Introduction

Good morning, everyone. Let us examine Chapter 24 of the Book of Acts. I find this chapter to be exceptionally well-written, deeply resonating with my own convictions. What was lacking in the doctrines of those from the past was the concept of resurrection from the dead. Christians believe in the resurrection from the dead far too little! The reason is simple: it boils down to whether one truly believes or merely pretends to believe. If one truly believes, the outcome is entirely different; one will see through the matter of living. Once a person sees through the matter of living, their spiritual height ascends to the next level.

If your spiritual height is insufficient, you remain in a very low state, or perhaps have no height at all. Why? Because of a lack of knowledge. Even after experiencing God's testimony, you still value the matter of living, which is the crux of the issue. The theme of Acts Chapter 24 is that I am on trial before you today because of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. The original text speaks of “doctrine,” but it is, in essence, the Way.

except for this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’ (Acts 24:21)

How to Testify to the Resurrection of the Dead

What are we testifying to when we bear witness? We are testifying to the resurrection of the dead. Have you ever seen someone resurrected from the dead? I have not! To this day, I have not seen a single instance. I have prayed for people who were near death, and they recovered, but I have never witnessed someone who had died being prayed for and coming back to life. I used to be puzzled as to why I had never seen someone resurrected from the dead. If someone was already taking their last breath, and they came back to life after prayer, I would consider that a good thing. I enjoyed studying this, but researching the resurrection of the dead was truly challenging. People would ask me, Have you seen it? I would reply, No. While I longed to experience it firsthand, I was afraid that if I went there, I might not return. So, I never went, and I didn't know if it would even work.

Later, I pondered the resurrection from the dead mentioned in the Bible and realized that Lazarus was quite unfortunate. He was resurrected once, came out of the tomb, but then died again, expiring twice. Was this process of expiring pleasant? I imagine it was not. Once a person expires and separates from the flesh, they feel at ease. One sister's mother was nearly 90 years old. One day, the elderly woman suddenly died. Her daughter held onto her mother's body and prayed, crying and calling out, and her mother came back to life. However, the sister's mother told her, Don't call me back next time. When the sister's mother's soul left her body, she felt very relaxed. After hearing this, I believed it.

Although I have not seen the resurrection of the dead, I always believe in it in my heart. How should we examine this matter and bear witness to it? It's simple! It is by allowing the power that raises people from the dead to be manifested in us. We have testimonies every day among us; everyone gets better after prayer. This is somewhat like Zhuge Liang giving Zhao Yun three brocade sacks, telling him to open the first one when encountering a certain situation, and then the second one when encountering another situation, but the third one must not be opened.

Similarly, it is as if God has given us ten brocade sacks, but the last one cannot be opened because opening it would truly mean leaving this world. At first, we didn't quite believe it. When we encountered a situation, we opened the first brocade sack, and God was indeed prescient; He truly is God! Thus, we had a bit more faith in the second brocade sack. We opened the second brocade sack, and once again, He was prescient. We opened the third brocade sack, and it was as prescient as ever. Should we believe or not? There is no need to open the tenth brocade sack; they are all prescient, so we certainly believe!

However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. (Acts 24:14-15)

The Way of the resurrection from the dead that we testify to is because the power that raises people from the dead is manifested in us, not because we must see people resurrected from the dead. There is no need to open nine brocade sacks; believing wholeheartedly after opening just three is what Paul did. Paul performed many miracles and gave many testimonies. People have ascended to the height where it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. This is what it means to bear witness. If someone asks, Since I have not been resurrected from the dead, nor have I been there, what can I testify to? I testify to the power of resurrection from the dead, the power of Jesus' resurrection from the dead that has descended upon me. The miracles that I perform are sufficient to prove the Way that I believe in.

Then the question arises: Why do Christians have so few testimonies? I founded the Chinese Mingding Destiny because their testimonies were too few and too poor. I hope to see the power that raises people from the dead descend upon us. When we begin to see many things accomplished, that is extraordinary! How does it begin? Because I have no hope in living. If you are filled with hope in the matter of living, you should not believe in the Lord. I have no hope in living, but I am filled with hope in eternal life. After my examination and deliberation, I have discovered that living is vanity; it is impossible to find a reason to live.

