24. The Principles of Obeying God
1. Obey the authority of God’s words; God’s words are supreme and they are the highest directive and the highest commandment, and you must completely obey;
2. Obey the authority of Christ; accept and obey all of Christ’s utterances and work, and you must obey and worship the incarnate, practical God;
3. Obey the authority of the work of the Holy Spirit; only by obeying all of the Holy Spirit’s work can you understand the truth and enter into the reality of God’s words;
4. Obey the leadership and shepherding of the man used by the Holy Spirit; pursue the truth and fulfill your duty in strict accordance with the principles of the work arrangements.
Relevant Words of God:
All things in the universe are within My hands. If I speak, it will be. If I ordain it, thus it shall be. Satan is beneath My feet, it is in the bottomless pit! When My voice issues forth, heaven and earth will pass away and come to nothing. All things will be renewed and this is an unalterable truth that is only too true. I have overcome the world, overcome all evil ones. I sit here talking to you; all those who have ears should listen and all those who live should accept.
from “The Fifteenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
I am a consuming fire and I do not tolerate offense. Because humans were all created by Me, whatever I say and do, people must obey and may not rebel against. People do not have the right to meddle in My work, and they are particularly not qualified to analyze what is right or wrong in My work and My words. I am the Lord of creation, and the creatures should achieve everything that I require with a heart of reverence for Me; they should not reason with Me and they especially should not resist. I am using My authority to reign over My people, and all those who are part of My creation should obey My authority.
from “When Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots You Will Regret All the Evil You Have Done” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Bearing a resounding witness for God is mainly related to whether you have an understanding of the practical God or not, and whether or not you are able to obey in front of this person who is not only ordinary, but normal, and even obey until the death. If you truly bear a witness for God through this obedience, that means you have been obtained by God. Being able to obey to the death, and being free of complaints in front of Him, not making judgments, not slandering, not having notions, and not having any other intentions—this way God will gain glory. Obedience in front of a regular person who is looked down upon by man and being able to obey to the death without any notions—this is true testimony. The reality that God requires people to enter into is that you are able to obey His words, able to put His words into practice, able to bow down in front of the practical God and know your own corruption, able to open up your heart in front of Him, and in the end be gained by Him through these words of His. God gains glory when these words conquer you and make you fully obedient to Him; through this He shames Satan and completes His work. When you don’t have any notions of the practicality of God incarnate, that is, when you stand firm in this trial, then you bear a good witness. If there is a day when you have full understanding of the practical God and you can obey until the death like Peter, you will be gained by God, and be perfected by Him. …
During God’s time in the flesh, the obedience He requires of people is not what people imagine—to not make judgments or resist. Rather, He requires that people make His words their principle for life and the foundation of their survival, that they absolutely put the essence of His words into practice, and that they absolutely satisfy His will. One aspect of requiring people to obey God incarnate refers to putting His words into practice, and another aspect refers to being able to obey His normalcy and practicality. These must be both absolute. Those who can achieve both of these aspects are all those who have a heart of genuine love for God. They are all people who have been gained by God, and they all love God as they love their own life.
from “People Who Can Be Absolutely Obedient Toward God’s Practicality Are Those Who Truly Love God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
And thus, in your attitude to the practical God you should both submit before His humanity, recognizing and acknowledging Him, and, furthermore, you should also accept and obey the divine work and words.
