This morning, we remember that it is Easter morning. And what does Easter mean? Well, you all know. It means that Jesus rose from the dead. But do you really believe that? I remember long ago, in my student days, I read a book by a British mathematician and philosopher.
I remember I was reading a book in the time of the book. I read a book in the UK, from a student who wrote a book in the UK. And in it, I remember clearly, he was a non-Christian. And he said that if Christians really believed in the resurrection, he is a non-Christian. But he in the book, he said that if the Christians really believe in the resurrection, then the quality of their life would be different from what he could see. They're the life of the life of the life would be different from what he could see.
Now, when people look at us, when people look at us, do they really see something of Christ's resurrection power in us? Do they see something of Christ's resurrection power in us? Do they see something of Christ's resurrection power in us? The question I'd like to address today to each one of us, today I want to share with you today to each one of us.
The question of great importance is a very important question. For everyone who seriously wants to live, understanding spiritual things, how real are spiritual things to you? When we talk about resurrection, do we know what we are talking about?
When we talk about resurrection, do we know what we are talking about? It's an amazing thing, this resurrection. Have you come to think for a moment how amazing this thing is that we are talking about? Look at this flesh of ours. Look at this flesh of ours. This body of ours.
It is slowly wearing away. It is slowly being Now most of you here are young people. Most of you here are young people. And when I was younger, I thought I was immortal. I will never see death. Like I was young when I was thinking, I was like not to die.
Oh, body is so strong. So healthy. Death doesn't even cross my mind. You have never thought of it. I remember the first time I saw a dead person and was my grandaunt. I first met a dead person is my friend.
When was the first time you saw a dead person? You had never thought of it. What time did you see a dead person? There I had been talking to my grandaunt and behold, a few days later she was dead. I was like a couple of days later she was dead. But there were a few days later she was dead.
I looked at her lying there. I saw her lying there. Like she was sleeping. I was thinking, she was asleep, right? Why don't you wake up?
She was not asleep. She was asleep. It's a nice day today. Today the day was really nice. She was not impressed. But she was not impressed with the nice day anymore.
And since then, what happened to her after all these years? And since it started so many years, what happened? The whole body is no more. They put her into a fire, you know, cremation, and she turns to dust. Will this happen to us one of these days? Well, we know what's the answer to that.
I many times thought when I was young, I could never die. It's not possible. This body is too strong. Now I tend to believe it a bit more.
Resurrection is the incredible realization that this body which will die God will raise it up again. Resurrection is our body, although it will die, but we can understand that it will still be able to be healed. Can you believe it? You really believe it? In Romans chapter 10, Paul says that anyone who believes Jesus and believes that God raised him from the dead, that's an important thing to believe. He will be saved.
In Romans chapter 10, Paul says that any person who believes that God is called Jesus from the dead, that this person can be saved. Now, if you don't really believe that God can raise Jesus from the dead, you don't believe He can raise us from the dead either. If you don't believe that God is called Jesus from the dead, then you won't believe that God is called us from the dead. Do you believe that? You really believe it? It's an amazing thing to believe.
You see, my question to each one of us is we say we believe certain things which we don't really believe. We say we believe certain things which we don't really believe. We say we believe certain things which we don't really believe. At least we may be half-believe and the half is unbelief. We say we believe and the half is unbelief. The important thing is how real how real are spiritual things to you.
Do we realize that all material things, including this body, all material things pass away? Look around you and look at everything, including yourself. There's not one thing that will not pass away. Look around you and look at all the animals around the sea. Look at the rocks. Look at the rocks that will last forever.
A million years they will still be there. Look at the rocks that will last forever. Look at the rocks that will last forever. A million years in eternity is nothing. The rocks will also disappear. The waters washing on it day after day is little by little washing the rocks away.
If it takes a million years, it will be washed away too. There are no material things which are eternal. There are no material things which are eternal. In John 4, it tells us that God is spirit. Only spirit does not pass away. The Lord is eternal and he is spirit.
Have you noticed that God has a body? The Lord is eternal and the Lord is eternal. The Lord is eternal and the Lord is spirit.
There is nothing physical about him. You know why? Because nothing physical endures forever. Now think of this.
Everything you see around you, everything has been brought into existence. You see, you see, all the things that are created are created. And it is this God, this Spirit, who has no body of his own, who made all these our bodies. And this God, this God, this God, he is no body of his own, who made all these our bodies. All physical things are created by him who is Spirit. All the physical things are created by him who is Spirit.
In other words, Spirit, the Spirit of God, God as Spirit is the origin of all physical substantial material things. This God is a body, but this body is the body of all the material. Material cannot produce Spirit. The body cannot produce Spirit. But Spirit produces matter. But Spirit produces matter.
In other words, Spirit is a higher reality than the material reality. Have we come to understand that yet? The meaning of all the material things are higher than the material reality. You understand this? All material things were created by what in John 4, the Lord says, Jesus said, God is Spirit. Because all the material things are created by this God, God is Spirit.
Spirit is a far higher level of reality than matter. Do we understand this yet? We understand this yet? We understand this yet. The truth is that the material reality is more than the material reality. And yet, what happens to us is we only see the reality which is matter.
But in our words, we only see the reality which is matter. There is the tragedy. That is the tragedy.
That is the reason why we have little faith. Because our faith is captured or surrounded by material things. Because our faith is captured or surrounded by material things. It is imprisoned by the material.
It cannot look outside beyond the material. Now if you don't deal with this problem, you'll never get beyond the material to the spiritual. That is the important question with you is.
Once we realize that spirit is far more powerful than anything material, especially God who is spirit, when we realize that he, that spirit, has the power to create all material, then resurrection is no longer so amazing. The Lord is going to raise us up. The Lord is going to bring us from the death of God.
Now if we believe that what happens at a funeral would be not much of a great tragedy, if we believe that what happens at a funeral would be not much of a great tragedy, in days of old they did not create a cremate people, in the past of the years, people will not be able to create the body to create a fire. Or at least not as a regular process. Or at least not as a regular process. They put the body in the ground, like planting a seed. And often in many tombstones, you will see the words written waiting for the resurrection. And in many tombstones, in many tombstones, you will see the words written waiting for the resurrection.
The fear of death is exceedingly powerful. Death is a good test of how strong our faith is. The fear of death is exceedingly powerful, isn't it? We live in a chaotic world, but what makes it so chaotic? Two things. Sin and the fear of death that comes from sin.
It's the fear that comes out of it. It's not so much the atypical pneumonia that is so dangerous in itself. It's the fear that comes out of it. It's the fear that comes out of it. It's the fear that comes out of it. There are about seven million people in Hong Kong.
How many people have died? By last night, I think it was about 82 in Hong Kong. 82 out of 7 million is so small a fraction of a percentage. 700 million people in Hong Kong is a very small number. And if you speak of the people who have been affected by it, it's less than 1,500 people, 1,200, 300 so far. If you say that you're being affected by it, it's about 1,300, 300,000 people. One thousand, two, three hundred people out of 7 million. If you take a calculating machine, you'll see it's a fraction of a percent.
And 1,200, 300,000 people in Hong Kong, 700,000 people in Hong Kong are a very small number. But the fear that it generates is amazing. It's so powerful that the whole economy is falling down. It's so powerful that the whole economy is falling down. Many businesses are going bankrupt because of that. Many businesses are going bankrupt because of that.
I feel sorry for our dear people in Hong Kong, for the whole Hong Kong people. I feel like I'm very difficult to do this. So many people worked a lifetime to build up a business, and because of a fear, it's all gone to pieces, all collapsed.
