178 - Correct Understanding of Discipline and Living a Holy Life#
178 - Correct Understanding of Discipline and Living a Holy Life
(JP Text Group - Ren Wei Compilation)
Today we share on the topic of "discipline." The devil wants to draw us into various arguments, one of which is about "discipline." Many people today believe that God disciplines His children through sickness, accidents, or disasters. Do you agree with this statement? When your child misbehaves, do you make them sick to teach them a lesson?
Hebrews 12:5-11:
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
Discipline is something that all sons share. If you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Many people misunderstand God's "discipline." Some believe that God still uses sickness, accidents, and disasters to discipline us today. When someone says, "God will punish him with sickness," their thinking is still rooted in the Old Testament. If discipline under the law leads to what kind of outcome? Death? That is in the Ten Commandments.
But the regulations in life are not that severe. The discipline we refer to today is about common sense regarding regulations and life. The Bible tells us that if someone steals a cow, they must repay fourfold when caught. Does God require us to repay fourfold when we make mistakes and sin? According to the Old Testament,
Leviticus 26:18: “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.”
According to the Old Testament, if you want to live under the law, God would punish you sevenfold for your original sins. Do you think you could bear that? This is discipline under the law. Did God ever punish the Israelites under the Old Testament law? Yes. God indeed punished the Israelites in this way when they did not listen to His words, saying, “I will punish you sevenfold for your sins.” But under the New Testament, God will not punish you sevenfold for your sins because Jesus' cross changed everything.
Isaiah 53:4-6:
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus bore the punishment for your sins that should have been yours, so today God no longer punishes us in that way. However, under the New Testament, God still disciplines us, but discipline and punishment are not the same thing.
Hebrews 5:11: “You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons.” You need to understand God's discipline just like you understand how you would advise your son. Will your son make mistakes? Yes, he will. When he makes mistakes, do you say, “Just wait! I’ll hit you with a stick”? We should think: God’s discipline towards us is just like how we discipline our own children. Let me first tell you the method, and it will be easier for you to understand this scripture.
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
We need to be disciplined by God. Many people misunderstand the meaning of "discipline." When it comes to discipline, many think of God wielding a big stick to punish you. "Discipline" in Greek means training children, which can also be understood as “training.” God first trains us with His words, which is why the scripture mentions the word “exhort.”
“You endure as discipline; God deals with you as with sons.” God treats us as sons, and we need to understand how God trains us with this heart. What is hard to understand is that many people interpret discipline as sickness, suffering, and accidents. I want to emphasize: sickness, suffering, and accidents do not come from God's discipline.
In verse nine, it mentions, “Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” God's discipline is to give us life. If God disciplines us with sickness, can we still have life?
“Only the Father of spirits disciplines us for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.” The scripture does not say anywhere that God wants us to die. Although we do not feel happy when God disciplines us, but rather sorrowful; afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit.
Who would say, “When I was healthy, I was not at peace; when God gave me sickness, I suddenly found peace”? How many people feel this way? This is a misunderstanding of discipline. At this time, we should return to the Bible and remember: After God disciplines me, I will yield the peaceable fruit, which is righteousness.
Discipline must be for our benefit, for us to gain life, for us to yield the peaceable fruit. This is the result of discipline. Once we understand the result of “discipline,” we realize that sickness, suffering, and accidents are absolutely not from God.
Some bear witness saying, “Thank the Lord, I was disobedient a while ago, and as a result, I was hit by a car while walking on the street, and lost my leg. I really thank the Lord for disciplining me this way!” Have you heard such testimonies? I have heard many! When we hear such testimonies, what do you think in your heart? “It’s better to stay away from this God; if you’re not careful, you might lose an arm or a leg.” God's discipline is not like this; God's discipline is meant to benefit us, to give us life, and to yield the peaceable fruit, which is righteousness.
