198-What Kind of Service Relies on God#
198-What Kind of Service Relies on God and Not on Oneself
(JP Text Group - beloved organization)
Sharing topic: What Kind of Service Relies on God and Not on Oneself
John 14:6-10
6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You. Thank You for preparing this opportunity for us to share Your words together. When we see Jesus, we see our Heavenly Father, because Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Jesus. Through the words of Jesus Christ, renew us once again, empower us to live with Your strength in our lives, and lead victorious lives. Thank You and praise You! In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!
When it comes to service, we might think it is a specialized term within the Lord, while in the world it is called service. In fact, people have always been serving. For example, those who work are serving their bosses and clients, right? Housewives are serving their children and families, right? Businesspeople serve their clients, and they are all engaged in service.
What about us in the Lord? When I preach, I am also serving. When we pray for others, we are also doing service. It’s just that we use different terms; non-believers call it service, while we call it serving. Whether it’s the world or us, we are all serving. Relying on ourselves can lead to very negative outcomes.
Take those who work as an example. If they rely on themselves, they may feel uncomfortable when they face unfair treatment. The same goes for families; there are different roles. For instance, if men work outside, women take care of the home. Aren’t both equally important? There is no distinction of high or low.
These tasks can be quite challenging and tiring. Isn’t it the same in business? You encounter different clients and people, and serving them doesn’t always yield results. Serving on your own will eventually lead to complaints, dissatisfaction, and even grievances. The same is true in Jesus Christ. If I serve today relying on myself, it will be similar to the world, leading to complaints, unfairness, and grievances, and ultimately saying, “Forget it! I give up.”
Serving through Jesus Christ is joyful and full of hope. Jesus Christ, through His own experiences in the world, demonstrated successful service to us, showing us that what Jesus did is very meaningful! Indeed, everything done in various professions is meaningful, but what Jesus did is related to life. Understanding our value and position, we must know that your service is also very meaningful. However, no service should rely on oneself; may you rely on God for all your service. Amen!
Believing in Jesus is not just related to life. Many people think that believing in Jesus is just to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but it’s not just that; it’s not only about entering the Kingdom. Believing in Jesus is related not only to our lives but also to our daily living.
Take me as an example. I am currently serving, and if I’m not careful, I might rely on myself. For instance, after waking up in the morning, I will set today’s plan and arrange the day’s ministry. Many people say, “Lord, what should I do for You?” In the afternoon, I have to preach, and because I’m going to preach, the Heavenly Father might like me. Such service can actually be stressful. Many people, especially those who have just stepped onto the platform, carry a heavy burden.
Many people feel great pressure when preaching, and many cannot sleep the night before. But for me, it’s different. “Because it’s not me doing it; it’s our God doing it through me,” which makes it much easier. If I rely on myself, there will indeed be a lot of pressure. Serving in the church and serving in daily life follow the same principle.
For example, if someone is ill, when we pray for them, relying on yourself will definitely bring pressure because you cannot do it. But relying on God? The pressure is no longer on you. One is relying on oneself, and the other is relying on our God. But many people say, “The believers are weak; I must pray for them and heal them because if I do this, the Heavenly Father will like me.” Such service is actually done relying on oneself. The Heavenly Father knows what our hearts are like, but He does not want us to live relying on ourselves; He wants us to live relying on Him.
Many Christians, after being saved, believe they should serve God, which is related to the teachings they received. Many say, “You are already saved; after believing in the Lord, you should live for the Lord.” “Living for the Lord” often appears in the church. How do we define living for the Lord? Start serving God. But many people who serve the Lord do not even know what it means to serve the Lord; their own families are in chaos. How can they serve God?
What does God want to do first? He first lets Jesus serve us. Many people do not know how to serve and just start doing it because the pastor said so. “The purpose of God saving us is to let us glorify Him and serve Him. Since the Lord Jesus has saved you, shouldn’t you do something for Jesus?” This becomes another burden, leading to a very stressful faith life.
But I want to tell everyone that understanding what service means will make you eager to seek Jesus. Because serving the Lord Jesus is actually letting Jesus serve you! I also strongly believe that we should live for the Lord, but what does it mean to live for the Lord? If this term is misunderstood, it will lead to relying on yourself. Living for the Lord means living in Christ, not living like the world relying on oneself. These are two different ways of living.