So many people used to do this for a whole life, and that's a fear that it was a big part of life. The stock market is coming down. The stock market is coming down. Restaurants are half empty. The restaurant is half empty. They lost 50% of their business.
Their business is half empty. Most businesses have lost 20% or 30% of their business. Many other business have lost 20% or 30% of their business. I went to see somebody offered the airport about two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I went to the airport to a friend. The airport is deserted.
The airport is deserted. I've never seen Hong Kong airport so empty before. I've never seen Hong Kong airport so empty before. And rows and rows of these places are all closed. That's the place of the room, one of the rooms are closed. Nobody at the counters.
Nobody at the counters. The fear, the fear, it grips the art and ruins the whole economy. This is the fear that protects our hearts and ruins the whole economy.
And the whole world is frightened. The whole world is frightened. They don't want us from Hong Kong to go to their place anymore. They don't want us from Hong Kong to go to their place anymore. Not even welcome anymore. Not even welcome anymore.
Oh, the power of fear is amazing. This fear is amazing. Of course, we all know that one group of people does a good business.
But we all know that one group of people does a good business. All these people who sell us the masks put on here. Ah, just that one who sells the masks. They never dreamed that business could ever be so good in the whole world. Ah, they never thought that one could ever be so good in the whole world. And of course, the others are the bleach people who sell the bleach for washing floors.
Because of the water, the water, the water, the water, the water, the water, the water, the water. The fear of death is so powerful. Why? Because it's to us. This physical, this material life is all we have. Why are we so afraid of dying?
Because of the fact that we only think we have the material life is the only thing we have. We think if we lose this, we've got nothing left. If we lose this, we've got nothing left. But three months ago, a dear friend of mine died. Three months ago, I had a friend of mine. He was a schoolmate of mine at the Bible Institute in Scotland.
He was a schoolmate of mine at the Bible Institute in Scotland. He was a little bit older than me. He was a little bit older than me. And then I heard from a mutual friend that he was dying of lung cancer. I remember him as a very strong, tough person. He was a sergeant and officer in the army.
And in college we used to laugh at him because he still behaved like a soldier, the way he walked. He still thought he was in the army. He was a very precious, very dear Welsh brother. He was a very wealthy brother. He was a very wealthy brother. And then I heard that he was dying.
He served as a missionary in Thailand for some time. He served as a missionary in Thailand for some time. And we had served, worked together many times on evangelistic outreach programs. I also had a lot of time to come to the church. Always saw the beauty of Christ in his life. By the time I phoned him, I phoned him and I talked with him on the phone.
He was already quite advanced in cancer. When I was in the phone with him, he was already in the hospital. He was already in the hospital. He was already in the hospital. But then he was on the phone, so full of joy, thanking and praising the Lord. You thought it was his birthday, not that he was about to die.
He was so happy to thank you. He thought he was about to die. He was so happy to thank you. He was so happy to thank you and praising the Lord. He was so happy to thank you and praising the Lord. We followed him for about 20 minutes.
We had a phone call for about 20 minutes. We were calling him from Hong Kong to England. We were calling him from Hong Kong to England. He was so happy and excited and I was so tired. I said to him, Arthur, you better rest now. I think we've talked long enough.
You have a good rest. I'll talk to you in another one or two days' time. Two days later, I phoned. And his wife said he is gone to be with the Lord. And his wife said he is gone to be with the Lord. He said he is gone to be with the Lord.
And his service, the funeral service I was told was just the time of thanksgiving and praise. And they told me, his song is a kind of a song. It was not a time of sorrow. It was a time of praise. It was a time of praise. You see there was no fear of death.
When I talked to him, there was not a shadow of fear of death. There was simply the triumph in Christ. It is in the face of death that I could see the powerful reality of his faith in Christ.
Christ will raise us up on the last day. Jesus will in the future of the world, and will call us from the death of the world to live. Do you believe that? So I come back to this basic question, how real are spiritual things to you?
So I come back to this basic question, the real truth of the truth of the truth is how real are spiritual things to you? You see, our physical side so dominates us that we are very conscious of material things. Because this material thing is so much of a force that we can see the material things. So powerful is our consciousness of material things that proportionately our consciousness of spiritual things is very minimal.
Because we can only see the material things that we can see the material things. Is that true of you? Now look at this.
When we come into this camp, what happens? Our eyes are very active. We are looking all around.
This is the material. If we look at this material, what happens? What happens? What happens? Right away we look. What are the facilities in this place?
We see all these big yellow tubes. What is all this here? What is all this here?
What is all this here? And we are looking at this stage here. What are these colors? What is all this here?
What is all this here? What is all this here? And we see whether the weather is nice or not nice. What is all this here?
All our senses are very active. And when you are taken to your room, immediately your eyes are searching all through the room. How big is this room? How many people are there? How many people are there? Our senses are very powerful, very active.
Not to mention our ears listening for all kinds of sounds. We are smelling any fragrance of flowers. How is the smell here? The grass? How is the smell here? The grass?
How is the smell of the sea? How is the smell of the sea? Our physical senses are so powerful that they overpower everything else. Our五官的感應非常强烈, and other things have been thrown out. And our spiritual hearing, can we hear anything? Is it silent?
No sound, isn't it? Our spiritual eyes, can we discern anything? Is it silent?
Nothing much is in it. It can't be seen. Our spiritual senses are so weak that as far as we are concerned, spiritual things scarcely exist. Our spiritual senses are so weak that as far as we are concerned, spiritual things scarcely exist. Now let me read to you the words of the Apostle Paul, and see if you can identify with him.
Probably not. This is what he says. He is like saying. 2 Corinthians 4, 18. The last verse of the chapter. That's the last verse of the chapter. So what does Paul say?
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 4章18節, 保羅是這樣寫。 原來我們不是故念所見的, 乃是故念所不見的。 因為所見的是暫時的。 所不見的是永遠的。 Is this true of how many people here? How many of you would say this is true? We fix our eyes on the things which are not seen? How many people would say this is true? I just like living this.
I just like my注意力 to put in that 看不見的東西上? I think very few. 好笑。 As I said, your physical senses overpower your spiritual senses. 正如我所說, 你的肉體的感官 已經強過你屬靈上的感官。 Paul says here not just that I look at spiritual things, but I fix my gaze on it. It's fixed there. 保羅不是只說我看屬靈的事物。 而是他說專注在屬靈的事上。 That means his whole attention all the time is dominated by what is spiritual. He doesn't care much about the physical. He's looking up to the eternal. 就是他整個的注意力 都是注意住屬靈的事物。 肉身的事物, 他都不帶不關切。 Why does he do that? 為什麼要這樣做? He says, well, the reason is very simple. 原因很簡單。 因為所有你周圍看到的事物 在很短的時間之內已經不再存在。 But the things which are eternal, they last forever. 而那些永恆的事物呢, 那些屬靈的事物呢, 那些才是永恆。 How real are spiritual things? 屬靈的事有多真?