What is the difference between dying a day earlier and dying a day later? You certainly cannot say for sure. Some people even feel that living one more day is a great thing; even if they have cancer, they cannot die, and they want to live one more year. But for me, there is no difference between dying a year earlier and dying a year later, and there is no difference even between dying 10 years earlier and dying 10 years later; the ending is the same. You get a box of ashes, and so do I. Some people are quite noble and say they want to scatter their ashes in the sea. It seems I don't even need this arrangement. Put them wherever you want, or put them in a trash bag; it's just a handful of ashes, of no use!

Everyone must know that the testimony that Paul gave is different from the testimony that you are to give. You must have this hope. When you are filled with hope, you will seek, and when you seek, you will solve the problem. God will let you find it. God sits on His throne and looks down, saying, Those people are living so earnestly; arrange a little ghost to mess with them. Even if God doesn't arrange it, the ghosts will come anyway, let alone if He does arrange it. So, you must understand the matter of having no hope in living. When you have no hope, you then seek a hope, which is the hope of eternal life. If there is no eternal life, it is better to die sooner. If you have no hope of eternal life, you will live like a pig.

When we seek and explore this matter, God bestows this hope upon us. We go to examine it and discover that it is not only a doctrine but also a power. So, God says, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will receive power. Everyone must ponder this and never live for the sake of living. If you love living so much, how can you have the hope of eternal life? One cannot find too many people in this world who do not love living. All I see are people who love living, and they live very earnestly. As soon as they have a minor illness, they go to the hospital, just to live. Why don't I go? The sooner I die, the better! I have in me the hope of eternal life. When people have the hope of eternal life, they will seek and examine the Way of Jesus Christ, the Way of eternal life.

The Way That Demands a Price is the True Way

Everyone must not think I am foolish. I pay a very heavy price in believing in the Lord. In this very peaceful era of ours, there are truly not many people who pay such a heavy price as I do. I never rest; I just like to work and serve. Whether it is in the middle of the night, at three or four in the morning, or early in the morning, I serve just the same, and nothing happens. What is sleep? It doesn't matter if I sleep a little less; I won't die, and the sooner I die, the better.

So, through the matter of paying the price, people are immediately separated. Some people, upon seeing that a price must be paid, slip away, while others, upon seeing that a price must be paid, are very willing. To be born for this, to live for this, to come into this world for this, can this be fake? If you think I am fooling you, then you fool someone for me to see. In fact, you cannot fool someone. If you can fool someone without having to pay a price, then it is indeed fooling. If I fool someone, I will be judged, and I will have to pay the price, working hard and exhausting myself for this. If it is not true, is it worth it?

I find many Christians to be very interesting. For example, if a wife asks her husband where he is going and he replies that he is going to hear a sermon or attend a meeting, she immediately objects. But if he says he is going to work overtime, his wife will tell him to work hard because working overtime is for earning money. People believe that whatever they are willing to pay the price for is true. It is unacceptable for them to come to a gathering, but it is acceptable for the boss to ask them to work overtime. It turns out that paying the price separates the true from the false.

Do you truly believe in the Way of eternal life? Do you believe that people have eternal life and will be resurrected from the dead? But paying a little price seems like a great grievance. Some Christians come to me and even ask me in return, What more do you want from me? They feel that they have come to Sunday service; they also come to Bible study on Wednesdays and Fridays; and they also come to my prayer meetings every Tuesday. It's as if they are coming for my sake. I don't know why these people come at all. Actually, I don't really need anyone to come. People just don't think that coming to church is a matter of course.

Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.' At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. (Acts 24:1-9)

Paul is a very interesting person. He comes to Jerusalem to be tried and to bear witness, and he comes with donations. He is arrested and interrogated. Because Paul is genuine, he truly loves the Israelites and the Jews. Although the Jews take him to court and want him to die, Paul wants them to live, to receive the Way of eternal life. How can these Jews be so foolish? Paul pays such a heavy price for them, and they don't realize that he is genuine? So, it doesn't sound quite right to say that Paul is on trial for the sake of a doctrine, let alone to die for the sake of a doctrine. It must be no ordinary doctrine.

