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Hebrews 8:11 records: “For all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” This means that the New Testament has a distinctive feature: every person who is born again can directly know God. Therefore, knowing God becomes an exceedingly important matter for every Christian. The content presented in this book is written with the hope that it may contribute to our knowledge of God. May the Father, through His Spirit, lead us into a deeper and broader knowing of Him. T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Chapter 1 Abundant Forgiveness Chapter 2 Abundant Grace Chapter 3 Abundant Lovingkindness Chapter 4 Abundant Compassion Chapter 5 Abundant Life Chapter 6 Abundant Word Chapter 7 Abundant Power Chapter 8 Abundant Wisdom Chapter 9 Abundant Salvation Chapter 10 Abundant Provision

Bible Reading: Hebrews 8:10-11 Psalm 19:7 John 5:39 Acts 17:11 Colossians 3:16 Ezra 7:10 The Perfect Law Declares the Abundance of God’s Word The God whom we know and experience is exceedingly rich. The more we experience Him, the more we discover that our knowledge of Him is but a drop in the ocean, a single grain of sand on the shore—infinitesimal and insignificant. Yet even so, we must devote all the years of our lives to pursuing the knowledge of Him, for this is the highest meaning of our life. Concerning His abundance, we have already spoken of five aspects: (1) His abundant forgiveness, (2) His abundant grace, (3) His abundant love, (4) His abundant mercy, and (5) His abundant life. Now we must go on to the sixth aspect—His abundant Word. How can we know that a learned scholar is full of knowledge and wisdom? It is revealed through what he says. By listening to his speeches or the words he speaks, we can discern the depth of his learning and the extent of his understanding and experience. In the same way, one reason we know that God is a an abundant God is through the words He Himself has spoken and revealed. Especially through His all-inclusive, inexhaustibly rich utterances, we come to know what an immeasureably abundant God He is. How then do we know that God possesses rich and abundant Words? First, we can see this from the perfection of His law. The Bible is the Word of God, and it is also God's book of law given to humanity as the standard for our living. The Bible declare that the law of God is perfect, indicating that His Word is complete, flawless, lacking nothing. It is full, comprehensive, all-sufficient, and infinitely abundant. Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect.” This indicates that the Bible is a complete and all-inclusive book of divine law. Consider it from the standpoint of age: whether one is a child, a youth, a young adult, a mature adult, or an elderly person, the Bible provides guidance. Consider it from the standpoint of occupation: whether one is engaged in agriculture, industry, commerce, education, the military, or any other profession, its principles apply. Consider it from the standpoint of culture: whether one is highly civilized or socially undeveloped, the standards for living are found within its pages. Furthermore, whether it concerns an individual's clothing, food, shelter, and transportation; family relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters; or social relationships and interactions with others, the conduct of daily life, the way one treats people and handles affairs, one's behavior and character, and the principles by which one lives in the world, all are recorded and set forth in the Bible. Even in the service and ministry of the church, the Bible alone is the unique standard to be followed. Whether in preaching the gospel, edifying believers, building up the church, or handling the various affairs of the church, everything must be based upon the Bible. For the Bible sets before us the principles for both human living and Christian service, directing us in the way we should walk. By following these divine standards, we may be justified before God and receive His blessing. Therefore, the Bible is truly an all-inclusive and complete book of divine law. Its fullness and richness of content testify to the fact that the law of rhe Lord is indeed perfect. Yet the law of the Lord is only one portion of His rich and abundant words. From this alone, we can begin to realize how immeasurably rich and inexhaustible the words of the Lord God truly are! Bearing Witness to Christ Reveals the Abundance of God's Word The Lord Jesus said in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness about Me.” This shows that the Bible is also a book that bears witness to Christ. God is infinitely great, yet all the fullness of God dwells bodily in Christ (Col. 2:9). This shows that Christ also is an infinitely abundant Lord. No wonder the Apostle Paul said that the stewardship entrusted to him was to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8), indicating that Christ is a Lord of infinite riches and greatness. Yet this Bible is also a book that bears witness to Christ. Since Christ is so rich, the content of God's Word, the Bible, must likewise be rich. Because Christ possesses unsearchable riches, the Bible that bear witness to Him naturally contain the same unsearchable and infinite spiritual significance. For example, the New Testament opens with these words: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1). Who, then, is Jesus? One explanation is that Jesus is the son of Abraham (lit., descendant), and therefore is prefigured by Isaac. Isaac has several notable characteristics: He was the son of promise (Gal. 4:23); likewise, Christ was promised by God to be born as the Savior (Gal. 3:16). He inherited all that belonged to his father (Gen. 24:36); likewise, all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Christ (Col. 2:9). He was obedient to his father (Gen. 22:6-8); likewise, Christ spent His entire life carrying out the will of God the Father (Heb. 10:7). He was offered upon the altar (Gen. 22:9-10); likewise, Christ was offered on the cross (Heb. 9:14). From Isaac alone, we can see at least these aspects of Christ. In addition, there are many other meanings that could be considered, but for lack of time we cannot mention them all. Jesus Christ is not only the son of Abraham, but also the son of David. He is therefore typified by Solomon. Solomon also has several notable characteristics: The meaning of his name is peace; Christ is also the One who gives peace to man (Col. 3:15). Solomon was a king (1 Kings 4:1); Christ likewise was exalted to heaven to reign. (Acts 5:31). Solomon was most wise (1 Kings 4:29); Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24), and He has also become wisdom to us (1 Cor. 1:30). Solomon built the temple (1 Kings 7:51); Christ also builds the spiritual temple, the church (Matt. 16:18). Therefore, through Solomon's typology, we gain some understanding of Christ. In addition, there are other meanings, but for lack of time we cannot elaborate further. Consider another point. Christ is the son of Abraham and the son of David, brought in through these two men. Abraham's principal experience throughout his life was faith, while David's principal experience was the cross. This tells us that Christ is brought in through the experiences of faith and the cross. Dear brothers and sisters, if a single verse of Scripture bearing witness to Christ contains so many meanings, how much more the entire Bible, which bears witness to Christ from beginning to end! Can you then imagine how rich and abundant the content of God's Word must be? Its riches are beyond measure, its fullness beyond description. Truly, it is inexhaustible and immeasurable. The Abundance of God's Word Portrayed Through Many Figures The abundance of God's Word is also expressed through many different figures and symbols. The Bible uses more than twenty such figures to describe God's Word. However, due to limited time, we will mention only seven of the more familiar ones as examples. Light Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” This shows that one figure of God's Word is light, which directs us in the way we should walk. Proverbs 6:23 also says, “For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching a light.” The commandment and the teaching are both God's Word, and both are portrayed by the figure of light, instructing us how to conduct ourselves and how to live. God's Word is portrayed by light, and one significance of this figure is its universality. In the universe, light reaches farther than anything else. It is nearly everywhere, the most widespread and all-pervasive of all things. This illustrates that God's Word is so rich that there is no place it cannot reach. Its richness is beyond measure, and its abundance beyond comprehension. Our being consists of spirit, soul, and body. When God's Word reaches our spirit, it causes us to be regenerated. When God's Word reaches our soul, it removes every wrinkle and blemish, making us holy and without spot. When God's Word reaches our body, it brings healing to our physical being. Thus, our spirit, soul, and body are all revived and made vigorous. From the standpoint of our personal spiritual experience alone, there is nothing that God's Word does not instruct, nothing it does not remind us of, nothing it does not hear, and nothing it does not inquire into. How rich and abundant it is! How complete and full it is! Dear brothers and sisters, whenever we come before the Lord and read the Bible, we should ask ourselves whether we have received the shining of the Lord's Word. If we have not received the enlightenment of His Word, we will be unable to see our own corruption and shortcomings, and naturally we will not receive the Lord's correction. Then there is the danger that we may remain in darkness rather than walk in God's light. Such a condition is indeed a most fearful and dangerous thing. Rain Deuteronomy 32:2 says, “May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.” Here we are told that the richness of God's Word is manifested through the figure of rain. Rain also falls upon the whole earth, for God “sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Rain descends from heaven, gathers into streams and rivers, flows downward or is stored in lakes, and eventually empties into the seas. The abundance of its water is beyond calculation. Since God's Word is likened to rain, its richness likewise is beyond measure and beyond estimation. A normal Christian, when reading the Scriptures in life and receiving God's Word into the spirit, experiences it as rain that refreshes a dry and thirsty soul. Like a gracious shower, it removes the irritation and natural temper within the heart. Furthermore, as one receives the Lord's Word richly into oneself, God's Word accumulates and becomes a fountain of living water, from which rivers of living water flow out from within. Then, in the church's fellowship meetings or small group gatherings, when there is opportunity to share, God's Word, combined with one's experience, flows forth as rivers of living water from within, watering the dryness of the saints and supplying the needs of their spirits. Whatever is sought can be answered, and whatever is needed can be provided. This displays how abundant and how rich God's Word is, like the greatest reservoir in the universe. Food Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them.” Here, the richness of God's Word is illustrated by the figure of food. Consider the food needed for our physical body. From childhood, we need to eat every day. After we grow into adulthood, we still need food. We continue eating day after day, throughout our entire lifetime, until we leave this world in old age. How much food does a person consume in a lifetime? Who can count it? Moreover, this is true of all humanity. Regardless of race, nationality, gender, age, wealth, or social standing, everyone must eat. How much food, then, is consumed by the world's entire population? Who can know? Spiritually speaking, God's Word is the food of the Christian. Every believer should read the Bible daily and feed upon God's Word. Consider this: if every Christian feeds on God's Word day by day throughout an entire lifetime, how much spiritual food will be consumed? And when we enter eternity, we shall see an innumerable multitude of believers from every age and every nation. How much of God's Word will they altogether have taken as spiritual food? From this we can see that God's Word is our food. How, then, could anyone calculate the richness of God's Word? Even if all the mathematics in the world were brought together, they could not measure it. We can only say that its abundance is infinite. The Bible records that Joseph became ruler over Egypt, typifying Jesus Christ ascending the throne. During the seven years of famine throughout the land, even the people of all the land of Canaan had to go to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain. Whoever came to him was satisfied, and returned with food. The number seven signifies completeness, indicating that whatever the famine and whatever the need, Joseph's supply was fully sufficient. Food typifies the Word of God. Likewise, after Jesus Christ ascended the throne, He supplies the rich Word of God to all who are in need. Moreover, there is still an abundance remaining. As Luke 15:17 says concerning God's house, “there is bread enough and to spare.” Just imagine how exceedingly rich and abundant God's Word must be! Seed Mark 4:14, 20 says, “The sower sows the word,” and, “Those sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” This tells us that another figure of God's Word is seed. A seed can produce a harvest of thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold, portraying an abundance and fruitfulness so great that there is scarcely room to contain it. If we observe the fields carefully, we will discover all kinds of plants growing in the wild, with seeds too numerous to count. Moreover, these seeds reproduce thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold, continually spreading and increasing. How could their number ever be calculated? The Bible uses seed as a figure of God's Word. Therefore, its richness can only be imagined, not fully described. God's Word is so rich that it may be compared to the world's greatest botanical garden of seeds and plants, vast beyond measure and overflowing with abundance. Dear brothers and sisters, Christians must bear much fruit so that God may be glorified. If we are to bear much fruit, one indispensable factor is that we receive more seed, that is, the Word of God. The characteristic of a seed is that it can continually reproduce, generation after generation, without end. Its harvest can be gathered in abundant measure. If we allow God's rich Word to work freely and to be sown into the saints, the result will be glorious: fruit bearing thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. For example, in preaching the gospel, we will gain people as a fisherman catches fish. In visiting believers, all whom we contact will be revived. Our daily living will become a testimony, shining like a bright lamp, so that when people see us, it is as though they see the Lord Himself. Life The Lord Jesus said in John 6:63, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Here we see another figure of God's rich Word, namely, life. The value of a thing is not determined merely by its quantity, but by the quality and preciousness of its nature. Likewise, the value of richness depends upon its quality. For example, the United States is considered a wealthy nation not only because of its vast territory and abundant resources, but also because of its fertile land and rich reserves of minerals and petroleum. By contrast, although the Arctic and Antarctic regions also cover vast areas, they are barren lands, unsuitable for cultivation and lacking in mineral and oil resources. Therefore, they are regarded as desolate and unproductive regions. Thus, whether something is truly rich depends not only upon its extent, but also upon its nature. God's Word is life, what could be more valuable than life itself? If a man gains the whole world yet loses his own life, what profit is there in it? Life is more precious than the whole world, and spiritual life is even more precious than natural life. Because God's Word is life, it reveals the supreme value of God's Word. What in all the world can be compared with it? Its worth is unmatched in all ages and unrivaled throughout history. Through this we see that the richness of God's Word is an immeasurable treasure of infinite value, beyond all estimation and beyond all price. Dear brothers and sisters, since God's Word is life, are we continually receiving spiritual life and supply from His Word, so that our spiritual life may keep growing? Or is the Bible to us merely a book of doctrines, serving only to increase our knowledge? May the Lord have mercy upon us. Sword Ephesians 6:17 says, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The sword is the weapon by which the church defeats the enemy, the devil. Suppose we are spiritually rich people. If we should fall into the hands of the enemy, our riches would be plundered by Satan, and even our spiritual life would be endangered. Yet through God's Word, we are able to overcome the enemy and preserve our spiritual riches. The United States is a wealthy nation, and its national defense is also strong. In recent times, although Japan's economy has caught up with that of the United States, regrettably, while the nation is prosperous, its defense is comparatively weak. Thus, it is rich but not strong, lacking the power to defend itself and therefore unable to guarantee its security. God's Word is a sword. How great is its value! It not only makes us rich, but also strong, enabling us to overcome the enemy, the devil. As Christians, we must not only know God and experience God, but also defeat the enemy. We rely on God's Word as our sword to fight against the devil, overcoming every temptation, trial, and attack, and thus obtaining complete victory. This shows how great and how exalted the value of God's Word is. It enables us to realize more fully its incomparable functions and immeasurable riches. Its power surpasses even that of the most advanced modern weapons, for it is able to overcome the evil spirits of the unseen spiritual realm and defeat Satan, the enemy himself, thereby securing the greatest victory in the universe. An Everlasting Inheritance Psalm 119:111 says, “Your testimonies are my heritage (inheritance) forever, for they are the joy of my heart.” Here, an everlasting inheritance is used as a figure to express the value of God's Word. People consider different things to be their inheritance. Some regard houses, land, factories, or businesses as their inheritance; others regard gold, cash, stocks, and other possessions as their inheritance. Yet all these material inheritances of this world are temporary and will pass away. We bring nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it when we die. God's Word, however, is an everlasting inheritance. Whatever we experience of God's Word in this age carries eternal value. Therefore, the value of God's Word is eternal. Its preciousness is beyond estimation. Since God has given His Word to us as an everlasting inheritance, we ought to devote ourselves diligently to reading the Bible and uncovering their treasures, so that they may become our spiritual experience. In this way we may inherit these unfading and incorruptible riches, this eternal possession, and thus be richly supplied with an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God. Dear brothers and sisters, many parents desire to leave an inheritance to their children. If we truly have our children in mind, the most important thing we can leave them is an everlasting inheritance. What, then, is this everlasting inheritance? It is God's Word. Therefore, we must leave to our children the rich and abundant Word of God. Brothers and sisters, may I ask: what inheritance are you leaving to your children? Houses, land, businesses, and wealth? Or the abundant Word of God? Never forget that worldly and material inheritances are only temporary, for “the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:24-25). If we leave God’s Word as an inheritance to our children, then we will become the wisest and most discerning parents in the world! (However, this does not refer merely to the written words of the Bible, but rather to the living Word that has been personally experienced and lived out.) Our Attitude Since we know that God's Word is so rich, what then should our attitude be? Daily Searching Acts 17:11 records “...searched the Scriptures daily.” Since God's Word is infinitely rich, Bible reading is like mining for gold. It may be difficult and demanding. It requires time, effort, mental concentration, and even physical strength. Yet once a nugget of gold is found, the reward is beyond compare. Therefore, each one of us should search the Scriptures daily, so that we may enter into this spiritual wealth and become spiritually rich, heavenly millionaires, possessing riches as abundant as those of our heavenly Father. Richly Indwelling Through All Wisdom Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” This means that we should not only search the Scriptures daily, but also go a step further by storing the Lord's word in our hearts, treasuring it within, and never forgetting it. In addition to receiving God's word when the Holy Spirit speaks it into our hearts through the written words of Scripture as we read the Bible, we must also use all wisdom to keep the Lord's word within us and retain it in our hearts. For example, some brothers and sisters systematically memorize the Scriptures, learning a few verses each day in an orderly and disciplined way. Others focus on remembering the facts, key points, and central truths of the Bible. According to the measure of their capacity and ability to receive, they store God's Word richly within their hearts. Receiving the Revelation of Christ The Bible is a book that bears witness to Christ, and Christ is its content. Therefore, we should ask the Lord to reveal Christ to us through the Holy Spirit, that we may know Him more. After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples and did something of great importance: He opened their understanding of the Scriptures so that they might know Christ through them. Luke 24:44-45 records: "Then He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” This shows that the central revelation of the Bible is Christ. May the Lord open our eyes, that through the Bible we may receive the revelation of Christ and come to know Him more and more. Practicing the Word Ezra 7:10 records: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to do it.” With regard to God's Word, we should not only study it, but also practice it. Today, many Christians do not fear God and have little desire to do His will. As a result, they merely listen to and talk about God's Word without acting upon it. But those who fear God and love Him seek to understand His will through His Word and then faithfully put it into practice. The more we practice God's Word, the more we experience God. As a result, we are brought into all the riches contained in His Word.