You say eternal? I don't see anything eternal. 你說永恆, 我沒有看到任何東西是永恆。 Everything I see are material and they are all temporal. 我看到所有東西都是密室界的, 全部都是短暫。 Now you see, Now you see, The point I want to get at is to be a Christian, One who really knows God, Such a person sees, sees what is eternal. 它為一個基督佛的意思, 一個認識神的人, 他是能夠看得見永恆的事物。 How practical. When I say how real is the spiritual, I'm also saying how practical, How practical is it? 當我去問屬靈的事有多真實, 也等於我去問屬靈的事有多實際。 Let me take and give you an example, 讓我給你一個例子。 About three weeks ago, 但又在三個星期之前。 I was awakened one morning with enormous noise in the house. 有一天的早上, 是我被一個很強烈的大的聲音吵醒了。 You know, those of us who live in Hong Kong, We mostly live in these高樓大廈, These blocks of flats. 但我在香港住的人, 大部分人都是住在這些高樓大廈裏。 Well, I live in one of those two. 我都是住在其中的一棟裏。 And one of the things you know what happens in these places is that Forever somebody is renovating, Either upstairs or downstairs. 在這裡住的時候, 你會發現, 時時都有人在這裡裝修的。 不是樓上裝修, 就樓下裝修。 We had shortly come back from Australia. 我們是剛剛澳洲回來沒多久。 And our time was three hours difference from here, three hours ahead. 澳洲的時間和香港的時間是中間有三個小時的, 澳洲是早三個小時的。 還在這裡測試, 我們都嘗試去適應一下香港的時間。 So I went to bed, Let's say rather early in the morning. 我就早上很早的時候去上床睡覺。 其實那天早上是四時五時, 前往前睡覺前前去上床。 那次就大約是四時半、五時左右。 這樣去上床。 And I had scarcely slept a couple of hours. 我睡了都沒有多少個小時。 當時有了這個耳朵的聲音, 而這個刺耳的聲音就傳來了。 不知道你們有沒有用過這個衝擊性的轉。 不知道你們有沒有用過這些衝擊性的轉。 這些的轉是一邊的轉一邊的衝擊性的轉。 And if you have one of these big things, they're used for drilling through concrete and other hard things. And then of course it so happened that they were drilling on the floor just above my room. And then of course it so happened that they were drilling on the floor just above my room. I guess the bathroom just slightly to the side, they were drilling into the floor of the bathroom because of leaking, the water leaking.
Or the other side is the roofing, the water and the water, the water and the water. So you're sleeping peacefully and suddenly the whole earth is shaking. You're sleeping peacefully and suddenly the whole earth is shaking. You just jump up wondering the day of resurrection has arrived. Only to discover that there was somebody using this percussion drill of sith. It's so noisy you can't even hear one another talk.
And it went on like this for hours. Now I have a pair of ear plugs which are quite good to stuff it into the ear. I have a pair of ear sats that is very effective. But in this case it couldn't catch much of the sound.
In this case it couldn't catch much of the sound. When it starts drilling and shaking you feel as though your whole person is shaking with it. When it starts drilling and shaking you feel as though your whole person is shaking with it. So I lay there and said how real, how real is the spiritual life.
I thought of verses like Philippians chapter 4 verse 7. That you commit everything to God in prayer. You entrust yourself to Him. And His peace, His unspeakable peace, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I remember in the book of the 4th chapter 4, that you commit everything to God in prayer. You entrust yourself to Him.
And His peace, His unspeakable peace, peace, peace. A bit of psychology, right? If God's peace is all that is, a bit of psychology? If God's peace is all that is, a bit of psychology? What about this peace that Paul speaks of?
That is beyond understanding? How beyond understanding is it? How beyond understanding is it? How beyond understanding is it? I thought this is now the time to try, just how beyond understanding it can be. I was thinking, I'm going to try to try to find out what I'm thinking.
Well, so I just said to the Lord, I'm going to enter into Yourself now. I'm going to move into You, as it were. I was telling the Lord, I was going to enter into Yourself now. So that I will be in You.
Not just in this physical environment, but in Christ. Not just in this material environment, but in Christ. And in this living in You, I pray that You will grant me that peace that is beyond human possibilities. I pray that when I was in Jesus, I was able to enter into His peace. This peace, this peace, this peace, and this peace, and this peace. And so having prayed, and just as it were, moved into the person of Christ by a definite step of faith, to put in the midst of this incredible noise, I got incredible peace.
In the midst of this incredible noise, I got incredible peace. In the voice of the voice, I was able to have a very difficult peace. That peace took hold of me. It completely surrounded me. It completely surrounded me. And you know what?
I found my eyes were closing. And you know what? I found my eyes were closing. And I fell into a deep deep sleep. And I fell into a deep deep sleep. A few hours later, I woke up.
I was feeling refreshed. And as I slowly fell asleep, I was able to get a deep deep sleep. And amidst all this terrific noise, Somehow the noise seemed to go further and further and further away from me. And these sounds like I was leaving from me. And I was feeling a little bit. But it was getting further and further away from me.
And finally I heard nothing at all. And finally I heard nothing at all. And when I woke up, I was so refreshed. When I woke up, I was so refreshed. When I woke up, I was so impressed. My wife asked me how did you sleep.
My wife asked me how did you sleep. I said I had wonderful sleep. She said what? She couldn't sleep at all. She couldn't sleep at all. I said her wonderful sleep.
I was sleeping very well. And the first thing she said, it's a miracle. She could testify this is a miracle. Nobody can sleep in this noise. She could testify this is a miracle. Nobody can sleep in this noise.
It's a miracle. And that was not for one night, not for two nights. It went on night after day. This noise went on. It became to me almost habitual just to put myself into Christ and just go to sleep. And that's it.
For that matter, if the bombs were falling outside, I would still be sleeping. How practical is the Christian life? I'm sure those of you who have read my testimony know just how practical that is. How practical that is. When you've seen my own testimony, you'll know it's very true.
Yesterday, Brother Ross mentioned a brother called Miller, George Miller. You remember how practical the faith is in Christ? He has to take care of the whole orphanage. He has no money to buy anything for them. He has no money to buy anything for them. Even to the day the breakfast comes, he has nothing to put on the table.
Even though he has no money to tell the children to sit down at the table. But he has a faith to tell the children to sit down at the table. He has no need to tell the children to sit down at the table. And the living God will give you breakfast. How much more real can the spiritual get? How much more real can the spiritual get?
You may have heard my testimony where I said that once I was walking with a brother by the lakeshore or by the riverside, which is also part of a lake in Montreal. Maybe you've seen my own testimony. There's a time I've seen that I've seen that in the river. Talking about the Lord's work, the future of the Lord's work. And as we stood on the edge of the water looking out over the river. Very wide river.
And suddenly a fish swims right up to our feet. I asked our friend to pick up this fish. I told my friend, let's take a fish off. And later on, we took it home and took a picture of it. I still have that picture. And we put a tape, a measurement there to see how long it is.
Fishermen always like to know how long it is a fish. I took it back home, and took a picture of it. I put a check in the other side, and I can see how long it is. Well, this was just a small fish. I'm not going to brag, it's 3-5 feet long. This is a small fish.
I'm not going to be able to take a measurement. There's a lot of fish in the other side, and you can see it's long. It's about 10 inches. But the Lord brought us the fish, not because we were hungry, that we needed food. The Lord brought us the fish, not because we were hungry, because we were hungry, he would have brought a big one.
But because we didn't have need of food, he brought this because it's a message. A small fish will do. Two years later, I read of a similar incident in India. A few years later, I read a book of India. I found that in India there was a similar thing. Oh, it's amazing.
It's amazing. But on that occasion, they were hungry, they needed food. At that time, the people are hungry, so they also need food. And this Indian brother was praying to the Lord, he said, supply us with some food, and he was standing by the lake side. The Indian brother was to ask the Lord to pray for the Lord, and the Lord was to pray for the Lord. He was to pray for the Lord.
Because there were several people who needed food, but he was praying for it on their behalf. It was not just one person who needed food, but he was praying for it on their behalf. And the Lord did exactly the same thing. He brought a big fish this time, because they needed food, and brought it right to his feet, and he picked it up and took it home. This time, there was a little bit bigger than the fish, because they were a little bit bigger. So they were a little bit bigger than the fish.