If you believe in Jesus and still live relying on yourself, what does your faith bring you? I hope we can see how Jesus serves. He does not rely on Himself but on the Father’s power, and what Jesus does is both great and easy! Amen! God also hopes His children can live a life that is both easy and glorious! Because He is the Creator, He does not want His children to be tired and suffering; this is not the Heavenly Father’s intention.
Brothers and sisters, many people serve the Lord relying on themselves, and as a result, the more they serve, the more tired and miserable they become, and the more complaints they have. In fact, if you serve relying on Jesus Christ, it is a joyful service because when you serve, you feel very relaxed. Although you may be physically tired, your heart is very joyful. You see many brothers and sisters change, many families transformed, and problems solved. We feel that Jesus Christ uses us to realize our value.
Think about those who do not believe in the Lord; do they earn money for fame? In the end, these people all do one thing: to help society. But we are already doing this. What we do is not only related to people’s lives but also to their existence. Amen! You are all extraordinary people, doing the same things as Jesus. True service relying on Jesus Christ is joyful service, increasingly meaningful, and increasingly willing to do. Many people think they are remarkable, as if without them, God cannot do anything. Such service is still relying on oneself.
During the New Year, I saw someone post online saying, “From New Year’s Eve until the third day of the New Year, everyone must pray earnestly. Why? Because during this time, the devil’s work is particularly rampant. We need to set aside time to pray and fight against the devil; otherwise, how many of God’s children will be captured?”
Do you know what my thought was when I read such information? My first reaction was that it seemed Jesus had died. Whose power is greater? We always say that Jesus’ power is the greatest. Calling everyone to pray together is a good thing, but they talk about the devil’s power as if without prayer, we would be completely finished. I also encourage everyone to pray, but the key point is to know that it is not through praying together that we overcome the devil; he has already failed! Amen!
In service, you need to know that your service is different from that of the world. You have already seen the results, and then you serve. It’s like signing a contract; you already know that this contract can be signed, and when you chat with this client, do you feel pressure? No pressure. If you have no idea what this person is thinking and just chat with a trial-and-error attitude, hoping they will sign the contract, then there will be pressure. These are two different kinds of service. One tells you that the outcome is already determined, and then you go and do it; you are very relaxed. In fact, God does not want us to serve Him based on our own ideas; that would mess things up.
God is willing to give us grace so that we can believe in Him and do things relying on His power. When God used Abraham, He said to him, “I will bless you, and you will be a blessing to others.” But God did not say, “Abraham, you go bless others first, and then I will bless you.” When God asks you to serve others, He first gives you strength! Hallelujah! When you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Savior, He will take responsibility for you. What does He want to do first? Lift you up! Then give you strength! What is that strength for? To first enter your family, to change your life.
If our lives do not change, how can we change others? So for Abraham at that time, God said to him, “I will bless you, and you will be a blessing to others.” This means Abraham served with God’s power! At the same time, God also wanted to solve what Abraham needed in his heart. At that time, Abraham was not without money; he had wealth and status, but he lacked a child. So God said, “I will give you descendants.”
From the very beginning, God promised him this. But the problem is that people are often weak. Although we all believe in Jesus, not everyone can learn to serve in Jesus’ way, letting our faith enter our lives. When Abraham saw no hope, did he also rely on himself? His wife said, “Why don’t you have a child with my maid?” At that time, Abraham also accepted this, which led to what? To this day, there is still conflict between Palestine and Israel, but this outcome is not what God desires!
Can we believe that God’s word will definitely be fulfilled in us? Even if it seems hopeless, God still wants His word to be fulfilled in us! Amen! If we could serve and live completely according to God’s way, the outcome would be completely different. Jesus is indeed the only one who lived relying on the Father’s power in everything. Do not say that because He is God, He can do such things. The Bible says it is because the Holy Spirit is upon Him, helping Him, and He completely trusts the Father, which is why there are such results.
Aren’t these two things also in us? When you accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Will He help you? How much can you believe in the Father’s words? Isn’t the difference between us and Jesus in this? The Holy Spirit is also in us; sometimes we believe in God’s words, and sometimes we do not. But Jesus completely believes.