Bible Reading: Psalms 33:9, 103:19 1 Corinthians 1:18 Philippians 3:10 1 Peter 1:5 Romans 1:16 2 Timothy 1:12 God is infinitely rich and without measure. We have already spoken about His: 1) Abundant forgiveness 2) Abundant grace 3) Abundant love 4) Abundant mercy 5) Abundant life 6) Abundant word. Next, we will look at the seventh aspect of His riches: His abundant power. God possesses infinite riches and exceedingly great authority and power. Yet why do so many Christians continue to live in weakness and defeat, languishing in the misery and hardship of spiritual poverty and desolation? The reason is that they have not received revelation; they have not truly seen what is theirs. It is much like the early settlers in America. Because they had not yet discovered the abundant resources of the land, they spent their days farming the soil and cutting timber, living lives of toil and hardship. But when they eventually discovered the vast deposits of coal, iron, oil, and other valuable minerals beneath the ground, resources that could sustain and enrich life, America gradually entered the industrial age. The standard of living steadily improved, and in time the nation became one of the strongest and wealthiest in the world. Vast in territory and rich in resources, powerful in both prosperity and defense, its people enjoyed peace, stability, and flourishing lives, making it a land admired throughout the world. Likewise, when a Christian discovers the riches of Christ's power, He speaks and it comes to be, commands and it stands firm, calls into existence the things that do not exist, and raises the dead, everything changes. On the negative side, there is no longer any need to struggle merely by human determination to do good, living a life of constant effort, frustration, and pain. On the positive side, one can live daily in victory, transcendence, and joy. Therefore, it is exceedingly important to recognize that God possesses unlimited and inexhaustible power. The Bible's Explanation of God's Abundant Power The God whom we believe in and have received is infinitely rich and inexhaustible. We could spend a lifetime experiencing Him and still never exhaust His riches, nor could we ever fully declare all that He is. Concerning just one aspect of His riches, namely His abundant power, the Scriptures provide many explanations and descriptions. This power includes both authority and might. Let us first consider His might. First Chronicles 29:12 says, “In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all..” Here we see that God possesses great power and mighty strength. Psalm 147:5 says, “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.” Though there are many mighty angels in heaven, this verse declares that our God is the One who is greatest in power. Romans 1:20 states, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world.” The very work of creation bears witness to God’s eternal power. Hebrews 7:16 says, “Who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.” Revelation 1:8 records: “Says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” The Lord God Himself declares that He is the Almighty One who can do all things. “For with God all things are possible” (Mathew 19:26). Since He is such an all-powerful God, nothing is too difficult for Him. These verses reveal that God's power is not only eternal, but also boundless and almighty. Oh, how rich and inexhaustible His power is! Concerning God's authority, Matthew 28:18 records: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” This reveals that the authority God possesses encompasses both heaven and earth. It is a universal authority that governs the entire cosmos. There is no realm beyond its reach and no domain outside its jurisdiction. Therefore, God can cause those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth to bow at the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:10). This means that throughout the world of mankind, and indeed throughout the entire universe, His authority is exercised without exception. Consider for a moment the vastness of the universe. Then you may begin to imagine how immeasurably rich and far-reaching His authority is! God's Abundant Power God's power is rich, boundless, and inexhaustible. We shall seek to apprehend it from six distinct aspects, that we may gain a clearer vision of its greatness. And that we may increasingly experience the riches of His power throughout our lifetime. Such an experience will undoubtedly contribute to the carrying out of God's purpose and the fulfillment of His will. God's Powerful Word God possesses abundant power, and one of the primary ways this power is manifested is through His powerful word. To understand the power of God's word, we may first consider the matter of creation. Psalm 33:9 says, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” As soon as God's word went forth, the matter was accomplished, revealing that His word is full of power. At the beginning of Genesis, the record of creation clearly shows that God created the universe through His powerful word. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1:3). God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear,” and it was so (Genesis 1:9). Whatever God spoke came to pass exactly as He had spoken. This shows that God's word is exceedingly powerful. If we lift up our eyes at night and behold this vast universe, we cannot help but marvel at the greatness of God. And when we realize that all things in the universe were created through His word, we are filled with even greater wonder. Oh, how great is the authority and power of His word! What incomparable might it possesses! God’s word not only possesses the power to create heaven and earth, but also the power to uphold all things. Hebrews 1:3 says, “He upholds the universe by the word of His power.” God sustains the entire universe through His powerful word. He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. In this way, all things were created and fully brought into existence. But after creating all things, by what does He sustain them? He established the principles and laws of the universe, causing all things to operate according to their appointed order and regulations, moving in perfect harmony without the slightest confusion or disorder, each remaining in its proper place. In this way, God upholds all things by His powerful command. His word, once spoken, becomes principle, law, and ordinance. This is what is meant by the word of His power. Oh, how powerful God's word truly is! God’s powerful word also shakes man’s natural being. Psalm 29:4-5 says: “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;” The voice of the Lord is the word spoken by God. His word carries a shaking power. It breaks the cedar, the king of trees, signifying the breaking of man's outward glory, pride, and self-exaltation. Dear brothers and sisters, in the special conferences we have often attended in the past. We have experienced that whenever the Lord spoke in those meetings, all who heard His voice fell down before Him. Those who once condemned others instead became convicted concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment, reproaching themselves. This is because God's word possesses a shaking power that brings down human pride, self-confidence, self-righteousness, self-exaltation, and arrogance. Truly, the word of God is vested with mighty and all-sufficient power. God’s powerful word is also able to pierce and divide the spirit and the soul of man. Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." God’s word is exceedingly sharp, penetrating, and precise. It is able to divide what is otherwise difficult to distinguish, namely the spirit and the soul, and to pierce what is hard to separate, namely the joints and the marrow. Moreover, it is able to discern and expose the hidden thoughts, motives, and intentions deep within our hearts. Generally speaking, people do not find it easy to know their own true condition. When others point out our weaknesses and shortcomings, our natural reaction is often one of resistance and unwillingness to accept. But when God's word comes to us and shines upon us, we do not become offended, angry, or rebellious. Rather, we fall down before Him and, like Job, repent in dust and ashes. This demonstrates the mighty power of God's word. God's Sovereign Authority A second aspect of God’s abundant power is displayed through His sovereign authority. Psalm 103:19 says: “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” God sits upon the throne, possessing the highest authority to govern all things in the universe. We call this His sovereign authority. Since He is able to rule over all creation and govern everything in the universe, His authority must be immeasurably great and infinite in extent. The apostle Paul, through divine revelation, wrote in Ephesians concerning God: “Who works all things according to the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). This expresses that God carries out everything in the universe according to His own purpose and will. Whatever He intends, He accomplishes. He possesses absolute authority. No creature, whether angels, rulers, powers, things above, or things below, can hinder Him, for He holds supreme and unrivaled authority over all. Matthew 10:29 records that Jesus said without the Father's permission, not one of the sparrow will fall to the ground. This speaks of the administration of God's sovereign authority. His governing care is so thorough and detailed that He watches even over the sparrows, creatures of little value in man's eyes. Moreover, He has even numbered the hairs of our head (Matthew 10:30). This means that God's sovereign authority oversees every person, every matter, and every thing in the entire universe. Whether great or small, all are under His government and care. How rich and abundant, then, is God's power! Recognizing this, the psalmist could say: “I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is You who have done it” (Psalm 39:9). This also indicates that everything that comes upon us has passed through the permission of God's sovereign authority. Paul also says: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28). Every person, every matter, and every thing in the universe is under God's sovereign hand. Through all things working together, God is carrying out His purpose of building up the believers and causing those who love Him to receive benefit. This truth repeatedly reminds us that God's sovereign authority truly rules and reigns over all. God’s sovereign authority, rich in power, is further demonstrated through His mighty hand governing the land, the sea, and the heavens. Exodus 32:11 says: “your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand.” This verse tells us that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt by His mighty hand, performing many signs and wonders. For example, He sent the ten great plagues upon the land of Egypt, showing that His mighty hand rules over the earth. He also divided the waters of the Red Sea and led Israel safely through the midst of the sea, demonstrating that His mighty hand governs the waters. Furthermore, when Israel fought against the Amorites after entering Canaan, He caused the sun to stand still in the heavens, revealing that His mighty hand also rules over the skies. Oh, God's mighty hand governs the land, the sea, and the heavens! He is truly the supreme Commander of the entire universe, ruling over earth, sea, and sky. How rich is His power! How vast is His might! Not only so, the Lord Jesus’ casting out of demons and healing of diseases also reveal to us how limitless the power of God's sovereign authority is. It extends beyond the physical realm into the spiritual and unseen realms. The Bible records that the Lord Jesus commanded demons with authority and power, and the unclean spirits came out (Luke 4:36). He also healed all who were sick (Luke 4:40). Peter’s mother-in-law was suffering from a severe fever. Jesus rebuked the fever, and it left her (Luke 4:39). He commanded a paralytic to rise, and immediately the man stood up and walked (Luke 5:24-25). He rebuked the raging wind and waves, and the storm ceased, and there was a great calm (Luke 8:24). He also commanded the unclean spirits to come out of a demon-possessed man. The demons obeyed His word, departed from the man, entered a herd of swine, and rushed into the lake (Luke 8:33). In His dealings with Satan's kingdom and the powers of darkness, God's sovereign authority was manifested in a most striking way. It is sharp, irresistible, and invincible, overcoming every power of darkness and destroying all the works of the devil. Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord not only has the power to cast out demons and heal diseases, but He has also given this authority to us, so that we may overcome all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm us (Luke 10:19). Hallelujah! The Power of the Cross The third aspect of God's abundant power is manifested even more through the power of the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” This verse tells us that God's abundant power in the salvation of mankind is manifested through the message of the cross. We may call this the power of the cross. For fallen humanity, God has made the power of the cross the only way of salvation. Because the cross of Christ is the center of God's salvation, and its significance is all-inclusive and inexhaustible, we can only touch upon it briefly. The Cross Deals with the World Galatians 6:14 says: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” After mankind fell, the whole world likewise came under the power of the devil (1 John 5:19), and all creation was subjected to futility and brought into bondage to corruption. How, then, did God deal with the world? He did so through the cross of Christ. By means of Christ's cross, God has dealt with this corrupted and defiled world. When the Lord Jesus was crucified and cried out, “It is finished,” the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This veil typifies the body of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:20). Embroidered on the veil were cherubim (Exodus 26:31). When the veil was torn from top to bottom, the cherubim were torn as well. The cherubim typify the created beings. This signifies that, through the cross of Christ, the entire defiled creation was dealt with. In God's eyes, when the Lord Jesus died on the cross, the whole world, which had become the old creation through corruption and defilement, was brought to an end. No wonder Paul could say: “By which the world has been crucified to me.” The Cross Deals with the Old Self and the Flesh Romans 6:6 says: “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” The cross not only dealt with the world and the old creation, but it also dealt with our old self. This is an accomplished fact, which we come to know through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. From the standpoint of spiritual experience, since our old self has already been crucified with Christ, there is no need for us to struggle, cultivate ourselves, or strive by our own efforts. Therefore, Jesus said, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The truth is the accomplished fact of Jesus Christ's redemption. When we see this reality, we are released and set free. If we are people who love the world, once we realize that the world has been crucified on the cross, we can be set free from the bondage of money and worldly things. Or, if we are believers who continually fail because of the flesh, when we see that our old self has been crucified with Christ, we will be released from striving in our own strength and will instead learn to trust in the Lord. However, this does not mean that a person who has realized that the world was crucified with Christ will never again be touched by the world. Neither does it mean that a person who has realized that the old self was crucified with Christ will never fail again or never act according to the flesh. Until the day we see the Lord face to face, we will still be tempted to love the world, still be prone to walk according to the flesh, and still experience failures. Therefore, we must remain watchful every day until we meet the Lord. Just like the emancipation of the slaves in the United States by President Abraham Lincoln. Through the American Civil War, the battle for the liberation of slaves had already been won. Lincoln officially proclaimed that the slaves were free. Those who knew and believed this fact rejoiced and entered into the enjoyment of their freedom. Yet some slaves, unaware of this proclamation, continued to labor as servants and slaves. This was not because Lincoln’s proclamation had lost its effectiveness, nor because the government was unwilling to set them free. Rather, it was because they did not know or understand what had already been accomplished for them. In the same way, when we see the power of the cross and realize that it has already set us free from the flesh, that very revelation brings us out from under its bondage. Nevertheless, we must remain watchful and vigilant in order to continue walking in and preserving that freedom. The Cross Abolishes Death 2 Timothy 1:10 says, "...Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death." Through His death on the cross, Christ overthrew the authority of Satan and the power of Hades. Then, after rising from the dead, He took possession of "the keys of death and Hades" (Revelation 1:18). This means that Christ has rendered death powerless and has set all believers free from its bondage. Therefore, the Bible refers to a Christian's death as merely "falling asleep" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The Death of the Cross Defeated the Devil Hebrews 2:14 says: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil." This verse tells us that Christ became flesh and blood through His incarnation. By His death on the cross, He destroyed the one who held the power of death, namely, the devil. This shows that the power of the cross has dealt with the world and the old self, abolished death, and destroyed the devil. Through these accomplishments, we gain a clear understanding of how immeasurably rich and boundless God's power is as manifested through the cross. The Power of the Resurrection The fourth aspect of God's infinite and abundant power is manifested through the power of Christ's resurrection. Ephesians 1:19-21 says: "And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." This passage tells us that God, by His mighty and immeasurable power, raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven. This power is known as the power of resurrection, and through it God's abundant and limitless power is displayed. When the Lord Jesus died, death and Hades exerted all their power to hold Him captive. Yet through the mighty power of resurrection, the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and came forth from the tomb with complete calmness and triumph. This is evident from the fact that He left the linen wrappings lying there and folded the face cloth separately in another place (John 20:6-7). Such details portray a scene calmness and showing Christ being more than a conqueror. Although the kingdom of darkness had enveloped this world, and the powers of Hades sought to detain Christ, He rose from the dead through the power of resurrection. As a result, He is now exalted far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age but also in the age to come. Because the resurrection power manifested in Christ is so exceedingly great and immeasurable, the Apostle Paul said, "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10). This means that throughout his entire life he sought to know Christ and to know the power of His resurrection. This resurrection power is also experienced in a very real way in every Christian. 1 Corinthians 6:14 says, "And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power." This tells us that God not only raised Christ from the dead, but will likewise raise up those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus. In this way, we are able to experience how exceedingly great and abundantly rich is the power manifested through God's resurrection power. When a person believes in the Lord Jesus and is born again unto salvation, he experiences the resurrection of spirit, soul, and body. For originally we were dead in trespasses and sins, separated from God, and our spirit was in a state of death. But once we believe in Jesus, our spirit is made alive. Our spirit awakens and is restored to its proper function, crying out to God as "Abba, Father," and begins to pray and fellowship with Him. At the same time, the feelings of the spirit are also restored. Previously, when we sinned and indulged the flesh, we were without feeling. When we quarreled with others, we would contend to the very end and even seek revenge, while our spirit remained numb. But after believing in Jesus and our spirit being made alive, whenever we sin and indulge the flesh, we become inwardly grieved. When we quarrel with others or harbor thoughts of revenge, we feel pain in our spirit. The sensitivity of our spirit has become keen once again. At the same time, the soul also is resurrected. Originally, our mind, emotion, and will were all directed toward the world and toward ourselves. We were dead to the things of God and to spiritual things. But after believing in the Lord, the soul also comes to life. Our mind begins to set itself on the things above. Our affections begin to love the Lord Jesus, to desire spiritual food, and to delight in spiritual things. Our will likewise becomes determined to pursue the Lord, follow the Lord, walk in His way, and seek to please Him. ... Not only that, the body also is resurrected. Many people experienced illnesses healed after believing in the Lord Jesus. Or previously, our eyes and ears blind and deaf to spiritual things. But after believing in the Lord Jesus, the body has come to life. We pay close attention listening to messages, we receive light when reading the Bible. Our eyes are opened, and our ears are healed. This is a marvelous thing! When the Lord comes again one day, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, He will transform our lowly body and make it like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21). Then our body will be exactly the same as the glorious body of the Lord Jesus. Oh, how full and how wonderful is the power of resurrection! Paul had a profound experience of the power of resurrection. In 2 Corinthians 4:7, he says: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” The “treasure” spoken of here refers to Jesus Christ, within whom is contained the power of resurrection. And"we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Therefore, “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:10). These afflictions, whether being hard pressed on every side, perplexed in heart, persecuted, or struck down, are nothing more than the outworking of the power of death. Yet the result of death is the release and manifestation of resurrection power. Therefore, we are "not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken, and not destroyed". Instead, as we always carry about in our body the dying of Jesus, the life of Jesus is manifested in us. Stephen was the first witness in the New Testament to be martyred for the Lord. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and testified: “I see heaven opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this, the people cried out with a loud voice, rushed together at him, cast him out of the city, and stoned him. As he was dying, he called upon the Lord, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:55-60) He suffered persecution, humiliation, and stoning, and was brought to the point of death. Yet as he was dying, he did not condemn his enemies or seek revenge. Instead, he prayed that the Lord would forgive them. This was a manifestation of the power of resurrection. From this incident, we are once again given a glimpse of God's power. Through the power of resurrection, God's might is displayed in such an extraordinary and transcendent way. How astonishing and awe-inspiring it is! God's Preserving Power God's abundant power is manifested in a fifth aspect: His preserving power. First Peter 1:5 says: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” The salvation to be revealed in the last time refers to the complete salvation in which our spirit, soul, and body are all preserved until the Lord's return. Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This means that God not only preserves our spirit from perdition, but also preserves our soul, saving it and filling it with Christ. Furthermore, He preserves our body, so that at the Lord's return it may be transformed and found entirely blameless. The passage then continues: “He Who calls you is faithful, He will surely do it.” This shows how exceedingly great God's preserving power is. Jude 24 says: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy…” This verse likewise speaks of the Lord's ability to preserve us unto perfection. First Peter 1, 1 Thessalonians 5, and Jude all mention God's preserving power. This repeated emphasis is a reminder of how reliable and steadfast God's preserving power is. It enables us to see that God's abundant power is also manifested in His ability to preserve and keep us. Among the Lord Jesus' disciples, Thomas was a man of doubt and little faith. Along the path of following the Lord, the outcome of doubting God and failing to believe Him is always failure and collapse. Since Thomas was such a doubting and weak-faith disciple, one would think that failure was inevitable for him. Yet the Lord had the power to preserve him, and He did preserve Thomas. When the Lord was raised from the dead and appeared to His disciples, Thomas was not present. Therefore, he did not believe the testimony of the other disciples. For this reason, the Lord Jesus specially appeared to Thomas again. Then Thomas said, “My Lord and my God.” Although Thomas fell into doubt and unbelief, the Lord preserved him and appeared to him personally. From that time on, Thomas was restored. According to historical legend, he subsequently went everywhere bearing witness for the Lord and even suffered martyrdom for His sake. Behold, how great is the Lord's preserving power! Peter was no exception. Although he failed greatly by denying the Lord three times, this was permitted by the Lord so that Peter might come to realize how unreliable he was. But then the Lord manifested His preserving power. He repeatedly appeared to Peter and spoke to him, strengthening and establishing his faith. After Pentecost, Peter was greatly used by the Lord and remained faithful to the very end. According to historical records, Peter eventually suffered martyrdom for the Lord, having fought the good fight. This too was a demonstration of God's preserving power, revealing that God possesses immeasurable and inexhaustible power. The Power of the Gospel God's infinite power is manifested in yet another aspect, and the final one we will consider: the power of the gospel. Romans 1:16 says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” This means that God's power is made known through a particular channel, namely, the gospel. We call this the power of the gospel. Wherever the gospel goes, whether to Jews or Greeks, civilized people or barbarians, the wise or the unlearned, regardless of race or social standing, all who believe are saved. This clearly shows how rich, vast, and unlimited God's power is. From the perspective of the world's advancement, many uncivilized and barbaric peoples, whose regions were once dreadful places where cannibalism was practiced, underwent great transformation through the preaching and acceptance of the gospel of Christ. As a result, their societies changed dramatically. Not only did they cease such practices, but they also learned to live together in peace. Their culture and standard of living was elevated as well. This demonstrates how the power of the gospel reveals the greatness and immeasurable extent of God's power. From the standpoint of personal experience, when the power of the gospel comes upon a person, it can completely transform someone who is naturally hot-tempered, sinful, wicked, and morally corrupt into a gentle person of noble character. Take the famous Augustine of Hippo as an example. He came to be known as “Saint Augustine” because, during the era of the Roman Catholic Church, he was recognized for his noble character and for the positive influence he exerted upon society and the people around him. But in his youth, Augustine lived a reckless and unrestrained life. He refused correction, and his mother was deeply grieved. She asked a bishop to preach the gospel to him, yet Augustine successfully refuted everything the bishop said. Eventually, the bishop told his mother, “Your son is too knowledgeable; I can do nothing with him.” His mother had no choice but to weep before God and pray for him day after day. Indeed, God heard his mother's prayers and moved Augustine to read the Bible. When he came to Romans 13:13, where it says: "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." The Holy Spirit enlightened him, and he immediately repented, turned to the Lord, and accepted the gospel. From that moment on, his life underwent a complete transformation. In the end, he came to be honored as “Saint Augustine.” This stands as a testimony to how great and immeasurable God's power is, as manifested through the gospel and the results it produces. Our Attitude Since God possesses infinite power, how then can we experience it and become strong, victorious believers who bear a living testimony? Believe in God's Preserving Power Paul, after following and serving the Lord into his old age, said: “For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12) He knew that God possesses infinite and abundant power. Having experienced God's preserving power, which keeps us to the very end, he was fully persuaded that the Lord would continue to preserve him until His return. Since this is so, we too should believe that God will preserve us to the end. We should commit our entire lives into His hands. Be Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might Ephesians 6:10 says: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Since God possesses abundant and infinite power, we who belong to Him should not remain weak and powerless. Rather, we must abide in the Lord, be united with Him, and be strong in the power of His might. Then, whether we are preaching the gospel, visiting and caring for the saints, or carrying out various aspects of service, we will be able to handle them effectively and with confidence. At the same time, we will be able to overcome temptations and enticements, becoming believers who are victorious and who bear a living testimony. Submit to the Mighty Hand of God We are weak and utterly corrupt people. Yet God possesses infinite power. He will surely arrange all kinds of people, circumstances, and events to come upon us in order to humble and subdue us, making us humble people. Through all things working together, He is also conforming us to the image of His Son. Therefore, we must learn to submit ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6). We should accept the work of God's mighty hand and allow His work to be accomplished in us. Exercise Authority Against Satan As far as dealing with the enemy is concerned, we must exercise the spiritual authority that the Lord has given us. We should rebuke sickness and the attacks of Satan, overcome the enemy, the devil, and thereby manifest God's incomparable glory and His surpassingly great power. With fervent hearts and diligent attitude, we should serve the Lord, so that God's will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Bible Reading: John 10:10; 8:12; 4:14 Romans 8:1 Hebrew 8:10; 7:16 Revelation 22:1-2 James 1:12 The Bible Explains the Abundance of God’s Life Through Various Symbols The God we know and believe in is a God of infinite abundance. Concerning His abundance, we have already discussed four aspects: abundant forgiveness, abundant grace, abundant love, and abundant mercy. Next we will speak of the fifth aspect: The Abundant Life of God. The Lord Jesus Himself said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Because He possesses a life that is rich and abundant, He is able not only to give life to people, but to give it more abundantly. Conversely, if He did not have an abundant life, then naturally we could not receive a more abundant life from Him. Hebrews 7:16 describes His life as “an indestructible life.” “Indestructible” refers to a richness that is indescribable and immeasurable. On the other hand, life seems abstract — hard to grasp, invisible, inaudible, and difficult to explain in its mysterious essence. Therefore, the Bible provides many explanations of this abundant life. Among them, we will present eight symbols to help explain it, so that we may gain a more concrete understanding and deeper experience of God’s abundant life. The Light of Life First, we must present the light of life. This is the abundant life of God coming to people in the form of light, so that they may experience it. Ever since the fall of our first ancestors, man has been shrouded in darkness and has lived a life of suffering under the hand of Satan. To deliver us out of darkness and bring us into His light, God has given us the light of life. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) It means that the Lord Jesus desires to give life to man. After we receive His life, that life becomes light within us, driving out the darkness inside and turning it into brightness. This light is called the light of life. Therefore, John 1:1–4 says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men." Christ is the Word; life is in Christ, and this life is the light of men. When we receive Christ, we receive life, and this life within us shines upon us, dispelling the spiritual darkness inside and turning it into light. Therefore, when the Lord entrusted Paul with his commission, He said, “I am sending you, to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.” (Acts 26:18) From our spiritual experience, before a person is born again and saved, he is in darkness. He does not know the meaning of life—where he comes from or where he is going. He also does not know that there is a God who exists in the universe. But one day, when he believes in the Lord Jesus, the Lord’s life enters into him and immediately shines forth. He suddenly realizes that there is a God in the universe, and he gradually understands that he came from God and will one day return to God. He also begins to understand the matters of God’s kingdom. The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) He further emphasized, “Unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) For when the Lord’s life enters in, it shines forth, enabling a person to see the kingdom of God and to understand the things of God. Proverbs 4:18 tells us, "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." The path of the righteous is the life‑path ordained by God for the believers who are justified by faith. When one first begins to walk on this path, it is like the light of dawn, not yet very bright. But as we continue forward along the way of life, our life grows, becomes richer, and the light of life shines ever brighter, until it reaches the full noonday. Like the blazing sun at its zenith, brilliant and glorious, impossible to look at directly—this describes the magnificent condition when, in advancing along the path of life, we reach spiritual heights and our spiritual life attains maturity. Dear brothers and sisters, from the light of life that Christians receive, we can see how rich God’s life is—reaching everywhere, penetrating every place, and attending to even the smallest details. It is like the abundant power of a power plant, shining through countless lamps throughout a great city, in every street and alley, in both tall buildings and small huts. The Water of Life Revelation 22:1 records: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb." This passage expresses that God’s abundant life can also be supplied to us like a flowing river. When water is plentiful, it becomes a river—signifying a source with limitless, inexhaustible fullness. It portrays God’s life as so rich, so overflowing, that it resembles a mighty river, continuously flowing without ever stopping. Then verse 17 continues: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come'. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." This means freely taking and receiving without needing to pay any cost, revealing how exceedingly abundant the life of God is—like the mighty River flowing without end, and like the vast ocean surging in immeasurable fullness. Oh, how rich and overflowing the life of God is! God’s life is rich to such an extent that not only does He have a river‑like life to supply people, but furthermore, the Lord Jesus says, "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) This means that when a person receives the Lord Jesus and obtains His life, this life becomes a fountain within them, and it keeps springing up unto eternal life. From this we can see that God is the everlasting fountain of life, infinitely rich and inexhaustible. From a spiritual perspective, human life is marked by dissatisfaction, because the hunger and thirst of the soul can never be resolved by material enjoyment. Only when a person receives Jesus as Savior and His life enters the human heart can that person be truly satisfied. No matter who receives the Lord’s life, the hunger and thirst of that person’s soul will be satisfied—just like a thirsty person who finds a spring of living water. When the Israelites were journeying through the wilderness, they complained against God because they were thirsty. Later, the Lord led them to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water (Exodus 15:27), and there the people of Israel drank to their heart’s content and were abundantly satisfied. This also shows that in this spiritually arid journey, the life God supplies to us is like twelve springs of water, giving us exceedingly great satisfaction. Thus, it is entirely fitting that God’s life is described through the living fountain that “springs up unto eternal life,” for it reveals just how rich and abundant His life truly is. Dear brothers and sisters, since God possesses such an abundant life, is it appropriate that so many believers are still living in spiritual darkness and dryness? Suppose there is a clear river flowing right in front of your house, yet you behave as though you are thirsty because you have no water. Your clothes remain dirty because you have no water to wash them, and your house stays filthy because you have no water to clean it. Would this not be utterly ridiculous? Our God possesses such an abundantly rich life, and this life is not merely outside of us—it is within us. Yet the spiritual condition of many believers still appears so dry, weak, childish, and powerless. Is this not because we have been blind, failing to see and make use of what He has already given? The Bread of Life God’s abundant life is also given for us to experience in the form of food—this is the bread of life. John 6:35 records: "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger.'" It declares that the Lord Jesus is the bread of life. When God’s life is given to people through Christ, it becomes the spiritual food that nourishes their inner life. Undeniably, the growth of a Christian’s spiritual life depends greatly on the feeding of this spiritual nourishment. In today’s church, a widespread spiritual crisis is evident—there is a lack of genuine spiritual food. Although sermons, biblical expositions, and fellowship among believers can be heard everywhere. But sadly, what people often receive is merely doctrine and knowledge, not the spiritual food that truly satisfies. What the church urgently needs today is not words and theories, but genuine spiritual nourishment. Thank God that He possesses such an abundant life. At times He supplies this life to us in the form of food—richly and generously—and this can be seen quite clearly through the biblical types. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they first kept the Passover, applying the lamb’s blood and eating the lamb’s meat. This typifies our receiving the precious blood of Christ and receiving Him as our life. This shows that God uses Christ—who is life itself—as food to supply us. Then, as the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness, God sent down manna to sustain them. This manna also typifies Christ, who is life as the spiritual food for believers. The Israelites, numbering around two to three million people, ate manna every day—not for one month or two, nor for one year or two, but for about forty years. Just imagine—two to three million people, over the span of forty years. How much manna would they have needed to eat? This again shows that God’s abundant life, given to us in the form of food, supplies us endlessly and without limit. Not only that—after the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, God supplied them with barley, wheat, grapes, figs, pomegranates, and all kinds of sweet and delightful produce as their food. This too is a type showing that God’s abundant life is supplied to us in the form of food. Dear brothers and sisters, since we know that God’s abundant life, through the bread of life, is meant to supply us abundantly, then if we still remain in spiritual hunger—continually weak and lacking strength—the fault does not lie with the Lord, but with us. God has an abundant life, waiting for us to received in the form of food. May we obtain this bountiful supply of life’s nourishment through fellowship with the Lord, reading the Bible, studying spiritual books, and fellowshipping with the saints. The Spirit of Life God’s abundant life is manifested through the Spirit of life. Since the fall of mankind, man has been born into sin, raised in sin, and has lived continually under its power—suffering intensely and unable to break free. Sin is a dominating power, forcing people into actions they themselves despise. Yet God possesses a life of overflowing abundance, and when this life enters us through the Holy Spirit, it becomes the Spirit of life, breaking the chains of sin and setting us free from its tyranny. Romans 8:2 says, "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Sin operates as a law within a person, binding and controlling them; but the Spirit of life is also a law within us—one that is able to set us free. Because God’s life is a rich and abundant life, full of limitless power, the law of the Spirit of life naturally surpasses and overcomes the law of sin, enabling believers to be released and to live a free and victorious life. Some Christians say, “I really have no way out, because I lose my temper every day. This is not what I desire, and although I try my best to control myself, I still end up losing my temper just the same.” This is because they have not realized that in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life has already set us free from the law of sin. Just as a hydrogen balloon rises and overcomes the pull of gravity, so the life of God within us has a law—a powerful, uplifting law—that carries us upward, enabling us to live a transcendent life, overcoming the bondage of the law of sin and becoming more than conquerors in all things. Furthermore, many believers are oppressed by the power of death—spiritually dull, weak, empty, and dark, unable to pray. Even at the Lord's Table, their spirit feels pressed down and troubled, and they cannot utter any praise. This is all due to being held under the power of death. Yet once we recognize that God’s rich life dwells within us, that life swallows up death, and by its power we can open our mouths and praise. The Law of Life God’s abundant life is further manifested through the law of life. As Hebrews 8:10 declares: "I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." In the Old Testament, God gave laws and statutes to the Israelites in written form for them to observe. But in the New Testament, God places His life within the believers, and this life becomes the law of life—the guiding principle for Christian living. The standard of this law of life surpasses the standard of the Old Testament law. For example,t cheek, you should turn the left cheek to him as well. If someone wants to sue you and take your inner garment, let him have your outer garment as w the Old Testament law says "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" — that is to treat others according to righteousness. But the law of life in the New Testament says that if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. This is God’s standard. In the New Testament, God places His law within us by means of His life, writing it upon our hearts. At the same time, this life supplies us with the power not only to understand His will but also to carry it out. Dear brothers and sisters, how abundant the life of God is! This life within us as believers has become a law—teaching us to obey God’s ways and supplying us with the power to carry them out. We truly ought to give thanks to God. If we were to describe God’s complete nature merely through outward, written laws, it would be exceedingly difficult. Yet God’s life contains His full and perfect nature, and when this life enters us and becomes the law of life within us, God’s nature can be fully expressed through us. Anything that is incompatible with God’s nature cannot pass through the law of life; it causes a lack of peace and an inner sense that something is not right. But whatever aligns with and corresponds to God’s nature is affirmed by the law of life, giving a sense of peace and security. God reveals His very nature through the law of life. Thus, this law of life is the perfect law (James 1:25). How rich, then, must the content of God’s life be—because His life is a life of inexhaustible abundance. The Power of Life God’s life is infinitely rich, and He manifests it through the surpassing power of that life. Scripture states, “It is appointed for men to die once” (Hebrews 9:27). How does God address death? Certainly, Christ’s death on the cross has annulled death; yet in another dimension, God conquers death by life swallowing it up, thereby revealing the immeasurable magnitude of life’s power. 2 Corinthians 5:4 says, "what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." This life is God’s incorruptible life (2 Timothy 1:10). The power of this life is exceedingly rich, even overcoming death itself. Death is the most difficult enemy for us to conquer—the last enemy—yet the mighty power of life has conquered death and emerged out of it. This is what Scripture calls the power of resurrection (Philippians 3:10), through which the richness of God’s life is manifested by the power of life. Take electricity in the twentieth‑century scientific age as an example. It has become a household necessity, a vital force in daily living. But how rich is electricity? The question is almost too abstract to answer. So we express its richness through light, heat, and power—through the countless electric lamps, heaters, motors, and devices that fill our world. These innumerable appliances give us at least a glimpse of how rich electricity truly is. No wonder Hebrews 7:16 calls the power of God’s life “the power of an indestructible life.” God’s life possesses infinite, boundless power. And through this mighty power, we come to know how exceedingly rich the life of God is. The Tree of Life God’s abundant life is also unveiled through the tree of life. It is striking that the first book of the Bible—Genesis—speaks of the tree of life in chapters 2 and 3, and the last book—Revelation—mentions it again in its final chapter. This reveals a continuous divine theme: God wants man to partake of His life. The tree of life signifies God’s own life, and this life is eternal. Genesis 2:9 speaks of a tree of life in the midst of the Garden of Eden —signifying God’s intention that mankind should partake of its fruit and receive His life. Yet tragically, Adam and Eve did not eat from the tree of life; they chose instead the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, the Lord had to station the cherubim and the flaming sword that turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life, lest they should eat of its fruit again and live forever (Genesis 3:22). This indicates that the tree of life contains eternal life. From the fact that the tree of life possesses eternal life, we see that God’s life is so rich that it surpasses time and space and remains forever. The tree of life reveals that God’s life is not only eternal but also ever‑fresh and manifold, displaying its exceeding abundance. The book of Revelation goes on to explain the richness of the tree of life even more fully. Chapter 22 verse 2 says, "On either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month." This indicates that every month the tree produces a fresh and different kind of fruit—an unmistakable display of abundant life. A fruit‑bearing tree already signifies richness, but one that bears fruit monthly, each month with a new variety, powerfully declares the overflowing, ever‑changing fullness of life. The number twelve signifies eternal completeness and the fullness of the eternal ages. Revelation chapter 21 shows this clearly: the holy city has twelve gates, twelve tribal names, twelve foundations, twelve apostolic names, and twelve pearls—everything is in twelves. Thus twelve represents the fullness of eternity. So when the tree of life bears twelve kinds of fruit, it declares that God’s life is eternally enduring, glorious, sweet, and abundantly full. The Crown of Life The emergence, growth, and fullness of life all follow divine laws. A grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die before it bears much fruit—life comes through death, and abundance through suffering. Thus James 1:12 declares, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life...” Trials bring life to maturity and fullness. And the glory that shines from this abundant life within us is the crown of life. A crown spiritually signifies glory; thus the crown of life is the glory that flows out of a life made full. The richer one’s life, the greater one’s crown. God possesses an abundantly rich life and desires us to experience it—especially through trials—so that our life may reach fullness and we may receive the crown of life. In Revelation’s seven letters, the second—addressed to the church in Smyrna—declares: “I know you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:9–10). Once again, the Bible emphasizes that through suffering and testing, and by remaining faithful to the very end, life reaches its fullness—and the crown of life is granted. Beloved brothers and sisters, when we endure trials and our life grows into fullness, the glory that shines forth from us becomes the crown of life. This crown is the believer’s eternal glory and the highest honor of the Christian life. Our Attitude Since God has a life of abundant richness, how can we receive this life and grow into its fullness? Let us consider several key points. Know Christ In John 10:10 the Lord Jesus declares, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Christ is the giver of life. All who come to Him receive life, and His intention is that we possess this life in overflowing abundance. John 17:3 declares, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” To know Christ is to receive life, to experience life, and to be filled with life. Ephesians 4:13 adds, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” Therefore we must strive to know Christ and to experience Him, so that our life may grow continually until we reach His full stature. Accept the Cross Matthew 16:25 declares, “For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” To save one’s life is to cling to the flesh—the self—refusing sacrifice and self‑denial, and thus losing spiritual life. But whoever loses his life for Christ—laying down the self—receives God’s life. This is the way of the cross: when the flesh is dealt with, abundant life is gained. As Paul proclaims, “Always carrying about in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10). The more we embrace the cross, the more Christ’s life grows and shines through us. Do Not Meddle in Dispute (right and wrong) As we advance on the path of life, there are two matters we must avoid. The first is this: do not touch issues of right and wrong. God warned that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil leads to death. When we touch “right and wrong,” our spiritual life begins to die. In church service, we must stay away from such disputes, lest death enter the church. Avoid Idle Speech Proverbs 13:3 tells us, “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” When we are careful with our words, our spiritual life is protected. But idle talk causes us to lose life. Those who talk too much or pass words around easily become spiritually weak. A believer with rich life is someone who avoids right‑and‑wrong disputes and refrains from idle speech.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:4 Nehemiah 9:18-19, 26-27 Psalm 16:5 Isaiah 30:18 James 2:13 A person’s knowledge of God determines the depth of his experience of God, and naturally his spiritual life grows in proportion to that knowledge. Likewise, the measure to which he draws upon God’s salvation depends on how well he knows God. Therefore we must earnestly pursue the knowledge of God. We must remember that knowing God depends on the revelation of the Holy Spirit. We must ask God to grant us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may truly know Him. We have already said that God is a rich and abundant God. He has abundant forgiveness, abundant grace, and abundant lovingkindness. Now we must also speak of His abundant compassion. God’s riches are manifold—so manifold that we cannot finish experiencing them in an entire lifetime. No wonder someone once said that the riches of God require the combined experience of all believers throughout history, and the span of eternity itself, in order for us to understand together His width, length, depth, and height—and to know that His riches are beyond human comprehension. The Bible Declares That God Possesses Abundant Compassion Psalm 116:5 says, "Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful." This tells us that God’s heart is filled with mercy. Luke 1:78–79 says, "because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Here again we see that God has a heart of tender mercy. James 5:11 says, "how the Lord is compassionate and merciful." showing us that the Lord’s heart overflows with compassion. First Peter 1:3 says, "According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" It says here that His mercy is great. Nehemiah also speaks of God’s great mercy (Neh. 9:19, 27). Second Samuel 24:14 says, "For His mercy is great" describing God’s mercy as overflowing. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." These passages all shows us that God truly has abundant compassion. Shows Forbearance Toward the Backslidden to Win Them Back Nehemiah 9 tells us that after the wall was rebuilt and the people gathered as one, the Levites stood and blessed the Lord, declaring what kind of God Israel served. They recalled how God dealt with His backsliding people with remarkable patience and restoring mercy. They spoke of Israel’s journey through the wilderness: how God brought them out of Egypt with signs and wonders, led them through the Red Sea, and sustained them day by day. When they thirsted, He brought water from the rock. When they hungered, He sent manna from heaven. Everywhere His love and provision followed them. Yet when they reached Sinai, they bowed before a golden calf, committing a sin so great that they deserved immediate destruction. But God, though provoked, still bore with them. He did not abandon them. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night continued to guide them—proof that His mercy had not departed. In the wilderness their clothes never wore out, and their feet never swelled. God preserved them, watched over them, and shepherded them. In the end He brought them into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, rich with every good thing for their flourishing. All of this reveals a God overflowing with mercy, grace, and steadfast love. Though Israel worshiped the golden calf and deserved judgment, God astonishingly showed forbearance. Toward His backslidden people, He manifested patient, forgiving love that sought to restore rather than destroy. In the latter portion of Nehemiah 9, we read that after Israel entered the land of Canaan, they once again abandoned the Lord and bowed down to the idols of the land, greatly provoking His anger. Because of this, the Lord delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. Yet when hardship humbled them and they cried out to God, He again showed great mercy and raised up deliverers—judges—to rescue them. But before long, they returned to idolatry, once more stirring up the Lord’s anger. God sent prophets to admonish them, but they killed the prophets. Therefore God handed them over to their enemies again. In their suffering they cried out to the Lord, and the Lord once more poured out His mercy, forgiving and saving them. Even after all this, they again bowed to the idols of Canaan. Yet the Bible says the Lord did not utterly destroy them. Instead, He continually bore with them, again and again extending mercy and patience. His repeated forbearance toward His backsliding people reveals how rich His mercy truly is. When we reflect on our Christian experience, we see that after we were born again and saved, we loved the Lord for a time. But soon after, we turned away, left the Lord, loved the world, and even fell into sin. Though we did not worship physical idols, we worshiped invisible ones—loving the world and replacing the Lord with other "gods". Yet God, who is rich in mercy, lightly disciplines us when we sin to turn us back. He continually treats us with His abundant mercy, repeatedly showing forbearance and forgiveness toward His backsliding people. Reduces the Punishment for Those Who Have Sinned If God were to investigate our sins according to the full measure of His righteousness, none of us could remain standing before Him. Psalm 130:3 declares, “Lord, if You should mark iniquities, who could stand?” In other words, God does not treat us by rigidly applying justice to every sin we commit. Rather, He continually responds with His rich mercy. Toward those who sin, He softens the punishment, tempers judgment with compassion, and deals with us in forgiving grace—all with the purpose of leading us to repentance and a reverent fear of Him. Second Samuel tells us that after David sinned by numbering the people, his conscience struck him, and he pleaded with the Lord to remove his guilt. God sent the prophet Gad with a solemn message: David must choose one of three judgments—seven years of famine, three months of fleeing before his enemies, or three days of plague. Gad urged David to consider carefully. But David, a man who knew God’s heart, did not need time. He responded at once: “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercy is abundant; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” (2 Samuel 24:14). The Lord honored David’s understanding of His character. He sent a plague, and seventy thousand died. Yet when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem, the Lord relented. He commanded the destroying angel, “Enough—stop now.” Jerusalem was spared. (2 Samuel 24:15-16) By strict justice, the plague should have last for three days. Seventy thousand had already died; Jerusalem should have fallen next. But God reduced the punishment. He tempered judgment with mercy. He spared the city. This entire account shines a spotlight on the richness of God’s mercy. The prophet Habakkuk was a man who understood God’s heart. When he prayed for God to revive His people, he cried out, “O Lord,...and your work, in the midst of the years, revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy” (Hab. 3:2). When God revives His work, His holiness requires Him to judge sin. And once God judges sin according to strict righteousness, no one can stand. So the prophet pleaded, “In Your wrath, remember mercy”—that is, “Lord, lighten the punishment.” This is the plea of someone who truly knows God. Oh, how our God reduces the severity of punishment; He remembers mercy even in wrath. From this alone we see how rich His mercy truly is. Listens to the Cry of Those Who Plead Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.” This means that God waits for us so that He may show us grace, because He delights in showing mercy. God’s compassion is abundant, and Him waits for us to come and receive it. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals one consistent truth: everyone who comes before God with earnest pleading is heard by Him. God’s willingness to hear the prayers of those who cry out displays the richness of His mercy. From the New Testament, we can point to several examples that illustrate this. The Lord Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3). He reveals God in living reality; whoever has seen the Lord Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). From His life we see that He listens to the prayers of those who cry out to Him. When the Lord Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Canaanite woman came out from that area and cried out, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” (Matthew 15:22) In her plea she said, “Have mercy on me!” What does it mean? It means: I am unworthy of the Lord’s love; I do not deserve His grace. Yet I ask only for His mercy. But Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The woman then came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Seeing that she humbled herself, taking the place of a dog and pleading for mercy, Jesus said to her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And from that very moment, her daughter was healed. Another time, a man came to Jesus, knelt down, and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” Jesus said, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and from that moment the boy was healed. (Matthew 17:14-18) Here, the father of the son pleaded for the Lord’s compassion. The Lord in His mercy listened, cast out the demon from the boy, and healed him. This shows the Lord’s compassion in listening to those who plead with Him. Another day as Jesus was leaving Jericho, two blind men were sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. (Matthew 20:29–34) Is this not yet another clear testimony that the Lord has mercy on those who cry out to Him, and that He listens to their earnest pleas? In Luke 17, it is recorded that as Jesus entered a certain village, ten men with leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed — for it was necessary for the priests to certify that they had been healed. Our Lord truly is a God full of mercy. All who come before Him and plead for His help receive His compassion. The apostle Paul also understood that God is rich in mercy. Speaking of Epaphroditus, his fellow worker, he said: “For he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” (Philippians 2:26–27) Epaphroditus’ illness, by all natural reasoning, should have led to death. Yet he was healed because God had mercy on him. Among us as well, how many have experienced God’s mercy — being delivered from life‑threatening sickness and restored to health? From all these accounts of God hearing the cries of those who plead with Him, it is not difficult to understand how abundant His mercy truly is. Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment James 2:13 records: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Here it speaks of God’s mercy triumphing over judgment, and this further expresses that God has abundant mercy. In the universe, God has established His throne to carry out His authority, and it is upheld by righteousness. If God did not have righteousness, His throne could not stand. For example, in a nation, if there are no just laws to uphold it, the government of that nation cannot stand and may even be overthrown. God’s throne executes righteous judgment, and on the other hand, He also uses righteous judgment to uphold His throne. Yet God is full of mercy. Therefore, when God judges, He often treats judgment with mercy. Although He has judgment, He delights to end His judgment with abundant mercy. For mercy triumphs over judgment; we can present several proofs of this. First, we must look at the example of Adam. The Lord God commanded Adam, saying: "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Later, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, provoking the righteous judgment of the Lord. The Lord had no choice but to drive them out of the Garden of Eden. Yet Adam did not end in misery, because the Lord God is rich in mercy. He prepared a lamb for them, made atonement for their sin, and then clothed them with garments of skin. Though they were temporarily judged, they received eternal salvation — for mercy triumphs over judgment. David’s life story is an even clearer example of how mercy triumphs over judgment. After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, he then arranged for Uriah to be killed by the sword of the Ammonites and afterward took Bathsheba as his wife. What David did was a grievous sin against the Lord. Therefore, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to say to David: "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house…Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.” (2 Samuel 12:10–11) David immediately confessed his sin. God forgave him, yet he still had to bear the consequences of his wrongdoing. Indeed, Absalom rebelled, and David fled for his life, suffering many hardships—fulfilling the words spoken by Nathan and experiencing the righteous judgment of God. But God’s dealings with David did not end there. The Lord then caused Bathsheba to bear Solomon. Because David had shed much blood, God did not allow him to build the temple; instead, He appointed Solomon to build it. Solomon was born to Bathsheba. Humanly speaking, among David’s wives there were many who seemed more suitable than Bathsheba. For example, Abigail—who followed David during his flight—was a wise and virtuous woman. One might think God would choose her to bear Solomon. Yet God did not choose Abigail. The Lord chose Bathsheba to give birth to Solomon. This reveals to us that God’s mercy truly triumphs over judgment. When Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, the Bible records something remarkable: “And the Lord loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:24–25) Although David had many other sons—men who, from a human perspective, seemed to have a cleaner background than Solomon and perhaps possessed other strengths—The Bible never says that the Lord loved them in this particular way. Only Solomon is singled out as the one whom the Lord delighted in. And Solomon was born to Bathsheba, the very woman connected to David’s sin. This fact again shows that God’s mercy truly triumphs over judgment. Through these experiences, David came to know deeply that God is rich in mercy. After this, when David again sinned against the Lord by numbering the people, God declared that He would send one of three judgments and allowed David to choose. David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” (2 Samuel 24:14) So the LORD carried out His righteous judgment, and a plague came upon Israel for three days. David confessed his sin once more, yet God’s dealings with him did not end there. That same day Gad came to David and said, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” David went and built an altar there to the Lord, offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, and the plague was stopped in Israel (2 Samuel 24:18–25). Later, Solomon built the temple of the Lord on that very threshing floor. Was there not a better piece of land in Jerusalem on which to build the temple? Certainly there was. Yet the Lord chose to use the land that came into David’s possession after his sin. Once again, this shows us that God’s mercy truly triumphs over judgment. Once the temple had been completed, the people of Israel ought to have devoted themselves wholeheartedly to serving the Lord. Yet before long, they abandoned the Lord and worshiped the idols of Canaan, greatly offending Him. Although God raised up prophets throughout the generations to warn them, they refused to listen. Thus the Lord had no choice but to judge them. In the end, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem, burned the temple with fire, tore down the city walls, and carried the people of Israel away into captivity in Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–20). But God did not allow the destiny of the nation of Israel to end there. When the appointed time had come, God stirred up the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to issue a decree for the rebuilding of the temple. God even used Cyrus to provide the materials needed for its construction, and in the end the temple was rebuilt. Is this not yet another repeated demonstration that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment? Beloved brothers and sisters, our God does not possess only a small measure of mercy. He is full of mercy—abundant, overflowing, and all‑embracing. Luke 15’s account of the prodigal son is no exception. The younger son received his share of the inheritance from his father and went to a distant country, where he lived recklessly and squandered his wealth. When he had spent everything and a severe famine arose, he was forced to hire himself out to feed pigs. Later, he came to his senses and returned home. He confessed to his father, saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Luke 15:21) But the father commanded his servants to bring out the best robe and put it on him, to place a ring on his finger, shoes on his feet, and to bring the fattened calf to slaughter so they could eat and rejoice (Luke 15:22–23). The father restored his son’s status and position. This signifies that when God’s children confess their sins, He not only forgives but also restores their standing as sons. It is a display of God’s mercy triumphing over judgment. Faced with the richness of God’s mercy, we truly cannot comprehend it fully. Our Attitude When we speak of God’s abundant mercy, it is absolutely not to make us take sin lightly, nor to encourage us to depart from the Lord and love the world. Rather, it is so that, having recognized that God indeed possesses such rich mercy, we would all the more cherish and align ourselves with the compassionate heart of our Father. Not only would we refrain from wounding His heart, but we would also seek to satisfy His heart and bring Him delight. Therefore, we must present several points to explain the attitude we ought to have. Approach the Throne of Grace in Christ Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” This means that Christ, having ascended into heaven as our exalted High Priest, has taken His seat upon the throne of grace. He is waiting to pour out mercy, so we ought to draw near to Him at all times and in all places to receive that mercy. There are many prayers that the Lord does not necessarily answer, but there is one kind of prayer that He surely hears and fulfills: the humble cry for His mercy. Because God delights in showing mercy and in giving grace. We are not without transgressions, not without failures, not without weaknesses; but the Lord has grace and mercy. And there is a throne of grace, so that we may come before Him at any time to receive mercy and find grace as timely help. Fear God Luke 1:50 records: “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” If the descendants of Christians do not love the Lord, it is not because God refuses to show mercy; rather, it is because the parents themselves have failed in the matter of fearing the Lord. God shows mercy to those who fear Him, and this mercy extends from generation to generation. As long as we fear the Lord, He will show mercy to us from generation to generation. Confess and Forsake Sin Proverbs 28:13 says: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Mercy means compassion. Whenever we fall into sin, we must never hide it out of fear. We must repent before God, confess it, and forsake it — and in doing so, we will surely receive God’s mercy. We have spoken of David and of the prodigal son; both stories confirm this truth. Show Mercy to Others James 1:13 says: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” This tells us that those who refuse to show mercy will themselves face God’s judgment without mercy — therefore we must show mercy to others. Although we are not worthy to show mercy to others, nor worthy to receive God’s mercy, yet God, who is rich in mercy, has graciously made us His children. Thus we ought to let the merciful nature of our Father flow out from within us, learning to show mercy, to sympathize with others, and to be considerate toward them. The Lord Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven being like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. There was one who owed ten thousand talents. He fell down and pleaded with his master for patience, and the master, moved with compassion, forgave his debt. But that servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him ten denarii. He seized him by the throat and demanded repayment. His fellow servant fell down and pleaded for patience, but he refused, and instead threw him into prison. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and reported the matter to their master. Then the master summoned him and said to him, "Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?" The master became furious and handed him over to the jailers until he had paid back all that he owed (Matthew 18:23–34). This shows that those who refuse to show mercy will themselves face a judgment without mercy. May we all learn to become people who show mercy. Dear brothers and sisters, God’s abundant mercy has already been fully revealed in many ways — in His patience and restoration toward the backslidden, in His reduction of judgment toward those who sin, in His hearing of the cries of those who plead with Him, and in mercy triumphing over judgment. May the Lord keep us, that we may be the recipients of His mercy and His gracious favor.