We looked not at the things, which are temporary, but the things which are eternal. We were not at the short-term things, but at the short-term things. God is so amazing. He brings to our feet whatever we need. We need to bring it to our feet.
There are other people who are seeking the things that we are not even pursuing. There are many people who are seeking the things, but we don't need to seek the things. You see, by habit, I do everything, trusting the Lord for what He wants.
This is my習慣. I have everything that I have to look at the Lord's hands. And some people think the way I do things is very strange. So there are people who think that I do things are very strange.
I bought a car last about two years ago. About two years ago, I bought a car. Because my old car, which was 26 years old, had decided that it was enough time, it was time to go. Because my old car, which was 26 years old, it was time to go. And a sister saw this car and said, it's unsafe for you to drive such an old car. There was a sister who saw the old car, and said, wow, this car is old, it's not too dangerous, it's not safe.
She said, I would like you to buy a car for you. I said, no, this car is still running fine. Why should I want a new car? I said, I don't have any problem. This car is still running fine. I said, I don't need to buy a new car.
But the Lord took care of that. I think he decided that car was time to go, so it went to pieces. So, the Lord also did a little bit of work. The Lord also thought that it was time to go.
So, the car was still running fine. So, where I live in Montreal, you don't have a car, you can't move. So, I live in Montreal, you don't have a car, you can't move. Because I live in the suburbs, in the suburbs, and there's no bus there. Nobody has bus, there are no bus services. So, I live in Montreal, the outside of the area, there's no bus.
There are no bus services. Because in Canada, at least where I'm living there, everybody has two or three cars. If you have only one car, it's a bit unusual. In my home, the outside of the area, that's a bit unusual. Because I live in the area, there are two cars, three cars, one car, it's a very small car. And so, the bus has no business.
There is a train, but if you want to walk to the train, you'll probably take about half an hour to get there. If you go to the bus, you'll probably take about half an hour to get there. If you're going to buy a car, what do you do? I'll tell you what I do. Because I went back, I couldn't move, I just came back from Hong Kong, and the old car was gone. That's when I was from Hong Kong, and I was back home, and I was back home.
The old car was gone. The old car was gone. The old car was gone. The old car was gone. The old car was gone. So I got a newspaper.
I had to get the one the same day I arrived. I just came back home. Otherwise, next two or three days, I can't move around at all, except by taxi. Otherwise, over two days, I can't move around at all, except by taxi. And taxi is very expensive in Montreal. In Montreal, the old car is very expensive.
So I bought a newspaper, but the only newspaper I could get was French one. I just bought a newspaper. At the time, I only bought a newspaper. The old car was French one. My French one isn't that great. I can get by, but not that great.
I bought a French one. But I didn't know that. I bought a French one. A local one opened it and looked for old cars being advertised. I only bought old cars. This time, hopefully, it wasn't too old.
I opened so many cars for sale. I said, Lord, I don't know where to begin with this stuff. There are so many cars. I don't know where to begin with this stuff. Lord, I take one look at all these advertisements. I'm already tired.
I'll see that the newspaper. I really tired. What model? What am I supposed to buy? I want to buy a car very cheap.
Maybe around $3,000. Looking through where are the $3,000 cars? I'll see if there are $3,000 cars. So, the Lord knows I don't have too much patience wasting time with this. The Lord knows I don't have too much time in this situation.
So, finally, I looked around and said, Okay, maybe, Lord, what about this one? Is that alright with you? I told the Lord, I found this one and said, you think it's okay? So, I phoned this person and he only speaks Quebec French. The local French is very hard for me to understand. The local French is very hard for me to understand.
So, I conversed with him and he couldn't speak English. I had a hard time understanding what he was saying. I said, Alright, alright. Then, how about I ask my friend to come and take a look at the car because it's downtown. And so, what did I do? I phoned our brother, Joel, who was just now playing the keyboard.
And he was staying downtown. So, I said, Would you be so kind as to go and look at this car? He looked at it, took it to the garage to check it. There were a few problems, but still okay. Yes, We looked at the
# God's Will in This Chaotic Generation: Life in Christ (Part 2)
By Hong Kong standard, that's really cheap. From Hong Kong to Hong Kong, this is a very cheap car. That would be times five, so it would be less than about $15,000 for a car. From Hong Kong to Hong Kong, it would be less than $15,000. Okay, so I said to him, if it's all right, just buy it. I didn't even see the car, so just buy it.
I told him, that's why I didn't even see the car. I forgot to ask him what color is the car. I forgot to ask him what color is the car. Only on the day I went to collect it, I realized it's a white car. I was able to buy that car that year, it was a white car. And what I didn't realize, that it was actually a luxury car.
I didn't realize that it was a luxury car. I thought it was for that price, it was an ordinary car. I thought it was $2,000 or more than a normal car. Wow, electrical windows and all this fancy stuff. I suppose because I couldn't communicate with him, I didn't know what was in the car. Because I didn't know what was in the car.
I didn't know what was in the car. Even the seat will move forward electrically when you press it. Even the seat will move forward electrically when you press it. I can even raise it up electrically. It also can increase the energy level. Wow, all sorts of things.
There are many many things. All that is for $2,700. So you see, how practical is the Christian life?
There are people who are running around wanting to get this kind of car. I don't care what car, as long as the Lord gives it to me, thank you Lord, that's fine. I don't care if it's a car that's going to be煮 for me, I'm grateful for that. Another thing that makes me very strange about this car. I have to drive long distance to Toronto. That's over 300 miles.
And when I got there and back, I discovered the car hardly used any oil. I mean engine oil, oil in the engine. The oil of the car, I have to put a whole liter in. Every time I go to Toronto, it burns up all the oil. It has a liter in and another liter coming back. That's the engine oil.
That old car, when I go to the car, I have to put a whole liter in. I have to put another liter in the engine. But this car, although it's 11 years old, the engine is so good, it doesn't use oil. It means very little wear of the engine. This car, although it's already been 11 years old, it's still very good. It's not going to be a lot of oil.
Not to mention the car has cruise control. Just press the button and you maintain the speed. 70 kilometers an hour and you just keep going. There are many other equipment. You press the button to press the button to keep the engine. It can be a lot of the engine. It can be a lot of the engine.
It can be a lot of the engine. It can be a lot of the engine. It can be a lot of the engine. How real to you are spiritual things? I want to work on this constantly.
This is what I always ask for. I always ask for the question. What is the Lord saying?
Seek first the kingdom. Look for God. And all these things will be given to you. What is the Lord saying?
Jesus said, you first ask your Lord. He'll ask your Lord. He'll ask your Lord. He'll ask your Lord. He'll ask your Lord. I've seen this all the time in my experience.
In my experience. And I find the same as true in other people's experiences. When you look at the things which are eternal.
And don't concern yourself with these material things. When you注目 in those永恒的事物中. Don't concern these短暫的事物. God gives you beyond what you ask or think. How practical is the spiritual life? More practical than the physical life.
In the spiritual life, we can do things that people in the living solely in the material life cannot do. I gave another example again recently in Australia. I also told the co-workers in the team. I also told the co-workers in the team. How I had on one occasion some years ago looked for my cousin, my Tangdi in St. John.
And I had not seen him since we were teenagers, very young. I saw him when I was young. When I was young, I was young. More than 40 years later, how was I going to recognize him? I said, I'm going to... He was by then teaching as an assistant professor in Hunan.
And he was seeing an American professor in St. John. He was going to bring a professor in St. John.
He was going to bring a professor in St. John. And he suddenly phoned me. And he said, I'm in St. John.