Is there a sin issue in discipline? Please remember: there is no sin issue in discipline. Hallelujah! God's punishment for sin has already been satisfied, so we can expect God's love for us, not His judgment. Because God loves us, He wants to discipline us. Discipline is something that all sons share; if there is no discipline, then he is an illegitimate child, and only those who are disciplined are sons. We are sons; how are we sons? How can sisters be called sons? Sons represent that we can inherit the inheritance; God wants each of us to inherit His inheritance.
When we know we are sons, God will discipline us. When we mention “discipline,” our thinking may not have been renewed; we may still think of some bad things. We can replace the word with “training.” When we are sons, God will train us, and the purpose of training is to make us stronger and more capable. Therefore, God will absolutely not use sickness or disasters to discipline His sons, just as we would not use sickness and disasters to punish our children.
Have you ever done such a thing? When your son was little and misbehaved, did you take his little tender hand and put it on the stove to burn, watching the smoke rise, and then say, “Dad loves you so much! I’m proving that hands cannot go in the fire; if they do, this is the consequence. This is discipline.”
Have you done such a thing? No. Why haven’t you done it? Because doing so would not benefit him; it would make him remember for life that he cannot put his hand in the fire, but it would not yield the peaceable fruit. He might fear fire for the rest of his life, so this method cannot be from God; it is not God's way. If a father would do this, it is likely that the son is not his biological child.
Sadly, to this day, many Christians still believe that the Heavenly Father will train them with sickness and disasters, as if the Heavenly Father is always angry and looking for opportunities to destroy us. God's love cannot be spoken of in this way, and some even say that we cannot always talk about God's love; we must also talk about discipline, and they believe that discipline means God gives people sickness and suffering. We do not deny that there is enough suffering in this world. When you come to Christ, can you bear the suffering that Christ gives you? So we need to understand what God's word really says.
In Hebrew or Greek, there is a word that does not need translation; this word is “Abba,” meaning “Daddy,” which is universally understood. Wherever you go, if you say “Abba,” everyone knows you are calling for a father. When we cry out “Abba,” calling the Heavenly Father “Abba,” do you think He will torment us? If your child comes home calling you “Daddy,” can you say, “Just wait! I’ll give you a beating”? Of course, you wouldn’t do that.
When we pray to the Heavenly Father, when you call “Abba,” He will definitely reach out His hand to help you. Because our earthly fathers know how to give good things to their children, how much more our Heavenly Father! So we need to stop believing those lies. From now on, refuse to accept the saying that “sickness, suffering, and accidents are lessons from God.” Do not believe these; they are lies.
What does the “discipline” in the scripture really mean? First, we need to understand that discipline means training.
Using an example from the world: Suppose you have a son who is weak and frail, and he is already twenty years old. If this continues, his body will not improve. It just so happens that he can enlist in the army, so you sign him up. The process of being in the army is a training process. If you understand God's “discipline” as this process, you will be completely correct.
Sending your child to the army is definitely not to harm him or to bring him back missing limbs; the purpose of sending him is to train him. After two years, when your son returns, he may be a bit tanned, but he is much stronger than before. In the past, he could not lift a water bucket with both hands; now he can lift two buckets with one hand. When you see him like this, are you happy or pained? You are happy, right? Isn’t the peaceable fruit coming out? Isn’t your life enriched? It is beneficial for him. But let’s think about it: if any of you have been in the army, was the training process painful or joyful? Was it painful? The scripture says:
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Even if you have not been in the army, when you see veterans retire, how many say, “Finally, I’m free”? Don’t they all feel reluctant to leave? Why? Because after training, their lives have grown, and they have benefited. This is the process of how God wants to train us, and you can also call it God’s “discipline.”
Using the previous example, when you send your son to the army, the training process is indeed uncomfortable because there are many rules to follow. Although we are under grace today and can walk freely, our lives will not grow. You need to accept God's discipline like being in the army. Paul also said in his letters that we must run the race according to the rules; if we do not follow the rules, we cannot receive the prize. Today, as children of God, we need to accept God's training. This training process will definitely be uncomfortable, but after the training, we will immediately benefit and receive abundant life.
