should have this or that feeling, but is it in the Bible? No, they made it up themselves. Some people say that there must be an electric current. If you connect it to a power source, there must be an electric current. Some people do it very hard, and I just say, Why don't you just learn a few words from me? Many people may have a lot of strange arguments when they hear what I say. I don’t care. We have more testimonies, and they can’t compare.
If you are a pastor or a leader of a church, and you listen to me share about the Great Commission, you can also try it. The Bible does not talk about whether there is electricity, falling down or standing up. It is not necessarily all like that. Their speaking in tongues is too complicated, and some people never get it in their lives. In fact, the Bible has already said whether speaking in tongues is right or wrong.
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)
How is it possible to ask for the Holy Spirit and be filled with an evil spirit instead? Isn’t that a very evil logic? Can't God manage this little thing? If God can’t even manage this little thing, I think you should find another god. We must know that a faith without power is even more heretical than heresy. That is not what Jesus Christ spoke of. What Jesus Christ spoke of is baptism in the Holy Spirit. John baptized with water, but Jesus baptized us with the Holy Spirit, and we will receive power. Receiving power cannot be deceived.
A five-year-old child often listened to me preach. Once, his mother had a fever. He became anxious and laid his hands on his mother’s Dazhui acupoint and prayed. After a while, his mother recovered. I said: Children can receive power, how difficult can it be? They have made a very simple thing very complicated. The Great Commission is to bear witness, which is to tell stories, to tell your experiences, what you have seen, heard, and done with your hands. What I speak of is what I have done.
Paul's Mingding Destiny
God's Mingding Destiny for Paul was to be a witness to the Gentiles, but Paul himself was a Jew, so he also had to be a witness to the Jews. This time, Paul came to Jerusalem to bear witness to the Jews, telling them what he had seen, heard, and personally experienced, hoping that the Jews would seek God after listening.
**“As I was on the road and approaching Damascus, about noon a brilliant light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are
====输出开始
Do not dwell on theological profundities, nor get sidetracked into irrelevancies; focus on telling stories. Forget about gatherings; the Jews assembled in synagogues every week, yet they killed Jesus. So, do not be mistaken. If you are not up to it, gatherings, be it online or even in Heaven, are a load of rubbish. Therefore, engaging in superficial activities is meaningless. Can you change? Can people see the halo of Jesus Christ on you? If you are an official, serve the people well. If you are a businessman, take good care of your employees, becoming a valuable asset to society. Neglecting to do practical work while claiming to be a Christian, testifying for Jesus is embarrassing to Him. It is truly a grave matter.
If testifying for Christ is truly your Mingding Destiny, then do not engage in empty displays. God does not want us to discuss theology but to share testimonies, as testimonies are real, while theology is often deceptive. I see some people ministering terribly, which is utter nonsense. I cannot stand it. I spent years correcting his faults, yet when he meets people, he can talk for three hours about different theological concepts. Although I founded Chinese Mingding Destiny, I am against theological discussions and prefer sharing testimonies. Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of testimonies, recounting what we have seen and heard, sharing our experiences, and you will surely become a highly respected individual.
Those I have taught are filial to their parents. If you are not, it is likely I have not been able to turn you around, which is my fault. I ministered to a sister who was discerning good and evil with her mother, and I said, You are not qualified! Of course, some among us were already filial to their parents before my training, but if those who were previously not filial have become so, then it must be my doing. I am not one who enables losers to become winners, but one who transforms the unfilial.
Who could oppose such things? For example, if someone who was a burden to society becomes a resource and an asset, acting like a responsible individual, then this is God's will! Chinese Mingding Destiny is about doing practical things, neither causing trouble nor talking nonsense, avoiding meaningless theological discussions. But is there theology? Yes! This theology must embody the power of Jesus Christ; this is our Mingding Destiny and also Paul's Mingding Destiny.
## Receiving and Not Receiving Are All Due to Election
**Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.’ (Acts 22:14-15)**
Some people's testimonies are interesting as they share their testimony, but when people do not believe, they give up on them. It is not important whether people receive or not, but it is important that we share the testimony of Jesus Christ. After they hear it, they can make their own choices. Perhaps their response will resemble that of the Jews in Jerusalem, who want to eliminate you, claiming you are unworthy to live! Actually, these are not important. What matters is that our Mingding Destiny is to testify, for it is not we who choose, but God who chooses. Testifying is what we must do; whether they are chosen is God's business.