Think about it. When Jesus came to the world in physical form, He was limited. He could not be in two places at once because of this physical body. Before coming, what did the Father tell Him? You must die for my people, and after dying, you will resurrect. Is this something we can imagine? This is to be believed through God’s word. God’s word is placed here; can we believe Him? That is the fact! If you can fully believe, you can indeed live a victorious life like Jesus.
In the Bible, God also used a donkey to speak. What is a characteristic of a donkey? It is particularly stubborn. But why did God use a donkey? It tells us that even such an animal can be used by God. Many times, people are even more stubborn than that donkey, with thoughts more stubborn than that donkey. Aren’t the Israelites like this? How does God describe the Israelites in Isaiah? He says, “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib. But Israel does not know; my people do not understand.”
God does not force the Israelites to listen to His words. God has the best way of living and hopes His people will serve and live according to this way, which is a way of living that is the same on earth as it is in heaven. Amen! The Israelites may not want to and insist on living their own way. In the Bible, God also used ravens to do things. When Elijah had no food, God used ravens to bring him bread. What is the characteristic of a raven? It is a very greedy and selfish animal. Yet, even so, God can use it. In fact, we are more precious than these animals. We are the body of Jesus Christ, possessing attributes of God that those animals do not have.
Have you ever thought about why you are the most precious? Because God has many things to do through you! Many people may not understand this point, saying, “Since God is omnipotent, why doesn’t He just do everything directly?” God wants to use us to do things. When God created the world and everything in it, to whom did He give the management rights? To Adam, to man. The management rights of the world are in the hands of people. After the fall of man, God also uses people to restore man’s original image, which is why Jesus had to become a man.
What did Jesus do after He came? He clarified God’s matters through people, letting us live out God’s likeness. God’s matters are indeed very important; God is very powerful, but He wants to do things through us. Some people do not understand this point and say, “Lord, You can do everything; just do it directly.” This is a way of shirking responsibility! If our family is to be saved, someone needs to preach the gospel to them; someone must do such things. We call such things service. Amen!
So what does serving God relying on God look like? You tell him the words of Jesus Christ, the words of the Father, and let him live according to God’s way. His life will be different, and we are doing such things: giving you the Father’s way of living, living according to God’s way. Amen!
Many people do not understand God’s sovereignty. They overly emphasize God’s sovereignty, saying everything is God’s, everything is done by God, and it doesn’t matter whether we do it or not. This way leads people to lose faith in God. On the other hand, some people think that God must rely on them to do things. If I do not do it, God cannot do it. How I do it, God will accomplish it according to my way. This is incorrect.
Let me clarify a doubt for you. A few days ago, someone asked me a question: “Teacher Ren, when I was pregnant, I prayed for God to give me a pair of twins. When I went for a check-up at seven months, there was only one. Why?”
Everyone, why? They went to extremes. One is completely God’s sovereignty: “We cannot do anything; everything is done by God. What we say does not count; God will do as He pleases, and we won’t do anything.” This is the first kind, a negative one. The second kind is: “It’s all mine. I prayed this way, so God must fulfill it.” This leads to two extremes.
What does it mean to serve God? It means doing things according to God’s way. Amen! I help you not according to my way but according to God’s way and biblical principles, which will benefit you. Hallelujah! We cannot see our entire lives, but God can see them. At this stage, what God gives you is certainly the best. Hallelujah!
It is always God serving us. When we serve others, we believe we are serving with God’s way, not saying, “Don’t worry; no matter what happens to you, just pray, and God will surely fulfill it according to your way.” This will lead people into a trap, a very dangerous way. In the end, Christians may become very selfish, saying, “God, why don’t You fulfill this for me?”
In fact, God wants to give him something better to fulfill. Amen! Because human actions and plans are random and easily changeable, but God’s plan is unchanging. Therefore, God cannot change His plan based on our service. Will God’s plan to save all humanity change? No, it will not change. Even if you change, God’s plan will not change. God has a great plan of redemption: when man fell, God wanted to use man to complete His plan of redemption. If you are unwilling to do it, what will God do? That’s right, He will find another person. This is called service. If you are unwilling to live according to God’s way, God will find someone willing to do the service. This is what the prophets in the Old Testament did. When they served God, they did not rely on themselves; they served the Israelites relying on God’s way, and the results were particularly good. Amen!