Just like your son before he enlisted, he could sleep in as late as he wanted at home. But there, he must get up at five o'clock, and after getting up, there are specific times to make his bed and brush his teeth, including a time limit for eating. So at first, the child may not be able to stand it; he may feel unhappy and feel it is painful. But later, when your son returns, he will find he is different from before. In the past, you made his bed; now he starts making it himself, and he can fold it perfectly. Don’t you feel peace in your heart along with him? The fruit of righteousness has already been produced.
During this process, the training was painful. At first, he may not wake up on time, and the instructor will reprimand him and urge him, but it is absolutely not to kill him. The instructor's intention is that as long as you are willing to train according to his way, it will ultimately benefit the child.
This is what we call training. How do we understand how God wants to train us?
God continuously disciplines His children, and today, under grace, it is the same. God will first discipline us through our mouths. In the past, we said whatever we wanted, but after coming to church, I tell you that from now on, you must accept God's discipline; you should only speak words that bless others and build them up. Is this difficult? Don’t say it’s not difficult. You can do it for one day, but can you do it forever? When others provoke you, can you still speak words of blessing? This requires training.
Therefore, many of our concepts need to change. I believe everyone has such a problem. Shall we test it on the spot? Listen carefully, I will first greet everyone: “Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord!” Everyone's response is “Amen!” I say, “Let’s all pray together!” Immediately, someone lowers their head and starts mumbling. We have many concepts that need to be retrained.
When we say “peace,” this is a greeting. I greet you with “peace,” you respond with “Amen,” and we know that “Amen” means “yes.” I greet you with “peace,” and you respond with “yes.” Do you think that is appropriate? When people meet and greet each other, if I say “hello,” and you say “yes,” isn’t that very rude? You should also say “hello” to me. We have always been trained this way; our concepts need to change. When I greet you with “hello,” you should also say “hello” back to me; that is normal. Today, when I say “peace” to you, you should also greet me with “peace.” That is normal.
We have always done this without ever thinking about whether it is correct or not. I just used an example to illustrate that many of our concepts need to be updated. Let’s do it again: I greet everyone, “Brothers and sisters, peace!” Everyone responds, “Peace,” and that is accepting training.
Some things may be remembered now, but later forgotten; this requires constant training. During the two years in the army, the child is receiving training every day, with repeated training, until finally, it becomes a habit. We are the same; we need to continually speak to ourselves according to God's way.
Every morning when you wake up, you should train yourself to look in the mirror and say positive things to yourself: “In Christ, I am righteous; today God has prepared abundant blessings for me; everything I do has God's grace; my mouth will bring edification to others because it is a channel of blessing.” Speak this to yourself every day to form a habit. No matter what happens, no matter how others treat you, you can speak words of blessing. This is what Jesus teaches us.
The Bible tells us that no matter who we encounter, we should bless, not curse. Why does God want us to do this? God wants us to do this to train us. Let’s think about it: when we curse others, that curse first exists in our hearts. Jesus Christ does not want curses to exist in our hearts. So He wants to train us, discipline us, so that those curses and negative things never exist in our hearts. He only hopes that we continuously issue blessings. This repeated training is what we call “discipline.”
Of course, in many matters, we need to be changed and updated in this way. The process of listening to the word is the process of being disciplined; our thoughts and ideas are being renewed. As we continually listen to the word, listening to the correct word, these concepts are updated. Just like when I greeted “peace,” in the past, we thought that responding this way was fine, but after analysis, we found that responding with “Amen” is not very polite. Then, starting from this week, we will greet each other.
When we train ourselves this way, we will find that our lives are no longer the same as before. We no longer focus on those negative, wrong, and troubling things; we begin to focus on the positive, on Jesus Christ, and life begins to fill us, and we start to yield the peaceable fruit because we are filled with the words of Jesus Christ. When we train ourselves this way, everything will be different.