He said, I'm in St. John. It came to my mind that you're just across the border. I can't come to you. Can you come to me? I thought, you're going to go to Hong Kong.
You can come to me and see me. I'm not going to go to him. I said, well, we can do that. That's all right. But I said, how am I going to recognize you?
We haven't seen each other since we were kids. I asked him, how can I find you? Because I've been so long and I haven't seen you. I've never even seen a picture of him in all that time. I've never seen a picture of him in all that time. I've never seen a picture of him in all that time.
And you haven't seen me. You've never seen me. So how do we recognize one another?
How do we recognize one another? He said, all right, that's simple. He said, all right, that's simple. Which turned out to be not so simple. But it turns out to be not so simple.
He said, what I'll do is I'll wait at platform number one in the station when you come out. He said, you're going to come out. I'm going to come out to the station. Sorry, ticket counter number one. Not yet, it's the 1st of the bill's seat. So when Helen and I came out into the station, We went to the station.
So we looked at ticket counter number one. We looked at ticket counter number one. Maybe it will not be a big crowd, so we can say, are you so and so? We thought there might not be a big crowd, so we can say, are you so and so? Well, as it turned out, there wasn't anybody there anyway. There was no one there anyway.
Then I realized why. Then I realized why. Because people from mainland can not enter that station for Hong Kong. Because people from mainland can not enter that station for Hong Kong. At least that was the arrangement in those days. That is about 15 years ago.
They are about 15 years ago. So he would have to stand outside. He would have to stand outside. And when we came outside, there were crowds and crowds of people. I don't know who to look at. And crowds coming out and crowds coming in.
So how do you find anybody? So we looked around for some time. We didn't know what to do. We didn't know what to do. So after about 10 minutes of this, I said to Helen, Well, you stand here and don't move.
I said to Helen, you stand here and don't move. Then I just told you, you stand here and don't move. Because if you move, then I end up trying to find two people. If you move, then I don't only need one. I need to find two people. So I said, now I'm going.
And she said, what are you going to do? Then he said, that you will do? I said, well, I'm going to just become a guided missile. I said, well, I'm going to just become a guided missile. I'm just going to say, Lord, I'm under your instructions. I'm just going to say, Lord, I'm under your instructions.
You tell me exactly how to get to my cousin. You tell me exactly how to get to my cousin. I don't know what he looks like. I don't even know what hairstyle he has. I don't even know what hairstyle he has. I don't know how tall he is.
I don't know what he's wearing. I don't even know if he's fat or thin. I don't even know if he's fat or thin. Not a clue. And it turns out he had no clue about me either. I said, now you just direct me.
I'm listening. I'm listening. I ask the Lord, you are now telling me, I'm hearing your instructions. You say, I'll go straight. Turn left, turn left. How practical is the Christian life?
Is God real? Is God real? Now I walk out and immediately there's one road to the right, one is to the left.
Lord, which way do I go? The Lord is left. The Lord is left.
In the east and east, like people. Like people like people like people. I say, how far am I going? Just keep walking. I said, how far am I going? Just keep walking.
So I walk, walk and then the Lord said left, I turn left. I turn left. The Lord said, I turn left.
The Lord said, I turn right. Then at one point He said left, go left. He said left, go left. Then there's no further instructions. I walk right up to the wall. I walk right up to the wall.
I can't walk through the wall. The Lord said, look up. He said, look up. I look up. I see a man standing there. I looked up to him and I thought, that must be him.
I look up to the wall. I look up to him and I thought, that must be him. I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up.
I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up. I thought, that must be him. I look up.
I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up.
I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up. I look up.
I look up. I look up. Of course I was speaking Mandarin, not Chinese.
Of course, I'm not using English to speak. I'm using Chinese to speak. George is his English name. He has a English name, George. He said, yes, that's me. He said, you must be Eric.
He said, yes, yes, I am. You are Eric. Of course, he was speaking Mandarin to me.
He was speaking Mandarin to me. He didn't say Eric, he said Xiehe. He called me Chinese. Yeah. So then he came down.
How real is the spiritual life? Is God real? Can you work this by your imagination? Try doing it by imagination and see what happens. God is that real. I read in Brother Ross's book, Brother Ross Patterson's book, About a brother called Ye.
Ye. Ye. Ye. I'm not quite sure how it's pronounced in Chinese. But anyway, Brother Ye. I read another book, a book called Patterson's book, that there was a brother named Ye.
I remember his testimony was that on one occasion he went to look for another brother in another prison camp. Yes, in the book there was a book, that he went to another brother in another prison camp. And this brother he had never seen before. This brother he had never seen before. And so he did exactly what I did, saying Lord, how am I going to find this brother? He did exactly what I did, saying Lord, how am I going to find this brother?
And because that brother is a Christian, he dare not ask anybody by telling that person, by asking by name, how do I find this person? He couldn't ask by name. Because he was in the law of the church. Because he was in the law of the church. Because he was in the law of the church. Because he was in the law of the church.
And so he walked and prayed, just as I did. And finally he was led to a group of people who were under law guy. And finally, the king was led to one group of people. He was in the law of the church. There were 200 people. He didn't know which one is the one.
He didn't know which one is the one. So he prayed to the Lord, Lord show me which one. He said to the Lord, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, You impressed me, It's really strange. I've seen a book about another sister's experience. It's true. There's a woman who died in Fujian.
This is in Fujian. Now you have to understand the pastors in China are very very poor. My grandfather was a Presbyterian pastor in Fujian. My father was a pastor in Fujian. So I know from my father and from my uncle's brothers just how poor the pastor was.
I've heard my father and my uncle's brother and my uncle's brother would have had much of an education. It depended on father's salary because he had no money to pay for anything. Because he had to use his money to take care of his children. So they didn't have much of a teacher.
But the good thing is that all his sons were very gifted. But his children and children were all very gifted. And so my father went on from one scholarship to another. So my father was able to study many of the students.
But the pastors were very poor. And the pastors were very poor. Even now. Even now. And this sister who was serving the Lord, she was only in her late twenties, twenty seven. I think that's the time.
This sister, she was only in her late twenties, twenty seven. This sister, she was 20-year-old, she was in the Lord. Her pay was 160 yuan at the time. This is about forty-fifty years ago.
This happened in about 45 years ago. The time of her son's income was 160 yuan. When the pastor's daughter died, she knew that he would have a lot of expenses.
You know the expenses and so on which he couldn't pay. He knew that this woman's daughter died when she died. She also needed to do her holy and so on. He also needed to do her holy and so on. So he prayed for him.
He prayed for her. He prayed for her. And his family. He prayed for her. His family. And the Lord said to her.
Give your whole month's salary to him. Every month's salary? Every month's salary? For 160 dollars is just enough for her to live. If he gives 160 dollars, what's he going to live on for the whole month? Would you dare to do that?
Have you the faith that knows that God is real? So he bargained with the Lord. Lord, you've got to be reasonable. I mean, half and half, you know, I give a half the salary, it would be quite generous. I give a half the salary, it would be very expensive. Not enough?
Not enough. Lord, how about I give him 100 dollars? I give him 60 dollars. I give him 60 dollars. No. Not enough.
Lord, your heart. Lord, your heart. You're really very sensitive. It's dangerous to pray. You pray you end up with no salary for the month. You pray for the month.
You pray for the month. You pray for the month. No wonder so few Christians like to pray. The Lord will tell you to do something you don't want to do.