Why do I want to tell everyone this? I hope that this year, we can bring what we believe into our lives. In the past, we might have said, “We can just live this way after discussing it as a couple.” From now on, let’s live and plan according to the Bible’s way, and see how God leads us into a different life. Amen!
Acts 17:24-25, 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
What does this mean? “The God who made the world and everything in it,” is this not the Lord we believe in? This Lord is the Lord of heaven and earth; He does not dwell in temples made by man. What is the next sentence? He does not need to be served by human hands. Why does He not need to be served by human hands? Because He does not lack anything. Do you know why we need to serve one another? Because we have needs, we have problems, we have weaknesses, so we need to serve one another, including the world, right?
But our God is not like this. He does not need to be served by human hands as if He lacks something. Why? Because He has everything best. How good is it? He gives life, breath, and everything to all mankind. Some people say, “I want to work hard to serve God; I want to glorify God.” If you do not serve God, does He cease to be God? Some say, “I will not glorify You; what can You do?” If you do not glorify Him, will He lose some glory? Our concept needs to be renewed. “Lord, even if I do not glorify You, I want to shame Your name.” Even if you shame Him, He is still glorious.
He is such a Lord, full of grace, full of glory, and does not need to be served by people. Moreover, when we are willing to serve Him, it is actually the other way around; He gives His life to you! When you believe in Jesus, what do you give to Jesus? You give Him your sins, your problems, your lack, and what does Jesus give you? He gives you His abundance, breath, and blessings. Looking at it this way, who is serving whom? It is Jesus Christ serving us! Amen!
After receiving these, when you see people around you who are also in lack and problems, shouldn’t you also give them Jesus? You are serving Him. It is not like the world, saying, “It’s okay; just endure, and it will pass. Life is just a few decades.” Can this way help them? We do not use human ways; we use God’s way. Amen!
When Moses served this group of people, what did God do? He let Moses go up the mountain for 40 days, telling him how to serve. Why are we listening to the sermon today? To learn how to serve, to serve yourself, and to serve those around you. Amen! God spent 40 days on the mountain, telling Moses how to build the tabernacle, how to make the table, how to make the lampstand, and how to bring the people into His presence, speaking very specifically. During these 40 days, God told Moses in great detail how to serve His people.
When the people entered into service, was it not a blessed thing? In the past, when they brought in bulls, sheep, and doves in sin, God forgave them, changed their lives, and blessed everything they did. Are we not doing such things now? For those who are suffering and wandering, we say, “Believe in Jesus,” and then tell them how to live correctly. “Come to Jesus; He will first forgive your sins, bring you into the temple, and supply you with bread and food; then the light from the lampstand will give you direction, allowing you to enter the Holy of Holies and receive God’s blessings.” Although they were in the wilderness, they entered into God’s abundance! Amen!
And all of this was not invented by Moses; it was God telling him step by step how to build and do things to bring blessings to the people. If Moses had said, “People, go into the Holy of Holies,” that would have harmed them. What I preach to you is actually telling you how Jesus lived according to the Bible, so you can live in Jesus’ way, and you will be different from the past. Amen! Believing in Jesus is not to escape this world; rather, it is to live out the joy and peace that the world does not have! Hallelujah!
If Moses had not been used by God and had not served according to God’s way, what would he have accomplished in his life? He would have just been a shepherd. If Peter had not met Jesus and served alongside Him, what could Peter do? He would just be a fisherman. But did you see the change in Peter’s life? When he lived according to Jesus’ way, he laid down his fishing nets and began to catch people! When he spoke, three thousand or five thousand people repented and received life.
This is not something a fisherman can do because the words that came out of his mouth were not invented by Peter; they were just the words of life from Jesus Christ. You are listening to me; I am not sharing my experiences with you but sharing the Jesus I know with you. If you can receive it and bring Jesus into your life, you will change like Peter! Hallelujah!
We serve ourselves and others according to biblical principles. Regardless of whether others can understand, you must believe one thing: God’s wisdom surpasses our wisdom, and God’s ways are always higher than our ways. Moreover, God’s wisdom is timeless; He transcends time and space. Our Lord wants to use us to pour His love into our hearts and draw near to us. The Heavenly Father saved us; He wants us to know His Son Jesus Christ and the Father more deeply through service. This is why we talk about service.