When you wake up in the morning, do you have the habit of blessing and praying for your children? This also requires training; we need to do this every day. In our church, there are many testimonies that children who regularly attend our church do not get sick because I often say in church that the first thing in the morning is to lay hands and pray for the children: “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are healthy, you are joyful, you are filled with wisdom.” This is how I bless my children.
I hope everyone develops this habit. Don’t say, “It’s okay! No problem! How can I remember this in the morning!” Because you have not been trained. When you develop a habit of life, blessing and praying for yourself and your family in the morning, your day will be different. Go back and try it: if you wake up and do nothing, say nothing, and go directly to work, versus saying these blessing words before going to work, your feelings will be different. Those who have done it should understand.
We need to train ourselves according to God's way, no matter how tired you are or what situation you are in, you must act this way. Don’t say, “There are so many things at home; I don’t have time to declare.” Remember: in such situations, you need to declare even more. This is God's discipline because God wants us to live out the likeness of His Son.
“It is for our benefit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.” What is holiness? It is without blemish, without defect, without any problems. If that is the case, can we achieve it? No matter how we do it, we still have problems and blemishes. The concept is still wrong; we need to be continually updated. Holiness means “set apart.” The hats of the priests in the Old Testament were inscribed with “Holy to the Lord.” Do you think the priests did not sin?
The priests in the Old Testament were also human; they could sin. But they were holy; they had been set apart for the Lord. The priests in the Old Testament were different from ordinary people; the things priests could do, the common people could not. The high priest was also set apart; he could enter the Most Holy Place, while the common people could not. This is called “being set apart,” which we refer to as “holiness.”
The word “holiness” today is often understood by many as not sinning, behaving well, and yielding many fruits. However, this is not the meaning of “holiness.” The meaning of “holiness” is being set apart. When the Israelites were in Egypt, our God set them apart from the Egyptians. When the ten plagues came down, the Israelites were not harmed; they were set apart by God. On the night of Passover, God told them, “You shall put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and the lintel.” This was a way of being set apart; the angel of death would pass over the places covered by the blood of the lamb because they were set apart. This does not mean that the people inside that door had not sinned or were noble; it was simply because God set them apart.
Today, God also allows us to live a life that is different from the world, a set-apart life. How do people in the world live? If you curse me, I will curse you; if I cannot curse you, I will hit you; if I cannot hit you, I will kill you. People harm each other. But we are partakers of God's holiness; the life we should live is: It does not matter how you treat me; my goal is to bless you. This is a set-apart life, and it requires training.
If you do not train, when you go out and see your enemy, your blood will boil, and you will start cursing. In such situations, you need to come back and continue to receive training. Just like a child who has just enlisted, if he cannot get up in the morning, the instructor will reprimand him and make him run ten laps around the field to teach him a lesson. But if he still cannot get up the next morning, the instructor will continue to punish him until one day he finds he can get up in the morning; that will be good!
Our discipline from God also requires such a process. It is impossible to listen to a sermon today and live a “set-apart” life tomorrow. This requires a continuous training process, and I call this process “gathering.” The process of God's training and discipline is gathering, first allowing our minds to be renewed, so when we go out, we know how to act. This is the correct faith leading to the correct life. We need to partake in God's holiness, not because our behavior suddenly becomes good that we are called holy. “Holiness” is because we are already different from the world.
Next, let’s understand what “holiness” means. This book is the Bible; why is it called the “Holy Bible”? Because the Bible is different from other scriptures. In this world, besides the Bible, there are Buddhist scriptures, Taoist scriptures, the Tao Te Ching, the Quran... but this Holy Bible is set apart; it is the scripture written by God, so it is called the “Holy Bible.”
The place where the Israelites gathered was called the “Holy Temple” because that temple was set apart and different from other temples. Other temples worshiped idols, but this “temple” worshiped the one true God, so it is called the “Holy Temple.” This place we are in is also called the “Holy Temple” because we worship the one true God; we are set apart.