Do you know what kind of people God chooses? He chooses those who seek Him. The testimonies we share are plentiful, whether it is the healing of sickness, the continuous growth of individuals, curses being broken, or misfortune turning into blessings. After sharing, those who listen may not necessarily believe immediately. In fact, it is not uncommon for them to believe the day after hearing. Having heard many of my testimonies, they nicknamed me Christianity. I do not care, and I even feel unworthy of such a grand title.
I have many testimonies! For instance, someone who was about to go crazy sought my ministry because they had heard my testimony. Others who knew I could help them after hearing my testimony contacted me years later while in critical condition in the hospital. After my ministry, they are still doing well today. I do not morally blackmail anyone, nor do I care much about what happens after they are healed. I simply enjoy seeing people receive the benefits of Jesus Christ. The foolishness of people lies in blindly accepting a set of theories. Some believe that liberal democracy is a perfect system. Their understanding of liberal democracy is like that of Taiwan, the Philippines, and South Korea. While there are other ideological systems, we do not really care about these. We simply hope that people will seek and know the reality of the spiritual realm and that people live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
People encounter various problems that can only be fundamentally resolved through Jesus. People blindly accept things because they often do not know what they are. Those who blindly protest for democracy in the streets all day cannot even explain what democracy is. However, some people can articulate things clearly. For example, Ren Zhengfei has studied Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung well and has managed his business effectively. My point is that some things really need to be tested through practice. In our time, Deng Xiaoping initiated the Reform and Opening Up and published an article in the Guangming Daily titled, Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth. Speaking with facts and seeking truth from facts should be the scientific attitude.
We share what we have done, and if someone does not believe, it is not up to them to believe or not. Why not try it? Whether they receive or not is not important; whether they seek is key. God looks down from His throne to see if there are any who seek. If you seek, you will surely be able to prove it in the future. This is not a theory but a capability.
For example, I ministered to a teacher who suffered from severe depression and was near death. However, he is now doing very well. Recently, his parents visited me, and we drank and chatted together. I seized the opportunity to testify, sharing many stories, for which his parents were very grateful. If I had not cast out the demon of depression from him, that child would have been ruined. When he was having an episode, he would howl, but after experiencing healing, he became a staunch follower of Jesus Christ because it was his own personal experience. Of course, there are those who have depression who are not staunch followers because, after experiencing God's healing, they turn back to loving the world and do not seek God at all.
**“Later, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, ‘Quick! Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’ “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and flog those who believe in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” (Acts 22:17-22)**
After hearing the testimony of the Apostle Paul, the Jews actually said that he was not worthy to live on Earth. I really cannot understand their logic. Because what Paul said did not align with the ingrained ideology of the Jews, even if they saw someone resurrected from the dead, it would be useless. In their view, such things are accidental events, and I have met many people like that. When I said that someone was resurrected from the dead, they argued that the person was never dead in the first place, leaving me at a loss for words. I told them that someone's leg was lame and healed after I prayed, but they insisted that the person's leg was never lame at all. What kind of logic is this? How can people like this exist in the world? Well, let them come to me when their leg is lame in the future. As for the condition of the person's leg, only the person themselves knows, and no matter what I say, they will think I am lying.
Therefore, this is God's election! God only chooses the wise. The wise are those who seek God diligently, and when they see these phenomena, they realize that a blind person can see, and they react by thinking, This is incredible! Then they begin to explore diligently and discover that Jesus Christ is the source of our power. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues are fundamental truths for living out the power of the faith of Jesus Christ. One cannot be stubborn; stubbornness is foolishness! This is what Jesus Christ says, that unless one becomes like a little child, one cannot enter the kingdom of God.
**He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-3)**
One must turn to be like a little child, learning what one does not know. Some older people say they have eaten more salt than others have eaten rice, but does eating more salt make their brains work better? People who say such things are foolish! Therefore, we must abandon all our inherent biases and explore with a rigorous attitude: What exactly is life all about? What should we live for? I must tell you that living as I do is excellent, full of exciting stories throughout life. I recently met with old classmates and shared many stories with them. Even though their current concerns are only about retirement, I still have to let them hear them first, and then we can talk about it.
One must seek God in life, whether one receives or not is unimportant, and seeking is key! After seeking, you will realize that this is a treasure, and your life's second half will be secure. Know that the second half of life is not necessarily more exciting than the first, and you may be faced with serious matters. Dementia is becoming more common at a younger age, and you do not have to wait until you are over sixty to become senile, with some people showing symptoms of dementia in middle age.