How do we live out Jesus in our lives after believing in Him? How can we experience the great power of Jesus? It is actually very simple: for example, if you have a child, teach him with the words of the Bible from a young age. This child will truly be different. Teach them with biblical principles, and during their growth process, you will see they have a different life from other children, and you will see the power of Jesus.
Similarly, when I preach to you, if you believe and receive it, your life will change. Isn’t that seeing Jesus from within? Because I am always talking about Jesus to you. In fact, my service is very simple: to let you see Jesus in service, to pray for others in the name of Jesus Christ, and when problems are solved, we see Jesus’ work in them. This means that in the process of serving, we are continually getting to know Jesus. Otherwise, how can we say, “The Lord is good, our Heavenly Father loves us,” without any battlefield experience with God? Just like how David could believe that his Lord is the Lord of hosts when Goliath came.
Although Goliath was fully armed, what did David say? “I will defeat you, not by anything else, but by the name of the Lord of hosts. You are just an army; I am with the Lord of hosts!” He used this name to defeat him. For David, the Lord had already entered his life! Brothers and sisters, I wish your faith would no longer be just knowledge but would enter into your life. And faith must be related to service in order to enter into life, no matter what kind of work you are in.
For example, in the morning, someone says, “I have to go to work again. I feel uncomfortable when I see my boss,” but they still have to go. In fact, they go with pressure. Instead, you could say, “I am a child of God; I bring the blessings of Jesus Christ. When I arrive at the company, can I say, ‘In the name of the Lord Jesus, I bless my boss, and because I am here, this company will experience a turnaround’?” You will change, no longer just enduring as an employee, suffering through each day. You carry the blessings of Jesus, and His power will be manifested here. Blessing him is also called service.
Brothers and sisters, know that God saves us and wants us to know Jesus Christ more deeply through service. When we focus all our attention on ourselves, for example, when someone is very gifted, the greater their gift, the more easily they become proud because they will show themselves. Today, I heard someone say, “So-and-so is seriously ill; go find so-and-so to pray for you. He is very busy; otherwise, go to his church.” In short, they are always looking at people.
Brothers and sisters, know who heals you? Jesus Christ. That’s right! No matter who prays for us, it is the Lord Jesus doing things personally. Who should be manifested? Jesus Christ! Our service is like this: comforting someone, bringing Jesus to them, letting them see the Jesus that comes out of your mouth, and they will have hope. When we focus all our attention on Jesus Christ, our service will become very easy and fruitful.
When we pray for someone, hoping God will heal them, we say, “In the name of Jesus, your illness leaves you!” What if nothing happens after the prayer? Many people ask me, “Teacher Ren, I prayed for so-and-so, but there was no effect. I feel weak.” If you feel weak because you prayed for him and nothing happened, who are you relying on? Just yourself! If you say that after praying for him, there was an effect, you must ensure you are like Jesus; you must be God. Are we God? No, we are just people used by God. Amen! When we pray, who is doing the work? Jesus Christ is doing it personally! So when you pray, you are praying in the name of Jesus Christ. What if there is no effect after praying? Keep praying.
Why do you want to feel weak? Many people take the responsibility upon themselves. “I prayed for him, and there was no effect. What should I do? I have no faith.” Why do you have no faith? Is it that you do not trust your God or do not trust yourself? If your focus is on Jesus, what if there is no effect this time? Keep praying! What if there is no effect next time? Keep praying; it’s that simple! Because it is not us doing things; it is our Lord Jesus doing things. This is what we call service. Hallelujah!
We will not be affected by these matters, knowing that it is not me doing it; it is Jesus doing it, and He is doing it through me. Therefore, our service is actually to manifest Jesus’ power. When we give Jesus to him, he can receive it, and the effect will be manifested. Look at how Jesus lived in the world. Did He actively do anything for God? No. In the scripture we just read, didn’t Philip say to Him, “Show us the Father, and it is enough for us”? What did Jesus say afterward? “The words that I say to you are not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works.”
Jesus tells us here: “Every word I say to you is not spoken by me; it is the Father within me speaking to you!” Amen! Jesus did not do anything for Himself; He was there to reveal the glory of the Father to the world! In other words, He did not use His own strength and ability to glorify the Father!
Let’s look at a passage from Luke 4:3-10.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you.’