The governor motioned for him to speak, and Paul said: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit to you that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” (Acts 24:10-16)

The Way of the Lord, which can be paid for and can be explained clearly, is no ordinary Way. It is the true Way! People live without hope. Some people live to thirty-eight, or forty-eight, or fifty-eight, and they live and then die. But this Way, which can be paid for, is the true Way. Some people argue with me, saying, The Falun Gong also pays the price. I tell you, they have indeed testified to some truths. There are also testimonies in temples. You cannot say that what people believe in is nothing.

I don't like to say that something is impossible. If it were impossible, people would not have gone so far. Take those popular celebrities who go to Thailand to see the White Dragon King. This can be verified, and there are photos too. Is the White Dragon King effective? Yes, he is. If you think you can believe in the White Dragon King, you can go too. What he does is also real. What does that mean? It means that the world we live in is a very spiritual world. The spiritual world is very real. There is God, and there are also ghosts; all kinds of things exist. It's just that we don't understand them very well.

Whether a pastor is willing to pay the price for the profession of being a pastor testifies to whether he is deceiving people or bearing witness to the true Way. So, for those who are willing to pay the price, let us run together. For those who are not willing to pay the price, they can go wherever they want. A pastor came to me to ask me to build a website for their church. I said no problem. I was thinking, how could such a large church not find someone to build a website? They had to come to us, a small church that was struggling on the verge of death, to help them build a website. The pastor told me, No one is willing to do it. After hearing this, I laughed. What kind of church is this? This is a pastor who is unwilling to pay the price leading a group of Christians who are unwilling to pay the price. What do you think they are doing? They are treating being a pastor as a job, just to muddle through the days or to earn a living. How difficult it must be when it comes to paying the price.

A sister of mine experienced a tremendous testimony, and later she went to that church. After a while, she told me that the church was quite good, and the pastor didn't speak as harshly as I do. I told her, Of course! A pastor who does not pay the price shepherds Christians who are unwilling to pay the price; a pastor who indulges the flesh shepherds a group of Christians who indulge the flesh. It's a perfect match! I can only congratulate her for finding the right place, where no one pushes her to serve, and no one asks anything of her, except for giving offerings. As for whether there are testimonies, whether things are done seriously, or whether a price is paid, it's all optional. I just feel it's tragic because when the real need arises, one can easily predict what the outcome will be.

Therefore, the way of Paul, who paid the price and bore witness, is truly worthy of our contemplation. Chinese Mingding Destiny is not the Gospel of Grace, but a Gospel of paying the price. It is not about obtaining more and more grace, but about understanding that paying the price is the greatest grace. You can't argue with this point. I told an old pastor that the average brother or sister among us pays a greater price than their church's full-time staff. I also saw a sister using only two fingers to type her homework. It was truly one-finger Zen, but she still had to do her homework. Some people did their homework until they were sleepless, but they kept going until they overcame it and no longer suffered from insomnia. Later, some people said, Since coming to Chinese Mingding Destiny , my life has become very fulfilling because I am too busy to waste time on nonsense. I have saved time getting sick, and even time being scammed.

Paul Came to Jerusalem to Bear Witness

Paul knew that he would be imprisoned in Jerusalem, but he was willing. This is an extraordinary person, one whom the world is not worthy of. Paul was willing to be imprisoned so that the Jews could receive the benefits of the gospel. I admire him for that! I thank God because I have the same backbone to bear witness by paying the price.

Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation and offerings, in connection with which they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or disturbance. But there were some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you and accuse me if they have anything against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the council, other than this one statement that I shouted while standing among them: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’ (Acts 24:17-21)

Paul came to Jerusalem to pay the price. He wanted those people to receive the benefits of the gospel. Even if he were imprisoned and torn to pieces, he would be happy as long as those people could receive the benefits of the gospel. That is Paul! When Paul returned to God, he could give an account, and this was his answer sheet as a faithful and good servant. So those who do not want to pay the price cannot accomplish anything. Paul came to Jerusalem to pay the price because he wanted these Jews to see that Paul was serious. The Jews were playing with falsehoods, deceiving others and deceiving themselves without even realizing it.