The table in the church is called the “Holy Table.” This table does not do anything else; it is specifically used for preaching. This platform is called the “Holy Pulpit.” We do not sing secular songs about love on it; it is used to share God's word and praise God; it is a set-apart pulpit.
We are called “holy and beloved.” The saints refer to us, so when you wake up in the morning, give yourself a correct identity: I am a “saint.” I am not becoming a “saint”; God has already set me apart from others; I belong to our God, so you are called a “saint.” In the morning, say to yourself, “I am a saint!” When you say this, your heart will be happier.
When you go out in the morning, repeatedly emphasize, “I am a saint; I am set apart by God.” Then when you encounter your adversary, you will say, “I bless you in the name of Jesus because I am a saint.” This gives you confidence and strength; you will instantly feel empowered. Why? Because we know our identity is different from others; we are partakers of God's holiness, so our lives should also be set apart. The world lives in filth, but we are no longer like that because we are saints, and we should live a holy life.
Always remember: a holy life does not mean we no longer sin, nor does it mean we become completely saintly. A holy life is living a life that is completely different from the world. Others cheat, deceive, and steal, but we do not do such things. We have the freedom to do such things, but we can choose not to do them. This is the life of a saint.
To achieve such a set-apart life, it is indeed very difficult to be set apart in everything, so we need to continually listen to the word and be trained. A good habit takes only 21 days to form. A chick hatches in 21 days; as long as you persist for 21 days, you can develop this good habit. For example, someone wakes up at five in the morning for early prayer; this is a set-apart life. At first, they may not be able to get up, but as long as they persist for 21 days, they will find that at that time, they will wake up.
Similarly, we also need to be continually trained in our lives. Are you willing to be trained by God? Are you willing to be disciplined by God? The reason we are willing to be trained by God is simple: God's training is for our benefit. For example, before our gatherings, we ask everyone to turn off their phones. At first, everyone has not developed the habit, but later, everyone gradually forms the habit of turning off their phones. This is a form of training. Some people like to gossip about others before the gathering; in church, we train them to pray and only talk about Jesus Christ. This also requires training. Such a life we call a set-apart life. We are partaking in God's holiness because what we do is particularly similar to God.
We always take Jesus Christ as our example. Do you see Jesus gossiping about others? Jesus never did such things; He always brought blessings to people, comforted them, and lifted them up. If we do the same things as Jesus, we are partaking in His holiness. When we act this way, God says we are already living a set-apart life. The more we are trained, the more we partake in His holiness, and the more we have the stature of Jesus Christ.
Many of our concepts need to be continually updated and trained. We need to first correctly understand God's word. When you listen to the word, use the Bible as the standard. Do not judge current matters with past fixed thoughts. You can have fixed thoughts, but first, accept this, and then go back and examine the Bible to see which is correct.
2 Corinthians 12:7: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”
Many people have read this passage, and you have heard countless versions of explanations. Some say Paul's thorn was a literal thorn; how stubborn could that thorn be! Did Paul not know to find a doctor for help? Moreover, Paul had a personal physician, Luke; was Luke so incompetent that he could not remove the thorn from Paul? Some say the thorn was very deep; what kind of thorn cannot be removed?
Others say that the thorn in Paul's flesh was a sickness.
I ask: What kind of sickness?
They say: Paul had poor eyesight.
I say: How do you know Paul had poor eyesight?
They say: Because Paul persecuted Christians at first, and when God got angry, a great light came down, and he could not see.
I say: But wasn’t he healed later?
They say: He was not completely healed.
Do you think God intentionally tormented him? If even Paul did not receive complete healing, can you receive complete healing today? The Bible says that when Ananias laid hands on Paul, scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. This healing was not partial; it was complete.