from “You Should Know That the Practical God Is God Himself” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
The Holy Spirit works exactly in the way I speak. Do as I have said, and the Holy Spirit will promptly work in you. I release a new light for you to see and bring you into the light of the present time. When you walk into this light, the Holy Spirit will immediately work in you. There are some who may be recalcitrant, saying, “I simply will not carry out what you say.” Then I tell you that you have now come to the end of the road, you are dried up, and have no more life. Therefore, in experiencing the transformation of your disposition, it is most crucial to keep pace with the present light. The Holy Spirit not only works in certain men who are used by God, but even more in the church. He could be working in anyone. He may work in you for the present, and when you have experienced it, He may work in someone else next. Make haste to follow; the more closely you follow the present light, the more your life can mature and grow. No matter what manner of man he may be, so long as the Holy Spirit works in him, make sure to follow. Take in his experiences through your own, and you will receive even higher things. In so doing you will progress more quickly. This is the path of perfection for man and a way through which life grows. The path to being made perfect is reached through your obedience to the work of the Holy Spirit. You do not know through what kind of person God will work to perfect you, nor through what person, occurrence, or thing He will enable you to enter into possession and to gain some insight. If you are able to walk onto this right track, it shows that there is great hope for you to be perfected by God. If you are unable to do so, it shows that your future is bleak and devoid of light. Once you get on the right track, you will gain revelation in all things. No matter what the Holy Spirit may reveal to others, if you proceed on the basis of their knowledge to experience things on your own, then this experience will become a part of your life, and you will be able to supply others out of this experience. Those who supply others by parroting words are people who have not had any experiences; you must learn to find, through the enlightenment and illumination of others, a way of practice before you can begin to speak of your own actual experience and knowledge. This will be of greater benefit to your own life. You should experience in this way, obeying all that comes from God. You should seek the will of God in all things and study the lessons in all things, that your life may mature and grow. This kind of practice affords the fastest progress.
from “Those Who Obey God With a True Heart Shall Surely Be Gained by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
7. In work and matters of the church, apart from obeying God, in everything you should follow the instructions of the man who is used by the Holy Spirit. Even the slightest infraction is unacceptable. You must be absolute in your compliance, and must not analyze right or wrong; what’s right or wrong has nothing to do with you. You must only concern yourself with total obedience.
from “The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
In their work, workers must pay attention to two points: One is to do the work exactly according to the principles stipulated by the work arrangements. Workers must not violate these principles, not work according to their own imaginations, and not according to their own will. They should show concern for the work of God’s family, and put the interests of the family of God first in everything they do. The other point is also key, and that is, in everything they do, to pay attention to following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to do everything strictly in keeping with the word of God. If you disobey the guidance of the Holy Spirit or if you stubbornly follow your own mind and do things according to your own imagination, this constitutes a most serious opposition to God…. It is these two main principles to abide by while at work: One is to perform the work exactly according to the arrangements from the above, and to perform tasks with the principles that have been set forth by the above. The other point is to follow guidance from the Holy Spirit within.
from “The Main Principles of How Workers Work” in Records of Christ’s Talks
The Man’s Fellowship:
There are four principles that are the most important in obeying God. These four principles are also the four authorities. First, obey the authority of God’s word. The word of God is supreme. The word of God is the highest instruction and the highest command. A man who can obey the authority of God’s word is a person who obeys God. Second, obey the authority of Christ. If one only obeys God’s word but disobeys Christ, then such a person is not a person who obeys God, because he still resists Christ and resists the Expresser of the truth. It shows that there is still rebellion and resistance in him. He only obeys the superficial aspects of God’s word. If he also obeys the authority of Christ, then his obedience is complete. There are some leaders and workers who only obey the superficial aspects of God’s word, but violate the inner enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit. Are those the people who resist God? This is not true obedience. So the second principle of obedience to the authority of Christ is crucial. Some people only read and accept God’s word but exclude and disobey Christ. They treat Christ as an ordinary person. Such people are those who resist God and are antichrists. Third, obey the authority of the Holy Spirit’s work. God’s work is accomplished through the word of God. At the same time, the Holy Spirit works on us through enlightenment and illumination to guide us into God’s word and understand the truth. If a person does not obey the authority of the Holy Spirit’s work, can such a person truly understand the truth and enter God’s word? Certainly not. Therefore, man can never gain the truth by relying on his own mind and by believing in whatever way he wants to believe, and he can never be made perfect by God. This is the meaning of obeying the authority of the Holy Spirit’s work. Fourth, obey the arrangements of the man used by the Holy Spirit. This one is also crucial. It does not work without the guidance and shepherding of the man used by the Holy Spirit. This is also a principle of obeying God.
