Today's Topic: Worship Our Lord in Spirit and in Truth!

The reality of the spiritual realm surpasses our imagination!

In fact, the spiritual realm is not far from us. We often encounter spiritual matters in our daily lives. Dreaming is by no means just daydreaming. It is a manifestation of the spiritual realm. From a human perspective, fortune-telling is also difficult for us to understand. But if we understand the workings of the spiritual realm, it becomes easy to comprehend. Today, many brothers and sisters are starting to buy houses. When buying a house, by no means buy a haunted one. Why? Because the spiritual realm is real.

Last week, a classmate of mine mentioned during a phone call that his daughter often had difficulty breathing. The best and most thorough examinations in Harbin found nothing wrong. When doctors encounter this situation, they say it's neurasthenia. But for me, as a pastor, this is a spiritual matter. It is a demon attached to a person's respiratory system, and it manifests at night. I mentioned before that when I had just finished my university entrance exams, before the results were out, I brought a group of classmates to my house. The fortune-telling neighbor pointed at us and said who had passed and who had failed, and this classmate was among them.

A few weeks ago, a sister from Xi'an often felt something moving around on her body and was often subjected to sleep paralysis at night. Later, after learning about our church, she came to pray with us and quickly experienced great improvement.

Last Sunday, while I was studying Genesis, Sister Xiaofen twisted her ankle, put on a cast, and limped in. After the Bible study, I prayed for her, and in 10 minutes, she was healed! Why? According to human reasoning, isn't it supposed to take 100 days to recover from a bone injury? How could it be healed in 10 minutes? Don't be surprised, because I am not solving the problem through physical methods; I am solving it through spiritual methods.

In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ we worship is Spirit! The words of the Lord Jesus are all spirit and life! The miracles performed by the Lord Jesus are all because He operated in the spiritual realm! Entering the spiritual realm to operate is a marvel beyond compare. Thank God that He has revealed to me the operational mode of the spiritual realm, allowing me to gain authority and power in the spiritual world, so solving problems becomes very simple!

If the spiritual realm is so real, with both demons and God, brothers and sisters, the haze is not scary; what is scary is the problem in the spirit! Today, we must look at problems with spiritual principles and spiritual eyes!

So how should we live? Should we still live like those atheists? I know that many among us have not changed their mindsets. Having seen so much among us, we still have not learned to look at problems with spiritual eyes. Or sometimes being worldly and sometimes being spiritual, these are all problems!

This is the issue I want to address today! Brothers and sisters, we must look at problems with spiritual eyes! Not only look at problems with spiritual eyes but also live in reality!

Today, I will share with you Worshiping Our Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

Scripture: John 4:21-24

Jhn 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Jhn 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Jhn 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Jhn 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Background of this Passage

• The Samaritan woman was an adulterous woman. She had several men.

• Jesus spoke about what was in her heart, especially the shameful things. This Samaritan woman was quite spiritual and immediately talked to Jesus about spiritual matters. In fact, people are very curious about spiritual matters.

• People often think they can do things unnoticed. In fact, we live in a spiritual world. There are people, demons, and God!

• We live in a transparent world.

• Our actions and inner thoughts are transparent in the spiritual realm.

• Once, when I prayed for a sister, the demon inside her even knew my inner thoughts!

Later, Jesus said: Jhn 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. Jhn 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

What does the Lord Jesus mean?

We who worship God and believe in the Lord Jesus must worship Him in spirit and in truth!

• Worship God with our hearts and our spirits. Our hearts and our spirits must awaken, gain spiritual power, and gain spiritual senses. Our spirits must come alive!

• Our way of life must change. We must live in reality, not play false or be superficial. Everything about us is transparent in the spiritual realm. God sees everything clearly! Do not play tricks with God, thinking He is unaware. We must be real!

Today, I will share with you on these two aspects. That is to say, we must be both spiritual and real! Not deviating to the left or right!

Not Deviating to the Left or Right is Key

Brothers and sisters, we must know that the teachings of the Bible are all like this – not deviating to the left or right!

We need both the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

We need both to be spiritual and to be real – a faith integrated into life!

We need both to pray with understanding and to pray in tongues (in the spirit)!

We need both the Word of God and the manifestations of God!

We accept the teachings of the entire Bible!

Everything in the Bible, everything God commands, we must keep and obey!

The devil's scheme is to make you want this and not that. Either leaning to the left or leaning to the right! It is pitiful to fall for the devil's scheme!

Today's passage mentions a key concept: spiritual plus real! This is also the direction of our church's ministry!

For example, if a person is preparing for university but does not study and only prays, they will definitely not get in. That is religious behavior. Having the spiritual but giving up the real is deviation!

