Christian Testimony | The Church of Almighty God | Back From the Brink (Part II)

Christian Testimony | The Church of Almighty God | Back From the Brink (Part II) 

February 27, 2018

Just when I was loitering at the gates of hell, the kingdom gospel of Almighty God reached my ears. When I saw these words of Almighty God: “Today, since I have led you to this point, I have made fitting arrangements, and have My own aims. If I were to tell you of them today, would you truly be able to know them? I am well acquainted with the thoughts of man’s mind and the wishes of man’s heart: Who has never looked for a way out for themselves? Who has never thought of their own prospects? Yet even though man is possessed of a rich and prismatic intellect, who was able to predict that, following the ages, the present would turn out as it has? Is this really the fruit of your own subjective efforts? Is this the payment for your tireless industry? Is this the beautiful tableau envisaged by your mind? If I did not guide all mankind, who would be able to separate themselves from My arrangements and find another way out? Is it the thoughts and wishes of man that have brought him to today? Many people go their whole lives without having their wishes fulfilled. Is this really because of a fault in their thinking? Many people’s lives are filled with unexpected happiness and satisfaction. Is this really because they expect too little? Who of the whole of mankind is not cared for in the eyes of the Almighty? Who does not live in the midst of the Almighty’s predestination? Whose birth and death come from their own choices? Does man control his own fate?” (“The Eleventh Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh) I was utterly convinced. I really felt that our fates are definitely not in our own hands. I thought back over the previous years, and how I’d planned and calculated for my own career but nothing had worked out for me. I’d been dedicated to earning lots of money and living a superior lifestyle, but not only did I not have money but I’d also wasted heaps of it. And I’d never expected that I—who was once someone of note—could end up in such a pitiful state of insolvency. Why was it that I’d worked so hard for my future and yet had encountered one failure after another? It was because the fate of every person is not in their own hands but is in the hands of God. Everything is ruled over and predestined by God; good fortune or misfortune is all controlled by God. From the bottom of my heart I could feel that this was all God’s words, and I couldn’t help but cry out to Almighty God: “O God! In the past I didn’t know You. I tried to rely on myself and the influence I had but ended up in a hopeless situation. Today, I have finally understood that the fate and survival of every person is in Your hands. That I can arrive at this point in my life is also part of Your governance and predestination, because without this situation I wouldn’t have come before You. O God! I thank You for saving me from the brink of death and giving me the courage to face life anew. In future I will submit to Your arrangements for the path in life I should follow.”

After that, I started my church life. The environment in The Church of Almighty God was completely different from that of the outside world: The brothers and sisters had simple, straightforward relationships with each other, and treated each other honestly without any sign of pretense, infighting or scheming. During the gatherings, all the brothers and sisters read God’s words; sang hymns in praise of God; honestly and openly fellowshiped their own experiences, deficiencies and difficulties; and also shared their understanding of God’s words. I felt that every gathering I attended was novel and full of vitality. There was no separation or suspicion between the brothers and sisters; everyone understood each other and knew each other well. I felt an unprecedented sense of relief and freedom there and always felt relaxed and happy in their company. At the same time, God also guided me to understand why I had lived in such suffering over the past few decades. I read these words of Almighty God: “There is an enormous secret in your heart. You never become aware of it because you have been living in a world without light shining. Your heart and your spirit have been taken away by the evil one. Your eyes are covered by darkness; you cannot see the sun in the sky, nor the twinkling star in the night. Your ears are clogged with deceptive words and you hear not the thunderous voice of Jehovah, nor the sound of the rushing waters from the throne. You have lost everything that should have belonged to you and everything that the Almighty bestowed upon you. You have entered an endless sea of bitterness, with no strength of a rescue, no hope of survival, left only to struggle and to bustle about…. From that moment, you are doomed to be afflicted by the evil one, kept far away from the blessings of the Almighty, out of reach of the provisions of the Almighty, and you embark on a road of no return. … You sleep deeply in the hands of the evil one, who has lured you into the boundless realm, with no direction, with no road signs. Henceforth, you have lost your original purity, innocence, and started to hide from the care of the Almighty. The evil one steers your heart in every matter and becomes your life. You no longer fear him, no longer avoid him, no longer doubt him. Instead, you treat him as the God in your heart. You begin to enshrine him, worship him, be inseparable like a shadow of his, and mutually commit to each other in life and death. You have no idea at all from where you originate, why you exist, or why you die” (“The Sighing of the Almighty” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Satan corrupts people through the education and influence of the national governments and the famous and great. Their nonsense has become man’s life and nature. ‘Everyone for himself and the devil take the hindmost’ is a well-known satanic saying that has been instilled into everyone and become the human life. There are some other words of life philosophy that are also like this. Satan educates people through each nation’s fine traditional culture and causes humanity to fall into and be engulfed in an expansive abyss of destruction, and in the end people are destroyed by God because they serve Satan and resist God” (“How to Know Man’s Nature” in Records of Christ’s Talks). So the reason why I’d exhausted myself and made myself bitter while fumbling around in the darkness the last few decades was because I’d been living by Satan’s rules of life, such as, “One’s destiny is in his own hand,” “Money makes the world go round,” “Everyone for himself and the devil take the hindmost,” “Flattery will get you everywhere,” etc. By living by these satanic philosophies I had no idea of the existence of God, and didn’t know that God rules over and arranges the fate of everyone. I drifted with the tides of this dark world, and had no direction in my life or principles of behavior. I certainly couldn’t see that this dark world is part of Satan’s domain, and that human society is full of Satan’s temptation, ensnarement and deceit. In order to make money in this dark and evil world, I learned how to flatter and toady up to those in charge, and even illegally used shoddy materials in my construction projects. My conscience disappeared bit by bit, and I was left without an iota of integrity. The deeper I slipped into those evil ways the less I felt like a human being. In the end, I didn’t make any money and was left with a pile of debt, and felt so helpless that I almost committed suicide. I thought of that team leader who had killed himself because of his huge debts—wasn’t he a sacrificial offering to Satan? And how many other similar tragedies are being played out every day of every year? At that point I realized that the reason why people get in such a state is because of the harm caused by Satan’s poisons and because of the worldly trends brought on by Satan’s rule. When I thought of all this, a surge of gratitude for God filled my heart and I was so grateful for God’s mercy and salvation. God had saved me from the dark world and brought me back to God’s house where I could enjoy His care and protection.

After a period of time, I once again had to face my creditors, and my heart was in great turmoil. When I thought of all my debts, I once again wanted to take on construction projects but I was also aware that my abilities didn’t match my ambitions. My high blood pressure problem flared up again, and I was at a total loss about what to do. At one of the gatherings, one of the brothers read some of God’s words for me: “True faith in God means experiencing the words and work of God based on a belief that God holds sovereignty over all things. So you shall be freed of your corrupt disposition, shall fulfill the desire of God, and shall come to know God. Only through such a journey can you be said to believe in God” (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh). The brother then fellowshiped this: “Since we believe in God then we should have true faith in God. From the bottom of our hearts we must believe in God’s authority and ability to control everything. We should hand everything in our lives over to God. Most importantly, we should learn to rely on God, look up to God, experience God’s work, seek God’s leadership, and not hurry around busily thinking we can do it all ourselves. Paying off debts is something that all reasonable and conscientious people do, so we have to face up to this problem bravely. We must believe that everything is in God’s hands; that there isn’t any mountain that we can’t climb. Concerning your debts, you should pray more to God and seek His intention.”