This book is a transcription of the speaker’s oral study of the Acts of the Apostles given during a period of co-workers' training Manila, Philippines in January 1991. During those sessions, there was a deep sense of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, bringing help to both the speaker and the listeners.. The recorded notes have now been lightly edited and compiled into this volume as a reference for those who desire to witness and study the Scriptures. May the Lord grant the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that as readers diligently study the Bible, they may receive richer light and instruction from the Lord, and be enlightened, cleansed, and nourished—so that their spiritual lives may become ever more pure and abundant. T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Acts - Chapter 1 Acts - Chapter 2 Acts - Chapter 3 Acts - Chapter 4 Acts - Chapter 5 Acts - Chapter 6 Acts - Chapter 7 Acts - Chapter 8 Acts - Chapter 9 Acts - Chapter 10 Acts - Chapter 11 Acts - Chapter 12 Acts - Chapter 13 Acts - Chapter 14 Acts - Chapter 15 Acts - Chapter 16 Acts - Chapter 17 Acts - Chapter 18 Acts - Chapter 19 Acts - Chapter 20 Acts - Chapter 21 Acts - Chapter 22 Acts - Chapter 23 Acts - Chapter 24 Acts - Chapter 25 Acts - Chapter 26 Acts - Chapter 27 Acts - Chapter 28 I. Introduction to Testimony Bible Reading Over generations, books on biblical interpretation have accumulated, becoming a precious spiritual heritage for the church. Whether for foundational faith or the edification of truth, they provide rich nourishment and guidance to believers. 2 Timothy 3:16 states: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the person belonging to God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work." This verse tells us that Scripture originates from God's inspiration and serves to teach, correct, and guide believers into righteousness, enabling them to grow in spiritual maturity and be prepared for good works—this is the fundamental understanding of the verse. However, if we delve deeper, we discover that the phrase "All Scripture is inspired (revealed) by God" carries a profound and elevated meaning. It speaks of God’s eternal plan, His will, and His purpose, which He desires all believers to pursue, understand, and ultimately fulfill. To accomplish God's eternal plan and fulfill His heart’s desire, believers need to advance in spiritual growth through Bible reading. The maturity of a Christian’s inner life, the increase of Christ's stature in the church, and the victorious testimony of individuals and congregations all require further strengthening. Thus, learning how to read the Bible in a way that daily provides spiritual nourishment and enables spiritual growth is a pressing priority for believers today. John 6:63 records: "Jesus said, 'The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.'" This verse clearly explains that the Lord’s words are meant to supply spiritual life. Just as the Israelites were sustained for forty years in the wilderness by manna, believers grow and live spiritually through God’s Word. The prophet Jeremiah once said: "Lord God of Hosts, when Your words came, I ate them; Your words were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name." (Jeremiah 15:16) Again, this shows that Scripture is God’s Word—it is spiritual food, life, and strength, allowing believers to grow spiritually, live powerfully, and have the strength to overcome. John 5:39 records Jesus Himself saying: "You study the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me." This reveals that the Bible is a testimony to Christ’s divine and supreme authority. First, through the Word of God in the Bible, we receive eternal life. As 1 Peter 1:23 states: "You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." Second, through the word of God in the Bible, we live out the testimony of Christ. When God's Word enters the believer, it becomes life—this life is the life of the Son of God, which grows within and manifests Christ, and be a testimony of Christ. This way of reading the Bible—where believers are transformed to live out Christ's testimony—is called "Testimony Bible Reading". In other words, Testimony Bible Reading means reading Scripture to receive divine illumination and apply spiritual principles to a believer’s daily life, work and service, knowing Christ, experiencing Christ, and ultimately living out Christ. II. Basic Principles of Bible Reading A. Understanding the eternal nature of the Bible God is the eternal God (Psalms 90:2) An eternal plan as blueprint Revealing the Bible through the eternal Spirit The Bible transcends time and space and is applicable in every era and place B. Understanding the present nature of the Bible God is the eternal God, yet He is also the God of the present. With God, there are no time limitations—everything is "now". (Hebrews 13:8) Every part of the Bible is applicable to present-day spiritual experiences. C. Understanding that the content of the Bible is Christ The Bible is the manual that reveals God's Son, Christ (Luke 24:44-45). The central figure of the Bible is Christ. Through explicit texts, prophecies, symbolic representations, historical narratives, and poetry, the Bible expresses Christ. D. Understanding the infinite spiritual meaning of the Bible (Ephesians 3:8) The Bible contains literal facts. Spiritual meaning is revealed through these literal facts. Because Christ is spiritual, heavenly, eternal, and infinitely rich, the Bible’s spiritual significance is also limitless E. Understanding that the interpretation of the Bible depends on the revelation of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; Ephesians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11) The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit; therefore, only the Holy Spirit can interpret it. Knowing Christ requires revelation, so interpreting the Bible also requires the revelation of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26). III. The Spiritual Principles and Application of Testimony Bible Reading A. Clearly understand the literal meaning of the Bible Understand the literal meaning of the Bible Comprehend the spiritual significance of Biblical text B. See illumination and spiritual principles with the revelation of the Holy Spirit Receive the illumination given by the Holy Spirit through the literal text of the Bible. Gain revelation from the Holy Spirit through biblical facts to understand spiritual principles. C. Apply the illumination and spiritual principles in life, work and ministry Apply the literal meaning of the Bible in daily life, work, and service. Practice the spiritual significance of biblical texts in life, work, and service. Apply the illumination revealed by the Holy Spirit in life, work, and service. Apply the spiritual principles received through the revelation of the Holy Spirit in life, work, and service. <-- BACK to New Testament

Bible Reading: Psalms 103:8 Jeremiah 2:2 Hosea 11:4, 3:1 Isaiah 49:15 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Ephesians 3:18-19 Abundant Lovingkindness God truly is a God of abundant riches. Not only does He possess abundant forgiveness and abundant grace, He also possesses abundant love. The Bible specifically records that God is love, so whenever we speak of the richness of God’s love, God surely delights in it—because this touches His heart most deeply. Because God’s love is so rich, the Bible uses many expressions to describe it. For example: Ephesians 2:4 records: "because of His great love with which He loved us.." God’s love is not an ordinary love—it is a great love. 1 John 3:1 says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" Here we are told to see, to pay attention to the kind of love the Father has given us. The phrase “what manner” highlights how extraordinary this love is. Psalms 103:8: "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." (ESV) This tells us that God's love is abounding. Ephesians 3:18: "what is the width and length and depth and height..." The Bible uses the largest possible words—width, length, height, depth—to describe how full and immeasurable God’s love is. And verse 19 continues: "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge" Truly, it is beyond human ability to measure or comprehend. Regarding the richness of God’s love, we can begin to grasp it—however slightly—from several different angles. Fresh Love Ever since humanity fell, all things in the universe have been subjected to futility. As the days pass, everything gradually becomes old and decays. Only God’s love remains forever fresh. According to common experience, if we want to keep something fresh, one essential factor cannot be missing: it must continually receive supply from its source. For example, if we close all the windows in a room, within an hour the air inside will become stale and stagnant. We must open the windows again to let fresh air flow in. Only when the source supplies anew does the air become fresh again. In the same way, if the love God gives us to experience is fresh, then there must be His abundant love as its source—continuously supplying, never ceasing. Only then can we receive fresh love. How can we know that the love God gives us is fresh? Jeremiah 2:2 records: “Thus says the Lord: I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal.…” God describes His love using marital affection, and this imagery itself conveys newness. Whenever a couple marries, we call the man the bridegroom and the woman the bride—pointing to the freshness of marriage. The love between God and us is likewise marital love, a picture of God’s ever‑fresh love. Since what God gives us to experience is fresh love, it shows that He has a rich and abundant lovingkindness as its source—continually supplying us with His steadfast love. Dear brothers and sisters, God’s love is so exceedingly rich. Every time we taste His love, it feels fresh and sweet to our hearts. So one hymn says: “The Lord’s love is fresh and sweet; I lift my voice to praise. Since He suffered for me, And now dwells within my heart, He gives me life and peace, Supports and cares without cease. The longer I know His love, the fresher it becomes; The longer I know His love, the sweeter it becomes.” The Lord’s abundant love supplies us again and again. As we experience it more deeply, we can truly sing: “The longer I know His love, the fresher it becomes; the longer I know His love, the sweeter it becomes.” Binding Love Hosea 12:4 says,“I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love.” This describes the richness of God’s love—a love that comes upon His people with a kind of binding power, and therefore we may call it a binding love. Since the ordinary use of cords is to bind things together, the Bible shows that God’s love is so rich that it becomes a force, like cords, binding a person and drawing him so that he cannot but walk in God’s way for his whole life. It goes on to say,"And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them." How tender the master is toward the ox: he loosens the yoke from it's jaw to give it freedom, and then places food before it. This means that he draws the ox by supplying it with love, attracting it by setting the sweetness of love before its eyes. God deals with us in the same way. On one hand, He loosens us and gives us freedom; on the other hand, He places the supply of His love before us—feeding us, drawing us, and causing us to follow Him continually. His love leads us to walk willingly on the path He has arranged for us. Because of the binding power of His love, we would rather surrender our freedom, obey His will, and bring Him delight, than indulge the flesh and go our own way, wounding His heart. Dear brothers and sisters, God’s rich love draws us with cords of kindness and bands of love. On the other hand, this shows that His love is not thin or fragile. Rather, His love is thick, strong, and resilient—a love that cannot be broken, escaped, or shaken off. It reveals how firm, solid, and irresistibly powerful God’s love is, drawing us with such force that we willingly and joyfully walk the path He has set before us for our whole lives. Patient Love Psalms 103:8 says, "The Lord is me w to anger" is a patient love. The more love there is, the greater the patience becomes, and the less easily one becomes angry. Sometimes we see a mother feeding her child; the child simply refuses to eat, yet the mother endures in countless ways, trying every method she can so that the child will finish the meal, until he is full. This is the patient love. This fact shows us that it is not because the child is ‘well‑behaved,’ but because the mother ‘loves.’ Here is a great love, fully expressed through patience. In the same way, God’s great and abundant love is most clearly manifested in His patience. We can point to an example from the Old Testament to show how God’s abundant love is expressed through His patience. The prophet Jonah was sent by the Lord to the great city of Nineveh to proclaim to its inhabitants: ‘In forty days, Nineveh will be overturned.’ The people of Nineveh believed God and immediately declared a fast; from the greatest to the least, all put on sackcloth. When this message reached the king of Nineveh, he stepped down from his throne, removed his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. He then issued a proclamation throughout Nineveh, saying: No one may taste anything; neither humans nor livestock—cattle or sheep—may eat or drink water. Both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must earnestly call upon God. When God saw their deeds, that they had turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring upon them the disaster He had threatened. This greatly displeased Jonah, and he became very angry. He prayed, saying: "Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."(Jonah 4:2) Beloved brothers and sisters, it is not that the city of Nineveh was without sin; rather, it was that God is slow to anger, possessing a great love of patience, waiting for them to repent. When they heard Jonah’s warning and turned from their ways, the Lord—slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love—did not bring upon Nineveh the disaster He had spoken. The prophet Jonah had long understood that the Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in lovingkindness, and One who relents from sending calamity. That is precisely why he fled to Tarshish. Here we see a clear contrast: before Nineveh repented, the Lord intended to bring judgment, and Jonah believed this was right. But when the people of Nineveh repented and the Lord forgave them, Jonah believed this was wrong. Thus he became greatly displeased and very angry. This shows us how vast the difference is between God’s love and human love. God’s love is abundant and overflowing, while human love is almost nonexistent, at most only a speck of dust. Thanks be to God! Because of His abundant lovingkindness, we cannot help but feel endless gratitude and offer unceasing praise. If God were to deal with us strictly according to righteousness, we would have long been destroyed. How wonderful that He is rich in lovingkindness, slow to anger, and treats us with patience—this is why we are here today. From this we deeply understand that one aspect of God’s abundant love is expressed through His limitless patience; this is His patient love. Forbearing Love Hosea 3:1 recorded that the Lord said to prophet Hosea: "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans." This passage shows that one aspect of God’s abundant lovingkindness is expressed through the love that bears and embraces. Hosea represents the loving God, and the adulterous woman represents the people of Israel. Although Israel turned to other gods and was unfaithful to the Lord—just as an adulterous woman is unfaithful to her husband—yet the Lord still loved them. This reveals the great, forbearing love of God. Anyone who does not love God wholeheartedly, whose heart is occupied by the people, things, and attractions of the world, is an adulteress. Today, many Christians love the world and love money rather than loving God. In God’s eyes, this is spiritual adultery. If God did not have a love that bears and embraces, we would have long been cast away. It is not that God refuses to judge our unfaithfulness, but that He waits for us to repent because He is rich in steadfast love. How can such a forbearing love not deeply move us? Even a person with a heart of iron and stone cannot remain unmoved. The prophet Jeremiah likewise testified to God's forbearing love, saying, "'If a man divorces his wife, and she goes from him and becomes another man’s, may he return to her again? Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,' says the Lord." (Jeremiah 3:1) Here again we confirmed that God’s abundant lovingkindness is fully expressed through His limitless forbearance. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He vividly displayed God’s forbearing love. John 8 records that the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They said to Jesus, ‘In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’ When they heard this, they went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, leaving Jesus alone. Jesus then said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’ (John 8:11) Does this not show us that God has a forbearing love? Beloved brothers and sisters, God’s abundant lovingkindness is fully expressed through His forbearing love. Its purpose is not to overlook our evil, nor to encourage us to sin. God is forever holy and righteous; He will surely judge sin. The reason we speak of His great, forbearing love is so that we may recognize the richness of His lovingkindness, and be moved, melted, and conquered by His great love—so that we would no longer dare to harbor thoughts that offend God or deliberately wound His heart. Instead, we should love Him more, and with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength seek to please Him. Remembering Love Isaiah 49:15 says, "Can a woman forget her nursing child that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you." Normally, a mother would never forget the infant she is nursing; even if she were to forget, the Lord would never forget us. This is the love that remembers—God’s abundant lovingkindness expressed through yet another facet of remembrance. God forever remembers us, and this truly moves us deeply, strengthens us greatly, and encourages our hearts. David had a son named Absalom. His sister Tamar was violated by her half‑brother Amnon. Absalom therefore plotted revenge, killed Amnon, and fled to Geshur, where he stayed for three years. The Bible says that David’s heart longed deeply for Absalom (2 Sam 13:39). In the end, through Joab’s counsel and the wise woman’s persuasion, David allowed Absalom to return home. David’s love for Absalom is a picture of God’s love for us—a Father’s remembering love. It is not that we have no sin; we are all great sinners deserving death. Yet astonishingly, our Father keeps us in His heart, never forgetting us. Such remembering love moves our hearts deeply on one hand, and on the other hand strengthens our faith to entrust ourselves to Him. For He is the Almighty God, and He is the One who never ceases to remember us. Luke 15 records that after the younger son received his inheritance from his father, he left home, wandered far away, squandered all he had, and then faced famine. In extreme poverty he finally returned home. The Bible says that while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt compassion, ran to him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him repeatedly. The father saw him because ever since the younger son left home, the father had remembered him constantly—perhaps losing sleep, perhaps unable to eat, longing day after day for his son’s return. Because his remembering love was exceedingly rich, it compelled him to wait daily with deep yearning for his son to come home. Once he saw his son returning from afar, he could not remain inside the house; he immediately ran to embrace him and kiss him again and again. Here the Father’s remembering love is fully expressed. Dear brothers and sisters, God’s abundant love is also revealed to us through His remembering heart. How can we not feel supreme comfort and deep gratitude, knowing that there is a God who remembers us in love and renews our strength? A poet with profound spiritual experience once wrote: Amid the tri­als which I meet, Amid the thorns that pierce my feet, One thought re­mains su­preme­ly sweet, Thou think­est, Lord, of me! Thou think­est, Lord, of me; Thou think­est, Lord, of me; What need I fear, since Thou art near, And think­est, Lord, of me! Let sha­dows come, let sha­dows go, Let life be bright or dark with woe; I am con­tent, for this I know, Thou think­est, Lord, of me! Compelling Love Christ laid down His life for us; no love is greater than this. The Bible declares that among all the expressions of God’s abundant lovingkindness, this is the greatest. When this love comes upon us, it becomes the ‘compelling love.’ Therefore 2 Corinthians 5:14–15 says, "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." The word "compel" in English carries the sense of a mighty flood pressing upon us. It describes the great love of Christ who died for us—like overwhelming waters surging against us—so that we cannot remain passive, cannot live for ourselves, but must live for the Lord who died and rose again for us. Once, an man from remote village visited Niagara Falls in America—the largest waterfall in the world, twenty‑six miles in length and about two miles wide. The waters roared with tremendous force. After seeing it, he asked, "When will all this water finally run out?" Someone answered, "This water will never run out." In the same way, the Bible teaches that God’s abundant love—the compelling love that comes upon us through Christ’s substitutionary death—flows toward us like a mighty flood that is endless, inexhaustible, and never ceases. Brothers and sisters, the moment we are born again and saved, and when the cross of Christ is vividly set before our eyes, are we not deeply compelled by Christ’s great love—His giving of His life, His shedding of His blood, His dying in our place—that we gladly offer ourselves and desire to live for Him all our days? Through Christ’s substitutionary death and this compelling love, we truly taste that God’s lovingkindness is as high as the heavens and as deep as the earth, incomparable and unmatchable. Even if the seas were to dry up and the rocks crumble, His love would never change—boundless, limitless, and without end! Immeasurable Love The Bible can only describe God’s abundant lovingkindness with words such as ‘the breadth and length and height and depth,’ and ‘surpassing knowledge,’ for no human words are sufficient to measure it. Breadth Psalms 33:17 says, "The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord." "The earth is full of" refers to every corner of the earth; the whole world is filled with God's love. In the Philippines there is God’s love; when you fly to Japan, there is God’s love; when you cross the Pacific Ocean to the Americas, there is God’s love; even if you travel on to Europe, there is still God’s love; and when you arrive in Africa, there is yet God’s love. The whole earth is full of the lovingkindness of God. Matthew 5:45 records: "For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Because the whole earth is filled with God’s lovingkindness, whether righteous or unrighteous, good or evil, wherever human beings exist, in every place, people can see the lovingkindness of God. Oh, how exceedingly wide God’s love is! Length Psalm 103:17 says, "But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting..." This tells us that God’s lovingkindness stretches to such a length that it runs from eternity past to eternity future. A human lifespan is only seventy or eighty years, and if someone lives to one hundred, he is already considered long‑lived. But ‘everlasting’ cannot be compared with one hundred years, or one thousand years, or even ten thousand years. Eternity is time without end—endless ages, infinite duration. Oh, God’s love is from everlasting to everlasting; it is love that is forever and ever. Its length is immeasurable. This love continues without ceasing, without termination—enduring as long as heaven and earth, with no end at all. When we believe in Jesus, the salvation God gives us is one that will never perish (John 10:28). He grants us eternal life (John 10:28). The Holy Spirit given to us is also the eternal Spirit. And the heavenly inheritance prepared for us is one that can never decay, never be defiled, and never fade away (1 Peter 1:4)—it is eternal. Truly, the lovingkindness of God is long to the extent of everlasting to everlasting, enduring through all ages without end. Depth At the same time, God’s lovingkindness is also deep. Psalm 86:13 says, "For great is Your steadfast love toward me; You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol." Oh, God’s love is so deep that He rescues us—those who, because of our sins, deserved to descend into the deepest hell—and delivers us from entering that place. John 13:1 says, "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." Here, it states that the Lord love us ‘to the end’, meaning He loves us throughout our whole life; His love is so deep that it reaches the very end of our days, the very end of our journey—He loves us to the end. No wonder Psalm 23:6 says, "Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life." God’s love follows us all our life long. Oh, how deep God’s lovingkindness is—deep to the very end, deep to the uttermost. Height God’s love is also exceedingly high. Psalm 36:5 says, "Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens." What is higher than the heavens? Yet God’s lovingkindness reaches up to the heavens. For in Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). He has also raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). Our blessings and our position are heavenly. How high His lovingkindness is—reaching to the heavens, immeasurable! Moody, the servant of the Lord greatly used in the nineteenth century, lived and ministered in Chicago in his early years. His messages emphasized God’s righteousness and the coming judgment. One day in Ireland he met a young man who appeared to be no more than seventeen years old, named Henry Moorhouse. The young man introduced himself and told Moody that he hoped to preach in Chicago. Moody was initially indifferent, but several weeks after returning to Chicago, he received a letter from Moorhouse saying he had already arrived in America. Moody reluctantly agreed to let him preach. Since Moody was about to leave town, he instructed the church leaders to let Moorhouse preach for two nights as a trial. Two days later, when Moody returned home, he learned that Moorhouse had preached on ‘God so loved the world,’ and the congregation had been greatly helped—the response was remarkably good. On the third night Moody personally attended the meeting. Moorhouse again preached on John 3:16. In this way, for six consecutive nights—from Genesis all the way to Revelation—he spoke about how God loves the world. Moody’s heart was melted by the love of God, and tears flowed uncontrollably. On the seventh night, the final night of the meetings, Moorhouse said that he still could not find any verse in the Bible better than this one, so once again he preached on John 3:16. At the close of the meeting, he said, "My friends, I have spent a week trying to tell you how God loves you, but my clumsy tongue has prevented me from completing this mission. If I could borrow Jacob’s ladder and climb to heaven to ask God how He loves the world, the archangel Gabriel could at most say, God loves the world, even that He gave His only begotten Son to them, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Moody received a revelation and saw that God is love. He said, "If I could travel the world, I would tell everyone that God is love." Dear brothers and sisters, God’s lovingkindness reaches up to the heavens; the archangel, speaking for the angels, also tells us that heaven is filled with God’s lovingkindness. Oh! How wide, long, deep, and high is God’s love — it cannot be measured. How should we respond to God’s love? Since God has such abundant lovingkindness, how then should we — His redeemed children — receive His great love in a rich and overflowing way? Receiving God’s great love from Christ Romans 8:39 says, "Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." This shows that no factor whatsoever can separate us from God's love. However, there is only one place where we can receive God's love, and that is in Christ Jesus. Therefore, if we wish to receive God's great love, we must draw near to Christ, look to Christ, and receive from Christ. Being Filled with God's Love Romans 5:5 says, "Because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." This tells us that one of the works of the Holy Spirit is to pour God's love into our hearts, so that we may be filled with His love and be able to love Him in return. The love that we possess naturally as human beings is changeable and often fluctuates. However, the love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit is God's unchanging love. It enables us to love God faithfully and steadfastly to the very end. Love One Another 1 John 4:11 says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." When God's love is in our hearts, the proper response is, on the one hand, to love God, and on the other hand, to love others and love one another. As we express and manifest God's love, we will experience His lovingkindness more richly and abundantly. May the Lord open our eyes so that we may see how broad, long, deep, and high God's love is, and may we come to know this love that surpasses all human understanding and measurement.