The Lord will tell you to do something you don't want to do. So she took her 160 dollars and gave it to the pastor. to the pastor. He was wondering how she's going to survive for the month. Well, the next morning, an elderly lady came and brought her tea. The elderly lady came and brought her tea. Now, this elderly lady never did that before.
And she did it exactly for one month. She did it for a month. She can't fill your stomach with tea, right? But at least it's very refreshing. And she had a little bit of rice left over from the last month. The last one for one or two days.
And the Lord did a miracle. She couldn't finish the rice for the whole month. She kept using the rice and it was a whole month. Using the rice and it kept the same amount in the bag. She always took the rice and kept the same amount in the bag. No matter how much she used, it was still the same amount of rice.
No matter how much she used to cook, it was still the same amount of rice. Some of you will remember that I gave just the same kind of testimony. You remember, I've mentioned the same kind of testimony. That's a can of the rice. Not Chinese rice, but foreign rice. Turnips, that is.
It's a cup of the rice. It's a cup of the rice. I was using that. It's army ration actually. Mainly starch. I used that for army ration.
I used that and the can would not be used. The rice is in the army's army's army's army's ration. I used it to go to eat. But it's not enough to use it.
I bought it very cheaply from the back streets in Shanghai. I bought it very cheaply from the back streets in Shanghai. I used it and used it and it would not be used up. I used it and used it and it would not be used up. Until one day I had eaten so much of this, one can can last for so long that in the end I really had to confess to the Lord, I'm sorry Lord, but I cannot stand the taste of turnips anymore. I've eaten so much, and I've eaten so much, until one day I finally can't stop and say, I'm sorry, I can't even eat this.
I feel so ashamed of myself. I'm hungry, and yet I could not stand the taste of this thing. I feel so ashamed of myself. I'm hungry, and yet I could not stand the taste of this thing. I'm hungry, but I'm hungry, but I can't eat this kind of taste. The thing this was used up one more time and gone.
Then I'll eat that one more time and gone. Lady, this sister has the same experience. That rice could not be used up exactly as she mentioned, what happened in the time of Elijah. This sister's experience is the same thing. The rice is the same thing. The rice is the same thing.
The rice is the same thing. It's the same thing. It's the same thing. It's wonderful. It's a very strange thing. Now I want to close very soon.
I want to close very soon. I want to close, because what I've been telling you is the type of life that is in Christ. Those two words, in Christ, are very important. I want to tell you today, what is in the Bible? in the Bible, in the Bible, what is in the Bible? the life in Christ is a key element of New Testament, a biblical teaching.
The Bible is the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit. Remember the illustration I gave you?
I gave you the illustration? With this deafening noise going on, with this deafening noise going on, did you notice what I said? I said, I deliberately, consciously placed myself into Christ. I will put myself into the Bible. Because Philippians 4.7 says, that God's peace, God's peace beyond all understanding, O God, your hearts and minds were in Christ Jesus. In the Bible, the Bible is the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the environment of our life, the spiritual environment. That's something that you can experience for yourself. So real that not even the deafening noise could affect my sleep.
So real that if you have no food to eat, He will put the food on your table. So real that if in this chaotic world, you don't know what direction in which to go, He will direct you. It is amazing.
It is amazing. Now what I've been saying to you, in very simple language, is very deep biblical teaching. I was just saying to you, in very simple language, it is very deep biblical teaching. It is very deep biblical teaching.
It is very deep deep teaching. You see, the Apostle Paul uses the term in Christ many many times. I wonder if you have noticed that when you read the New Testament. When you read the New Testament, you have noticed that you have noticed that that you have used this word in the Bible. whenever you read the New Testament.
I did a statistical count of it. I did a statistical count of it. I did a statistical count of it. using the original Greek and Christo Jesu in Christ Jesus using the original Greek and Christo Jesu in Christ Jesus I noticed that in Paul's letters alone it occurs 92 times in Paul's letters alone 92 times there is another term he uses in another term he uses in Kyrio in the Lord in主裡面 47 times or just in him using the pronoun in him or using the pronoun in him in the word in him in the word about 60 times in God in the word in God five times in the total making nearly 200 times this term, this little term in Christ is a key biblical teaching this term so short of a word in the Bible is a teaching in the Bible of a Bible that is a key that is a key that is a key that is a key that is a key that is a key that is a key that is why I try to make it so practical today what it is to be in Christ so today I will use a very very practical of a key to explain what is the key in the Bible with the word in the Bible! with Christ and there is also a key called with Christ The word is called, In the American Standard Bible, it occurs nine times. In the English translation of the Bible, this word is nine times. In the original, it occurs seven times. Or with him, that is with the pronoun without the word Christ, with him.
Or with the word is called, with him. That occurs eighteen times. Eight times. A total of about twenty-five or six times. There you can see the difference. In Christ is the key term.
You can see the difference between the two and the two. In the Christian language, this is more important. Now, in Christ, anyone who knows a little bit of Greek will know. In the Christian language, if you know a little bit of Greek, you will know that in Christ, if it comes to the dative, Of course, in the New Testament, this meaning is not fitting to this level. It is called using the person of Christ.
Just to establish what I am saying on a firm biblical and theological footing. I will quote a very short statement from Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. in Christ's new book in the Bible in Christ's book what is that in? what is that in? what he says is very significant what he says is very significant here is what I quote we move into a different sphere we move into a different sphere into another sphere into another sphere of existence or life into another sphere of existence or life I continue the quotation this is what he says we move into a different sphere in baptism by means of baptism we move into a new sphere so that the formula the formula in Christ in the Lord this is the second sphere in the Lord in the Lord with a local as well as a instrumental nuance and a functional nuance but with a strong sense of a state but the most important is in the the situation I'm sorry to be technical for just a few minutes sorry to be technical for just a few minutes sorry to be technical for just a few minutes sorry to be technical for just a few minutes I will be more more than a few minutes because the important thing is to realize that through baptism what happens how do you get into Christ the first step is through baptism how do you run into the Lord the first step is keep the commandment We are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit We are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit We are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit We are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit We are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit We are baptized into Christ We are baptized into Christ We are baptized into Christ We are baptized into Christ We are baptized We are baptized into Christ He says, you in me, I in you. Now there is the beauty of union with Christ.
To be a Christian is somebody who is united with him. So that we live in him and he lives in us. But I'm stressing today the reality of our living, in him.
Zechariah 2, 5. Even going back to the Old Testament, we see the same truth. He says, I will be a wall of fire around my people. We are in God and he is round about us, like a fire protecting us.
We are in God's land and he is like a fire of fire around us, and to protect us. Is that just beautiful language? In this chaotic world in which we live, is beautiful language enough? in this situation, in this situation, is it very beautiful?
Or can we experience the reality of that protecting fire? We are not impressed with the fire run by our door? We are impressed with the fire run by our door.
And then he goes on to say, I will be their glory within them. We in him and he in us. Because his glory is within us, what happens? We shine like a light. This is what we read also in Psalm 125 verse 2.
This is what we read in Psalm 125 verse 2. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord is around his people. From this time forth and forever. From this time forth and forever. In Deuteronomy 33, 27. The eternal God is your refuge.
The refuge is something you go into. The eternal God is your refuge. This is your refuge.
The refuge is something you go into. This is something you go into. This is something you go into.
In the midst of a chaotic world. In the midst of a flood. In Him you are secure. In Him you are secure. In Him you are secure. And he goes on to say, underneath are the everlasting arms.
In the midst of a flood. The word refuge occurs 17 times in the Psalms. The word refuge occurs 17 times in the Psalms.
And occurs in various forms like other expressions like shelter from storm, danger, strong fortress and so on. In other words to express the You are secure in Him. In His presence. In His presence. Nothing can terrify us here. But more than that.