Through the assistance of the brother I now had a way to practice. I found a job on a construction site nearby that didn’t interfere with my attending gatherings or fulfilling my duties, and began to earn some money to pay off my debts. I no longer just relied upon myself to get ahead. When my creditors came to me for money I would practice being honest with them and give them whatever I had. I was also able to make some money by selling the crops that I harvested from my farmland. I made a solemn promise to all of my creditors that I definitely would repay all my debts, and after that they didn’t make life difficult for me anymore. When the bank sent people to push me to repay the loan I prayed to God and entrusted Him to deal with it. If I had had to do time in prison because of being unable to repay that large loan I would have done so willingly because that would have been God’s decision. I was willing to obey all of God’s orchestrations and arrangements. And it was when I submitted to God while experiencing His work that I saw how miraculous His deeds can be in the way He opened up a way forward for me: Soon after, the government announced that all bank loans taken out before 1993 would not have to be repaid because none of them had been digitally recorded on computers and incomplete information meant that some of the loans could never be repaid. I thanked and praised God with all my heart, because my loan was pre-1993 and so my debt of several hundred thousand yuan was canceled. I thought: “If I had to earn that amount I’d probably die of exhaustion before I made it all.” This allowed me to personally experience that the fate of every person really is in God’s hands, as is described in these words of God: “The fate of man is controlled by the hands of God. You are incapable of controlling yourself: Despite always rushing and busying about for himself, man remains incapable of controlling himself. … And so, regardless of how He chastises and judges man, it is all for the sake of man’s salvation. Even though He strips man of his fleshly hopes, it is for the sake of purifying man, and the purification of man is for the sake of his existence. The destination of man is in the hands of the Creator, so how could man control himself?” (“Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

During my experiences I was able to further verify the reality of Almighty God’s work and my faith became more solid. In the years that followed, I continued to go to gatherings and fulfill my duties while also working for local construction teams to make the money to repay my debts. Whenever I met someone who had enough humanity to be a suitable candidate to hear the gospel, I would talk about it with them, and I also brought some of the people I had good relationships with before God. Although I was still busy every day, life was different because I no longer relied upon Satan’s philosophies and rules. I no longer followed the evil trends of the world and sought to have a superior lifestyle. Instead, I lived in submission to God’s rule and according to His requirements, conducting myself according to the truth, being honest and humane, fearing God and shunning evil. This way of behaving felt open and straightforward, and I began to feel more substantial and brighter inside. Gradually, I began to recover my conscience and rationality and the various ailments that I suffered from began to disappear. This year I turned 75, but I’m healthy, have my wits about me, and have repaid all of my debts. People who know me well all say they admire me and that I’m blessed. But I know without doubt that all this is Almighty God’s salvation and benevolence. It was Almighty God who saved me from the brink of death, who gave me back my life in my hour of need, and who pointed out the right direction for the rest of my life. During all these experiences I truly felt that without God’s leadership people will inevitably be harmed and swallowed up by Satan. Only Almighty God can save people; only Almighty God’s words can lead people away from the bondage of sin and show us how to live as true human beings. Only by accepting the truths that Almighty God has expressed and submitting to and worshiping Almighty God can mankind live in true happiness and have a good future and final destination!

Christian testimonies | How to Appropriately Deal With Other People?

Christian testimonies | How to Appropriately Deal With Other People?

September 25, 2018

Siyuan

One day, Brother Chen in the church came to me. He said he wanted to practice spreading the gospel in his spare time and offer some of his strength to the gospel work. Due to my past interactions with Brother Chen, I knew that he had a very arrogant disposition. I had some prejudices and biases against him. Furthermore, I thought that those that spread the gospel must have a certain level of knowledge of the Bible. They must be able to communicate the truth clearly and be able to answer the questions of the gospel targets. I felt that he did not possess these qualities, and so I did not agree to it. When he saw this, he said, “Based on my abilities, do you think that I can be trained to spread the gospel? Wouldn’t I be wasting my talent if I do not spread the gospel?” When I heard this, I felt very fed up and I thought, “Do you think that spreading the gospel is something that is very easy? If you do not have genuine talent, do you think that you can fulfill this duty well? You think too highly of yourself. You simply do not have an accurate evaluation of yourself!” Afterward, I talked about Brother Chen’s situation with a few other brothers and sisters so that they had discernment of him. Some of the brothers and sisters, after hearing what I had to say, also said how Brother Chen had manifested some arrogance in his behaviors. This confirmed for me that the opinions I had of Brother Chen were indeed accurate. I was never aware that because I did not seek the truth and clearly see Brother Chen’s condition, I was blindly making comment on him. I was basically judging him and colluding with others.

One time, when I was attending a meeting with Brother Chen, after we had finished reading the work arrangement, he said, “I think that the leaders and co-workers do not have much reality of the truth. Their fellowship is quite blind and they are unable to resolve the practical difficulties that our brothers and sisters face. It is great that we can watch a movie in the meetings. This will be beneficial for us to understand the truth.” He continued to say, “When I was fulfilling this duty in the beginning, because I did not understand the principles, I had many difficulties. However, now that I have a grasp of the principles, I feel fulfilling this duty is going much more smoothly. The result of my work is particularly good. …” When I heard him say this, I was very disgusted and contradicted him in my heart. I thought, “You are really good at seizing the opportunity. You are using the fellowship of the man used by the Holy Spirit to belittle us leaders and co-workers. At the same time, you haven’t forgotten to bear witness to yourself and show yourself off. You are truly arrogant and irrational. …” Then, we discussed how we would communicate the five questions in the next meeting. At this moment, Brother Chen offered to be in charge for three of the questions and he even proposed a certain person to be responsible for the remaining two questions. When I arranged for the group leader to take charge of the next meeting, he quickly asked the group leader in a suspicious manner, “Do you think you can handle it? Can you do it?” From the tone of his voice, it seemed like he thought that only he could take charge of the meeting. In regard to his behavior, I thought, “You are very irrational. Can you do this? You just want to use this opportunity as a platform to show yourself off to the brothers and sisters. You want to get all the attention but I won’t allow it.” In order to prevent him from achieving his objective, I used my “authority” to rearrange it so that he would not be in charge. Thinking about all of Brother Chen’s manifestations, I disliked him very much in my heart and my prejudices toward him became even more intense. Especially when I remembered that after I had communicated with him several times about his arrogant manifestations he only verbally acknowledged it and afterward he did not change, I felt that he was not ordinarily arrogant. He was excessively arrogant to the point that I felt he could never change and that he was beyond hope. And I even thought that he was so arrogant that he was basically not suited for fulfilling his present duty. I’d just replace him with somebody else.

After the meeting ended, when I reflected on each of the thoughts and ideas that I revealed during the meeting, my heart felt some reproach and great pain. I prayed to God, “O God! I have many thoughts and biases toward Brother Chen. I feel that he is very arrogant. Now, right when I hear him speak, my heart feels conflict and disgust. I even want to replace him. O God! I know that I am in a wrong state. However, I do not understand Your will and I do not know what aspect of the truth I should enter. O God, please enlighten and guide me.” After I finished praying, I thought about the contents of a sermon: “Does this sort of thinking exist in your hearts? When you think of someone, you first think of their weaknesses, and first think of the ways in which they are corrupt. Is it right? If you go on thinking this way, you will never be able to get along with others normally. … he genuinely believes in God, however, and desires to pursue truth. It won’t be long, therefore, before this corrupt aspect of him begins to change, and disappear. This is the way we must see the issue, we must see issues with a vision for growth. We must not see a person’s weakness, then condemn him forever, saying that the person will be this way lifelong, that he is this sort of person. To do this would be judging people. This action of yours would be to define other people! In saving people, God has not spoken this way, saying, evidently humans are corrupted to this extent, it is pointless to save them. This would be the end of the human race. Even God does not see it this way. So we are all pursuing truth now. We all desire to pursue truth, and we believe that, at a minimum, if we keep on with our pursuit, within a few years, we will certainly be able to change somewhat, and ultimately be completely able to achieve change of disposition and be perfected by God. You all have this kind of faith, don’t you? Since you have this sort of faith, you therefore ought to believe that other people also have this kind of faith” (“How to Establish Normal Interpersonal Relationships” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (I)). This sermon revealed my condition and I started feeling shame. I saw how arrogant and conceited my disposition was. I acted as if I had the truth and I was able to judge a person accurately at one glance and see through to his essence. By relating the words in the sermon to myself, I realized: From my interactions with Brother Chen, I felt that he was young and proud when I saw him expressing his arrogant disposition in the words he was saying and the things that he was doing. I felt that he had absolutely no self-knowledge. I even judged in my heart that he was an arrogant person that was completely irrational and had no hope of change. That was why I would never treat him fairly or appropriately. God saves people to the greatest extent possible, yet I have judged Brother Chen in every respect. Today God’s revelation of me has caused me to see my arrogance and conceitedness clearly. Using my perspectives and beliefs as the truth and the standards by which I weigh people is very irrational. Do I have the principles and correct standards by which to view and judge others? Is my method of viewing and judging people in accordance with the truth? I am lower than a maggot. How am I qualified to judge and condemn other people? God’s words say: “The people God saves have corrupt dispositions; they were corrupted by Satan, and are not flawless or perfect human beings, nor do they live in a vacuum” (“Life Entry Is Most Important to Believing in God” in Records of Christ’s Talks). We all have not yet been perfected and we are still in the process of changing through our experience of God’s work. Even though we have expressed our corrupt dispositions or committed some transgressions when we fulfill our duties, as long as we sincerely believe in God and pursue the truth, we will be able to change. However, I do not see others through a lens of development. Instead, I judge others with my own perspectives and corrupt disposition. I am indeed very arrogant.