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 1:9 Titus 3:7 Ephesians 2:10 2 Corinthians 8:2, 12:9 1 Corinthians 15:10 Hebrews 4:16 How the Bible Describes God’s Abundant Grace Whether a Christian can live victoriously and enter into the realm of spiritual abundance depends entirely on how well he knows God. In principle, once a person is saved and becomes a Christian, his knowledge of God should gradually increase until it reaches fullness. Yet in reality, this is often not the case. We must understand that the measure of our knowledge of God determines the measure of salvation we can draw upon, and likewise the measure of His riches we can enjoy. If a son does not know that his father’s vast estate is meant for him, he will not make use of that wealth and will continue living a poor and pitiful life. But if he is fully assured that his father’s abundant possessions belong to him, his entire manner of living will be drastically transformed. In the same way, our God is a God of abundance; yet many Christians live spiritually weak, defeated, and impoverished lives simply because they do not know the riches of God. Therefore, we must come together to behold this God of abundance and see in what ways He is truly rich. Last time, we looked at God’s abundant forgiveness. Now, we will continue by considering God’s abundant grace. If a duck died of thirst while swimming on the surface of the water, that would be utterly ridiculous, even ironic. In the same way, when a Christian is placed within the abundance of God’s grace yet lives a spiritually impoverished, weak, defeated, and even dying life, is this not likewise something both absurd and bordering on irony? The Bible uses many expressions to describe the richness of God’s grace. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” Grace originally was in heaven; there was no grace on earth until the Lord Jesus became flesh and lived among men, bringing grace down to earth. And this grace came to us in “full". Then verse 16 continues: “Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” This shows how exceedingly rich and overflowing the grace God gives truly is. James 4:6 says, “He gives more grace.” The apostle Paul likewise says in 2 Corinthians 9:14, “the exceeding grace of God.” Here God’s grace is described not only as more, but as exceedingly great. In Ephesians 1:7 Paul writes of “the riches of His grace.” And in 2:7 he speaks of “the exceeding riches of His grace.” Not only rich, but exceedingly rich—inexhaustible, unending, without limit. By the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy in his later years, he testified, “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me.” Not only rich, but overflowingly abundant. From all these descriptive words, it becomes unmistakably clear how immeasurably rich and boundless the grace of God truly is. Abundant Grace Oh brothers and sisters, when we see from the Bible that God is indeed a God of abundance, we must make every effort to receive the fullness of His grace. Now let us consider how God manifests the richness of His grace so that we may truly experience it. In what ways does He extend His grace to us? We can reflect on this from several different angles. Holy Calling 2 Timothy 1:9 says; "who saved us and called us to[a] a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began." Our calling today is a holy calling—not an earthly summons from a president. A president’s summons is still worldly and earthly, but God’s calling is a sacred calling: spiritual, heavenly, and meant to make us belong to the Holy God. And this holy calling is according to His grace—grace that was given to us in Christ before the ages began, before the world existed. In the eternal ages, God possesses inexhaustible grace. Paul said that he was set apart from his mother’s womb and called by God’s grace. Because this grace is exceedingly abundant, Paul declares in Ephesians: “that you may know what is the hope of His calling!” Dear brothers and sisters, if God were to call us based on our works, then none of us would qualify. We cannot even count how many sins we have committed from childhood till now. If the holy God were to examine our iniquities, who could stand before Him? Thankfully, God calls us according to His grace. Therefore, from God’s holy calling, we can see how exceedingly rich His grace is. Oh—its richness is unfathomable, its abundance immeasurable. Redeemed and Forgiven It is written in Ephesians 1:7: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Our identity was originally that of great sinners, yet through the redemption of Jesus Christ we have received forgiveness. It was not because we paid any price, nor because we had any good works that earned redemption and forgiveness. It is through faith, and it is entirely out of God’s free grace. Therefore, when we experience being redeemed and forgiven, our hearts should be moved by grace to offer praise, saying, Oh! How rich, abundant, and overflowing the grace of God is! Romans 5:20 says, "But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" This verse does not encourage us to sin; rather, it shines upon us, helping us see that although our sins are more numerous than the hairs on our head, we have nevertheless received forgiveness. It is entirely by God’s grace. Through this we come to recognize how magnanimous, deep, and profound the grace of God truly is. Luke 7 records a sinful woman who stood behind Jesus, weeping at His feet. Her tears fell upon His feet, and she wiped them dry with her hair. She kept kissing His feet and anointing them with fragrant oil. When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he was displeased in his heart. So Jesus said, “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” This tells that he one who receives greater forgiveness will naturally love the Lord more. The one forgiven little will love little. Therefore, the more a person comes to know the abundant grace of God, the more deeply that person will love the Lord. Brothers and sisters, the reason we often fail to rise up in love for the Lord is that we have not truly recognized our own sinfulness. When we sees that we are not merely a sinner, but great sinners who has nevertheless been embraced by the Lord’s grace, we cannot help but rise eagerly to love Him. Those who have not seen the depth of their sin will not grasp the greatness of God’s forgiveness—and therefore will not love deeply. For he who receives much forgiven loves much. Through the experience of being redeemed and forgiven, we come to know that the grace of God is boundless and immeasurable. No wonder a hymn writer once declared: I am a sinner saved by grace I am a sinner saved by grace This is my story, To God be the glory I am a sinner saved by grace Justified Titus 3:7 says, “that having been justified by His grace.” Forgiveness is passive. Justification is active. Because of Christ, God regards us as righteous, and this grace is exceedingly great! Luke 15 records the younger son who squandered all the inheritance his father had given him. When a severe famine arose, he became destitute, which compelled him to return home, knowing that in his father’s house there was bread to spare. As he returned, the Bible records that while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, was moved with compassion, ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him repeatedly. This action shows that the father had forgiven the son, and the son had confessed his sin. Then the father commanded the servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger…” (Luke 15:22). Here, the robe symbolizes being clothed with Christ and thus justified by God. The ring symbolizes the restoration of the son’s status and authority. All of this was freely given by the father—pure grace. Thus, our justification is according to the richness of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7). No reason, no price, a grace entirely free. Good Works Not only in receiving salvation—such as in God’s holy calling, in being redeemed and forgiven, and in being justified—we see the richness of God’s grace. Even in living out the Lord’s salvation—such as in doing good, giving generously, enduring patiently, bearing the cross, laboring, and serving—we can also see the abundant grace of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Here we are reminded that our salvation is entirely by God’s grace. Then the passage goes on to tell us why we have received such abundant grace. Verse 10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them..” This means that God gives us His grace so that, on one hand, we may become His masterpiece, and on the other hand, that we may do good works. The “good works” mentioned here are not the moral deeds that the world speaks of. Rather, these good works refer to expressing God’s own nature, manifesting God’s life, because only God is truly good. This verse adds a special explanation: when God calls us to do good, it is what He has prepared beforehand for us to walk in. This means that we absolutely cannot do good by our own ability; rather, it is by God’s preparation—by the abundant grace He has already made ready—that we are able to do good. Our natural disposition is utterly corrupt, and our self‑life is hopelessly selfish; we are completely incapable of doing good. Therefore, it is entirely by the grace God gives that we can bring forth anything good. For example, when guests come to our home, the parents bring out a large tray of candies and snacks and tell the little sister to distribute them to the guests. From the little sister’s perspective, one could say she is “doing good,” but the good she does is simply passing out what her parents have prepared. In the same way, the good we do is nothing more than distributing the rich grace God has prepared. From the many good works done by believers, we can see how exceedingly rich, abundant, and sufficient the grace God has prepared for us truly is. Generosity In the matter of Christian giving, we can also see the abundant grace of God. 2 Corinthians 8:1 says, “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.” The Corinthian church had not shown evidence of God’s grace—not because God had not given them grace, but because they did not know how to use the grace God had given them. Therefore Paul wrote to them, saying, “I want to make known to you the grace God bestowed on the Macedonian churches.” Verse 2 continues: “that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy…” (2 Cor 8:2) In great affliction, not only did they refrain from complaining, but they even had abundant joy. This truly is the grace of the Lord. And in "their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part." This is even grace upon grace. Just imagine: in great affliction—when one most needs the understanding and sympathy of others—and added to that, in extreme poverty, urgently waiting for help and relief, they not only received no outside assistance, but instead willingly and joyfully gave to others, not only according to their ability, but even beyond their ability. This is absolutely not something human strength could accomplish; it could only be done through the abundant grace of God. From the generous grace displayed by the Macedonian churches, we see how exceedingly rich, surpassing, and beyond human imagination the grace of God truly is. Dear brothers and sisters, mammon is what most easily touches a person’s heart, making it the hardest thing for anyone to let go of. Especially in times of lack—when one has personal needs—it becomes even more difficult to give. Yet the churches of Macedonia, in the midst of extreme poverty, astonishingly displayed the abundant grace of their generosity. This was because they had received the rich grace of the Lord; relying on this abundant grace, they gave willingly and joyfully, even beyond their ability. From the Macedonian churches’ generous giving, we see how rich, exalted, extraordinary, and magnificent the grace of God truly is—so glorious and worthy of our admiration and reverence. Enduring the Cross When a person is led by the Lord onto the path of life to follow Him, sooner or later the Lord will arrange the experience of the cross for him. Many Christians become fearful and shrink back when they hear about the experience of the cross, because they are afraid of suffering for the Lord. If we speak of believing in Jesus bringing blessing, longevity, and peace, everyone’s face brightens with joy—they love to hear such things. But if we speak of believing in Jesus as accepting the cross, suffering together with the Lord, then their faces fall, they lose interest, and they do not like to hear it. But we must never forget: only through the cross can life reach fullness; only by passing through the cross can one ascend to the throne. Therefore, we must not only accept the cross, but accept it willingly and joyfully. Paul had especially deep and abundant experiences of the cross—some even call him the messenger of the cross. No wonder every epistle written by him, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaks about the cross. When Paul spoke of his own experience of the cross, he said in 2 Corinthians 12:7: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh.” We do not know exactly what this thorn was, but it is clear that it was meant to deal with Paul’s pride and to keep him humble. Therefore, it was obviously a kind of experience of the cross—one that naturally caused Paul pain. Because of this, Paul pleaded with the Lord three times for the thorn to be taken away. But the Lord answered: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) It was not by Paul’s own strength that he could accept the cross; rather, it was the Lord’s grace that was sufficient for him. It was entirely the Lord’s abundant grace that enabled Paul to endure the suffering of the cross. When Paul felt weak and unable to bear the cross, that very weakness made the power of God’s grace shine forth all the more perfectly. 1 Kings 17 records how Elijah and the widow of Zarephath survived the bitter drought and famine with only a handful of flour in the jar and a little oil in the jug. When all Israel was struck by drought, the people fell into famine, poverty, and unbearable hardship. God sent Elijah to the home of the widow in Zarephath. With just that handful of flour and that little oil, God sustained them until the rain returned, the drought ended, and the famine passed. The poverty and hardship of famine were a deep experience of the cross. Yet Elijah and the poor widow, relying on the jar’s handful of flour and the jug’s drop of oil, were able to endure those difficult days. This reveals the richness of God’s grace, enabling them to bear the suffering of the cross. Outwardly, it seemed like nothing more than a small amount of flour and a little oil—but these became an inexhaustible source of supply, allowing them to live day by day and overcome the hardships of famine. Hallelujah! God has boundless grace that enables us to endure the cross throughout our lives. Just as the hymn says: The cross is not greater than His grace; the storms cannot hide His blessed face… Dear brothers and sisters, on one hand God places us in an unending experience of the cross; on the other hand, He supplies us with His immeasurably rich grace, enabling us to endure the cross with calmness and strength. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” These jars of clay are us, and the treasure is Christ, who dwells within us as our life. He supplies us with the mighty power of His endless life and grants us His boundless grace, so that we may overcome every experience of the cross—being hard‑pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, and more. No wonder Paul also said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) In Paul’s lifelong endurance of the cross, we see how exceedingly rich, surpassing, and overflowing the grace of God truly is. Laboring in Service Paul said in Romans 15:15-16, "because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God." Paul says here that God appointed him to be a servant of the Lord Jesus and a priest of God, and that serving God is entirely because of the grace God has given him. A servant has no freedom of his own, being completely under the Master’s authority. Every Christian is likewise a servant of Christ, and it is also by the grace the Lord has given us—grace so rich that it causes us to willingly and gladly submit ourselves to the Lord’s full authority, allowing Him to govern us strictly. Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “I labored more abundantly than all the apostles; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” This shows that God’s grace upon him was so abundant that it produced labor and service in his life. The reason we labor in service without indulging ourselves, without self‑love or self‑pity, and even sacrifice ourselves for the Lord, is entirely because the Lord’s grace is with us. Beloved brothers and sisters, from the labor and service of the saints throughout all generations—from the patriarchs of old to the believers of today—we see how exceedingly rich, perfect, and marvelous the grace of God truly is. The Throne of Grace What causes us even deeper gratitude and joy is this: when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the throne He took up is a throne of grace. In the Old Testament, the mercy seat was on the ark in the Holy of Holies; in the New Testament it is often translated as “propitiation,” meaning that God is restoring His people. When we come before the Lord, He is able to recover our weaknesses and failures, because He desires to supply us with abundant grace to fill up all our deficiencies. Thanks be to the Lord—Christ’s present throne is not a throne of judgment, but a throne of grace. Only at the end of the world, when He sits upon the great white throne, will it be a throne of judgment. Today, the throne on which He sits is the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:14 says, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God." and verse 16 continues, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” These verses tell us that the Lord Jesus, having ascended into the heavens, is our exalted High Priest, appointed to bring God’s people grace and blessing. Therefore, we ought to come boldly before His throne of grace, to receive rich grace as timely help. Beloved brothers and sisters, if we desire victory in our daily living and a testimony in our service, here is a secret, a sure and simple path: come before the Lord’s throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace as timely help. The grace given from God’s throne is inexhaustible—always available for us to draw upon, and always sufficient for every circumstance. This shows us that God’s abundant grace is unlimited, unending, and without measure, waiting for all the saints to take hold of it at any time and in any place. The Attitude Believers Aught to have Since God possesses abundant grace and continually supplies it to all the saints, what attitude should we, as recipients of such grace, have so that we do not disappoint the Lord, but instead manifest His grace richly and allow it to flow through us? On the negative side, there are two matters we must guard against and pay careful attention to, which we will now bring up. Not Indulging the Lusts of the Flesh Jude 4 speaks of a group of people who “turn the grace of our God into lewdness.” These are people long ago marked out for condemnation, ungodly in their ways. We must never imitate them. Rather, we must be vigilant and cherish the Lord’s grace, refusing to give ourselves over to fleshly indulgence. Not Receiving the Grace of God in Vain 2 Corinthians 6:1 says, “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” This means that we should not merely receive grace, but also live out that grace and bear witness to it—through doing good, giving generously, enduring the cross, laboring in service, and in all things acting in a manner worthy of the grace we have received. On the positive side, there are three matters we must pay attention to, so that our experience of God’s abundant grace may become deeper and more practical. Receiving Grace from Christ John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, ...full of grace and truth..” Verse 17 adds, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” From this we see that if we are to obtain grace, we must come to Christ Himself and receive grace from Him. Apart from Him, there is no other path by which grace can be obtained. Standing in Grace by Faith Romans 5:2 says, "Through whom (Lord) also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” This tells us that the way to enter into grace and to stand firmly upon grace is faith. It is not by relying on our own effort, struggle, or self‑cultivation; simply by believing we may enjoy God’s abundant grace. And through faith, we are enabled to continue standing in this grace and move forward. Humbly Receiving More Grace James 4:6 says, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.'” We must take this to heart: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Not only does God give grace to the humble, He gives more grace to those who become even more humble. Therefore, we must strive for humility—pursue humility as much as possible—so that God’s abundant grace may come upon us in even greater measure. Beloved brothers and sisters, water always flows downward. This symbolizes how God gives grace to the humble. In the lowest places, water gathers into pools and even forms lakes. The meaning is this: in the most humble person, the grace God gives will gather and accumulate into a reservoir of grace, becoming a fountain from which rivers of grace flow forth—unceasing, ever‑springing, and reaching all the way into eternal life.