Actually, whether one can receive is all due to election. God chooses those who seek, and it is helpful to take this to heart. We can discard our inherent, self-evident notions because those things are powerless and ineffective. If you accept this powerful faith in Jesus Christ, allowing the power of God to descend from God's throne upon you, you must bear witness to Jesus Christ with power.
## Bearing Witness to the Gentiles
Paul bore witness to the Gentiles, and what he did had names and details. Imagine, bearing witness even to the emperor! In such a large Roman empire, the monarch actually made time amidst his busy schedule to summon Paul and listen to his testimony. Herod, the tetrarch of Judea, and the governor of that region both listened. Paul testified to all people about the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. This was indeed remarkable! Whether intellectual or not, wise or foolish, all heard Paul's testimony.
**The commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks and examined by flogging, so he could find out why the people were shouting at him like this. As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.” The commander came to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship,” the commander said. “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul in chains, since he was a Roman citizen. The next day, because the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them. (Acts 22:24-30)**
Paul's Roman citizenship was a unique advantage. In the Roman Empire of that era, Roman citizenship was not something that ordinary people could obtain. One could not beat a Roman citizen before being tried; otherwise, there would be trouble. The commander's salary was high, but his Roman citizenship was bought, while the Apostle Paul was born with Roman citizenship. There was no comparison, as God had prepared it for him long ago.
## Bearing Witness to the Jews
The high priest at the time knew Paul, and the top leadership of Israel had a good relationship with him. Later, Paul studied for his doctorate under Gamaliel, who was the most famous doctoral advisor at the time, as prestigious as being a doctoral student of Yang Zhenning (a famous physicist). In our time, some doctoral supervisors were renowned contemporary professors. The presidents of Peking University and Tsinghua University were remarkable individuals. If you studied for your doctorate under him, you would have a well-established network. Those who studied with Paul under Gamaliel were Paul's classmates, disciples of the same teacher, and all studied the same law.
Paul was not only born a Roman, enabling him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, but he was also a Jew and a disciple of Gamaliel, having received the most rigorous training in Judaism. Paul had persecuted Jesus before, so how many conditions did he have to bear witness to the Lord to the Jews? When bearing witness to the Jews, he gave Jewish testimonies; when bearing witness to those under the law, he gave testimonies of those under the law; when bearing witness to the Gentiles, he gave testimonies of the Gentiles; when bearing witness to the weak, he gave testimonies of the weak; when bearing witness to businessmen, he gave testimonies of businessmen. He gave testimonies to whomever he was speaking to, with the goal of allowing them to receive the benefits of the gospel! I am doing this now.
Some time ago, I worked hard, filling every week to the brim for eight consecutive months. Twice a week, I held Bible studies in English, once I delivered a sermon in English, and twice a week, I held Bible studies in Chinese, and once I delivered a sermon in Chinese, exhausting myself. At that time, I felt we owed those who spoke English a gospel debt. However, after scientific research, we discovered that our knowledge was not complete, so we temporarily put it aside. Someday, we will win over these English-speaking people for God.
Now, let us continue to have deeper breakthroughs in the realm of Mingding Destiny as we are still far from sufficient. Let me briefly mention that our Chinese theological system for shepherding is far inferior and cruder than the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) of traditional Chinese medicine. I hope that we can continue what Paul did not finish and gradually improve the entire theoretical system of shepherding God's people. May God be gracious to me and allow me to live long enough.
The Apostle Paul bore witness to the Jews because he could speak not only Hebrew but also Roman and Greek. Because of this, he felt he owed everyone a gospel debt, and he paid the price for it. Did he know that he would be bound if he came to Jerusalem? Of course, he knew, as the Holy Spirit had already told him! Paul knowingly walked into dangerous territory, for nothing ventured, nothing gained. He resolved to let people hear the gospel, and whether God would choose them was not his concern. Speaking or not speaking was his choice.
Now you understand why what I say and preach are not philosophical concepts that are difficult to understand. I speak frankly, and bearing witness for the Lord makes our journey through this world worthwhile. Since we have come to the world with such difficulty, let us walk a more exciting path, live an even more exciting life, and let the glory of God's halo fill us. Bearing witness for the Lord is so good! I also hope that my brothers and sisters share my vision and receive the mission that God has given us. Let us not only be chosen by God but also bear witness for Jesus Christ.
Amen! May God bless you all!