And I read another passage of God’s words: “For example, in relation to the aspect of getting along with others, what is the principle behind how one treats one’s brothers and sisters, whether it be those with status or those without status, ordinary brothers and sisters, or all levels of leadership? You cannot treat your brothers and sisters in the same way as the unbelievers treat others; you must treat them fairly and reasonably. You cannot be close to this one, but not that one; you cannot form cliques or collude with others; you cannot bully someone because you have taken a dislike to them, and fawn on those who are strong—this is what is meant by this principle. You must be principled in the way you deal with other people; you must treat them all fairly. To bring those who you think are pretty good over to your side and exclude those who are hard to approach—isn’t this an unprincipled way of going about things? What method is this? This is the life philosophy of the unbelievers and it is the principle behind how unbelievers treat other people. This method is of a satanic disposition, and it is satanic logic. What should the principle be of the way people treat each other in God’s family? (To fairly treat each and every brother and sister.) How do you treat them fairly? (To help others with a loving heart, to be tolerant and to be patient.) Yes, everyone has small faults and foibles and they all have some things that are characteristic to them; they can all be self-righteous, weak and lacking. You should therefore help others with a loving heart, be tolerant, be forbearing and don’t be too harsh or make a fuss over every tiny detail. If someone is young, or they haven’t believed in God for very long, or they have only recently started to perform their duty, or if they have some special requirements and all you do is obsess over it and not let it go—what is this called? This is called being harsh. You ignore the evil done by those false leaders and antichrists, and yet when you see the small shortcomings and small faults of your brothers and sisters you don’t help them, but instead you exclude them, make a fuss over those things and judge them behind their backs, making more people oppose them, exclude them and ostracize them—what kind of way is this to do things? This is not treating people fairly, but acting based on one’s personal preferences. Being unable to treat people correctly—this is a corrupt satanic disposition and it is a transgression! When people do things, God is watching. However you do things and however you think in your heart, God is watching! If you are to master principles, you must first understand the truth. Once you have understood the truth which tells you how to treat people, you will then know what way to treat people is God’s will; if you don’t understand the truth, then you will certainly not understand God’s will. How you are to treat people is clearly told, clearly shown and pointed out in God’s word; the attitude with which God treats man is the attitude which people should adopt in their treatment of one another. How does God treat each and every person? Some people are of immature stature, or they are young, or have not believed in God for very long. As for some people, the essence of their nature is not bad or malicious, it is only that they are somewhat ignorant or lacking in caliber, or that they have been affected too much by society. They haven’t entered into the reality of the truth and have not yet crossed the threshold, and so it is difficult for them to avoid doing ignorant things or expressing their ignorance. But God doesn’t see these things—He sees only their hearts. If they have resolved to enter into the reality of the truth, they take this correct direction and have this objective, then God watches them, waits for them and gives them the time and the opportunities to allow them to enter. It is not that God knocks them down with one stroke or beats them the moment they make a mistake. God has never treated people like this. This being said, if people treat each other like this, isn’t it their corrupt disposition? It is their corrupt disposition. You must look at how God treats ignorant people, how He treats those with immature stature, how He treats the common expressions of man’s corrupt disposition and how He treats those who are malicious. He has different ways of treating different people and He also has different ways of managing different people’s different conditions. You must understand the truth of these things. Once you have understood these truths, you can then know how to experience them” (“To Attain the Truth, You Must Learn From the People, Matters, and Things Around You” in Records of Christ’s Talks). God’s words have described the principles and ways to properly treat people very clearly. They have also described how to approach antichrists, evil people and that God’s attitude toward these people is full of hatred, curses and punishment. As for those whose stature is tiny, who are of poor caliber and have all sorts of corrupt dispositions and deficiencies, as long as they truly believe in God, are willing to pursue the truth, can accept the truth and can put the truth into practice, God’s attitude toward them is one of love, mercy and salvation. From God’s words, I can see that God has principles and standards in regard to how He treats each person. God demands that we love those whom God loves and hate those whom God hates. We must be tolerant and forgiving to the brothers and sisters who truly believe in God. We must give them an opportunity to repent and change. We cannot knock them down with one stroke when they have expressed their corrupt disposition. This is not consistent with God’s principles and methods of treating people nor is it in accordance with God’s will. I started to think of how Brother Chen was normally burdened in fulfilling his duties, how he had a sense of responsibility and how he was able to do some practical work. I never considered his strengths. Instead, I grabbed hold of his corruption and did not let go of it and I judged him and condemned him. My humanity is truly malicious!

At this time, I thought of a passage of God’s words: “The attitude and way in which God treated Adam and Eve is akin to how human parents show concern for their own children. It’s also like how human parents love, look after, and care for their own sons and daughters—real, visible, and tangible. Instead of putting Himself in a high and mighty position, God personally used skins to make clothing for man. It doesn’t matter whether this fur coat was used to cover their modesty or to shield them from the cold. In short, this clothing used to cover man’s body was personally made by God with His own hands. Rather than creating it simply through the thought or miraculous methods as people imagine, God had legitimately done something man thinks God could not and should not do. This may be a simple thing some might not even think as worthy of mentioning, but it also allows all those who follow God but were previously full of vague ideas about Him to gain an insight into His genuineness and loveliness, and to see His faithful and humble nature. It makes insufferably arrogant people who think they are high and mighty bow their conceited heads in shame in the face of God’s genuineness and humbleness” (“God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself I” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Each verse of God’s words warmed my heart. I could feel God’s concern and empathy for people and that His care and solicitude were real. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God did not lecture them, scold them or even get angry at them. Instead, He was considerate of their immature stature and personally made clothing out of skins for them to wear. God is truly lovely and His disposition is truly good. His attitude toward corrupt people and people with transgressions is waiting with patience. Due to His mercy, He is considerate of man’s ignorance, weakness and immaturity. He gives man time and the opportunity to repent. While He waits, He continuously provides man with truth so that he can enter into it. God’s salvation for man is so real. He is faithful and His love for man is actual, not fake or pretentious at all, tangible and appreciable. When I thought about this, tears welled up in my eyes and started to flow. I started to reflect on all my experiences. In the work of adjusting the leaders and workers, since I was not abiding by principles, I did some things that interrupted and disturbed the work of the church. However, God did not eliminate me or punish me. Instead, He used the report that my brothers and sisters wrote to make me reflect upon myself, repent and change so that I could fulfill my duties according to principles. When I was negative and weak, God used His words to comfort and support me. He also moved the brothers and sisters who were at my side into communicating God’s intentions with me. This strengthened me. During times when I committed transgressions or when I made mistakes in my work, I lived in misunderstanding and guarding against God and I became negative and slacking in my work. At such times, God enlightened and guided me with His words so that I could understand His intentions, see His love and see His salvation. This rescued me from the midst of negativity and misunderstanding. … Hasn’t God already done this on me a long time ago? When I saw God’s limitless love for me, my obstinate and numb heart was melted by God’s sincere love. I prayed a prayer of repentance to God, “O God! I have disobeyed and resisted You time and time again. However, You still treat me with love and tolerance and You show understanding for my weaknesses. Time and time again, You used words to enlighten me, guide me, support me and nourish me. You have led me step by step up to today. I am not worthy of You expending so much care and effort in saving me. O God! Your love for me is inexpressible. At the same time that you wait patiently for me to change, You also give me opportunities to repent. All I wish is that from now on, I will practice in accordance with Your will and demands. I hope to rely on the truth and principles to treat each brother and sister that truly believes in You.”