Bible Reading Colossians 2:3 Psalms 32:2 Isaiah 55:7-8 Hebrews 8:12 Luke 23:34, 43 Matthew 18:21-22, 26-28 Introduction Psalm 103:7 says, “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” Hebrews 8:11 also records, “For all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” These two passages speak of three levels of knowing God: Knowing God’s acts, His ways and Himself. In the lifelong experience of a Christian, God’s leading moves us forward step by step. First, He lets us know His acts; then He brings us further to know His ways; finally, He leads us to know His very person. And the most precious of all is knowing God Himself. This is just like a child gradually growing up under the care of his parents. In infancy, he only senses the parents’ love through feeding and nurturing—this is the parents’ acts. But when he becomes a child, he learns that when he lies, fights, or does wrong, his parents discipline him—this is understanding the parents’ ways. When he grows into adulthood, he knows his parents even more deeply. Without a word spoken, just by a glance or a gesture, he understands their thoughts and intentions, because he has come to know their very person and comprehend their nature. Likewise, as a Christian slowly matures, his knowledge of God must broaden and deepen. We come to realize profoundly that God is truly infinitely rich, immeasurably abundant, a God whom we can never fully know in one lifetime, nor exhaust in all our experiences. Speaking of God’s abundance, Paul says that he was commissioned to preach to the Gentiles “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” His lifelong calling was to proclaim Christ’s unsearchable riches—meaning that the God we believe in is an abundant God, and His riches are unsearchable. Though His riches are unsearchable, we may still, through the Bible, catch a faint glimpse of them—only a tiny fraction. Now we will attempt to explore these riches from ten aspects: Abundant forgiveness Abundant grace Abundant lovingkindness Abundant mercy Abundant life Abundant Word Abundant power Abundant wisdom Abundant salvation Abundant provision Because God is far too abundant—beyond measure—we must first confess that what we touch is only the most superficial outer layer. Abundant Forgiveness Isaiah 55:7 says, “Let him return to our God...for He will abundantly pardon.” The phrase “abundantly pardon” in the original text means rich, overflowing forgiveness. When we truly return to God, His forgiveness of our sins is never reluctant, never forced, never unwilling. His forgiveness is abundant—wide in scope, universal in quality, and overflowing in measure. This is why it is called “abundant.” Because God Himself is infinitely abundant, within Him there is a rich fountain, a rich power, and rich reserves that continually overflow. Even in the matter of forgiveness alone, He desires to show that His pardon is exceedingly abundant. Concerning God’s abundant forgiveness, Scripture gives several descriptions. Forgives All Iniquities Isaiah 55:7 speaks of God who “abundantly pardons.” This means that no matter who you are, no matter what sins you have committed—whether many or few, great or small, light or heavy, past or present—He forgives. This is why His forgiveness is truly great. Sometimes during national celebrations, a president may issue a special pardon: those sentenced under three years may be released, those with five‑year sentences may reduced to two, while political offenders may be excluded. But God’s forgiveness is not divided by category, nor distinguished by severity. As long as you sincerely confess your sins before Him, He forgives all your sins. How broad and universal this abundant pardon is! Truly, it is an abundant forgiveness. Psalms 103:2-3 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases," Here we are told that because God forgives all our iniquities, He also brings healing to all our diseases. 1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.Colossians 2:13” Then verse 9 continues, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Here the apostle John testifies that the power of the precious blood can forgive all sins and cleanse all unrighteousness. Colossians 2:13 says, “He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” Here the apostle Paul testifies that God’s forgiveness includes all trespasses—whether offenses against God or offenses against people. Every trespass is forgiven by Him. Our trespasses may be more numerous than the hairs on our head, yet He forgives all of them. Oh, how abundant God’s forgiveness is—broad, and perfect. Regarded as Without Sin We are people deeply corrupted by sin, yet God looks upon us as though we were without sin. Psalm 32:1–2 says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” David personally experienced God’s forgiveness. He says that when transgressions are forgiven, sins are covered, and God does not count them as guilt—God regards the person as though he had no sin. Such a person is truly blessed. Paul said of himself that he was the chief of sinners; we are even greater sinners. Yet God counts us as though we were without sin. Oh, how deep, how wide, how magnificent is God’s forgiveness—what a richly abundant forgiveness this is. Today, in many countries, those who commit major crimes—especially political offenders—are often placed on a government blacklist; even the crimes of ordinary offenders are carefully recorded and kept on file. But God treats repentant sinners in a completely different way: He actually regards us as though we had never sinned. God's forgiveness is truly amazing, transcendent, and abundant! Once, a young man committed a crime and was arrested by the police. His mother went to the police station weeping, pleading with the officers: she asked them to punish her son if necessary, but begged them not to record his crime on file. Oh, how numerous our sins are on the record. Yet God regards us as though we had no sin. By His own blood, He wipes everything away, leaving not even the slightest trace behind. Oh, how perfect and abundant is the forgiveness of God! In the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness, they repeatedly rebelled against God. By the time they reached the plains of Moab, King Balak of Moab sent messengers to invite the prophet Balaam to come and curse Israel. Balaam went, and from the mountaintop he looked upon the congregation of Israel. Yet according to the Lord’s instruction, he spoke words that seemed completely contrary to the facts—words of blessing: “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel.” (Numbers 23:21) In reality, before the Israelites arrived at the plains of Moab, they had already rebelled against the Lord more than ten times. They had worshiped the golden calf and provoked the Lord to anger; had Moses not interceded for them, they would have been destroyed. Later, when they reached the border of Canaan and sent twelve spies to scout the land, ten spies brought back an evil report. The people wept bitterly, lost their faith, and even wanted to return to Egypt. The Lord became exceedingly angry and intended to destroy the entire congregation, leaving only Moses and his descendants. Thankfully, Moses interceded, and the Lord turned away His wrath. Clearly, in God’s eyes the Israelites were exceedingly sinful. Yet when they arrived at the plains of Moab, the Lord expressed His heart through the mouth of Balaam, saying: “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel” This means not a trace of iniquity, not a thread of wickedness—in God’s eyes He regarded them as though they had no sin. This reveals how transcendent, how complete, how abundant God’s forgiveness truly is. Scarlet Becomes White as Snow Isaiah 1:18 says, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." The sins we have committed are like scarlet, It's God’s forgiveness, through the precious blood of Christ Jesus, washes us clean until we become white as snow. And what else is whiter than snow? White as snow speaks of a whiteness that cannot be surpassed—white to the fullest, white to the end, white completely and perfectly. Some of our brothers and sisters have moved to the United States and Canada. In Canada, half of the year is snowy. Sometimes, even when the weather is beautiful, the whole land is still covered in ice and snow. When the sun shines upon the snow, the reflected whiteness is so intense that one can hardly keep their eyes open; you must wear dark glasses. This shows just how exceedingly white snow truly is. God’s forgiveness turns our sins—sins as scarlet as crimson—into snow‑white. Not even a trace of shadow remains, not even the slightest speck. God’s Word goes on to say, “Though your sins are red like crimson, they shall be white like wool.” This means that the sins we have committed—though as red and vivid as crimson—will, through God’s forgiveness and the cleansing of the precious blood, become white like wool: pure, clean, and without any adulteration. No Longer Remembered Not only so—God’s forgiveness is also a forgiveness that remembers no more. Hebrews 8:12 records: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” This means that God forgives to such an extent that He no longer recalls the sins we have committed, no longer brings them to mind. He does not look at them anymore, does not think about them anymore, does not mention them anymore. No wonder Micah 7:18-19 says, "Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea." Although we have committed so many sins, God’s forgiveness is abundant. He tramples all our iniquities under His feet—meaning He no longer sees them. And casts all our sins into the depths of the sea, where they disappear without a trace, leaving no mark behind, completely unseen and utterly gone. Psalms 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." East and west are completely opposite directions, and the ends of the two can never be measured. How far apart are east and west? It cannot be calculated—it is an immeasurable, invisible infinity. When the Bible speaks of God’s forgiveness being so abundant, it says that as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us. This is a forgiveness that our sins are completely unseen—no longer thought about, no longer remembered. Once, a married couple came to me because they had been fighting. The husband said his wife nagged endlessly, to the point that he could not sleep. Immediately the wife interrupted, saying that a few years earlier, when she was sick, he was the one who kept nagging nonstop, chattering without end…Brothers and sisters, we tend to remember other people’s faults with great clarity—we hold on to them tightly and never forget. But God’s forgiveness is entirely different: He does not think about our sins anymore, does not remember them anymore. He lets them pass completely and utterly wipes them out. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. See how rich, how abundant, how immeasurable God’s forgiveness toward us truly is. Forgiving Our Enemies This is something exceedingly difficult for us to do. Ephesians 2:1–5 records that we were once dead in our trespasses and sins, by nature children of wrath. Yet God forgave us and saved us—this is forgiveness extended to enemies. When the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) The Lord Jesus was crucified without cause by those who were utterly unreasonable, yet He spoke words of grace—words of forgiving His enemies. This reveals yet another facet of the richness of God’s forgiveness. Dear brothers and sisters, our forgiveness toward others is often limited. Some people are easier for us to forgive, while others are truly difficult. And forgiving an enemy—how hard that is! Do you have an enemy? If someone speaks badly about you behind your back, or openly insults you, you may very likely hold a grudge, remembering it for years. Now imagine this: one day that person’s son succeeds academically or prospers in business and builds a beautiful house—can you genuinely say, “Thank the Lord”? On the contrary, if his son fails in school or his business collapses, you might hear the news and say, “Praise the Lord, he deserved it! God has avenged me!” At such a moment, it becomes clear how unwilling we are to forgive our enemies. How difficult it is to forgive an enemy! Yet God's forgiveness is so abundant that He forgives even His enemies, and He teaches us, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) Immediate Forgiveness Furthermore, how rich God’s forgiveness is! When we confess our sins to Him, He does not delay, reconsider repeatedly, or tell us to wait. Rather, He forgives immediately. When the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross, a criminal was crucified on each side of Him. One of them said to the Lord, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) He imagined that perhaps many years later—maybe decades, hundreds of years, or even thousands of years later—when the Lord would come in glory and reign in His kingdom, the Lord might then remember him. But the Lord Jesus answered, “Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) “Today” means now, meaning I forgive you this very moment. I remember you today, no need to wait for the future. This reveals that the Lord’s forgiveness is instant, and His salvation is instant. Thanks to the Lord! From God’s side, He is waiting—longing—to forgive us. The Gospel of Luke records the story of the prodigal son. When the son squandered his wealth in reckless living and had spent everything, he reached the end of himself. In that desperate condition, he finally came to his senses and returned to his father’s house. The Bible records: “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20) The father saw his son first while he was still a long way off. He ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him. This shows the richness of God’s forgiveness: God is waiting for us to turn back so He may forgive us. He longs to forgive us, and He forgives us immediately. Dear brothers and sisters, in these days, if you have sinned against the Lord or drifted far from Him, you must recognize that God’s forgiveness is abundant. He is waiting to forgive you, and He desires to forgive you immediately. Do not be afraid. Do not delay. Repent, and believe in the Father’s love. Return to Him quickly and confess your sins before Him. He will forgive you at once and you will experience the peace of being forgiven. Infinite Forgiveness From the infinite forgiveness God grants to man, we also see how exceedingly abundant His forgiveness is. Matthew 18:21–22 records: "Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” The Lord’s forgiveness does not stop at seven times, but extends to seventy times seven. The number seven represents completeness within time; multiplying it by seventy expresses forgiveness that is unlimited, boundless, and without end. Dear brothers and sisters, suppose someone speaks ill of you behind your back. Later he comes to ask for your forgiveness, and you forgive him. But the next day he comes again and says, “I spoke badly of you once more; please forgive me again,” and you forgive him again. After a few days he comes yet again and says, “I spoke badly of you behind your back; please forgive me once more.” At that moment you might say, “Why do you keep speaking evil of me behind my back?” A few days later, the same thing happens again—he has spoken ill of you and comes seeking forgiveness. What would your attitude be then? You might begin to doubt whether his repentance is sincere. You see, our forgiveness toward others is often limited. But God’s abundant forgiveness is truly unlimited. To make us recognize God's infinite forgiveness, Jesus continue to say, "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down [a]at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him." (Matthew 18:23-34) The king’s cancellation of the servant’s debt of ten million talents shows God’s unlimited forgiveness toward us; but the servant’s refusal to release his fellow servant from a debt of ten denarii reveals how base and narrow our forgiveness often is. May the Lord have mercy on us, and cause us to see that since God has forgiven us without limit, we also ought to forgive—generously and spaciously—all who have sinned against us. Eternal Forgiveness Thank the Lord! God’s forgiveness is an eternal forgiveness. This reveals yet another characteristic of His abundant forgiveness. On the night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, He took the cup and said, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matt. 26:28). The word covenant means something that never changes; it speaks of God’s everlasting forgiveness. Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord’s forgiveness toward us is forever and ever. It is not for merely a few decades, a few centuries, or even a few millennia, but for generation after generation—unchanging through all eternity. How immeasurable, how boundless, how inexhaustible this forgiveness is! From God’s abundant forgiveness alone, we can already see how exceedingly abundant our God truly is. The Attitude We Ought to Have Lastly, we must speak about how to receive and experience God’s abundant forgiveness—that is, the attitude we ought to have toward His abundant forgiveness. Our purpose in helping everyone recognize God’s rich forgiveness is absolutely not to encourage people to sin, nor to lead anyone to become a person who does not fear God. Rather, we want everyone to see that since God’s forgiveness is so rich, we should not be content with our present condition, remaining poor and weak Christians. Instead, we should richly experience God and become rich Christians. Since God has such abundant forgiveness, how then should we take hold of it and experience it? Accept the Salvation of Christ Ephesians 1:7 says: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins," This shows us that God's forgiveness of our sin is based on the redemption accomplished by Christ through shedding of His blood on the cross. Therefore, we must come before the Lord and receive the redemption of Christ. Confess our sins Because God is light (1 John 1:5), when we turn to the Lord and receive Him, we are enlightened and begin to see our sins, our defilement, and our shortcomings. Naturally, we will then confess our sins to God. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we fulfill confession, God fulfills forgiveness. If we do not confess, we cannot experience God’s abundant forgiveness. Therefore, if we humbly acknowledge our sins, God will surely cause us to experience His abundant forgiveness. Forsake our Sins Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” This verse tells us that we must not only confess our sins, but also forsake them—and then we will receive mercy. A person who truly repents, turns to God, and receives Christ’s redemption is certainly one who acknowledges his sins. And one who acknowledges his sins is also one who forsakes them. Therefore the Lord says, “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). This means that a person who truly repents is one who turns to God and receives the Savior. He not only confesses his sins before God, but also bears fruit—forsaking sin and living a holy life.

Bible Reading: Jonah Chapter 1 (whole chapter) The theme of this conference is “Whom shall I send?” The term "send" carries the sense of commissioning and dispatching—being appointed and sent forth. “Whom shall I send?” is the voice of the God in heaven calling to every saint, His own people. In delivering this message, we will take the Book of Jonah as our background. The first chapter of Jonah speaks of God's Calling. I. A Perishing World Awaiting Salvation — The Wickedness of Nineveh The first chapter of the Book of Jonah records that Jonah was commissioned to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire at that time. Yet Jonah disobeyed and fled toward Tarshish. Assyria had once been a great empire, lasting for roughly three centuries (900–607 B.C.). Its population was vast; even those who “could not discern their right hand from their left” numbered more than one hundred twenty thousand (Jon. 4:11). From this, we may infer that the total population of that great city was likely around one million. Because the wickedness of Nineveh had risen up before the Lord, He sent Jonah to that great city. The God we worship is indeed a God of love, yet He is also a God of righteousness. Concerning sin, He must execute judgment. Yet out of His love for the world, He desires that all should repent and be saved, and that none should perish. For this reason, God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim repentance to its people. God’s Judgment upon Sin Concerning God’s judgment upon sin, the Old Testament repeatedly shows us that God never compromises with evil; judgment is unavoidable. In the days of Noah, when the Lord saw that humanity—whom He had created—was filled with violence upon the earth, and that every intention of their thoughts was evil, The Bible records: “The Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was grieved.” Because the holy God cannot tolerate sin, He resolved to destroy that generation with the flood. God does not tolerate sin for the world; neither does He overlook the sin of a single city. Consider the days of Abraham: The Bible records that the people of Sodom were exceedingly wicked before the Lord, and not even ten righteous persons could be found within it. The God who is righteous, holy, and jealous therefore destroyed that city with brimstone and fire. Now there was yet another city—Nineveh—greater than the cities of old. The Lord executes judgment upon the sins of the world, and He likewise judges the sins of a city; He also judges the sins of each individual. Therefore, before judgment would fall, He called Jonah and commissioned him to go and rescue, to restore the sinful great city of Nineveh. The Present World Awaits Salvation From the generations in which God judged sin, we clearly see why God calls man: because the perishing world awaits salvation. This world—our present dwelling place—was created by God and is precious to Him. Yet it is marked by a fearful condition: day by day it moves toward the path of destruction. This world, heading toward ruin, is in urgent need of deliverance. For this reason, God calls people from heaven. When we look at the present age, the condition of human life—its moral decline and corruption—truly mirrors that of ancient times. Each day the newspapers report criminal acts from every corner of the world, seemingly without end. It is as though sin has become common, even fashionable. As the Bible declares: “There is none righteous, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. All have turned aside” (Rom. 3:10–12). In the sight of God, all have sinned and fall short of His glory. Such sin God cannot leave unjudged. Praise the Lord! While we were still weak, Christ came to earth in the fullness of time, taking on flesh, and accomplished redemption upon the cross, bearing the sins of all humanity. This glad tidings—already accomplished—must be proclaimed. We are to declare that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Therefore today, to the world, we preach the gospel of Christ’s redemption; and to Christians who have grown cold, withdrawn, or fallen, we proclaim that the Lord still calls people. He calls them to save a perishing world and to restore a declining church. Even now the Lord stretches out His saving hand toward the world, desiring to show grace to all. This is the backdrop of God’s call to humanity. II. God's Calling -- the word of the Lord came to Jonah The opening verse of the Book of Jonah states plainly: “The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai” (Jon. 1:1). This reveals that God calls man. The very day you and I believed in the Lord Jesus and received His grace was the day we received God’s call. It was because His call came to us that we repented, confessed our sins, were born again, saved, and baptized into Christ. From the moment God called us, we have borne a sacred commission: to go forth and proclaim the gospel everywhere, making disciples of all nations and baptizing them into His name. This commission does not refer to forsaking all things in order to serve the Lord full‑time. Those who serve the Lord full‑time are individuals whom the Lord calls in a particular way, setting them apart to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. But for the general Christian who has received grace and salvation, the moment he believes and accepts the Lord, the Lord calls him to follow Him throughout his entire life until the journey’s end. Thus, a student may continue studying while being used by the Lord; a teacher may continue teaching while being used by the Lord; even those engaged in business may carry out their work while being used by the Lord. In other words, the Lord calls every Christian—each and every one—to rise up and serve Him. Yet let us ask ourselves: How many times in a week have we been used by the Lord? In a month? In a year? How many believers have we visited? How many souls have we sought to rescue? Today the Lord’s call is coming to you, just as the word of the Lord came to Jonah in former days. Will you obey and respond to the Lord’s call? Are you able to submit to the Lord whom you serve? God Does Not Send Angels to Save a Perishing World We must understand that after Jesus Christ accomplished redemption, He said to His disciples before ascending to heaven: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). From this we see that the Lord chooses to use human beings to continue His saving work; He does not send angels. Indeed, it is not easy to preach the gospel to our classmates, and it is even more difficult to share the gospel with middle‑aged and elderly people. The more materially advanced our twentieth‑century civilization becomes, the more hardened the human heart seems to be, and the more reluctant people are to receive the gospel. Many Christians have likely imagined that if one day the Lord were to send angels to appear in the sky—gliding through the air like airplanes—and proclaim to humanity: “O people, do not continue in your drunken, dreamlike living; you must repent and believe in Jesus,” surely the world, hearing the voice of angels, would repent and turn to God. Yet God does not act in this way. During the era of redemption, God does not send angels directly to save people; He sends angels only to announce good news. When Jesus was born, the angel was sent by God to bring a message to the shepherds in Bethlehem: “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11). At times, when the Lord’s servants were imprisoned, angels were sent to comfort and deliver them (Acts 23:11; 27:23). For are not all angels ministering spirits, sent forth to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:14). God Sends Man to Save a Perishing World From this we see that in God’s eternal ordinance, He has appointed man to proclaim the gospel, visit and care for others, and serve the Lord. In this present age, God sends you and me to save a world that is perishing. Consider the days of Noah: the world was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. When God beheld such a scene, His heart was grieved. Before He determined to destroy all living creatures by the flood, He first sought out a righteous man named Noah. God commanded him to build an ark so that the stream of life would not cease in that generation. Knowing the lovingkindness of God, Noah obeyed the command of the Lord. He preached while building the ark, and he preached for one hundred and twenty years. Oh, how I admire Noah’s perseverance! He preached righteousness for one hundred and twenty years, yet the people remained utterly unmoved. If you and I were to preach for one or two years without anyone believing in Jesus, our legs would grow weary and our hands would lose strength. If we preached for five or ten years with no fruit, our hearts would already be discouraged. If we preached for twenty years without a single convert, we would surely be exhausted and ready to give up. But Noah remained steadfast and faithful, without the slightest hint of slackness. He preached for one hundred and twenty years. This is the faithful servant whom God Himself commends. God Called Jonah Since God has ordained that He will not use angels to save a perishing world, but will instead use human beings, He therefore sent Jonah to save the great city of Nineveh. The opening chapter of the Book of Jonah records plainly: “The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it’.” From this we see that whenever God calls a person and entrusts him with a commission, He always begins by speaking to that person and giving him His charge. God Calls People to Serve Him Today Dear brothers and sisters, today God still calls, and all who have been saved must rise and be used by the Lord. In the Old Testament, the Lord spoke directly to people; His word came to the prophet Jonah, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it.” In our present age, the Lord uses the message proclaimed from the pulpit and the voice of the Holy Spirit—His inward stirring—to call people to respond to Him and to rise up and let Him use them. III. Man’s Escape — Going Down to Joppa and Fleeing to Tarshish When God called Jonah, Jonah failed to appreciate the honor and instead fled. Little did he realize that if God desires to use us, we ought to come kneeling and crawling to serve Him. Yet man choose to escape God’s call. Scripture records: “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3). Reject God's Call When the word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it,” Jonah instead rose up and fled to Tarshish. This clearly shows that Jonah rejected the Lord’s call. The Lord wanted Jonah to go east to Nineveh, but Jonah went west to Tarshish. Likewise, many Christians today respond in the same way. When the Lord calls, saying, “Brother, arise and visit,” or “Sister, arise and serve,” they not only refuse to visit or serve, but even neglect to attend meetings, choosing instead to sit at home watching television. God moves their hearts to love the Lord, yet they turn to love the world. For the nature of man is to refuse God’s call. Flee From God Not only so, but because Jonah sought to flee to Tarshish, “he paid the fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3). “Paid the fare” means he bought a ticket—spiritually speaking, it signifies paying a price. How true this is of many Christians today. Attending meetings costs nothing, yet they are unwilling to come. Prayer and Bible reading require no money, yet they refuse to pray or read. Even special gatherings require not a single cent, yet they will not attend. In contrast, watching movies requires payment, and they are willing to pay. Sinning often costs money, and they are willing to spend it. But when it comes to loving the Lord and freely receiving His grace, they are unwilling. All this reveals the true nature of man: he would rather fall, pay the wages of sin, and indulge in wrongdoing than freely receive the Lord’s boundless grace. Turning One's Back on God Nineveh lay in the east, the place of sunrise. Tarshish lay in the west, the place of sunset. The Lord wanted Jonah to go east, but Jonah went west. East and west are opposite directions—spiritually, this signifies turning one’s back on God. It shows that Jonah was unwilling to walk in the Lord’s way, unwilling to follow God’s will, but instead followed his own will and fled far away. IV. God’s Discipline — In the Belly of the Fish Since Jonah rejected God’s call, he boarded a ship to flee to Tarshish. Brothers and sisters, when a person turns his back on God, how does God deal with him? How does God bring him back? From the Book of Jonah we see that God stretches out His hand of discipline. Concerning God’s discipline, we must highlight several key points. May the Lord use these as a warning to us, lest we repeat the same mistake. In truth, when a person refuses God’s call and is unwilling to respond to Him, it is simply because his spiritual eyes have not been opened—he has not seen the preciousness of the Lord nor the glory of serving Him. Now let us look at the four steps of God’s discipline toward Jonah: God’s Restraining Hand When God disciplines a person, He does not immediately strike him down; rather, He first stretches out His hand to restrain him. Scripture records that while Jonah was on his way to Tarshish by ship, “the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.” (Jonah 1:4). Clearly, this violent storm was no accident—it arose by the command of the Lord. It reveals the restraining hand of God, indicating that Jonah must not continue on to Tarshish. Dear brothers and sisters, remember this: whenever we turn our backs on God, flee from Him, and insist on walking our own way, the Lord’s first step is to stretch out His hand to restrain us. In our experience, for example, suppose there is a youth meeting on Saturday. You avoid attending and instead go to watch a movie. Yet as you arrive at the theater’s ticket counter, you unexpectedly meet a familiar Christian who greets you, “Brother, where are you going?” At that moment you must understand—this is God restraining you from turning your back to Him. Or perhaps your spiritual life has recently grown dull. You have no interest in prayer, and Bible reading no longer attracts you. Then the Lord sends a believer to visit you, to pray with you, and to draw you back from your coldness. “There was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.” This shows that if you continue stubbornly in your own way, the ship will indeed be destroyed. In other words, this act of restraint carries a danger to life. If the ship breaks, everyone on board would drown in the sea. On the other hand, it also tells us that God’s restraining hand can at times be exceedingly severe. Man Still Refuses to Turn Back At that moment, in order to preserve their lives, the people on board threw the cargo into the sea so the ship would not be weighed down. “But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down and was fast asleep” (Jonah 1:5). This shows us that when Jonah boarded the ship, he did not stay on deck to breathe fresh air or admire the vast ocean. Instead, he went down into the lowest part of the ship. Going “down into the lowest part” signifies moving farther away from God, for the deck is closest to the heavens, while the lowest hold is farthest from them. This illustrates that anyone who tries to flee from the Lord is like Jonah descending into the ship’s lowest place. A ship has many levels, and Jonah went down to the very bottom. Spiritually, this speaks of a downward fall—declining step by step, level by level, until reaching the lowest point. Jonah then “lay down and was fast asleep” in the lowest hold. This signifies a spirit that has grown numb. Many Christians, having run from the Lord’s calling, lose their spiritual sensitivity: Bible reading no longer brings light, prayer no longer touches God’s presence, gatherings no longer stir interest, and their condition becomes scarcely different from those who do not believe. Dear brothers and sisters, how often, when God tries to stop us, we respond just like Jonah—not only refusing to turn back, but even going further away from Him. Many who were unwilling to attend this special conference are much like Jonah, lying down and sleeping in the ship’s hold. “Lying down fast asleep” not only reveals a spirit that has grown numb, but also shows a stubborn refusal to yield. Even as the ship was tossed violently by the raging storm, Jonah remained indifferent—hands folded, pretending not to hear, lying there asleep, unwilling to humble himself before God and confess his sin. Giving Oneself Up in Despair The storm grew fierce and the ship was on the verge of breaking apart, the sailors were terrified, and everyone on board cried out to his own god. They then said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. The people questioned him: “Tell us, who has brought this disaster upon us? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? To what people do you belong?” Jonah confessed, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” The men became greatly afraid and said to Jonah, “What should we do to you so that the sea may become calm?” At this moment Jonah finally understood that the raging storm was the result of his disobedience. So he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea, then the sea will become calm for you.” (Jonah 1:12). The sailors had no choice but to throw Jonah into the sea, and indeed, the violent storm immediately subsided. When the ship was being battered by the fierce storm and raging waves to the point of nearly sinking, Jonah already knew that he was the one who had brought this calamity. Discouraged and despair, he assumed that God had rejected him and no longer cared for him, so he thought it would be better simply to die. This reveals a condition of utter stubbornness—an unwillingness to turn back, preferring to give himself up, abandon hope, and destroy his own spiritual future. Today, many Christians fall into the same self‑defeating attitude as Jonah. Some serve in the church, but after a brother offends them with a single remark, or a sister’s attitude stirs up anger, or they encounter some discouraging setback, they stop serving. They think, “I’ll just attend meetings and be an ordinary believer.” Once, they loved the Lord and pursued ministry; now they neither serve nor seek Him. Oh, we must remember this well—do not, like Jonah, lightly give yourself up, abandon hope, and destroy your own spiritual future. Little do we realize that no one can escape the hand of God. Jeremiah 23:23–24 records: “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?” God's Discipline Now let us consider: when Jonah was thrown into the sea, was everything finished? Was his self‑despair the end of the story? Oh, the hand of God is never so simple that a person can easily escape it. Brothers and sisters, from the very day we were saved, God has held you and me firmly in His hand. The Father’s hand is greater than all things; not only can no one snatch us out of His hand, but no one can escape His mighty grasp. David wrote in the Psalms: “You (God) have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, You are there” (Psalm 139:5–8). Truly, when the men on the ship threw Jonah into the sea, the storm immediately became calm. This reflects a spiritual principle: whenever sin is cast out, peace enters in. Yet there is an even deeper spiritual meaning we must grasp. Outwardly it was the sailors who threw Jonah into the sea, but behind the scene it was the disciplining hand of God coming upon him. Dear brothers and sisters, when God calls us, we must not run away. And even if we do run, His persistent love will first reach out with a restraining hand to remind us to turn back. If we still refuse to return, He is compelled to stretch out His hand of discipline—sometimes light, sometimes heavy. There was a sister who grew up in a Christian home. From childhood she attended Sunday school; after she grew older, she joined the youth fellowship. She had once expressed her desire to dedicate herself to the Lord and even served in Sunday school. But after marriage, her heart toward the Lord gradually cooled and drifted away. Although other sisters tried to fellowship with her, she still refused to turn back. Later she discovered that her young son had a problem with his lungs. Soon after, she herself fell ill and had to undergo surgery. Only then did she awaken and realize that this was God’s discipline. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6). God’s love surpasses all human understanding; His discipline is to bring His own people back to Him. God's Hidden Protective Love Hallelujah! God truly is a God of lovingkindness. For “His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for life” (Psalm 30:5). Consider this: when Jonah was lifted up and thrown into the sea, Scripture deliberately records, “the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17). If Jonah had been cast into the sea without that great fish prepared by God, he would surely have perished—either drowned in the depths or torn apart by sharks. Years ago, in Keelung Harbor, fishermen brought back a huge shark. When they cut it open, they found a human leg still wearing a shoe inside its stomach. Whether the person had already been digested or had merely been bitten apart, no one could determine. This shows that if the Lord had not prepared the great fish to swallow Jonah, Jonah would have died long before. And notice: the fish arrived neither too early nor too late. One minute earlier or later, it would have missed Jonah. Oh! This is God’s hidden, protective love—deep, high, and beyond human knowing. Brothers and sisters, you may have forgotten the Lord, but the Lord has never forgotten you. You may be far from Him, but He draws near to you. You may reject Him, but His eyes remain fixed on you. You may not want Him, but He desires to win you back. For the Lord has a hidden love—unchanging, unwavering—preserving you and me at every moment, in every place, through every circumstance. It was not that Jonah possessed anything admirable, nor that he had any virtue worth God’s attention. It was simply that the Lord loved him without cause. No wonder the poet wrote: Lord, when I think of myself, truly there is nothing in me to compare; What do I have that is better than others? What makes me more noble than anyone else, That You should look upon me with favor and delight? I can only marvel in wonder! Therefore, Jonah being swallowed in the belly of the great fish clearly reveals both the disciplining hand of God’s love and the hidden, protective care of God. Thank the Lord! If it were not for His hidden, preserving love today, none of us could stand firm, nor could any of us continue following or serving Him. May the Lord, through today’s message, open our eyes to hear the call that echoes from heaven: “Whom shall I send?” God is searching for Christians—who can be used by Him? When the Lord found Jonah, He called Jonah. But Jonah fled from God’s calling, and God had no choice but to stretch out His hand of discipline to bring him back, and His hidden hand of love to preserve him. Today the Lord is calling you. Will you run away like Jonah? Or will you submit to the One who is your Lord in all things? The hymn says: Can you? Then beloved, Christ just waits for you; Listen for His orders, Glad His will to do; Then when soldiers muster At the set of sun, And your name is mentioned, Christ will say, “Well done.” (Hymn "Can you be obedient" by Margaret E Barber)

Bible Reading: Jonah Chapter 2 (whole chapter) Hebrews 3:1 says, “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling...” This expresses that all Christians are holy brothers and sisters who have received a heavenly calling. Everyone who has received salvation belongs to this group of people who have been called from heaven. Speaking of the church, the church is a people called out from the world. In other words, it is a group whom the Lord Jesus has called out from within the world. Each one of us bears the identity of the “called ones,” yet many people do not live a life that reflects this calling. Earlier we saw that when God’s calling came to Jonah, he actually ran away. He stubbornly went down to Joppa and boarded a ship to flee toward Tarshish. But do we not often do the same? When the Lord calls, we fail to set aside time to visit others; when there is an evangelistic meeting, we do not bring classmates or friends to believe in Jesus. Truly, our spiritual living does not match the grace of the calling we have received. I. The painful cry of one who destroy his own spiritual future -- in the belly of the fish When Jonah fled from God’s calling and boarded a ship to Tarshish, who could have expected that once the ship reached the open sea, the Lord sent a violent storm, the waves surged, and the vessel was nearly torn apart? Yet Jonah, instead of awakening to his condition, remained stubborn and even sank into despair. He told the sailors, “Lift me up and throw me into the sea,” as if determined to destroy his own spiritual future and end his life altogether. But thanks be to the Lord for His manifold lovingkindness. His mercy did not cease. His hidden hand of preserving love had already been stretched out, preparing a great fish to swallow Jonah. Now, by tracing Jonah’s torment inside the belly of the fish, we want to speak about the consequences faced by those who destroy their own spiritual future. Jonah determined to be thrown into the sea From Jonah’s words to the sailors—“Lift me up and throw me into the sea”—we can easily sense the tone behind them. Jonah knew he had disobeyed God and assumed that God would surely abandon him. His will had collapsed; his heart was utterly hopeless that he wished only to end his life. He never imagined that in the very moment of his despair, the Lord had already arranged for a great fish to swallow him. Today many Christians encounter blows they cannot withstand, some within the church, some in their ministry, some within their families. In discouragement, they give up on themselves: they stop attending gatherings, and they cease pursuing the Lord and serve Him. They feel as though Jesus no longer watches over them, and in their disappointment they decide simply to let things take their course, turning toward the world to finish out their lives. Little do they realize that such self‑abandoning thoughts are one of the devil’s methods of sifting believers. Truly, God’s love never changes, and His gifts and His calling are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Yet we must understand that Jonah, in the belly of the fish, suffered bitterly beyond measure. He could have received forgiveness if he repented on the ship We can well imagine Jonah inside the belly of the fish—surrounded by darkness, unable to move his hands or feet. Trapped within the blood‑soaked, pulsing organs of the fish, the stench was nauseating. Every passing second must have felt unbearably painful, indescribable. In truth, if Jonah had not given up on himself but had instead repented on the ship when the storm first arose—calling upon the Lord for forgiveness—then the Lord would have immediately forgiven him and shown grace. He would have been spared the bitter suffering inside the belly of the fish. Suffering after he tried to destroy his future But Jonah did not do so; therefore he had to suffer the pain of being cast into the sea and entering the belly of the fish. Now we will go on to point out the five painful experiences Jonah encountered as a result of destroying his own spiritual future. May the Lord remind us through these five points, those who refuse the Lord’s calling and give up on themselves to turn back in time, so that they may avoid the suffering of entering the fish’s belly. Physical suffering Consider Jonah when he lay in the belly of the fish—unable to move, groaning in pain, with no way to survive. In Jonah 2:1–2 it is written: "Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said, 'I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me.'" Notice Jonah’s first words: he did not say, “I cried out to the Lord from the fish’s belly,” but rather, “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction.” From this we see that anyone who destroys his own spiritual future will sooner or later encounter the first form of God’s discipline, which is called “affliction”—that is, physical suffering. When I visit young believers in the hospital, the first thing I ask is: “Brother (or Sister), do you know the reason you are lying here in this hospital bed?” Some immediately nod and say, “I know… the Lord is disciplining me.” Then they ask me to pray for them. I always have them pray first. When they begin to pray aloud, the very first thing they do is to repent with sorrow—asking the Lord to forgive how they had hardened their hearts, refused His deep love, and lived for themselves rather than for Him…After they confess, I then lay hands on them and pray. Praise the Lord! He is full of mercy and grace, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. He does not always chide, nor does He keep His anger forever. And indeed, these brothers and sisters recovered quickly. I remember a young brother who stopped attending meetings and wandered about everywhere. One day he accidentally slipped from an upper floor and fell, breaking a leg bone. When I heard about it, I immediately went to visit him. I asked whether he wanted me to pray for him, and he was very glad. I said, “Good—pray first.” As soon as he opened his mouth, he confessed his sins: “Lord, forgive me for walking my own way. Thank You for having mercy on me and using this incident to bring me back before You.” From this we can see that anyone who destroys his own spiritual future and willingly sinks into spiritual decline will fall into the hand of God’s discipline and suffer physical pain. Suffering in the soul and spirit Next Jonah prayed, saying: “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice.” Here Jonah does not say, “I cried out to the Lord from the belly of the fish,” but rather, “from the belly of Sheol I cried” “Sheol” refers to the place where people go after death. Death brings deep pain to the human soul; therefore, in spiritual meaning, "Sheol" represents the suffering of the inner being. In other words, the pain of the soul is described by the word "Sheol". Dear brothers and sisters, when a Christian tries to ruin his own spiritual future, there will come a day when the Lord’s disciplining hand rests upon him. Not only will he suffer physical pain, but he will also experience pain within the soul. The pain of the soul is a state in which one cannot find rest; the mind cannot settle. During the day the heart is troubled and confused, unable to find direction. At night one tosses and turns, unable to sleep peacefully. The whole day is filled with agitation and fear, leaving both body and mind exhausted. Praise the Lord! On the day we were saved, we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. We immediately experienced this: the heavy burdens that once pressed upon both body and soul were lifted, and peace filled us inside and out. The Lord forgave all our sins; He bore all our difficulties; He rescued us from our wandering and set us on the right path. Yet whenever we turn away from Him and walk our own way, the peace in our hearts disappears. Our spirit feels pressed, dry, and without release. Oh, the pain of the soul is far harder to bear than the pain of the body. If such inner suffering continues for a long time, the consequences will be unimaginable. The pain of losing God's presence Look again at verse 4, where Jonah says: “I have been cast out of Your sight.” This plainly states that Jonah was no longer before the Lord’s face. In other words, Jonah at that moment was not in the presence of the Lord. He said, “I have been cast out of Your sight.” “Cast out” means to be expelled, to be sent out. For example, in the Philippines, when a foreigner is caught trafficking drugs, the government arrests him and then punishes him by deporting him—sending him out of the country. That is “casting out.” Now Jonah, though physically inside the belly of the fish, felt that he had been driven out by God. The spiritual meaning is this: he had lost the presence of God. For a Christian, the most precious treasure is the presence of God. As the hymn goes: I need Thy presence every passing hour: What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless: Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness: Where is death’s sting? where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me. (Hymn: Abide with Me by Henry Francis Lyte) Hallelujah! On the contrary, when a person loses the Lord’s presence, he becomes the most pitiful and tragic person in the entire universe. In Matthew 12, the New Testament records a man from whom an unclean spirit had departed. Yet his inner being was not filled by the Lord. So after the demon left him, it wandered about, searching for a resting place. Finding none, it returned to its former dwelling (that man). Before re‑entering, the demon saw that the man’s inner life was empty—like a house without an owner. It then invited seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they all went in and lived there. Scripture says: “The last state of that man is worse than the first” (v. 45). This shows us how deeply Christians need the Lord’s presence. When the Lord is present, Satan cannot easily attack. When the Lord is with us, nothing can terrify us, and no enemy can make us afraid. On that day, the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross by the hands of lawless men to fulfill God's will. As He bore the sins of all humanity upon the cross, “Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"—that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). We see here that the greatest suffering Jesus endured on the cross was not the crown of thorns on His head, nor the nails piercing His hands and feet, nor the spear thrust into His side, nor His body covered with wounds and flowing with blood. Rather, the deepest agony was this: on the cross, God laid the sins of all people upon Him, and because of God’s righteous anger, He was forsaken. Darkness covered the land as the righteous God executed judgment. Thus, losing the presence of God is an exceedingly painful spiritual experience. Dear brothers and sisters, pay close attention to the Lord’s presence. Once His presence is lost, the condition that follows is unimaginably dreadful. The pain of struggling and unable to break free In his extreme suffering, Jonah felt as though he had descended to the very depths of Sheol, as if the gates of the earth were about to shut him in forever. Therefore he said: "You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God." (Jonah 2:6). Jonah did not say that God rescued him from the deep sea; rather, he said that God rescued him from “the pit.” The meaning is that the deep sea was like a deep pit. Once a person slips and falls into such a pit, even if he cries out to heaven and earth, heaven does not respond and earth does not move. He only sinks deeper and deeper, unable to free himself. A hunter captures an elephant by digging a deep pit in the forest, covering it with branches and sand, and then driving the elephant toward it. Once the elephant falls in, it cannot climb out no matter how hard it tries. Jonah uses the image of a deep pit to describe the deep sea, expressing his struggling, painful, and helpless condition—a struggle from which he could not free himself. Likewise, when a Christian tries to ruin his own spiritual future, he too will fall into a state of struggling without being able to free himself, experiencing this painful bondage of the soul. There was once a young couple who serves in the church and were preparing to build a family. They felt mutual peace and believed clearly that their union was God’s will. The Lord’s servant conducted their wedding. Not long after marriage, their zeal for serving the Lord declined; soon afterward, because they were busy with their careers, they stopped serving altogether. At first, they still attended meetings regularly, and their life seemed pleasant. They thought their path was correct. Later, however, the brother’s business failed. He fell into heavy debt—as though he had fallen into a deep pit from which he could not free himself. After several years, not only were the debts not repaid, but they grew even worse. Oh! Truly he had fallen into a pit, sinking deeper and deeper, just as Jonah was trapped in the belly of the fish. The only path to deliverance was to look up to God’s mercy. Suffering according to God's time (Prolonged) “The Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17). Our God is the Triune God; therefore in the Bible, the number three often signifies God’s number. “Three days and three nights” represents God’s timing. Jonah’s three days and three nights in the fish’s belly show that when a Christian destroys his own spiritual future and the Lord stretches out His disciplining hand, He does not withdraw it easily. The spiritual meaning of “three days and three nights” does not necessarily mean literally three days. Rather, it means God releases only when He considers the time sufficient. Some may be “shut in” for five years, eight years, or ten years. Some may even remain under discipline for long, extended years, and still God’s hand does not let go. Therefore, the moment of release does not depend on you or me; we must wait for God’s timing. May the Lord be merciful to us, and through this remind us once again: when we encounter setbacks or blows, we must never act out of impulse and destroy our own spiritual future. For if we abandon ourselves, the suffering and loss that follow will be impossible to repair. II. Knowing God through suffering The most precious experience for a person under God’s discipline is coming to know God, for knowing God is often learned through discipline. Why does God discipline us? Hebrews 12:10–11 says: “For they (earthly fathers) indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” This shows that God’s discipline is not meant for us to suffer in vain, but that we may know Him through suffering. This is the principle of God’s work. Next, let us consider how Jonah came to know the Lord while in the belly of the fish. Because of limited space, we will present three points only: Knowing God's Lovingkindness Just now we read Jonah 2:2: ““I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.” At this moment Jonah had already experienced that God is full of lovingkindness and that He is a God who hears prayer. Look again at verse 6: “Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.” The pit is a place without hope. Originally, Jonah should have perished in the sea; yet the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow him, but he didn't let the fish digest him. Truly, Jonah suffered in the belly of the fish, struggling in pain, seemingly unable to survive. But God turned the fish’s belly into a house of prayer, so that in the fish’s belly Jonah came to know that God is a God of lovingkindness who hears prayer, and that He is the Lord who brings his life up from the pit. Hallelujah! Dear brothers and sisters, from this we can see that if we fall into suffering and are able to humble ourselves before the Lord—submitting, repenting, and confessing—we will experience how deeply the Lord loves us. Isn’t this true? Let me ask you: did you feel the Lord was nearer before you became ill, or after you became ill? It was after. Why is that? Logically, it should be when our bodies are healthy, when the Lord is preserving us, when life is smooth and under His care. How is it that after becoming ill we feel the Lord loves us even more? It is simply because through God’s discipline, we come to realize in our sickness how greatly we have failed the Lord and offended Him. Thus we pray, asking the Lord for forgiveness, and we experience that although He already knew our coldness, our changeable heart, and our turning away from Him, He still chooses to love us. When we think of the Lord’s love, we marvel—He truly loves sinners without reason. Knowing God's Almighty Power The Lord is not only a God full of lovingkindness; He is also the almighty God. What is impossible with man is possible with God. Look at Jonah 2:2 and 2:6: “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice… You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.” “Sheol” is a place of hopelessness. Once a person steps into Sheol, he cannot return to the land of the living. Yet by His almighty power, God lifted Jonah out of the pit of Sheol. In terms of our own experience, we too were once sinking in the bitter sea of sin—forever lost, without hope. But thanks be to the Lord! Just when we were discouraged and in despair, He heard our cry, and He stretched out His mighty hand to save us. The Lord saved you; the Lord saved me. When we were drifting in the world, The Lord saved me. Hallelujah! Knowing God's Faithfulness “Faithful” means reliable—never failing. The faithfulness of God tells us that God is utterly trustworthy, keeping covenant and mercy. His promises will never fail; what He has spoken with His mouth, He fulfills with His hand (1 Kings 8:24). Now let us see how Jonah, through his own personal experience, came to know the faithfulness of God. Look at what verse 4 records: “I said, ‘I have been cast out from Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’” Then verse 7 goes further: “When my fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.” From Jonah’s prayer we see that the holy temple is mentioned twice. In verse 4 he says, I look toward Your holy temple, showing that although Jonah had been unfaithful and disobedient—God called him to go to Nineveh, yet he secretly fled toward Tarshish—now that he had fallen into affliction, he turned his eyes toward God’s temple. His gaze shifted back to the holy place of God. We must briefly explain the background of the holy temple. After Solomon succeeded his father David on the throne, he built the temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. When the temple was completed, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, lifted his hands toward heaven, and prayed. In this long prayer, there is an important portion recorded in 1 Kings 8:30–53. The main idea of this portion of Solomon’s prayer is this: O Lord, if Your people one day rebel and turn away from You—even falling into sin and worshiping idols—so that they are defeated by their enemies and carried away captive, scattered among the nations; yet if, in the land of their captivity, they turn their hearts back to You and pray toward the temple that I have built for Your Name, then You will forgive Your people who have sinned against You, pardon all their transgressions, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who have taken them captive. This prayer was accepted by God. Jonah was a prophet who understood God’s ways. He knew the heart of God, so he held firmly to the faithfulness of God. He went further and declared: My prayer has entered Your holy temple; O Lord, You must hear my prayer. I, Jonah, truly have been unfaithful and have forsaken God. Yet now I turn back in my heart and pray toward His holy temple. The faithful God who made covenant with Solomon will surely keep covenant and show steadfast love. Dear brothers and sisters, from Jonah’s threefold experience of knowing God in the belly of the fish, we are truly encouraged and strengthened to walk well on the spiritual path. As the hymn says: Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word; Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord!" III. Surrendering to God Indeed, Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, tasting every kind of torment and suffering—physical, emotional, and spiritual. At last he was subdued. Yet what is even more precious is that he came to recognize the lovingkindness of God: that God answered him and forgave him; that he personally experienced the Almighty God who saved him and set him free. At the same time, he discovered that God is faithful—even when humans are unfaithful, God remains trustworthy. Quite naturally, his heart yielded in willing submission and surrendered to God. Consider the record in verse 9: “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” Submitting to God's Discipline "But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving;" This sentence shows us that although Jonah’s body was still inside the belly of the fish—within the realm of the dead, in the depths of the pit—he harbored no resentment. Instead, his heart overflowed with gratitude toward God, lifting his voice in thanksgiving. This reveals that he had submitted to God’s discipline. He recognized that God’s discipline came from His love for him. Jonah worshiped God’s will as the best, and God’s ways as the most perfect. Fulfilling vow "I will pay what I have vowed. "Every true prophet must carry a deep longing before God: "Lord, according to Your will, I am willing to obey. In Your loving hand, I will submit in all things.” Jonah was no exception. He had once made a vow to the Lord. Yet when the word of the Lord came to him—not to speak to the people of Israel, but to cry out for the salvation of the inhabitants of Nineveh, an enemy nation—he resisted. He regarded the great city of Nineveh not only as Israel’s enemy, but also as exceedingly wicked, deserving judgment. So he disobeyed God’s command and fled toward Tarshish. He did not act according to the vow he had originally made. But now he is fulfilling his vow again before the Lord: “Lord, it is not for me to decide what I want to do, nor where I want to go. I ask You to choose for me. I am willing to follow Your command and surrender to You unconditionally.” Let me ask you: have you not also made vows to the Lord? Some of you made vows in Baguio, dedicating your whole life to the Lord, choosing to live entirely for Him. But what about now? Have you forgotten the vows you once made to the Lord? How I long for you today to awaken—just as Jonah did—to repentance, and to fulfill your vows before the Lord once again. You must understand: God remember the vows you make to Him forever; He never forgets them. Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 tells us: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you have vowed. Better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.” IV. Being delivered from God's discipline When Jonah was in the belly of the fish, he repented, surrendered to God, cried out to Him, gave thanks, confessed his sin, made his vow, offered his sacrifice, and lifted his praise. Then God commanded the fish, and the fish vomited Jonah out onto dry land (Jonah 2:10). God withdraws His hand of discipline Jonah boarded a ship to flee toward Tarshish. "The Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea” (Jonah 1:4). This was a lighter form of God's discipline stop him. Yet Jonah refused to turn back. Instead, he gave himself over to despair, destroying his own spiritual future, and asked the sailors to throw him into the sea, hoping to end his life once and for all. But unexpectedly, “the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17). This was God stretching out His severe hand of discipline. Praise the Lord! When Jonah sincerely surrendered himself to God, “the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” Spiritually speaking, this signifies that Jonah had been fully released from God’s discipline. This shows that whenever we sincerely submit ourselves to God, and He deems that the time has come, He will determine to release us—so that we may once again be usable in His hands. God’s purpose in discipline is to prepare and perfect His vessel Lastly, we must clarify an important spiritual principle. We see Jonah suffering in the belly of the great fish, tormented in pain. I earnestly hope you will understand this and not misunderstand—thinking that when God’s hand of discipline comes upon us, it means He has abandoned us or intends to destroy us. On the contrary, we must affirm this truth: if a person runs away from God’s will, his life will never prosper. Know this: when God stretches out His hand of discipline, it is to perfect us, establish us, and build us up. The prophet Hosea says, “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has stricken us, but He will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1). This clearly expresses that God’s disciplining hand carries grace, aiming to make us perfect and obedient children of God. https://brozionjeng.wixsite.com/website/post/chapter-3-sent-by-god Thanks be to the Lord! The rebellious Jonah, in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, was ultimately perfected by the lovingkindness of God. Man’s part is to return and surrender to God; God's part is to release and perfect us.