Because in Christ we have everything. We have everything. I hear many people preparing for bad times What they do, they stock up with food and so on. I hear many people preparing for bad times. I hear many people preparing for bad times. What they do, they stock up with food and so on.
But in Christ, you can experience the reality of everything. Let me tell you a little bit, just to give you a little taste of how rich is life in Christ. First of all, in Christ, there is life itself.
That is in Romans 6, verses 11 and 23. In Christ, you have something called love. In Christ, you have something called love. Too bad, so many people, especially young people are looking for love somewhere else. They look for earthly love. They look for earthly love.
They look for earthly love. Earthly love is nice, but like everything earthly, it fades away. But the love of God in Christ has a quality entirely different. But the love of God in Christ's love is completely different. It never changes. It doesn't get weaker.
It doesn't get weaker. And nothing can separate us from that life. No external power whatsoever can take away that love from us. The only way you can lose that love is by persisting in sin. It is in Christ that grace is given to us.
We command the Lord's commandant. Grace for everything that you need. Grace for everything that you need. All the need for the need is also to be able to provide That's in 1 Corinthians 1.4 I spoke about this in Romans 8.39 What else is in Christ? What is freedom?
Do you know what it is called自由? Because you only experience true freedom I noticed that you Christians know what freedom is Not living in Christ and in fullness Not living in Christ and in fullness There is a blessing, every kind of blessing Galatians 3.14 is what it says Blessings in Christ Unity, oneness, that sense of harmony and wholeness That's in Galatians 3.28 That's in Galatians 3.28 Wonderful purity or sanctification Or that's the word of sanctification 1 Corinthians 1.2 We saw the joy and duty of holiness or sanctification We saw the joy and duty of holiness or sanctification We saw the joy and duty of holiness or sanctification We saw the joy and duty of holiness or sanctification We saw the joy and duty of holiness or sanctification We saw the joy and duty of holiness or sanctification How do you feel after a nice fresh shower? You feel clean. That's what holiness is. Spiritual cleanliness. So the other thing Paul says in Colossians is really amazing.
He says that all the wisdom and knowledge of God is hidden in Christ. Every wisdom and knowledge is found in Christ in Colossians 2.3.神的一切的智慧知识都是隐藏在基督里面. In Colossians 1.19 and then Colossians 2.9 it says the whole fullness of God lives in Jesus bodily.哥罗西书1章19節都讲到神的整体的封城都是住在基督里面. The result is that when we are also in Christ where all that fullness is, we are filled with that fullness. You know, when we are in Christ's Holy Spirit, the whole fullness of God is filled with us.
That is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Some people are looking for the Holy Spirit's fullness and all looking in the wrong place. There are many people who are looking for the fullness of the Holy Spirit's fullness. Some people think you get the fullness by trying to speak in some tongue or you got to all this fine. You can speak in tongue for whatever.
It doesn't bother me. But that's not the way to get the fullness of the Holy Spirit. There are many people who are thinking to speak in tongues. That's how we can have the Holy Spirit's fullness. It's interesting how the charismatic brothers and sisters often like to invite me to preach to them. It's interesting how the charismatic brothers and sisters often like to invite me to preach to them.
I'm not a charismatic. I'll tell you that I'm not a Christian. They say, we know. But what you have is what we are looking for. They say, I know. But what you have is what we are looking for.
Those who go into prophecies and go into all these kinds of gifts, confusing the gift with the fullness of the Spirit himself. They are to follow the Holy Spirit's fullness. They are to follow the Holy Spirit's fullness. But they have to follow the Holy Spirit's fullness. Just about three days ago, I talked to an old friend that I knew during his student days in England. About three days ago, I was talking to another friend.
He was doing medicine at the time, and he's working as a doctor in East Malaysia. He was doing medicine at the time, and he's working as a doctor in East Malaysia. He was studying medical medicine. And I remember him being very charismatic, or so I thought. I remember that he was very charismatic. And he was a leader among some charismatic people.
He was also a leader in the Holy Spirit. And he invited me to speak to the charismatic people. He invited me to speak to the charismatic people. And I still remember how after one of these meetings, another charismatic person came to me and asked whether I was speaking in tongues. I remember that the聚会 was done. The other one of the I was not aware that the聚会 was written in the Bible.
I was not aware that the Bible was written in the Bible. I was not aware that the Bible was written in the Bible. And that was the way that Jesus said in the Bible. So I was not to ask for this.
So this brother, this doctor that I just mentioned, then what happened, he arranged for me to stay in the friend, in the house of a friend of his overnight. Another person was also a doctor. And so this other doctor was driving me home to spend the night there. So both of them went with me.
So the one who drove me home, when we got home, he wanted to lay hands on me so that I could speak in tongues. So the one who drove me home, when we got home, he wanted to lay hands on me so that I could speak in tongues. So he wanted to pray for me.
He said, do I mind? He asked me, do I mind? I said, I don't mind. He said, I don't mind. And when he wanted to do so, my other friend said, you're really presumptuous. But my friend said, wow, you're so powerful.
He said, who are you? You're going to lay your hands on the Apostle Paul and pray for him? He said, who are you? If you said, if you wanted to leave the Apostle Paul and pray for him. I said no no no. I'm not in the understanding of the Apostle Paul.
I said no no no. I'm not in the understanding of the Apostle Paul. This is a long time back now.
This is way back about 30 years before. This is a long time back now. But it's 30 years before.
And so I said to his friends. Feel free to pray for me. I feel privileged if you pray for me. And so he did. But I still didn't speak in tongues.
But thanks be to the Lord, I live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit without it. Because, as I said, they saw from the way I live and the way I testified that this man clearly lives in the fullness of the Spirit, in Christ. Because they saw that in my life, I was alive in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. So many people, I've seen very sadly, some people go down the drain spiritually.
I'm very surprised to see that there are many people who are in the Holy Spirit without it. Yes, they speak in tongues. And then they fall into sin. And then they fall into sin. Now, the thing you need to understand is this. If you are in Christ, you live in an atmosphere where sin cannot operate.
You live in an atmosphere where sin cannot operate. That's the whole point of 1 John, the first letter of John. So this is the first letter of John.
How can sin work in Christ? He is the one who died for sin. When you are in Christ, you put yourself there, sin cannot operate.
For sin cannot but you're not of it. Now bear this in mind, dear brothers and sisters. The most important thing, I hope you grasp this message as I must close now. I hope you can grasp this message as I must close now.
If you can understand the New Testament teaching of in Christ, which occurred some 200 times in Paul's letters alone, in the book of Paul's letters over 200 times in Paul's letters. If you grasp this secret, you have grasped the entire secret of the Christian life. You will be able to answer my question, which I started with at the beginning. How real is spiritual life? How practical is it? How practical is it?
Give people the impression that being a Christian is out of touch with the world. It is precisely because we are in Christ that we can function in a way that nobody else can function in this chaotic world. People will see in your life a power. A light. A beauty. A beauty.
A love. A love. A love. It can be found nowhere else. And that is why you can function as a light in the darkness of a chaotic world. You can function as a saving power, guiding people to Christ.
You will be able to pass on the life that you have from him to other people, so that the dead come to life spiritually and later on physically too. You can bring your life to other people, and that the dead will be able to live. First, the dead will be able to live.
And that will be able to live in the body. Is there a more meaningful life than that? I want to close very briefly with another short story to illustrate my point.
I mentioned about this dear sister who gave away her 160 dollars. I mentioned that this sister who gave her 160 dollars for the Lord. Then she continued to suffer for the Lord. She was taken into prison. She was taken into prison. Her only crime was because she believed in Jesus and was one of the effective teachers of the God's Word.