Then, I read another sermon which said: “For example, you are a leader, and you should be responsible for the brothers and sisters. Suppose there is a brother or sister who does not pursue the truth, and is not going the right way. What should you do? You must help this person. This help includes pruning them and dealing with them. It includes censure and criticism. This is the way to help. All of this is love. Is it necessary to coax them along or use a consulting tone? Not necessarily. If there is a need for pruning and dealing with them, do it. Expose what should be exposed. This is because you are a leader and a worker. If you don’t help, who will? This is the duty that you should fulfill” (“How One Must Experience God’s Work in Order to Achieve Salvation and Be Perfected” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (VI)). From this sermon, I learned that a leader or a worker who truly has the reality of the truth treats his brothers and sisters with principles. He knows what his responsibility and commission are. He is able to rely on the principles and the truth to deal with people according to their nature and essence. He is able to practically help people based on their corruptions and deficiencies. He knows when he should help them with a loving heart, when to strictly deal with and prune them and when to rebuke them. He is able to behave appropriately, have principles and will not haphazardly treat the brothers and sisters who have expressed corruption as enemies. I began to think again of how I treated Brother Chen. When I saw him reveal his arrogant disposition, I did not help or support him in a practical manner. I did not dissect his arrogant nature in order to help him achieve a knowledge of the essence of his nature or help him see clearly the dangerous consequences if his arrogant disposition did not change. Instead, I haphazardly judged, excluded and condemned him. I even disseminated biases against him behind his back. I did not exhibit any tolerance or patience nor did I treat him with a loving heart. At this moment, I became clearer about God’s will and the path of practice. As a result, I went and found Brother Chen. I pointed out his problems and offered my help and support. At the same time, I also dealt with and pruned him. I dissected his incorrect perspectives on pursuit and the wrong path he was taking. I also fellowshiped about God’s holy essence and His disposition that cannot be offended. Thank God for His guidance. Through my communications with him, Brother Chen gained some understanding of his own arrogant nature and the corruption that he had expressed. He said, “Even though I also know that I am very arrogant, I often just verbally acknowledge it. I have never dissected my own arrogant nature in depth nor have I truly despised it. Today you have pointed these things out to me. Only now do I discover that my own condition is very terrible and dangerous. I do not have God within my heart and I do not respect anyone. I always feel that I am correct. Especially when the work produces results, not only have I stolen God’s glory, I am even more arrogant and conceited because I feel that I am a terrific person. I am on the path of the antichrist. I am doing evil deeds and resisting God. Today, thanks to your warning and help, it urges me to do self-reflection and offers me an opportunity to repent and change. …” When I heard him say this, it really touched my heart. I deeply felt that I had not fulfilled my duties well and that I did not have a compassionate heart. I had not given help or support to my brother. Instead, I seized upon his corruption and condemned him. It is God’s work that has saved me, making me see clearly that I have an arrogant and malicious nature. God’s work has also reversed my absurd perspective. I read a sermon of the above, which said: “It can be said that those people who really love the truth and who have the will to pursue being perfected all have a wildly arrogant and self-righteous disposition. As long as they are able to accept the truth and to accept pruning and dealing and are able to absolutely obey the truth, no matter what the circumstances, then this type of people can achieve salvation and be perfected. In fact, there are no people who are not wildly arrogant who are truly of good caliber and really have the will. This is a fact. God’s chosen people must be able to differentiate. They must not establish that someone is not a good person and cannot be saved and perfected because they are extremely arrogant and self-righteous. No matter how wildly arrogant the person is, as long as they are of good caliber and can pursue the truth, then they are people whom God wants to perfect. The conditions for God perfecting people are mainly that one is a good person, of good caliber and in pursuit of the truth. If a person’s caliber is too poor and from start to finish they are unable to understand the truth, then even if their disposition is extremely meek and not at all arrogant, they are good-for-nothing and not worth perfecting. On this point, one needs to understand God’s intentions. If a person’s caliber is good, and they have the will and are not arrogant and self-righteous, then that is absolutely a guise or a sham surface appearance, for there is no such person. One must know that corrupt mankind has a wildly arrogant and self-righteous nature. This is an undeniable fact” (“Only People Who Really Accept and Obey God’s Judgment and Chastisement Are Truly Pursuing the Truth” in Collection of Sermons—Supply for Life). The sermon helped me understand clearly how I should deal with people who have arrogant disposition. I learned that it is possible for those who have an arrogant disposition to change. The key is whether they are able to pursue the truth and accept the truth. If they are able to accept the truth, accept God’s judgment and chastisement and accept dealing and pruning, they can absolutely change and be perfected by God. Now when I took another look at Chen’s condition, I realized that since he was young and he had not believed in God for very long and had not experienced much of God’s judgment and chastisement, his expressing an arrogant and conceited disposition is quite normal. We have been corrupted by Satan and we are under the control of an arrogant disposition, so we love to seek fame and to show off. This is a common characteristic of corrupt humanity. Haven’t I also frequently expressed arrogance and conceitedness? Why do I feel that I myself can change yet he cannot? Why are the standards I have set for myself lower than the standards that I have set for him? Doesn’t this mean that I am even more arrogant than him? This is not a fair way to treat him. When I realized this, I was able to let go of my biases and prejudices that I had against Brother Chen. I felt that the essence of his nature was not bad. He had the resolve to pursue the truth, and it was just that his arrogant disposition was a little bit more serious. I should help him with a loving heart and should allow him an opportunity and time to repent and change.

Thank God for His enlightenment and guidance. From this experience, I learned that those who live in corrupt disposition and do not treat others in accordance with the principles of God’s words and who are unable to properly treat the strengths and weakness of other people cannot treat others in a fair manner. Not only will they bring harm to their brothers and sisters, they will also delay their entry into life. They can even give others a hard time or punish them, taking the path of the antichrist. Thank God for the judgment and chastisement work that He performed on me during this time. When I was living in my rebellious disposition and was unable to treat my brother in accordance with the truth and the principles, God promptly exercised His judgment and chastisement to save me and caused me to recognize my own arrogant and malicious disposition. When I turned back to God, put myself aside and sought the truth, I gained God’s guidance and leadership—I understood from God’s words how to deal with people with principles. When I treated Brother Chen in accordance with God’s words, I truly experienced spiritual peace and stability. Furthermore, I was able to discover and learn from the brother’s strengths to make up for my deficiencies. I tasted the sweetness of putting God’s words into practice. It was God’s work and guidance that allowed me to understand some truths and to gain some understanding of my own corruption and deficiencies. At the same time, I truly feel that dealing with other people in accordance with the truth and principles is very important. I only wish to continue putting God’s word into practice when I fulfill my duties. I will treat each of my brothers and sisters in accordance with the truth of God’s words.

Best Christian Video "I Am a Good Person! " (2018 Full Movie)

Best Christian Video "I Am a Good Person! " (2018 Full Movie) 

Yang Huixin, a Christian, has loved being a good person since she was little. She doesn't like to offend others. She believes herself to be a good person because she is kind and agreeable with others. But only after she accepts God's gospel of the last days and undergoes the judgment and chastisement of God's words does she have an awakening, and realize that she's not a true good person. Rather, she lives based on satanic philosophies, and is a very selfish, cunning "nice guy." She resolves in her heart to seek the truth and become a good person who is honest and upright…. What experiences did Yang Huixin go through that allowed her to undergo such a transformation?

God's Work | After Her Husband’s Betrayal God Saved Her From the Haze of Pain

God's Work | After Her Husband’s Betrayal 

God Saved Her From the Haze of Pain

November 6, 2018

By Ouyang Mo, Hubei Province

Time really flies. Hong’er grew from a naive little girl into a graceful young woman, and her budding interest in love awakened. She wasn’t interested in wealth or status, but just wanted a relationship in which, no matter what storms they weather, there is intimacy and love, they help each other in times of need, and grow old together. She was quietly awaiting the arrival of a certain moment …

Best Christian Movie | "Yearning" | God Reveals the Mystery of Kingdom of Heaven

Best Christian Movie | "Yearning"
God Reveals the Mystery of Kingdom of Heaven

Introduction

Two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus promised His followers: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3). Because of this, generations of believers have continued to obsessively hope and pray for the fulfillment of the Lord's promise, and hope and pray that they are raptured into the heavens to meet the Lord and enter into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes.

This also describes this film's protagonist, Chen Xiangguang. He is an enthusiastic seeker, spreads the gospel, and bears witness to the Lord in order to welcome the Lord's coming. In spite of being dismissed from his position in a school and failing to gain understanding from his family members, he never gives up the hope in his heart. One day while in a gathering, Chen Xiangguang is arrested and thrown in jail by the Chinese Communist government. Under God's wondrous rule and arrangements, he encounters Zhao Zhiming, a Christian from The Church of Almighty God. Zhao Zhiming gives him testimony on God's appearance and work in the last days, resolving his years of notions and imagination in hoping and praying for the Lord's return. After getting out of prison, Chen Xiangguang leads his brothers and sisters to look into Almighty God's work in the last days. Everyone finally comes to understand what it is to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven, whether the kingdom is really on earth or in heaven, and how people should welcome the Lord's return ...

The Church of Almighty God 

The Work of Spreading the Gospel Is Also the Work of Saving Man

    Almighty God says:"All people need to understand the purpose of My work on earth, that is, the final objective of My work and what level I must achieve in this work before it can be complete. If, after walking along with Me to this day, people do not understand what My work is all about, then have they not been walking with Me in vain? People who follow Me should know My will.