The Essence of Cults – Inducing People to Pursue the Spiritual Realm but Abandoning Real Life!

Due to the prevalence of cults in China, people have summarized a characteristic of cults:

Cults detach from normal social life. The internal rules of cults are higher than normal social regulations, and believers must first comply with the rules of the cult. Detaching believers from society allows cults to deprive them of the help of family and friends, completely incorporating them into the cult. Some even regret it but find it difficult to escape. Cults violate personal bodies, especially for female believers and children. Physical violations, including sexual assault, are frequent tragedies among cult believers. Cults have anti-social characteristics, viewing society as so ugly that only joining the church can purify the soul. Sixth, cults disrupt the normal social order.

We read the Bible and cannot find any teachings that would lead us to detach ourselves from society.

As we continuously promote the power of the Holy Spirit, healing, deliverance, and casting out demons, along with fervent prayer in tongues, I believe the Devil will deceive some of our brothers and sisters, causing them to become engrossed in these spiritual things. They may forget that living a practical life is key to our faith!

We must worship our God in spirit and in truth!

How to resist cults is indeed crucial! Being ungrounded, coupled with a pursuit of spiritual things and fanaticism, almost leads one to be taken into a cult by the Devil!

Of course, without the power of the Holy Spirit, a solely practical life is not God’s will either!

Insights from Genesis – God Tests Our Faith and Our Practicality

Jacob herding sheep – This involved working hard, exposed to the elements.

• Testing of faith

• Testing of practicality; practicality is the character that God desires!

Abraham – Living in tents, dealing with daily problems, buying land from the Hittites

• Testing of faith

• Testing of practicality

It turns out that God looks at a person’s character! He looks at the character within.

Suddenly, I had an epiphany: Why are there many Christians who love the Lord and are very spiritual, yet their lives are not well-lived? What they lack is the character within! Worshipping our God in spirit cannot replace worshipping Him in truth!

It turns out that God places us in this world to allow us to experience these things in life to train and mould our character!

It turns out that whether you are spiritual or not depends entirely on your character. Character is revealed when you are doing things.

Moulding Honest Character!

Recently, I have been preparing to develop our own leadership training course based on the leadership training provided by Taipei Bread of Life Church. During the planning process, I asked myself a question: What is the purpose of this course? It is to train leaders. But train leaders in what? Train them in character! What God wants is our character!

I believe people can be trained!

Yesterday, I mentioned the matter of giving during the prayer meeting.

In reality, in life, we are constantly, at every moment, being tested in our character.

The church is a place for training character!

Training leaders is training character. Leaders shepherding cell groups is also training the character of brothers and sisters. If a leader lacks character, how can they impart it to others!

The church is a place for training character! If you want to be above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, then you are a leader. The church is a place for training leaders!

A positive mindset – is character

Resilience – is character

Obedience – is character

A professional attitude in service – is character

• If I entrust you with a task, and you do not report back, acting as if it were nothing, that will not do.

• If you want me to trust you, on what basis should I trust you?

• Without testing, how can there be trust!

Practicing in Every Aspect of Life

Working – If you cannot do worldly things well, doing God’s work becomes questionable.

• I am helping your boss train you

Managing projects

Managing emotions

Managing money

Managing time

Managing creativity

Managing efficiency

Managing learning

Managing the whole earth! – This is the earliest commission God gave us

God looks at people’s hearts. People look at the outward appearance: handsome men, rich and successful individuals – all of that is external. What is inside? Choosing a boyfriend or girlfriend, do you look at the outside or the inside? That determines everything.

The dilemma of career planning – Is it spiritual or not? Is it something the church should do?

Marriage, family, raising children

Anything related to our lives is spiritual!

Detached from reality

God is concerned about our lives! God cares for our lives! It is in our lives that we experience God’s love and grace!

Our brothers and sisters in the church – must cultivate several characteristics: God’s power, dealing with the flesh, relying entirely on the Bible as our basis, and then, living practically! I like practical testimonies – that manifest God’s glory.

Conclusion: Among All Nations – Be Above and Not Beneath, the Head and Not the Tail!

The practical characteristics of our church: learning, work, marriage, family, raising children, healing and deliverance, finances, interpersonal relationships.

Blessed – Passing it on; what we pass on is a blessed faith!

God will bless your family because of you (Sister Qingling saves money to give to me)

To be God’s people, with wonderful blessings, all of which are practical, as long as we practically live out our faith in our lives, fulfilling God's promises, keeping and obeying His commandments, without turning to the left or right:

Deu 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Deu 28:3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Deu 28:4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Deu 28:5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Deu 28:6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. Deu 28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. Deu 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Deu 28:9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. Deu 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. Deu 28:11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Deu 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. Deu 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: Deu 28:13 And if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, following other gods to serve them.