2019 Christian video | "Wishful Thinking" | Can We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven by Following Paul?
Li Mingdao is a preacher at a house church. He has believed in the Lord for many years, and has always followed Paul's example, focusing on preaching, work, suffering, and paying a price. He believes that "as long as one labors and works, one can enter the kingdom of heaven, be rewarded, and gain a crown."
Su Mingyue is a preacher of a house church in mainland China. Over the years, she has been a devout servant of the Lord who insists on doing preaching work for the Lord and bearing the burden of work for the church. She goes by Paul's word in the Bible, feeling that merely believing in the Lord is enough to be called righteous and be saved by grace. Although man still sins constantly, his sins have been forgiven by the Lord, his image will be changed instantly to become holy and he will be raised into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives. However, in recent years, the church has become increasingly desolate, the believers have been negative and weak in general, their faith and love have cooled. Some co-workers go by the Lord's word: "Not everyone that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven." They question the notion that "When the Lord comes, He will instantly change the image of man and raise him into the kingdom of heaven." They feel that since we still sin constantly, fail to attain holiness by far and disobey God's will, how can we be raised into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes? After communicating and debating, Su Mingyue feels that, there are some contradictions between the Lord's word and Paul's idea of instantly changing the image of man when the Lord comes. Which idea is correct after all? Su Mingyue is dilemmatic and confused at heart. In order to find a church with the work of the Holy Spirit to solve her practical confusion, so as not to be abandoned by the Lord, Su Mingyue decides to study the Eastern Lightning. Through debating and communicating with the preachers ofthe Church of Almighty God, Su Mingyue and others finally understand the only path to enter the kingdom of heaven …
I wanted to cry, but no place felt right. I wanted to sing, but no song was found. I wanted to express the love of a created being. Searching high and low, but no words could say, could say just how I feel. Practical and true God, the love inside my heart. I lift my hands in praise, I rejoice that You came into this world.
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Man came from dust, and God gave him life. Satan came down to corrupt mankind. Lost are their humanity and reason. Generation after generation, fallen since that day. But You are … the practical and true God, the love inside my heart. I am dust but I can see Your face. How can I not worship? The practical and true God, the love inside my heart. I am dust but I can see Your face. How can I not worship You?
It is recorded in the Bible that the Lord Jesus condemned the Pharisees the Pharisees to seven woes. Nowadays, the path walked by the pastors and elders of the religious world is that of the Pharisees and they similarly suffer God's detestation and rejection. So why did the Lord Jesus condemn and curse the Pharisees? It was primarily because they had a hypocritical essence that defied God, because they only paid attention to performing religious rituals and keeping rules, they only explained the rules and doctrines in the Bible and did not put God's words into practice or follow God's commandments whatsoever, and they even discarded God's commandments. Everything they did completely ran counter to God's will and requirements. This was the hypocritical essence of the Pharisees and it was the primary reason for the Lord Jesus hating and cursing them.
Some believers believe that the pastors and elders of the religious world have all been chosen and appointed by the Lord , and that they are all people who serve the Lord. So they believe that only obeying the pastors and elders is obeying the Lord, and that defying or condemning the pastors and elders is defying the Lord. They even believe that, in churches, only the pastors and elders understand the Bible and can explain the Bible, and so long as that which is preached or done by the pastors and elders accords with the Bible and is based on the Bible, then people should obey and follow them. So does this kind of obedience to pastors and elders accord with the truth? Does an understanding of Bible knowledge represent an understanding of the truth and knowledge of God? Exactly what approach should we take to the pastors and elders that conforms to God's will?