Christian Movie | "The Gospel Messenger" | Preaching the Gospel of the Last Days

Christian Movie | The Gospel Messenger
     Preaching the Gospel of the Last Days

Introduction

Chen Yixin has believed in the Lord for over 20 years and works and preaches enthusiastically for the Lord. She was arrested by the Chinese Communist government and spent four years in prison. She stood witness for the Lord. However, the sad situation of the church's growing desolation throws her into pain and confusion. Later on, she is lucky to hear the gospel of Almighty God in the last days and is finally reunited with the Lord. Full of joy, she shares the good news of the Lord's return with the other brothers and sisters from her church, but she never imagined that what she'd get in return would be slander, insults, being driven out, and even blows…. Chen Yixin sees God's urgent will to save mankind from Almighty God's words and she realizes that spreading the gospel of the kingdom is God's commission, and that it is particularly the mission of every single creature, and a bounden duty…. In recent years she has gone from province to province, city to city to spread the gospel and bear witness to God, during which time she has suffered constant suppression and rejection by religious circles as well as the pursuit and oppression of the satanic Chinese Communist regime. Although she has been weak, through these bitter experiences she comes to see the truth that the religious world is controlled by antichrists and false shepherds. She also sees the essence of religious circles believing in God while also resisting Him, and God's love and salvation for mankind. With the guidance of Almighty God's words and the encouragement of God's love, she shoulders God's commission and courageously forges ahead with no fear of the danger …

GOSPEL MOVIE CLIP | EXPOSING THE ERROR OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY CALLING CHRIST AN ORDINARY HUMAN

GOSPEL MOVIE CLIP

EXPOSING THE ERROR OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST

 PARTY CALLING CHRIST AN ORDINARY HUMAN

During the Age of Grace, the incarnate Lord Jesus appeared to be an ordinary, normal human from the outside, but Lord Jesus brought the way of repentance, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," and did the work of redeeming humanity through the crucifixion. This is sufficient to prove that Lord Jesus was God incarnate. Christ of the last days, Almighty God, similar to Lord Jesus, appears from the outside to be an ordinary person. He can express the truth and do the work of purifying and saving humanity, however. This proves that He is the incarnate God. The Chinese Communist Party, on the other hand, does its utmost to deny Christ and to condemnChrist, saying the incarnate Christ is an ordinary human. Why is the Chinese Communist Party so absurd and preposterous?

Gospel Q&A | Spiritual Battles

Gospel Q&A | Spiritual Battles

I know that Eastern Lightning is the true way, but if I accept Almighty God’s work of the last days I shall be subjected to rejection and slander by the brothers and sisters belonging to my previous denomination. I really don’t have the courage to face that, so what should I do?

Bible Verses for Reference:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8).

Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it (Mat 7:13-14).

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (Jhn 12:42-43).

Relevant Words of God:

Perhaps you all remember these words: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” In the past, you have all heard this saying, yet none understood the true meaning of the words. Today, you know well the real significance they hold. These words are what God will accomplish in the last days. And they will be accomplished upon those cruelly afflicted by the great red dragon in the land where it lies. The great red dragon persecutes God and is the enemy of God, so in this land, those who believe in God are subjected to humiliation and persecution. That is why these words will become reality in you group of people. As the work is carried out in a land that opposes God, all of His work is met with inordinate hindrance, and many of His words cannot be accomplished in good time; hence, people are refined because of the words of God. This too is an element of suffering. …

… do not regard as too simple the work of God or God’s commission to you. You are all heirs of the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory of God, and this was specially ordained by God. Of the two parts of His glory, one is revealed in you; the entirety of one part of God’s glory is bestowed upon you so that it may be your inheritance. This is the exaltation from God and His plan predetermined long ago. … Among you, there is not one man who receives the protection of the law; rather, you are penalized by the law, and the greater difficulty is that no man understands you, be it your relatives, your parents, your friends, or your colleagues. None understand you. When God rejects you, there is no way for you to continue living on earth. However, even so, people cannot bear to leave God; this is the significance of God’s conquest of people, and this is God’s glory.

from “Is the Work of God So Simple as Man Imagines?” 

in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You must endure all, you must relinquish everything you have and do everything you can to follow Me, pay all the costs for Me. This is the time that I shall test you, will you offer your loyalty to Me? Will you follow Me to the end of the road with loyalty? Be not afraid; with My support, who could ever block the road? Remember this! Remember! Everything that occurs is by My good intention and all is under My observation. Can your every word and action follow My word? When the trials of fire come upon you, will you kneel and call out? Or will you cower, unable to move forward?

You must have My courage within you and you must have principles when facing relatives who do not believe. But for the sake of Me, you must also not yield to any of the dark forces. Rely on My wisdom to walk the perfect way; do not allow the conspiracies of Satan to take hold. Put all your efforts into placing your heart before Me and I shall comfort you and give you peace and happiness in your heart. You shall not seek the approval of men; isn’t it more valuable and weighty to satisfy Me? In satisfying Me, won’t you even more have eternal and lifelong peace and happiness? The suffering before you signifies how great your future blessings shall be; it is indescribable. You know not how many blessings you shall have, you couldn’t even dream of it. Today they become real, so very real! This is not so far away, can you see it? Every last bit of this is within Me and how bright it is ahead! Wipe away your tears, feel no pain or sorrow, all is held within My hands and My goal is to make you the overcomers soon and to bring you into glory with Me. You shall be grateful and praise for all that befalls you, and that shall satisfy My heart.

from Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning

God seeks those who long for Him to appear. He seeks those who are able to hear His words, those who have not forgotten His commission and offer up their heart and body to Him. He seeks those who are as obedient as babes before Him, and do not resist Him. If you are unhindered by any force in your devotion to God, then God shall look upon you with favor, and shall bestow His blessings upon you. If you are of high station, of honorable reputation, possessed of abundant knowledge, the owner of plentiful assets, and supported by many people, yet these things do not prevent you from coming before God to accept His calling and His commission, to do what God asks of you, then all that you do shall be the most significant on earth and the most righteous of mankind. If you reject the call of God for the sake of status and your own goals, all that you do shall be cursed and even despised by God.

from “God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind” 

in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Even after hearing the voice of God, man continues on his path away from God, evading the grace and care of God, and shunning the truth of God, and he would rather sell himself to Satan, the enemy of God. And who has given any thought as to how God will act toward an unrepentant man who has dismissed Him? None know that the repeated reminders and exhortations of God are because He holds in His hands an unprecedented disaster that He has prepared, one that will be unbearable for the flesh and soul of man. This disaster is not merely a punishment of the flesh but of the soul as well. You must know this: When the plan of God is made void and when His reminders and exhortations beget no response, what anger will He unleash? This will be like nothing that has heretofore been experienced or heard by any creation. And so I say, this disaster is unprecedented and will never be repeated. This is because only one creation and one salvation are within the plan of God. This is the first time and also the last. Therefore, none can comprehend the kind intention and fervent anticipation of God for mankind’s salvation.

from “God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Man’s Fellowship:

You now spread the gospel. How do you feel when you encounter vilification and judgment at the hands of religious people? Do you feel dispirited and disheartened? Some people see so many people in the world of religion rising to oppose and judge God’s work and they become dispirited, saying ‘How can so many people not believe? Only us few believe. Is our way correct?’ People who think like this are even more ignorant. Because, after all, the truth is in the hands of the minority, as is written in the Bible: ‘For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.’ So when you see the world of religion resisting God, bring these words to mind and say them aloud and you will be fine. As soon as you think these words, you shall be comforted, and you won’t be disheartened or lose hope. We are not alone; we have God as our backup, and we have God with us.

from “The Significance and Effects of Practicing the Truth and Several Problems that Must be Resolved” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (VI)