Acts 9:18-19
Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. And when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
The Bible records that Jesus never said, “This person was immediately strengthened but still limped and was not completely healed.” Jesus’ healing absolutely does not leave any roots of sickness. If we understand the Bible this way, then many words in the Bible will raise our doubts. For example, “Jesus healed the sick with a word,” “Perhaps some will still have a bit left!” If we understand it this way, where is God's faithfulness?
We always use our understanding of “strength” to interpret God, which is completely wrong. When God says, “You are healed,” it means that sickness has completely disappeared from you. Paul’s eyes were completely healed at that time; complete healing means it cannot relapse. Moreover, God wanted to use Paul; He would not use the Old Testament way. God would not put him in a desperate situation, forcing him to serve Him. Please remember: all service is voluntary.
This perspective needs adjustment. Paul served the Lord willingly; God would not say, “Paul, if you dare to think of the world, I will let that thorn stab you.” If that were the case, Paul would certainly serve with fear. However, throughout Paul's life, he summarized his faith: “I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.” Paul also said, “I count all things as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” This proves that his service was voluntary; God did not give him a sickness to make him serve.
Today, since God has given us freedom, He allows us to choose whether or not to serve Him. Paul willingly served God. You see, Paul referred to himself in his letters as “a servant of Jesus Christ,” “an apostle of Jesus Christ.” Why did he call himself a “servant”? He meant, “I willingly serve the Lord; I feel that serving the Lord Jesus Christ is my greatest glory in this life.” Paul realized that he served the King of Kings, so he was willing to lay down everything to serve God. Therefore, you know: that thorn absolutely was not an eye disease.
Others say that Paul’s thorn was epilepsy, and he would have an attack if he was not careful. Did God give Paul many diseases just to make him obedient? This is the law. Paul wrote so many letters and often mentioned God's grace. How could God give him the law and still allow him to write about grace?
“So a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me,” “that is” is a Greek phrase used in the Bible. Whenever a statement is made and followed by “that is,” it indicates that the explanation following it is correct, and no further explanation is needed. Here it mentions, “a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” This thorn refers to the messenger of Satan continually attacking Paul.
Paul deeply desired for his fellow countrymen to be saved. Whenever he entered a synagogue, he preached to the Jews, urging them to believe in the grace of Jesus Christ, but he was thrown out every time. Several times, he was nearly beaten to death by his fellow Jews. Including in the city of Lystra, when Paul preached there, the people dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death. The Bible says Paul indeed died, but strangely, he came back to life, and after he revived, he returned, resulting in one person believing in the Lord in that city; that person was Timothy. Timothy's family came to faith, and he followed Paul all the way.
We see that although the messenger of Satan continually attacked Paul, he never prevailed. Paul prayed to the Lord three times, saying, “Lord, please let these guys leave me!” In fact, we have also prayed like this: “Lord! Keep those evil ones away from me! Let me go boldly and smoothly preach grace!” But it is not like that; God answered Paul, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
God means: no matter what kind of attack you encounter, you must see that God's power is always greater than it. My grace is made perfect in weakness. God tells Paul: Do not be afraid; no matter what problem you encounter, I will help you overcome it with grace. With such words, we do not need to ask God to remove Satan's attacks; Satan can attack at will, and each time he fails, our faith will grow stronger. This also requires training.
In the past, we prayed, “Lord! Let my enemies leave me; don’t let me see them.” After praying, we find the enemy is still there. At this time, we need to change our prayer approach: “Lord! Pour out Your grace upon me, so I can overcome it.” When it comes once, and you overcome it once, then you will not need to be afraid. This is the method God wants to give us; this is God's holiness method. This way, our faith will grow stronger; no matter how the devil attacks, we will no longer fear.
In the end, Paul summarized his faith, saying, “I know whom I have believed.” We believe in Jesus, who will save His people from sin. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, so every time we repeat “Jesus,” we bring forth all His authority and power. What is the devil in front of Jesus? What are difficulties in front of Jesus? Although there may be storms, Jesus says, “Peace! Be still!” Immediately, there is calm.