Isn't our generation the same? I confess that I am anxious. Looking around, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So, up to now, I have been training brothers and sisters little by little, hoping that our brothers and sisters, co-workers, and pastors can all be raised up by God like the Apostle Paul! The worst thing is those who are all fake, playing around until they deceive themselves, and in the end, they do not know which way is up, and they crucify Jesus and still think they are great. Paul was serious to this extent. Are our hearts moved by this? Jesus was willing to die for the way He testified, to be crucified, and to rise from the dead. The suffering that Jesus endured exceeds what we can imagine. This is being serious. But do people really have a heart of gratitude?

Do you really know how important the truth that raises people from the dead is? People become slack and have no pursuit. This is quite detestable. Looking around, we have not yet become a blessing to Americans, Europeans, Africans, people of Oceania, and Southeast Asians. Although the pageviews on our Mingding Destiny website are in the tens of thousands, with massive numbers of people watching, we are still not satisfied. I am anxious, so I started English Bible studies and sermons around this time last year. After doing it for a while, I realized that I was neglecting some things, so I had to choose to put it down for now. Because our pastoral system still needs to be built up, I hope that our pastoral system can be perfected, like the system of traditional Chinese medicine, so that people can be healed. Because when people are sick in their spirits, they need to be healed from the root.

Paul's coming to Jerusalem can be described as knowingly approaching the mountain with tigers, yet aiming for the tiger's den; no venture, no gain! That is Paul. I hope that after listening to my sharing, everyone will start to develop the habit of paying the price for the path of eternal life that we are running, and for the truth that we testify to, which raises people from the dead, and no longer boast about oneself.

What I mean is, it's not just about listening to the sermon. For example, turning on the air conditioner in the summer and sitting comfortably to listen to the sermon; some people even lie on the sofa in a Ge You slouch, drinking tea while listening; some even pick at their toes, anyway, no one can see them picking, unlike in a physical church where they can't pick. That is not paying the price! We originally had no hope at all. We were all people destined to die and perish. We originally lived in emptiness, living meaningless lives, but we came to know Jesus Christ and realized that this is a way that gives people hope and raises the dead, so paying the price for it is such a normal thing.

Reactions to Hearing Such Testimonies

Even when people see our service and experience God through our service, they turn around and ask how we can live such a life. This person's cancer was healed because of my service, and their difficulty breathing was also healed because I paid the price, but after they were healed, they asked, How can you live such a life believing in the Lord? So, the reaction in people's hearts after hearing such testimonies and seeing such testimonies of paying the price is very important.

The Jews wanted to crucify Jesus, and later they actually did crucify Him. The Jews wanted to kill the Apostle Paul. What were they thinking? The Jews' reaction after hearing the testimony was very strange, and the reaction of Christians now is actually similar to that of the Jews. If you don't believe it, you can try talking about Chinese Mingding Destiny with those who believe in the Lord, and their reaction will be similar to that of these Jews.

But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, 'When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.' (Acts 24:22)

This governor is very interesting. He actually knew about the Way. When Paul spoke about the Way, the governor's reaction was very strong because he knew that people must have eternal life and that there would be judgment after death. But the reality before him was that he lived in the political system of the Roman Empire. He was still a person in the world, and he could not help himself. So how did he know about the Way?

I'm starting to make up stories again: A governor was a high-ranking official, equivalent to a regional governor or the current provincial governor or provincial party secretary, in charge of a region's administration. The reason he knew about the Way of Jesus Christ was because his wife was a Jewish woman. At that time, it had been about 20 years since Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. During those 20 years, whether his wife, Drusilla, had experienced the healing of Jesus Christ is not recorded in the Bible. We don't know, we can only say it's possible.