By seeking the truth, one’s heart becomes more and more filled with enjoyment, it yearns for God and yearns to be with God more and more, and it loves more and more to be in contact with those who possess the truth. By looking to fellowship with those who possess the truth and by living together with them, in the end you will come to understand the truth more, you will be blessed by God more and trusted by God more; God seeks for you, He wants to arrange your whole life, He wants to arrange a suitable place for you and so He will put His trust in you. Therefore, those who seek the truth are never alone. When you have genuinely gained the truth, God loves you, God blesses you, God likes you, and in the end God will use you. See how great a blessing this is! Seeking the truth is so very meaningful! By seeking the truth, we unknowingly come to have a deeper knowledge of our own corruption; by seeking the truth, we unknowingly come to understand much truth; by seeking the truth, we unknowingly come to have a deeper and deeper knowledge of God; by seeking the truth, we unknowingly come to see a change in our life dispositions; by seeking the truth, we unknowingly come to see God’s blessings, see that they are filled within with light and see the genuine human life, so that in the end we are able to see God’s face. Therefore, seeking the truth is the way that gets brighter and broader the further you follow it. No matter how others reject you, no matter how they oppose you, by seeking the truth you are able to gain God’s blessings, you are able to gain His praise, you have God’s protection, and this is enough. This is what can bring the greatest satisfaction to your heart. You must care about whether or not God likes you, whether or not God praises you and whether or not He blesses you. If you gain God’s praise and blessings, then in the deepest recesses of your heart you will feel satisfied, you will feel enriched and steadfast, and you shall feel a boundless peace and joy—that is the greatest happiness of human life.

from “The Requirements Those Who Serve God Must Meet and How to Serve in Accordance With God’s Will” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (II)

How I Nearly Became a Foolish Virgin

How I Nearly Became a Foolish Virgin

Li Fang, China

In the fall of 2002, Sister Zhao from my denomination, the Church of Truth, brought her niece, Sister Wang, to my home to tell me some great news that the Lord has come back. After a few days of reading the words of Almighty God and listening to the sister’s detailed fellowship, I understood that from the creation of the world until now God has performed three stages of work in order to save mankind. Other truths that I also came to know were God’s adoption of a different name during each stage of the work, the significance of God’s name for each age, and the mystery of God’s incarnation, etc. These truths really allowed me to open my eyes wide and see my fill. I said to myself: “It all sounds crystal clear, and Almighty God very probably is the returned Lord Jesus so I’d better make sure I grasp this chance and read more of Almighty God’s words.” Before leaving, Sister Wang left some books of God’s words for me. Whenever I had time during the day, I read God’s words. The more I read the more I loved reading them and the more I felt that they were the words of God. After three days I became anxious. I thought: “My son, who is also a believer, and many brothers and sisters in our church still don’t know this great news about the return of the Lord. I’d better hurry up and tell them.”

The next day early in the morning I went to my son’s home. I said happily to him: “This is such a great book. You should read it as soon as possible.” My son glanced at me and asked: “What book? You seem pretty delighted. Just put it down there and I’ll take a look at it when I have time.” I thought that as all believers were looking forward to the Lord’s return my son would be happy to learn that the Lord has already returned.

I would never in a million years have imagined, however, that three days later my son would show up at my home in the company of six religious figures. One of them was Pastor Xia from my denomination, and the others were pastors and preachers from my son’s denomination. I was a bit stunned to see them, as I couldn’t figure out what was up and why so many people had come to see me. A pastor surnamed Li looked closely at me for a moment and with a look of concern on his face he said: “Auntie, we’re all believers in the Lord, one big family. Your son tells me that someone has given you a book, but you really shouldn’t read it. Now it’s the last days, and the Lord Jesus said: ‘Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’ (Mat 24:23-24). We believe that these words of the Lord Jesus mean that anyone who says that the Lord has returned is a fraudster who we must guard against and refuse to listen to. Right now in the whole religious world there is only Eastern Lightning that is publicly bearing witness to the Lord’s return, so, whatever you do, don’t have anything to do with them. Don’t read any of Eastern Lightning’s books either. Their way is different from our faith, so don’t listen to them. You don’t understand the Bible very well, and you have small stature, so you’re easily deceived. We’ve been preaching for many years and we understand the Bible well. We’ve travelled all over China and we’ve seen a lot and our life is bigger. We’ve come today specially to rescue you, so you’ve got to believe us and not try to have it your own way.” When I heard this I thought to myself: “This pastor seems to be concerned about me and what he said isn’t wrong. I’m old and not very well educated, and I don’t understand the Bible that well. I certainly can’t discern as well as they do.” At this point Pastor Xia said: “I’m a pastor, and the Lord has given me His flock to manage. So it’s my responsibility to make sure that you don’t stray from the true way. If I don’t look after the Lord’s flock I won’t be able to settle my account with the Lord. Sister, don’t run around to other groups like this. If you get stolen from us by Eastern Lightning then all these years that you’ve believed in the Lord will be wasted!” Looking at their tense faces and hearing the serious tone in which they were talking to me made me feel a bit frightened. I thought: “That’s right. If I start believing wrongly then won’t all those years of faith be wasted?” But then I thought: “The words in that book seemed so good, so right. These pastors and preachers haven’t read the words of Almighty God, so how could they say that it isn’t a true way?” So I said to them: “The way you put it makes it seem like that really is the case but what I heard from them completely matches the words of the Lord in the Bible!” When they heard me say that they all started talking at once, saying so many things to scare me that I became dizzy and confused and experienced a lot of emotional turmoil. I sat there like an idiot, unable to say a single thing. Then they wanted me to pray with them and utter some curses, but I didn’t go along with it so they started to terrorize me again. Finally, my son said: “Let me deal with this matter of my mom’s.” Then he took the two hymn books named “Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs” and the cassette tapes of hymns as well as a book of God’s words named “Judgment Beginning With the House of God” from the cupboard and gave them to the pastor to take away.

After they left I was so upset that I couldn’t even eat my dinner, so I came before the Lord and prayed: “Lord Jesus, is what those pastors said true or not? It seems like they’re really concerned for my life. If I don’t listen to them, will I put my faith in the wrong place? Oh Lord, if You really have returned as Almighty God and I don’t accept You then wouldn’t I be closing the door on You? Wouldn’t I just be like one of the foolish virgins? Oh Lord, through reading the words of Almighty God these last few days I feel that I’ve gained a lot of spiritual supply. I’ve truly and honestly felt this, but could I be wrong? Now that they’ve taken away my books and my cassette tapes of hymns I feel really sad. Please show me the way as I don’t know what to do….” After praying I suddenly remembered that Sister Wang had given me another book of Almighty God’s words and I hid it deep inside the cupboard. When I realized that I still had this book I felt a little bit better. But then I thought about what those pastors had said, and I was still at a loss about what to do. Should I read that book or not? That night, I hardly slept at all, my mind in turmoil. Again and again I prayed to God in tears …

Early the next day my son came to take me to my former church meeting. I was very much undecided, but my son dragged me down to the meeting place and even told a preacher that I’d nearly been stolen by Eastern Lightning and he asked her to do her best to persuade me to stay. In an instant, the preacher and all of the brothers and sisters surrounded me. The preacher took hold of my hand, and in a gentle voice said: “Auntie, whatever you do, don’t listen to anyone else preaching. If you start believing wrongly, when the Lord comes to rapture the congregations then you’ll be left behind, won’t you? You have small stature, so if anyone gives you any kind of book to read it would be better for you to ask us first. Let us check on it for you….” The brothers and sisters were also all very keen to persuade me to stay, and I was moved to tears by their “love.” When they saw how moved I was they made their point once more: “If anyone from Eastern Lightning comes to visit you again, don’t let them in. Don’t have anything to do with them!” I nodded in agreement.

It was only a few days later that Sister Wang came to see me again. I told her: “The pastor read this passage from the Bible to me: ‘Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’ (Mat 24:23-24). In the last days false Christs shall appear and anyone who says that the Lord has returned is a fraudster. I don’t understand the Bible, and my stature is small, so I’m easily misled. I don’t dare to listen to any other messages, so I’m not going to let you in. Don’t come again.” With great sincerity Sister Wang said: “The Lord Jesus said this to ensure that we would guard against false Christs during the last days but He didn’t intend for us to also turn our backs on Christ. If there are false Christs it’s because the real Christ has already appeared, because without the real Christ the imposters have nothing to imitate. Those words of the Lord Jesus tell us that we have to learn to discern; they aren’t saying that we should refuse to listen to the gospel of the Lord’s return just because false Christs will appear during the last days. Otherwise, how will we be able to welcome the Lord’s return? Actually, the Lord Jesus has already clearly described the characteristics of false Christs. The main ones include manifesting signs, performing miracles, healing the sick and exorcising demons, and copying the work that the Lord Jesus had already done in order to deceive people. So during the last days anyone who impersonates the Lord Jesus to preach the way of repentance and who can manifest a few simple signs or heal the sick and exorcise demons is a false Christ. Almighty God, who is the Lord Jesus returned in the flesh in the last days, doesn’t repeat the work that the Lord Jesus had already done but does new work on the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption. Almighty God has ended the Age of Grace and has opened the Age of Kingdom by expressing truths to do a stage of work of judging and cleansing mankind. Almighty God will thoroughly save all those people who have been redeemed but still live in sin by removing the shackles of their sinful nature and taking them away from Satan’s dark influence. Mankind will thus be taken to their wonderful final destination. Only God Himself can do this work; none of the false Christs can.” Although what the sister was saying seemed reasonable, the things that the pastors had told me were still swirling around in my head. My mind was agitated and unable to focus and I didn’t want to hear any more of her fellowship. So I told her that I had something to do next door, which was a lie, in order to get away from her. Sister Wang came back to my home many times after that but I always avoided her. My neighbor told me: “She doesn’t look like a bad person so what are you afraid of?” In my heart I knew that Sister Wang was a good person, but as I was of small stature I was afraid of getting my faith wrong.