This passage is very interesting. The devil said to Jesus twice, “If you are the Son of God.” The first time he said, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Can Jesus turn the stone into bread? Yes. Why didn’t He? Relying on Himself, that’s right; tempting God. What other reason? Think about it; He was indeed hungry after fasting for 40 days, and the wilderness is full of stones.
The devil said, “Aren’t you hungry? You are the Son of God; I know you have this ability. Why don’t you turn it into bread and eat?” The point is that all of Jesus’ ministry and service were not for Himself but to glorify the Father. He never did anything for Himself; even when He was hungry, He did not use God’s power for Himself!
If we had a bit of ability, we wouldn’t know what to become. Suppose I have a power that, when I lay hands on someone, their illness is instantly healed. Within a month, I wouldn’t know who I am! I could say, “Forget all hospitals; just come to me.” Because I am not glorifying God; I am glorifying myself. Therefore, Jesus never did anything for Himself; He was serving and always doing things with God, with the Father’s power. Amen!
Then in verse 9, the devil took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you.’
Can Jesus jump down? I want to share two points with you. The first is to satisfy your physical needs, and Jesus rejected it. The second is to satisfy your vanity. Don’t forget where you are standing; that is the highest temple! Because the temple itself is built on a mountain, and this temple is on a very high mountain. Isn’t the temple on the mountain the highest place? What kind of people are below?
Aren’t there many people in the temple? These people are all believers. If He jumps down from the top, do we still need to preach the gospel? “As long as you dare to jump down from the top of the temple, you will be unharmed. All people will bow down to you, and your status will be instantly elevated.” Who is being glorified? Is it Him or Himself?
The devil seems to be giving good advice, but in reality, he is pushing Jesus toward Himself, not toward glorifying the Father. Therefore, our service is also like this. How can we bring forth results in serving others? By giving them Jesus. Some people say, “Don’t worry; I will pray for you; no problem.” Such service must be approached with caution; it is very easy to fall into a trap and be caught by the devil. Jesus did not jump down because He knew this was not a way to glorify Himself. Everything He did was to glorify our Heavenly Father. Amen!
The service of Jesus Christ is to reveal the Father, not to reveal Himself. Our ministries should be like this. No matter where I go to serve, I do not hope everyone remembers me; I only hope everyone remembers Jesus, and that is enough. Remembering me is of no use. If there is a problem, can you come to find me from all over the country? That is not the way. But I can give you Jesus, and you can learn to rely on Jesus anywhere because Jesus is omnipresent, and His power is the greatest! When you encounter various problems, pray to Jesus, and He will surely give you solutions. Amen!
When you listen to the sermon, you are actually getting to know Jesus Christ through the Bible, allowing you to use Jesus Christ in the process of serving, in your family, in your life, and in your work, and you will see Jesus Christ become your testimony. Amen! Jesus once spoke with Philip, and their conversation clearly tells us how the Lord Jesus acted while on earth.
“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’” In fact, the Lord Jesus had already talked a lot about the Father. “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
What does this mean? When you see Jesus, you see the Father because He is the Father’s representative in the world. Whose representative are we? Christ! That’s right; your name is Christian. You are Jesus’ representative in this world. Amen! You should not make your name prominent; I belong to Pastor XXX. You should represent Jesus Christ! Amen! All service is for Jesus, and your service will be particularly powerful.
But Philip did not understand what was going on at that time and said, “Can you show us the Father? We will be satisfied.” Jesus said, “Philip, have you been with me so long, and you still do not understand my relationship with the Father? In other words, have you not recognized me after being with you for so long?” No one can see the Father, but when we see the only Son, Jesus Christ, who is in the Father’s bosom, we know that is what the Father looks like. Amen! Moreover, Jesus said, “The words that I say to you are not spoken on my own authority.” Did Jesus casually chat with them and tell some jokes? No. The words Jesus spoke to the disciples were very important things that the Father wanted to convey! Amen!
I also hope everyone can understand one thing: when we share Jesus and let Jesus enter your life, it is to bring you some strength. After Jesus serves you, you take this strength to serve those around you. You say, “I cannot love my child; he really makes me angry.” First, let Jesus give you His love so you can love him. Amen! Someone says, “I have a terrible temper.” First, let Jesus fill you with His gentleness. We need to receive from Jesus first, through listening to the word and continually getting to know Jesus, knowing that He loves you like this, and you will be changed. Naturally, you will be able to do such things, and we call this service.