Do not fear your difficulties; learn to use God's words to train yourself. In the face of your storms, see that God's grace is always greater than this storm. No matter how big the storm is at that moment, remember: Jesus is always standing above the storm. The Bible records that one night, when the storm was so great, Jesus walked over the waves; He was above the storm. Today, we are the same; we cannot act like in the past, saying, “Lord, what about this environment? What about this sickness?” Today, in front of your problems, declare with the words of Jesus Christ. This is called training, and it is also called discipline.
Jesus gives us this method. Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” What is this mountain? It refers to your problems, your sickness, your terrible relationships. These are your mountains. But in the past, when we faced mountains, we would kneel before God and say, “Lord, have mercy on me; look how big this mountain is!” But God tells us: Speak to this mountain; command it in the name of Jesus Christ. This is training.
Some say, “I said it, but it didn’t work.” When you say it, remember that the power of Jesus Christ is far greater than this mountain, and then say, “I command you to be uprooted and thrown into the sea in the name of Jesus.” Why not move it from here to there? Why throw it into the sea? Throwing it into the sea means you will never see it again.
When you command your difficulties to be uprooted and thrown into the sea in the name of Jesus, you will never see it again. It will not count for anything in your eyes. No matter what kind of sickness or problem you encounter, as long as you overcome it once, overcoming it afterward will be completely fine. It is precisely because I have seen too many people healed and lives transformed that I dare to say this; this is what I have seen and touched. When you experience this, you will know how important this training is!
If you cry out to God every time you encounter something, begging, “Have mercy on me; look at me!” how can you have the strength to overcome it? So the kind of training you accept and the kind of word you hear directly affect the kind of life you have. Please remember: the gospel of Jesus Christ always brings release; in His perfect love, there is no fear. Today, you must hold onto the grace of Jesus Christ.
God said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you; My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Every time we find ourselves weak, we say: “Lord! Let Your grace fill this place!” Today, we should not say, “I have such shortcomings in my character; I cannot do this or that…” When you cannot do it, but you are willing to do it, say: “Lord! In the places I cannot do, let Your grace be made perfect.” When we accomplish it, we know it is not our strength; it is the power of Jesus Christ.
You see me, a person like this, able to preach the grace of Jesus Christ; that is not my ability. According to my past self, I could not do this. In the past, when I stood before others, my face would turn red, let alone preach. This is God's grace. When we are trained by God, allowing His grace to be added to us every day, our lives will be transformed. Many people are changed this way, continually listening to the word, and the life inside begins to change, transforming from the inside out.
So we must ensure that the gospel we hear is the gospel of Jesus Christ; this will always bring us hope and release, not make us more fearful after listening. No matter what kind of teaching we hear, if after listening, we feel more fearful, then we should temporarily examine the Bible to see if what they are saying is correct.
Today we understand that God wants to train us because we are not perfect people. Because of our imperfection, God wants to train us to make us complete. God chooses the weak to shame the strong; He chooses the foolish to shame the wise. The strong boast of themselves, while the weak have nothing to boast about. Therefore, God says, “I will use you to manifest My power.”
What kind of people did Jesus choose? Fishermen, tax collectors, soldiers… these people were looked down upon by everyone at that time. They were trained by Jesus; they saw how Jesus did things, and they followed suit. After following for more than three years, when Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit descended, and this group of people did greater works than the Pharisees and scribes. The Pharisees and scribes were amazed, saying, “These people are uneducated and untrained.” They were surprised because God's power was manifested.
Do not look down on yourself today. Do not say, “I am nothing in this world,” or “I cannot do anything.” As long as you are willing to do for God, He will add His power to you, and then you will manifest His glory. God does not care what you are like now; what matters is whether you are willing to be trained by Him, to be disciplined. When you are continually trained and disciplined, you will inherit the inheritance like a son. The reason God wants to discipline you is to empower you to manage the inheritance He gives you.