After I returned to the meeting of my former church I heard the preachers still saying things in the sermon that they’d said before. They always talked about how to guard against Eastern Lightning, or donating to the church, or they repeated a lot of boring old stuff about how much they had worked and suffered for the Lord and how much God’s grace they had obtained…. They could not even say a little bit of something fresh and bright. I quickly grew fed up of listening to them, and started to doze off. On another occasion, a brother from another church came to give a sermon, but it was more of the same stuff about how he’d walked across mountains to do the Lord’s work and how much he’d suffered, how many people he’d converted through spreading the gospel and how many churches he’d set up. He used the sermon to blow his own trumpet. Listening to him made me feel very uncomfortable, and I came to the opinion that he wasn’t bearing witness for the Lord but just bearing witness for himself. On another day, I’d just arrived at the meeting place when one of the sisters said to me: “Today we’ve got a 20-something female theology student giving the sermon.” I was very happy to hear that and told myself that I was going to pay special attention because she would definitely give a better sermon than our preachers did. But the student started her sermon with how to guard against Eastern Lightning, and then went on to talk about how she’d given up her regular studies at the age of 16 to enter the seminary to study theology, how she’d worked and suffered outdoors in spite of the rain, how many places she’d been to…. The more I heard, the more fed up I got. I thought to myself: “This is all just old wine in new bottles! Why do they keep on trotting out the same old boring stuff? None of this has got anything to do with their experience or knowledge of the Lord’s words, nor is it leading us in following the Lord’s way or practicing and entering into His words.” I’d already been back at the meetings for over a month but I hadn’t gained anything from them. The more I listened to these messages, the drier I felt in my spirit, and I thought that I would die of spiritual thirst if I carried on believing like this. The more I thought about it, the more upset I got.

After the meeting I walked home with a heavy heart. I thought about the book Judgment Beginning With the House of God that Sister Wang had given me, which stated that people shouldn’t be arrogant and shouldn’t exalt themselves but should honor God as great and exalt God. But these preachers were all bearing witness for themselves, honoring themselves above all else, and getting others to look up to them. It seemed to me that what the book said was right! So that evening when I was alone at home I took out the copy of Judgment Beginning With the House of God and read some of it. The more I read the more my heart soared, and I really felt that these words could be sustenance for my life. I was puzzled as to why our pastor wouldn’t let me read such a good book. Our pastor often said that he was responsible for my life and yet he only seemed to know how to bear witness for himself in his sermons. He never told me how to gain life. I remembered a period when I was very weak and didn’t want to go to the meetings. The pastor never came to visit me or offer support. But how come as soon as I started getting some spiritual nourishment from reading Almighty God’s words he showed up to force me into listening to them repeating the same old stuff? That’s not taking responsibility for my life! I suddenly realized just how wrong I’d been, and I blamed myself bitterly: Almighty God’s words could give supply to my life, and they probably came from God. How could I have been so stupid and blind as to believe what the pastor had said and give up investigating the true way? I also thought about how Sister Wang had always given me loving support, and had borne witness to God’s work of the last days for me so that I had the chance to gain God’s salvation of the last days. But I wasn’t all that nice to Sister Wang, and even avoided seeing her on a number of occasions. I shouldn’t have treated her like an enemy. When I thought of this I felt extremely sad. So I came before the Lord and tearfully said a prayer of repentance: “Lord, I treated that sister who brought me the book of God’s words as an enemy and turned my back on her. This isn’t a case of abandoning someone but is actually a case of refusing Your salvation. Lord, now I know that I shouldn’t have listened to those pastors and given up investigating God’s work of the last days. I wish to repent to You, but I don’t know how to find Sister Wang. Please help me find her.” After praying, I picked up the book again and read it late into the night. The more I read the more I felt that the content was good, and the more I came to despise the pastors for preventing me from reading the words of Almighty God.

I’m so grateful to the Lord for listening to my prayer! The next day at noon, when I was eating lunch, Sister Wang came to my house. I told her about everything that had happened since I last saw her. When she heard that I’d been unable to gain supply in religious church she read out a passage of Almighty God’s words for me: “God will accomplish this fact: He will make all people throughout the universe come before Him, and worship the God on earth, and His work in other places will cease, and people will be forced to seek the true way. It will be like Joseph: Everyone came to him for food, and bowed down to him, for he had things to eat. In order to avoid famine people will be forced to seek the true way. The entire religious community is suffering severe famine, and only the God of today is the wellspring of living water, possessed of the ever-flowing wellspring provided for the enjoyment of man, and people will come and depend on Him” (“The Millennial Kingdom Has Arrived” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Then the sister fellowshiped this with me: “God is the wellspring of living water, and only God can supply life for people. When people leave God they will be in darkness and wither and die, just like a branch that has broken off from the tree trunk. In our faith in God, we must closely follow the footsteps of the Lamb, accept God’s work as it appears now, and come before God in order to be able to gain the work of the Holy Spirit and the nourishment and supply of God’s living water of life. Why is it that we can’t get sustenance from listening to those pastors and elders in religion? There are two reasons for this. One is that those pastors and elders don’t abide by the Lord’s commandments and don’t put the Lord’s words into practice. They don’t have real life experience and have no real knowledge of God and much less have hearts that fear God, which shows in the way they don’t at all exalt God or bear witness to Him in their work and preaching. They only blow their own trumpets and bear witness to themselves. By completely deviating from the Lord’s way they have turned into typical false shepherds who deceive people. This is why they are loathed and rejected by the Holy Spirit and never get His enlightenment and guidance. And this is the main reason why the religious community is so desolate. The other reason is that the Lord has already returned to do the work of the new age. The Holy Spirit’s work on people of the Age of Grace has already come to an end, and is now being done on the group of people who are up to speed with God’s new work. But the pastors and elders do not at all investigate God’s new work and do not follow God’s footsteps and accept His leadership. All they do is crazily resist God, condemn God’s work of the last days, and slander and blaspheme Almighty God, the Christ of the last days. They do whatever they can to prevent believers from investigating the true way and returning to God, and thus have become just like the Pharisees who nailed the Lord to the cross. They have already been condemned and eliminated by God, so there is no way the Holy Spirit could work on them. So, if we want to receive life sustenance we must align ourselves with the Holy Spirit’s current work, accept the things that God is currently expressing, and accept the leadership, supply, and shepherding of Almighty God, the Christ of the last days. This is the only way for us to gain truth and life. This proves what the Lord Jesus said: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (Jhn 14:6). ‘But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life’ (Jhn 4:14).”