Later, when the Apostle Paul preached the gospel, how did this Governor Felix know about the Way? It was his wife who told him. Later, his wife may have secretly believed in Jesus. That is why they later called Paul to listen to his sermons and have private counseling, he must have experienced God. He knew about the Way and discovered that the Apostle Paul he was questioning was a master who knew the true way of Jesus Christ, and then he waited for the commander to come down. Many officials in the officialdom are like this, just giving lip service, which means that the meeting is adjourned.

Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” At the same time, he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. (Acts 24:24-27)

Felix called Paul for two purposes. The first was to hope that Paul could explain it clearly, but when Paul explained it clearly, he would be afraid. What judgment, what casting out demons, it was too scary, he would talk about it next time, but he was addicted to listening and always wanted to know, but every time he called Paul, he was afraid. The second purpose was to call Paul to hope that Paul would beg him and give him some money to bribe him.

Felix was a very interesting person. He also knew that the Apostle Paul knew the true way and that the testimony he gave was very powerful. Even when Paul was sitting in prison, he still had testimonies every day, and the jailers would ask him for help with anything. The governor was in a dilemma, he had to continue doing his job and could not get into trouble. Especially those Jews, chief priests, and Pharisees, he could not afford to offend them. If they wrote a report to his superiors, it would be enough to give him a hard time. Felix's boss would think that he had not managed well, and this was his job. He could only keep Paul in prison for two years, neither releasing him nor doing anything, just keeping him under surveillance.

Do you think these people's reactions after hearing the testimonies are very strange? Then, after you have experienced the testimonies, are you the same? Once you work, work becomes your god. Felix was also working, but he was very helpless. However, there is only one reason for this, which is what is our hope after all?

What Exactly Is Our Hope?

If our hope is to leave this world and return to God, that is far better! The Apostle Paul wrote his hope clearly, and my hope is similar to Paul's, to leave this world and be with Christ, which is far better! What exactly is our hope? If we hope that people will rise from the dead and receive eternal life, many problems will be solved. If we are not building on this foundation, then our reason for believing in the Lord is to live a better life, or that God gives us manna to eat in the wilderness.

God leads us through the Red Sea, gives us the promised land, or God can give us milk and honey. All we think about is eating, just being a glutton, which is a disaster! People who have this hope of eternal life are really rare. If you want me to judge whether a person is chosen by God, there is only one condition: that they have a inexplicable hope of eternal life in their hearts! If you ask them why they want to have the hope of eternal life, it is because having the hope of eternal life is too good!

Felix's hope was very contradictory. He also had the hope of eternal life in his heart, otherwise he would not have sought the truth. But he was a person in the world, and he could not help himself. There were two contradictory things in his heart. But the Apostle Paul lived very simply because he had no hope in this world, only hope in Jesus Christ: to build God's glorious church, to build the body of Jesus Christ, and to return to Jesus to receive glorious praise! The power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead must be manifested in our lives, and we must often have testimonies, and bear witness that Jesus Christ is real.

If you are willing to pay the price, it proves that your hope is true. If you are unwilling to pay the price, it means that there is a mixture in your heart, as hard as concrete. Because one is the logical system of the world, and the other is the logical system of eternal life, and then they become a twisted rope that is tightly entangled and inseparable.

Conclusion

If you are full of hope in this world, then it will be difficult for you to witness the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. Because the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead is given to those who have the hope of eternal life, those who are willing to pay the price for Him, and those who truly believe. Those who are unwilling to pay the price for Him are fake believers, and they have all become hybrids. Isn't it troublesome to become a hybrid believer? Whether before God or before demons, they are hybrids, and they have completely become hybrid rice, with a high yield, which is troublesome!

Brothers and sisters, if you have the hope of eternal life, you will not be so eager to live for the sake of living. You will not be so quick to pray for yourself, wanting to urinate but not being able to, wanting to defecate but not being able to. But when you don't want to, you can't help but defecate. You either can't eat or can't defecate, just because people are too serious about living. Can you be able to treat death as life? Living in this world is just a process, for the sake of manifesting God's glory. What a wonderful choice! Let Jesus Christ be your testimony, and the way you testify is a way that you are truly willing to pay the price for.

May God bless everyone!