And the only wrong thing is that she believed in Jesus and was a very powerful teaching teacher. I would love to read these testimonies. Thank you.
# God's Will in This Chaotic Generation: Faith Under Testing (Part 3)
You can bring your life to other people, and that in the dead people will be able to live. First, the dead people will be able to live. And in the body will be able to live. Is there a more meaningful life than that? I want to close very briefly with another short story to illustrate my point.
I mentioned about this dear sister who gave away her 160 dollars. She gave her 160 dollars to the teacher. She continued to suffer for the Lord. She was taken into prison. Her only crime was because she believed in Jesus, and was one of the effective teachers of the God's Word. And her only mistake, according to her, is she believed in Jesus, and she is a very powerful Christian teacher.
I would like to encourage everyone to try to read testimonies of those faithful servants of the Lord. because it sets a standard for you to look at. And often when I look at these testimonies, I say to myself, I don't know if I could do that. I don't know if I am up to their standards. For example, she was arrested and handcuffed.
And you think, well, what's the big deal about being handcuffed? But if you read a few more testimonies, you will realize that the handcuffs they use is not quite the same as what police use in Hong Kong. If you read more about their testimonies, you will find that the handcuffs they use with the police and the police use is not quite the same as what police use. Some of these handcuffs, they cut tight, so tight, they go right to the bone, exposing the skin after a while. Because the handcuffs are very tight, and they will even tear the neck. After a little while, you can't stand it anymore.
After a little while, you can't stand it anymore. She was put into handcuffs and was kept in that for days and days. And she was put into handcuffs and kept in that for days and days. Put in handcuffs means, of course, you can't eat with your hands behind your back. At first, she was cuffed in the front, but later, very soon, a few days later, they cuffed her at the back. At first, they were in front of her back.
And then, they were in front of her back. And then, they were in front of her back. Now, with the handcuffs at the back, how do you eat? Your hand is holding back to the back, and you can't eat like a dog. You can't eat like a dog. And how do you drink?
You drink like a dog. The whole idea is to degrade you. The whole idea is to degrade you. And then, how do you sleep? And then, how do you sleep? Well, she explained that to sleep, she had to kneel down on one knee.
And then, kneel down on the other knee. You're in front of me. And then, you're face just dropped down onto the floor. And then, you're facing the whole night. You can't turn. You can't do anything.
Just sleep there. You're in front of me. How do you breathe?
Well, you've got your neck to one side. You're in front of me. You're in front of me. You're in front of me. And so many prisoners, so many Christians broke under that torture. They couldn't take it.
And so they liked using this one because they knew that most Christians couldn't stand it for very long. They kept her in cuffs for many weeks. So that she could not wash her hair.
So the hair got more and more dirty and infested with bugs. And then, she began to have boils on her head. And then, she began to have boils on her head. And then, the pus started to run out. And then, the pus started to run out. And then, the pus started to run out.
So that the stench was terrible. And then, there was a little臭 of the smell that came out. That was the way she was treated. And then, she was called in to see if she would give up. Do you still believe in Jesus? She said, certainly I do.
What can your Jesus do for you? How practical is your faith? Can he open your handcuffs for you and let you free? Look at what you look like now. You look a mess. Your hair is all filthy.
You stink. Your bust is running down your face. If Jesus saw you, he wouldn't even want you. And then she said, even if he kills me, I will trust him. Even if he kills me, I will trust him. And I am not asking him to take the handcuffs off my arms.
I didn't ask him to take him off. In fact, I have told you the opposite. I asked him that he might keep the handcuffs on me. I am not asking him to take the handcuffs off my arms. Because nothing has done my soul so much good that all these weeks with my hands behind my back. Because she was living in Christ.
How practical? Because she was living in Christ. Because she was living in Christ. Being in the prison meant nothing to her. Because it was in Christ she was enjoying the fullness of her spiritual life. How much did she enjoy that life in Christ with the handcuffs on?
She describes her heart as filled with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. And she describes her heart as filled with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. For the She said, but I'm not smiling. She said, you are smiling. Go look in a mirror. She's got a mirror.
Here's it. She thought she's really smiling. The point is this. She was not making up a smile on her face. It was the joy in her heart that made the smile, and she wasn't conscious of it. You and I sleep comfortably in bed.
Didn't we have a nice sleep last night? We didn't sleep on our face with our neck in this way. Our hair is quite clean. We managed to take shower. We did not eat like a dog. That is to say if there was even anything to eat.
The difference between her and us is what? The external environment, the physical environment didn't matter to her. Because spiritually, she was in Christ. Do you know what that means? How practical that is? After three months in handcuffs, they decided they were going to take them off.
And you know what? When they came to take off her handcuffs, she refused. They couldn't believe it. She said life in Jesus is so sweet with these handcuffs on. I don't want to take them off. I'll have them taken off.
The first person took the cuffs off her. She said the real pain started when the handcuffs came off. Because the arms were locked in that position for three months, couldn't move. And then she discovered the hands could not move anymore, they were paralyzed. So there was this unspeakable pain in the arms and the hands were paralyzed.
So when she saw that her hands were paralyzed, he cried out to the Lord. And do you know why she cried out to the Lord? You wouldn't believe it either. Because they were going to send her to Laogai after prison, to hard labor camp. But how can she work with her hands paralyzed? She had already thought ahead.
She knew that they were going to send her to Laogai. And she prayed that when she goes there, she will shine like a light by being the best worker in the whole Laogai and the whole hard labor camp. Can you believe that? And the Lord healed her hands. And she became exactly what she requested. When other people pick 10 pounds of tea leaves per day, she would pick 20.
She would not be crushed by evil, but she would overcome the evil with good. She would not be crushed by evil, but she would overcome the evil with good. Her prison mates, all those in the same prison room with her, they came to the Lord one by one. Looking at a life like this, they thought this is amazing. They could also find the people who would come to the Lord one by one to believe Jesus. Because they would see that this life, they would know that it was not possible.
Prison guards turning to the Lord secretly. And even the people who would come to the Lord secretly. This is the reality of life in Christ.
It doesn't depend on external circumstances. You can put such a person who is in Christ into the most terrible prison and it wouldn't make any difference. You can put such a person who is in Christ into the most terrible prison and it wouldn't make any difference. Not only was she in handcuffs for those three months. Not only was she in handcuffs for those three months. Her prison room, which is very small, was on top of a heating chamber for heating water.
She's in the house in a hot water. And in summer, can you imagine what was the temperature of her prison room? In the heat of the prison room, you can imagine what was the temperature of her prison room? Hands cuffs boiling in the heat of that prison room, where the temperature was just soaring like a sauna, and everybody was sweating. The sweat just running off the body, day and night. The weather was very hot, and the heat of the heat of the water.
And there was the sister. And there was the sister. The sweat running off her old body. Her arms at the back. Smiling. Smiling.
Can you imagine the other prisoners looking at her? This is unbelievable. You can imagine other people in the church in the church. She said she felt her whole body just resting in the love of Christ. She felt the presence of the Lord all around her. She felt the same as the Lord's presence.
She felt the same as the Lord's presence. And on one occasion, the Lord appeared to her. But she says that in one sentence. She doesn't develop or discuss. She just said the Lord appeared to me, and then goes on to say something else. Yes.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes. that this sister to our knowledge is still alive to this day. In spite of twenty years in hard labor, in spite of having developed during that time serious heart trouble, she's 89 years old now, still alive. How amazing God is. Let us close in prayer.
Let us close in prayer.