After listening to Sister Wang’s fellowship about God’s words I had a sudden realization as to why the pastors, elders, and theology students had nothing worthy to preach: They don’t have truth! They resist God, and that’s why the Holy Spirit left them long ago. When they preach they only have intellectual knowledge to rely on, but they don’t have the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and that’s why their preaching is not helpful to people. But there was still something that I didn’t understand, so I asked Sister Wang: “All those pastors and elders say that they’re very familiar with the Bible, that they’ve been to seminary school and have much life. I don’t understand the Bible that well and believed that they were really more mature than me in life, so that’s why I listened to them. So now I can’t decide whether they really have much life or not. Sister, do you think that they really have much life?” Sister Wang replied: “No one can say that they have life. This is all decided according to God’s words. What does it mean to have life? What things specifically should be manifested? The Lord Jesus said: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (Jhn 14:6). And Almighty God said: ‘Whether you are in possession of reality or not is not based on what you say, rather, it is based on what you live out. When God’s words become your life and your natural expression, only this counts as reality, and only this counts as you possessing understanding and real stature. You must be able to withstand examination for a long period of time, and you must be able to live out the likeness that is required of you by God; it must not be mere posturing, but it must flow naturally out of you. Only then will you truly have reality, and only then will you have gained life’ (“Only Putting the Truth Into Practice Is Having Reality” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). ‘Why is it said that many people have no life? Because they do not know God, and thus it is said that they have no God, and have no life’ (“Only Those Who Know God Can Bear Testimony to God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From God’s words we can see that Christ is the truth, the way and the life. Truth can act as people’s life, so gaining truth is the same as gaining life, and having life indicates that someone has gained truth and known God. Someone who doesn’t understand truth and doesn’t know God will not have a heart that fears God and will be unable to live out the reality of God’s words. This means that they have no life. If someone doesn’t have God’s words as their life then they still live by Satan’s poisons. They often reveal their corrupt dispositions—arrogance, conceit, selfishness, despicableness, crookedness, cunningness, and so on. And even if they believe in God they are still unable to fear God and stay away from evil. They often lie, cheat, commit sins, and resist God. How could they ever be called people who have life? If they say they have life it’s just the same fleshly life, the satanic life that is full of corrupt dispositions that are in opposition to God, and not the new life, which comes from experiencing God’s words and gaining the truth. So though the pastors and elders may be familiar with the Bible, and possess knowledge of the Bible and theological theories, that doesn’t mean that they know God and fear God and that they understand truth and have the work of the Holy Spirit. And it certainly doesn’t mean that they practice the Lord’s words or obey Him. Instead, what we see is that they usually exalt and bear witness to themselves, and generally try to get believers to worship them. What they reveal is the likeness of Satan—being arrogant and conceited, lacking fear for God, and always pretending to be good in order to fool people. Neither in their work nor in their preaching can they speak of any real knowledge of the Lord’s words or any practical experience that is beneficial to other people. No matter how many years you listen to them you will never understand any truth and your life will never grow. They have no knowledge of God or of His work, and when God has returned to flesh in the last days to express truths and do His work of judgment they frenziedly resist, condemn, and blaspheme Him without the tiniest bit of fear in their hearts. What kind of life do they have? They totally have the life of Satan. They’re just like the Pharisees who knew the Bible well and thought that they had sincere faith in God and had life but who didn’t know God and even resisted and condemned the Lord and nailed Him to the cross. This tells us that just because someone knows the Bible it doesn’t mean that they have truth and life. The only people who have life are those who understand and practice truth and who know God, have a heart that fears Him, and can live by God’s words. Those pastors and elders say that they have much life, and this is only fooling believers and deceiving themselves.”

After listening to Almighty God’s words and the fellowship of Sister Wang everything became much clearer in my mind: Just because someone knows the Bible well and can explain the Bible it doesn’t mean that they understand truth, know God or have life. I used to think that people in high positions or who had studied theology or had Bible knowledge all had much life. But now I see that my viewpoint was totally absurd. It seems that people who don’t have truth are unable to discern, and so are easily fooled. So I then asked Sister Wang a question: “Almighty God speaks so well. All we have to do is read His words carefully and we’ll realize that these are the words of God, God’s voice. So how come the pastors and elders don’t accept this and even do their utmost to resist and condemn Him?” Sister Wang replied: “During the last days, Almighty God has come and expressed all of the truths that corrupt mankind needs to be cleansed and saved. These truths are the way of eternal life that God has bestowed upon us. As long as people seriously read God’s words they will admit that these words are the truth, the life, and the way and are the foundation and the guide for mankind’s survival. This is a fact. Although most pastors and elders resist and condemn God’s work of the last days, and try to prevent people from reading Almighty God’s words, this doesn’t mean that they can’t hear God’s voice in them. Some pastors and elders can’t preach anything useful so they steal Almighty God’s words and preach them to their congregations, claiming that they are enlightenments that the Holy Spirit offered to them. So we can see that they are completely able to tell that these words are the expression of the truth. But why do they still frenziedly resist and condemn Almighty God? This has to do with their nature and substance of hating the truth. Think back to when the Lord Jesus first started doing His work, He manifested many miracles, especially the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. An even more astonishing miracle for the people throughout the land of Judea was when He brought Lazarus back from the dead. So, many of the common people in those days recognized from the Lord’s words and work that He was the coming Messiah. But the leaders of the Jews didn’t accept the Lord Jesus, and instead resisted and condemned Him and in the end conspired with the Roman government to crucify the Lord. Why did this happen? Was it because they couldn’t hear the authority and power in the Lord Jesus’ words and recognize that they were from God? Was it because they were in some way inferior to ordinary Jews? No! It was because they saw that more and more people were accepting the Lord Jesus’ way. They were afraid that if all of the ordinary folk believed in the Lord Jesus then no one would follow or worship them and they would lose their status and their livelihood. They clearly knew the Lord Jesus was God and yet purposefully resisted Him; this revealed their antichrist essence, which is resistance to God and hatred of the truth. The Lord Jesus bitterly rebuked them when He said: ‘But now you seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God…. Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stayed not in the truth, because there is no truth in him’ (Jhn 8:40, 43-44). In present times, the words of Almighty God have revealed with crystal clarity the nature and essence of the current leaders of the religious community. Almighty God said: ‘Those who read the Bible in grand churches recite the Bible every day, yet not one understands the purpose of God’s work. Not one is able to know God; moreover, not one is in accord with the heart of God. They are all worthless, vile men, each standing on high to teach God. Though they brandish the name of God, they willfully oppose Him. Though they label themselves believers of God, they are ones who eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such men are devils who devour the soul of man, demons who purposefully disturb those who try to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks that impede the path of those who seek God. Though they are of “robust flesh,” how are their followers to know that they are antichrists who lead man in opposition to God? How are they to know that they are living devils who specially seek souls to devour?’ (“All Who Do Not Know God Are Those Who Oppose God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). These leaders of the religious community today are just like the Pharisees of old: Although they know the Bible well they know absolutely nothing about God’s work. They see that the words of Almighty God are being accepted by more and more people who long for and seek God’s appearance, and they’re afraid that if the believers all believe in Almighty God then no one will follow them anymore or donate money to them. So in order to protect their status and their livelihood, under the banner of being loyal to the Lord and protecting His flock they have manufactured all kinds of vicious rumors to frenziedly resist and condemn God’s work of the last days and done their best to prevent believers from seeking and investigating the true way. So we can see that religious leaders are in fact Pharisees who dislike and hate the truth. They are living demons who eat people’s souls; they are antichrists who are being revealed by God’s work of the last days.”

After listening to God’s words and the sister’s fellowship I had a sudden realization and nodded my head a few times and said: “Now I finally get why those pastors and elders, on hearing that there are people bearing witness to God’s return, don’t seek or investigate it but instead persistently condemn Him. Now I understand why those pastors and elders are shouting that they are protecting me and are concerned about my life when in fact they are doing their utmost to hold me back and prevent me from reading God’s words and gaining the life sustenance from God. It is all because everything they do is to protect their own interests. They’re afraid that if people start following Almighty God they won’t listen to their sermons or donate money to them so that’s why they prevent people from investigating the true way. They really are despicable, and they have come very close to making me lose my chance of salvation. Now that I know how to discern better I’m going to refuse to have anything to do with them. No matter what they do to disturb me, I’m going to stand firm and follow Almighty God.” After that, I never went back to my original church meetings again.

Not long after, two preachers from my original denomination came to my house. One of them, Preacher Zhang, said to me: “Auntie, why haven’t you been to the meetings? Have you been in contact with the people from Eastern Lightning again? Whatever you do, don’t switch to their faith. If you follow their faith you’re done for!” With a firm voice I replied: “I got nothing from meetings with you recently and I grew ever darker in my spirit and I wasn’t able to feel the Lord’s presence. But since I started reading Almighty God’s words my spirit has been uplifted and now I’m starting to understand truths and my life is nourished. I feel that God is with me and that the Holy Spirit is working on me. Now I’m sure that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus and that the truths expressed by Almighty God are the living water of life. Only Almighty God’s words can give me sustenance, and wherever I can gain life that is where I shall go.” The other of them, Preacher Song, then said: “We worry about you. We worry that you’ll deviate from the right way. You’re immature in life.…” I said to her: “Maybe I’m immature in life, but God will lead me anyway. Thanks for your concern, but you should think about your own lives. My life is in God’s hands….” When they heard what I had to say they left in a huff. As I watched them disappearing into the distance I felt a huge sense of relief like I’d never felt before. Afterward, they came back twice more, but seeing that I was totally unmoved by their exhortations they never returned again. I thank God for guiding me and allowing me to see through the true faces and wicked hearts of those religious leaders, to see through Satan’s tricks and to find my way out of the confusion and back to God. I’m now being supplied with living water of life, and I will always follow and worship Almighty God!
Read more: Knowing the voice of God