If your son is nothing, and you suddenly give him a billion, you are harming him. He will not know how to use this money, and those around him will lead him astray, ultimately leaving him without a burial place because this money will ruin him. If he has the ability today, training him to use this money correctly will be beneficial for him.
Some envy others, saying, “How great it would be if I had the gift of healing! I could lay hands on others, and they would be healed.” Actually, this is not good. The greater the gift, the more easily a person becomes proud.
2 Corinthians 12:7 mentions twice, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”
Do you know how great the revelations Paul received were?
Paul spent three whole years in the Arabian wilderness, during which God personally took him to the third heaven, and he saw paradise. If today we were taken to heaven, wouldn’t we make a big fuss about it, recording audio and video saying, “I have been to heaven…”? Paul did not boast like this. When Paul wrote about this experience, he was very cautious; he wrote, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven…” He was referring to himself. When he said this, he was very cautious and tactful. If it were us, we would tell others, “My name is… I went to heaven… I saw…” All about me, me, me; this is pride.
If we do not understand God's grace, the greater the gift God gives us, the more we become proud. For example, if you have the gift of healing and you lay hands on a patient, and the patient is healed, it may not be long before you start to lose sight of who you are. Then you might say, “Go line up over there,” or “I am in a bad mood today; I don’t want to lay hands.” You will start to put on airs. I believe you have seen such pastors who, after preaching for a few years, start to act superior; this is pride.
Paul not only went to heaven; he also received very great revelations. For example, the revelation of grace is completely different from the past legalism and indeed brings the ability to renew and change people. Paul also had the gift of healing. In the beginning of his ministry, many people asked Paul to heal them, but Paul did not have time. He said, “Take my handkerchief and put it on him.” As a result, that person was healed. At that time, Peter was also like this; many people waited by the roadside for Peter to walk by, and his shadow fell on the sick, and they were healed. If you were like this, do you think this city could still accommodate you?
If we do not recognize God's grace, our gifts and abilities will ultimately become messengers of Satan to attack others. You see, soldiers are trained; especially special forces can do many things that ordinary soldiers cannot do. But when they return, no one boasts about how great they are because they are a team. They know that their achievements are made together as a team; no one boasts.
We should be the same today; we are the elite soldiers of Jesus Christ. Elite soldiers need to be trained correctly and for a long time. After you are trained, you will be like special forces; you will not boast about yourself; you will give glory to Jesus Christ. After you heal someone, you will say, “Glory be to God.” In this case, God is willing to give you more gifts. Paul had many gifts: the gift of prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, healing, and the gift of encouragement. All these were in Paul, but you will find that Paul never boasted about himself; he always gave glory to Jesus. He was trained.
We now need to be trained by God's word first. Once we recognize the grace of Jesus Christ, we understand that God's grace is made perfect in our weakness. You understand the grace of Jesus Christ; you can rest assured that this person will not be proud because he knows that his ability and gifts are given by God. Such a person will also accept others. He will not say, “Only what I say is correct; what others say is wrong.”
When you hear someone preach like this, you should leave early because there is no perfect pastor. Every pastor has his problems. We should see which aspects are excellent and worth learning from, and we also know that this person has some character flaws. We accept his flaws, but we do not accept his flaws. We cannot believe everything he says. Even if you listen to me preach today, you should go back and examine the Bible to see if it is correct; do not accept everything blindly. I am training you to return to the Bible and use God's word to measure everything you hear. This is a form of training.
We need to continually train ourselves to apply what we hear to our lives.
Remember: God is not unwilling to give us gifts and abilities; the fear is that after giving them to us, we will not know who we are.
Paul had so many revelations, yet he remained a humble servant. After God trains us, we will yield the fruit of life and be a help to many. We will yield the fruit of righteousness, which is peace; the fruit of peace is righteousness. We can bring peace to others; this is what is important. The word we preach or the benefits we bring to others in life are the best. We should not manifest ourselves; we should first receive from God! Amen!