Bible reading: Jonah chapter 3 (whole chapter) The focus of Jonah chapter 3 is the account of Jonah’s renewed submission to God. Once again commissioned by the Lord, he went to the great city of Nineveh and fulfilled the entrusted mission. There, he was greatly used by God, bringing in an unprecedented revival. At this point, we naturally wonder: since Jonah had disobeyed, rebelled, and even given himself over to despair, why did God not raise up someone else to replace him? Why did God still choose to use Jonah? It is entirely reasonable to say that prophets are raised up by God Himself; therefore, God takes responsibility to preserve them to the end. Even though Jonah failed, God stretched out His mighty hand and would not rest until He had brought His servant back. This is precisely what Romans 11:29 declares: “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” I. God's calling is irrevocable “Calling” refers to God’s choosing first, and summoning afterward. So on what basis does God choose us? Romans 8:29–30 tells us: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son; whom He predestined, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified…” This shows that God chooses us according to His foreknowledge—His sovereign, predetermined purpose. Long beforehand, He already knew who would be the vessel He desired to use. And then, from among millions, He chose us; and further, He called us. Thus Psalm 139:16 records: “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” This repeatedly affirms that God has long seen the entire course and final outcome of our lives. Beloved brothers and sisters, each one of us who has been called must understand that God has already seen through the entirety of our lives. He has appointed a path for you and me. If we obey the Lord and walk according to His commands, we will be able to complete the mission God has entrusted to us. When God called Jonah, it was not because He did not know Jonah would fail. He already knew long beforehand. Yet because God’s calling is irrevocable. This means that once God has called us, He takes full responsibility to lead us. God did not abandon Jonah because of his failure When God saw Jonah finally surrender, He commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. Did God merely save his life so he could survive? Oh, look at the end of chapter 2: “The fish vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.” Then immediately, chapter 3:1–2 continues, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city…’” This clearly shows us that God’s calling does not come with regret. As long as you are chosen and called by God to be His heavenly people and to walk His heavenly path, He will preserve you all your life. John 13:1 tells us: “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” “To the end” means not only that He saves us to the end, but that He keeps us by His love to the end. In other words, from God’s side, everything is “to the end.” His salvation is complete. His name is Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. He cannot deny His own name. If He has called us, He will not abandon us halfway. He will use us and perfect us. Jonah is ironclad proof. He turned his back on God, yet God did not abandon him because of his failure. Instead, the word of the Lord came to him a second time. This clearly shows that God still intended to use him and to complete His work in him. God's calling does not come with regret From the experience of Jonah—the prophet who once turned his back on God yet was later restored, perfected, and used by the Lord—we find deep comfort and renewed trust: “God’s calling does not come with regret.” He will surely preserve and uphold us throughout our lives, enabling us to follow and serve Him all our days until that glorious morning when we meet Him. Now, we will look at one example from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament to demonstrate how God’s gifts and calling truly are without regret. During the era of the kings in the Old Testament , there was a prophet named Elijah. At that time, a severe famine swept across all the land of Israel, and King Ahab sent people everywhere to search for Elijah. Elijah, bold and unyielding, said to Ahab, “Go, gather all Israel to me, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, on Mount Carmel, and let them see for themselves.” So the two sides each prepared a bull for sacrifice, but they were forbidden to light any fire. The true God would be the One who answered by sending fire from heaven. The prophets of Baal cried out frantically from morning until the time of the evening sacrifice. They shouted, raved, and even cut themselves, but there was no voice, no answer, no response. Then it was Elijah’s turn. Calm and composed, Elijah first rebuilt the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. He dug a trench around it, cut the bull into pieces, and then poured twelve jars of water over the offering and the wood. When everything was fully prepared, Elijah prayed to the Lord of heaven. And indeed, fire fell from heaven, consuming the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and even the water in the trench. When the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord—He is God!” At that moment Elijah commanded to seize the prophets of Baal and let not one of them escape. The people surged forward and captured them, and all the prophets of Baal were put to death. When this event was reported to Queen Jezebel, she became furious and sent a messenger to Elijah, declaring, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” When Elijah heard this threat, he arose and fled into the wilderness to save his life. After running for a day’s journey, his grew weak, his strength was spent, and he collapsed under a broom tree. There he prayed for death, saying, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” But God’s calling never comes with regret. God let him sleep, and then sent an angel to touch him and wake him. The angel provided water to quench his thirst and baked bread to strengthen him. After Elijah ate and drank, God allowed him to sleep again. A second time the angel touched him, woke him, and gave him food and drink, adding words of encouragement: “Because the journey is too great for you.” Elijah rose, ate, drank, and—empowered by that food—traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached the mountain of God, Horeb. Later, at Mount Horeb, God once again entrusted Elijah with a mission—an even greater and weightier commission than before. Consider 1 Kings 19:15–16: “Then the Lord said to him: 'Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.’” Now consider Peter in the New Testament. Before his failure and fall, he had repeatedly declared his unwavering loyalty to the Lord who loved him. He even boasted, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Yet, unexpectedly, on the very night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied the Lord three times before a servant girl—three consecutive failures, a devastating collapse. I believe that Peter, who had always relied on his own strength, must have been overwhelmed with remorse and grief after such a fall. But the gifts and calling of God never come with regret. Thus, after Jesus rose from the dead, the very first person He made special mention of was Peter. The angel instructed the women, “Go, tell His disciples—and Peter…” (Mark 16:7). During the forty days after His resurrection, the Lord appeared to Peter again and again, strengthening him, restoring him, and drawing him back. Finally, on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, the Lord sought him with a love that pursues, a love that warms, a love that does not condemn, a love that supplies—love in many forms that fully restored Peter. Then the Lord entrusted him once more with the mission of shepherding His flock. And indeed, after Peter turned back, he was greatly used by the Lord. The Lord perfected him, and in his old age his spiritual life reached a glorious maturity and high peak. The Hymn "I Know Whom I Have Believed" says-- I know not what of good or ill May be reserved for me, Of weary ways or golden days, Before His face I see. But I know Whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able To keep that which I've committed (or He had entrusted to me) Unto Him against that day. II. God uses those who obey Him It is undeniable that the gifts and calling of God are without regret. But why is it that some people are used by the Lord, while others are not? Indeed, we are all saved by His calling, yet the outcomes are not the same. What is the reason? The key is this: the Lord uses those who obey Him. God entrusts His commission to those who obey When Jonah was cast into the sea, God appointed a great fish to swallow him. For three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, he repented of his former disobedience and prayed to God with thanksgiving, saying, “When Jonah was cast into the sea, God appointed a great fish to swallow him. For three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, he repented of his former disobedience and prayed to God with thanksgiving, saying, “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; what I have vowed, I will pay.” Jonah’s resolve to fulfill the vow he had made showed his willingness to obey. Thus, Jonah 3:1–2 records: “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.’' Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.” “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time” indicates that God saw Jonah’s obedience and deemed him ready to be used. Therefore, God entrusted to Jonah the sacred mission of saving the entire city of Nineveh.” God once again entrusted him with a mission "The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time" “Second time” means he was entrusted again. Indeed, Jonah did not hesitate this time—he obeyed immediately and set out for Nineveh. This reveals a spiritual principle: Whom does God use? God uses those who obey. If you or I do not obey, God patiently waits—He waits until we obey, and then He uses us. Just like that night by the Sea of Tiberias, when Peter was conquered by the Lord’s great love. After Peter declared his love and submitted himself to the Lord, only then could Jesus entrust him with the mission of feeding and shepherding His flock. Later, at Pentecost, the apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter stood up and quoted the book of Joel, explaining that the outpouring of the Spirit was the fulfillment of the prophet’s words. He went further in Acts 5:32, saying of the Holy Spirit: “whom God has given to those who obey Him.” This means: where there is obedience, the Holy Spirit fills. In other words, the Holy Spirit works through obedient people. Brothers and sisters, if all of us obey the Lord, respond to His calling, and allow ourselves to be used by Him, we will soon see His great blessings poured out upon us. The glorious works of the Lord will be revealed in our midst. III. Sent by God Continuing on to verses 3 and 4: “Nineveh was an exceedingly great city—three days’ journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!'” Here we see Jonah obeying God’s command and setting out for Nineveh. Nineveh was an exceedingly large city; it required three days to walk around it. Jonah went one day into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Now we want to highlight three major characteristics of Jonah as one who was sent by God and used by God. These are also the essential qualities required of every believer who obeys the Lord’s calling, is commissioned by Him, and is used by Him. Labor (Hardworking) The Bible specifically records: “Nineveh was an exceedingly great city—three days’ journey in extent.” Let me ask: from here in Los Baños to Manila, how many days would it take if we traveled on foot? If it were three days, then imagine this: the Lord now calls you to go down to the great city of Manila and proclaim, “Forty more days, and Manila will be overthrown.” Would you obey? Today, far too many Christians have a gospel van that goes back and forth to bring them to meetings, yet they still do not come. Some even stop visiting others simply because the gospel van is not available. Oh! We must understand this: anyone who desires to be used by the Lord must possess a hardworking trait. “Labor” means diligence, and it also means enduring hardship. This is a character that anyone who serves the Lord ought to possess. The apostle Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Indeed, at that time Jonah obeyed the command, went one day into the city, and proclaimed, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown!” He had only walked a single day’s journey and made his proclamation, yet the entire city repented. Although Scripture does not state this explicitly, it is very likely that the people of Nineveh saw Jonah—who did not mind traveling a great distance, who did not shrink from the hardship of a long and exhausting journey—coming all the way to preach the message of God to them. Their hearts were deeply moved. Those who heard it told others—one to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, a thousand to ten thousand—until the message spread throughout the whole city. Of course, all of this was the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet one undeniable fact remains: Jonah was a man who suffered for the sake of the gospel. He did not mind traveling thousands of miles; he endured the weariness of the long journey. This surely pricked the conscience of the people of Nineveh. Oh! Here was a man who, for the sake of saving the people of Nineveh, sweat profusely, endured hunger and thirst, and in the end moved the hearts of a city that had been stubborn, hardened, and unyielding. Young brothers and sisters, if you desire to be used by the Lord, you must cultivate from your youth a character that is diligent and willing to endure hardship. Without such a character of labor, not only will you be of little use in the Lord’s hand, but even in society in the future you will accomplish very little. The Bible gives a solemn warning to the saints: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully” (Jeremiah 48:10). This clearly declares that God condemns a lazy disposition; God detests laziness. For example, those who are unwilling to serve, unwilling to visit saints and care for them, unwilling to pay the price—these are all lazy people. May the Lord have mercy and grant us light. As the hymn goes: To the work! to the work! we are servants of God, Let us follow the path that our Master has trod; With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew, Let us do with our might what our hands find to do. Toiling on, toiling on, Let us hope, let us watch, And labor till the Master comes. Faithful Verse 3 says: “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord…” This shows that Jonah recognized and affirmed the word of the Lord—whatever the Lord said, Jonah did. Spiritually, this points to faithfulness in fulfilling what the Lord has entrusted. The Master gives instructions; the servant obeys and carries them out. If the Lord commands me to preach the gospel, I fulfill my duty and go to preach. If the Lord wants me to visit believers, I do not delay but go. “Faithfulness” means not being careless, sloppy, or merely going through the motions. Rather, once we receive a commission, we strive to complete it, not abandoning it halfway. In the Old Testament there is a model servant of the Lord—Moses. Hebrews 3:5 praises him, saying: “Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant.” Moses was able to lead the two to three million Israelites out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, around the wilderness, all the way to the border of Canaan because he was faithful to God. His faithfulness reached such a degree that if the Lord Himself would not personally lead Israel into the Promised Land, Moses was unwilling to give up. The background is this: when the people saw that Moses had gone up the mountain for forty days and forty nights, they mistakenly thought Moses was delayed and something had happened to him. So the congregation gathered and demanded that Aaron make a golden calf. This greatly provoked the anger of the Lord. So the Lord said to Moses, “I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ And I will send My Angel before you...for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” When Moses saw that God did not wish to personally go with the people, he pleaded with the Lord: Remember that this nation is Your people. “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here..” Later, the Lord granted Moses what he asked for. Oh! Here we see a servant who is faithful to God and faithful in the trust committed to him. No wonder he was greatly used by God and became a spiritual great man of his generation. Bold and fearless In the Old Testament era, many prophets who faithfully delivered God’s message were bold and fearless unto death. Because their faithful warnings were misunderstood as curses, they were hated by kings and slandered by their colleagues, suffering great injustice. They endured not only mental anguish but physical abuse—beaten, thrown into prison, suffering hunger and thirst, tormented in many ways, and in the end giving their whole lives to their calling. Therefore, when the Lord sent Jonah to Nineveh to proclaim, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown,” it was a message of judgment, not a message of blessing. Jonah obeyed God, disregarding the danger to his own life, and went as he was commanded. This shows that he possessed a bold, death‑defying courage. In the days of Abraham, when the Lord saw that the city of Sodom was overflowing with wickedness and every kind of evil, He determined to judge it with fire and brimstone. Before the judgment, the Lord sent two angels to the house of Lot. Lot sincerely welcomed them, not knowing that the people of Sodom—from young to old—would surround his house, demanding that Lot hand over the two angels. From this historical event, we can imagine that when these two angels entered Sodom, the people were ready to kill them. In the same way, we can easily understand that if Jonah did not possess a boldness that feared no death, how could he dare to enter the wicked, violent city of Nineveh alone, bearing a message of impending doom? Oh, brothers and sisters, anyone who desires to be used by the Lord must not only have a character willing to labor and a heart that is faithful, but must also possess boldness that fears no death. Throughout the ages, tens of thousands of saints have been martyred for the Lord. May the Lord grant us grace, so that we may all have a sincere love for Him—truly asking neither for blessing nor fearing calamity; even our precious lifeblood we would be willing to give for the Lord. The three characteristics of Jonah that we have briefly mentioned above are essential conditions for anyone who is sent by God and used by God. Yet all of these are produced by the grace of the Lord; no one can achieve them by his own strength. Thank the Lord! We deeply hope that the testimonies of God’s witnesses throughout the generations, placed before us, may encourage our hearts. In this conference, the Lord is calling us: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” May every one of us rise up to answer the Lord’s calling, without a single exception, and sincerely say to Him: “Lord, here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8) IV. The Whole City Repented When Jonah entered the city of Nineveh, walked a day’s journey, and proclaimed, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” the people of Nineveh believed God. They declared a fast, and from the greatest to the least they put on sackcloth. When this message reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. He then issued a decree that all the people of the city—even the animals—were to fast and be covered with sackcloth, and to cry out earnestly to God. Each person was to turn from his evil ways and abandon the violence in his hands. From this we can see that because there was one man who was willing to obey the Lord and be sent by God, the Lord carried out a work of immeasurable magnitude. John 3:34 says, “For God does not give the Spirit by measure.” Since the Holy Spirit is without measure, the fruit of His work is likewise without limit. Look at Nineveh, a city of more than one million people, from the least to the greatest, all repented. This was an unprecedented revival in human history. In Korea, there was a revival where one million people gathered, but regarding the number who truly repented, we do not know. Yet in ancient Nineveh, over one million people repented—this stands as one of the greatest works of the Holy Spirit in the history of revival. The greatest reason was that Jonah was willing to obey. Therefore, we must not be timid or self‑deprecating, nor should we be proud and unrealistic—refusing small tasks and only wanting great ones, willing to be greatly used by the Lord but unwilling to be used in small ways. May the Lord use Jonah’s obedience, which brought repentance to the entire city of Nineveh, to make us all willing to obey Him. I firmly believe that a great number of young people will be revived through our obedience. Because you obey, you will see your classmates receive grace. Because I obey, blessing will come upon the church. Four Steps of Humbling — The King Representing the Entire City Lastly, we look at the scene of Nineveh’s complete repentance to speak of the four steps of humbling in the spiritual experience of receiving God’s grace. When the king of Nineveh heard the message, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.”, First, he descended from his throne; Second, he removed his royal robe; Third, he put on sackcloth; Fourth, he sat in ashes. These four steps of humbling also reveal the principles by which sinners are saved and believers are revived. Thank the Lord that He gives us an opportunity to come before Him with a broken and contrite heart. If you feel that your spiritual condition is low, that you love the world; if you hate your own failure and barrenness, if you feel cold toward the Lord; if you recognize how hard and foolish your disposition has been—these are all shadows of the king of Nineveh’s four steps of humbling. Let us go further and look concretely at how the king of Nineveh (representing the entire city) humbled himself. Descended from his throne — Pride and Self‑Exaltation Brought Low The hymn we sang before the message is one that I have often chosen during the summer conferences in Taiwan over the past three years. The first stanza says, “I repent for my past rebellion, resisting the Lord and exalting myself.” Indeed, a person who has not yet been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, who does not truly know the Lord in his spirit, is always proud, self‑reliant, and looks down on others. This is the true condition of every one of us—like a king sitting on his throne, ruling over others. Now the king steps down from his throne. This signifies leaving the position of authority; spiritually, it means that pride and self‑exaltation are brought low. In the same way, for you and me to repent thoroughly and confess our sins, the first step is to come down from the throne. I deeply hope that we will no longer sit on the throne, but quickly step down from it. We must understand that there is only one throne, and only the Lord has the right to sit upon it. Yet our “self” has dared to climb onto that throne. May the Lord cause us all to humble ourselves, step down from the throne, and let the Lord take His rightful place upon it. Removing the Royal Robe — Laying Down One’s Glory The king’s royal robe represented glory. Removing the royal robe, in its spiritual meaning, signifies laying down one’s glory and no longer caring about outward dignity. When a person lays down his own glory, God is glorified; but when a person seeks glory for himself, God cannot be glorified. Acts 12:21–24 records this clearly. On the appointed day, Herod (a man) put on his royal robe (man receiving glory), sat on his throne (man occupying the throne), and delivered an address to the people. The crowd shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” (man seizing God’s glory). Because Herod did not give glory to God, the angel of the Lord immediately struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died (man’s glory vanished). But the word of God continued to grow and spread (God received the glory). Putting on Sackcloth — Sorrow and Repentance Sackcloth is a sign of grief. When mourning for a family member, people would wear sackcloth garments and a sackcloth cap. When we grieve and repent over sin, when we become aware of our coldness toward the Lord and feel sorrow, that experience is what Scripture describes as putting on sackcloth. Sitting in Ashes — Humility “Sitting in ashes” spiritually signifies humility. Ashes are the smallest and most useless of things—when something is burned down to nothing, it becomes ash. Therefore, ashes represent reaching the very end, the lowest point. To sit in ashes means to place oneself in the lowest position. In other words, to be in the most humble state is to be in the condition of true humility. Beloved brothers and sisters, may the Lord have mercy on us. Through the king of Nineveh’s four steps of humbling himself, may we all return before the Lord, seek His light, and genuinely experience thorough repentance. For a person to experience revival, there must be complete repentance; wherever there is repentance, there is revival. May the Lord of revival grant us the Holy Spirit—to shine upon us and to burn within us—so that we may grieve and repent over sin, allowing the Lord to manifest His work… Amen. Turning from Evil — Departing from Their Wicked Ways On that day, the people of Nineveh believed Jonah’s proclamation. They all put on sackcloth and fasted; even the king humbled himself in four steps—grieving, repenting, and earnestly calling upon God. The Bible specifically records: “Let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.” Indeed, the God who searches the hearts of people relented, forgave, and showed mercy, choosing not to bring upon them the disaster that would have destroyed them. By all reason, the city of Nineveh should have been destroyed. Yet when they repented, the Lord immediately forgave. Sodom, however, refused to repent, and therefore suffered destruction. God’s all‑seeing eyes search throughout the whole earth; He is the God who examines the heart and the innermost being. Not even the smallest hidden sin within us can be concealed from Him. Proverbs 28:13 tells us: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” May the Lord truly hear our prayers to search our hearts, to test us, to know our thoughts, and to reveal whether there is any wicked way within us. May the Lord cleanses every stain of sin. This is the urgent cry of our hearts…