from the fellowship from the above
In God’s house, it is God and God’s word that are in power. God’s disposition is supreme; it is the symbol of supreme power. Therefore, all God’s chosen people should honor God as the greatest, exalt God’s word, and absolutely obey the authority of Christ and the authority of God’s word. This is perfectly justified and proper. Otherwise, it is outrageous and intolerable by Heaven. In the church, the word of God is above all else. God’s word is truly the highest instruction and the highest command. The authority of God’s word is the highest authority, which fully represents the will of Heaven, the command of Heaven. Under the authority of God’s word, anyone must obey. All those who have the Holy Spirit’s work have the authority to execute God’s commands, and they all have the authority to uphold God’s work. This is the symbol of the Age of Kingdom. Anyone who dares to defy the authority of God’s word is disobedient and resistant to God. Anyone who dares to defy the arrangements of the man used by the Holy Spirit and engage in another set of arrangements is displaying betrayal of God. In the face of God’s word and the truth, whoever absolutely obeys is the one who truly obeys God. Whoever dares to disobey is the one who resists God. Absolutely obeying the authority of God’s word and absolutely obeying the authority of Christ is the highest state of obedience to God. Those who dare to judge God’s work and the arrangements of the man used by the Holy Spirit to establish an independent kingdom are all antichrists and must be eliminated!
from the fellowship from the above
To obey God is to obey everything that comes from God. This includes everything that God says and every truth that God has. This also encompasses obeying the Holy Spirit’s work and obeying all of God’s domination and arrangements. This is what it means to obey God. Those that genuinely obey God do not make individual choices or have their own personal impurities when they obey God. They unconditionally and absolutely practice in accordance with God’s meaning and requirements. They obey God like soldiers following orders—these are people who genuinely obey God. They are able to absolutely obey the authority of God’s words. They can obey until death without any complaints whatsoever. This is the highest realm of obeying God. Those who obey God with conditions, reasons or personal choices are not people that genuinely obey God. …
… Those who genuinely obey God and put the truth into practice obey God from their hearts. They completely keep a heart that obeys God when they put the truth into practice. Their hearts have already obeyed God. Afterward, they adhere to the principles of practice. The results that can be attained through practicing obedience to God in this manner are that one will have a change in one’s life disposition and that one will have a heart that obeys and reveres God. In practicing the truth this way, you are using your heart, and at the same time using actions to satisfy God. The results from this way of practice will let other people see that this person indeed is someone that reveres God. This person’s heart indeed is considerate of God’s will and it satisfies God.
from “If One Is to Enter Reality, One Must Resolve the Problem of Adhering to Rules” in Collection of Sermons—Supply for Life
The man whom the Holy Spirit uses is guided, used and controlled by the Holy Spirit. His work arrangements and fellowship and sermons are all for the purpose of bringing people before God to enter onto the right track of believing in God. If people cannot accept and obey work which comes from the Holy Spirit, this is enough to show that people do not obey God’s work. If people are unable to obey the leadership and shepherding of the man the Holy Spirit uses, then surely it can’t mean that they are able to directly obey God? It is absolutely impossible for all those who cannot accept and obey the truth to truly obey God. This even more proves that people who have Satan’s nature and are arrogant and conceited obey no one. All those who cannot accept and obey the leadership and shepherding of the man whom the Holy Spirit uses certainly look down upon any leaders and workers. Such people are certainly not people who accept God’s judgment and chastisement and obey God’s work. What they choose is definitely not Peter’s road, but Paul’s road.
from “Only People Who Really Accept and Obey God’s Judgment and Chastisement Are Truly Pursuing the Truth” in Collection of Sermons—Supply for Life
from : Practice and Exercises for Principled Behavior
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