The part of your life that is revealed is the part you can truly bring to others; that is your service. Jesus did not casually chat; the Father spoke many words to us through Jesus. As for the miracles Jesus performed, they were merely God working through Jesus. Amen!
When we talk to people about Jesus, miracles happen. This is why many lives are changed during the process of listening to the sermon, and diseases are healed. The reason lies here. It is not about how much power we have to lay hands on them and fill them with the Holy Spirit; it is merely the Holy Spirit within us doing it. It is the effect produced by the words of Jesus! Amen!
Jesus clearly stated that He was not speaking on His own will nor working by His own power. He said that whether He spoke or acted, He relied on the Father. I hope everyone develops the habit of reading the Bible. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand; just develop the habit of reading the Bible. When you need it, the Holy Spirit will open up the meaning of that passage for you! When others have needs, you can directly give them that passage, and the Holy Spirit can work through that word. Amen!
This is also the kind of service we have been doing so far. In John 14:24, … the word you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
What is Jesus saying? “The words you hear are not given by me; they are the words given to you by the Father.” And I want to tell everyone that the Bible itself is not written by humans or intentionally compiled. This Bible is the ultimate treasure in our lives. No matter what problems you encounter, the Bible will have the answers you need.
This is also the best solution in our lives. No matter what profession people are in, they hope to have a successful method to follow. Brothers and sisters, you can find a way out in the Bible for your lives, and you can also find methods for victorious living in the Bible. Amen! The question is, can you believe the words that God has written for us in the Bible?
Finally, let’s look at a passage from John 5:19: Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”
When Jesus Christ returns, He gives you the Holy Spirit. Jesus said one thing: “The works that I do, you will do also, and greater works than these will you do.” Who are those who believe in Him? You! How can we do greater works than Jesus? By doing things relying on Jesus! Amen! In other words, serving relying on Jesus. It seems that you are serving, and you say, “Lord, I am willing to live according to Your way.” What kind of way? In everything, pray to Him, “Lord, I do not know what to do in this matter; grant me wisdom.” God will give you wisdom through the words of the Bible.
If you do not know how to educate your children or how to handle interpersonal relationships, the Bible has answers. Although you may have read the Bible, you may have forgotten, but as long as you have read it, when you pray to God, He will remind you of certain verses in the Bible that will be very helpful to you. Using a verse from the Bible can resolve family disputes.
Especially in the past two years of service, I have truly found that God has opened up this wisdom. I have encountered many problems in families. When they describe the situation, the Holy Spirit immediately gives a word, and I share it with them. They say, “This method is good.” At that moment, they feel it is great. A few days later, they tell me, “Our family changed because of this word.”
How does wisdom arise? It comes from regularly reading the Bible. It seems that we do not understand or know what it means, but when things happen, the Holy Spirit reminds you of that verse, which is the timely wisdom given to you! Amen! This is our service in life; we can help ourselves and also help others.
Artists who create songs need inspiration, right? Where does it come from? They call it inspiration, but for us, it is just the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the prompting of the Holy Spirit, a wisdom from God that allows you to discover something, and suddenly everything changes for you. Amen! This is also a form of service. Hallelujah!
Our lives are constantly serving. It seems that we are serving God, but in reality, it is Jesus serving us! It seems that we are helping brothers and sisters, but in fact, it is God using me to convey His words and His power to others. When we know that we are such an important channel, we just need to fix our eyes on Jesus every day; that is all the ministry you do.
When all service is for the glory of Jesus, everything you do will become very easy and fruitful. There may not be any very fancy phrases, but it can indeed solve some people’s problems! Amen! I hope brothers and sisters can possess such wisdom!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You! In our mutual service, non-believers are all serving relying on themselves, but we have accepted You and do not want to live according to our own ways, because that way may make us feel very painful and helpless. Please grant us Your wisdom to receive wisdom from You! Everything is no longer for ourselves but for the glory of Jesus You Yourself!
Lord Jesus, let us see You in our lives! In this new week, I hand over what I lack to You. You give me Your glory, give me Your wisdom, and help more people through me! Thank You, I accept Your love and receive Your strength to start living, helping brothers and sisters have beautiful testimonies in this new week. Amen! In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray! Hallelujah!