9 A Brief Talk on “What Having Reality Is”

Si’en Fuxin City, Liaoning Province

Many times God has required us to be a person who has reality. Then, what are the manifestations of “having reality”? Some leaders or workers think that they have reality because they have meetings with the brothers and sisters every day fellowshipping about the truth and have resolved many of their passive states and many difficulties in the church. Some of the brothers and sisters who preach the gospel think that they have reality because they can speak about the three stages of God’s works quite clearly and have caused many people to accept God’s new work. Some brothers and sisters think that they have reality in the truth of living out humanity because they pay much attention to their living out of humanity before the religious people or when they newly arrive at a host home and have received favorable comments and praise from them. Other brothers and sisters think that they have reality because they have written several acceptable sermons or communication articles on the experience of life. And still other brothers and sisters think that they have reality because they have never committed any serious transgressions or have never outwardly done anything that obviously offends God or resists God, and besides, the brothers and sisters also have a good opinion of them.

8 Remove the Place for Man from Our Heart and Let It Be Occupied by God

Bai Jie Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province

At present, in many of us there exists a state of looking up to man and adoring our leaders. For example, we exert ourselves and are conscientious in performing our duties, because we do not want our leaders to worry about us, because we want our leaders to receive fewer dealings, or because we want to win honor for our leaders. No matter what we do, we do it for our leaders, for our leaders’ good. When staying with our leaders, we carefully watch their every act and move and imitate them. When we fall into a bad state or encounter a difficulty, instead of coming before God to seek the truth, we immediately think of our leaders and feel that if our leaders can come and fellowship with us, our problem will certainly be resolved; we rely on man far more than on God. And what is even worse, some brothers and sisters wish they could be with the leader X when disaster comes, for they think that he will be able to help them whenever they become passive in the disaster and thus they will certainly be able to stand the testimony. … All these manifestations show that in us there exists a state of looking up to man and adoring man.

2 Why We Should Pay Attention to Knowing Ourselves

Gan’en Luoyang City, Henan Province

In the course of our believing in God, many of us brothers and sisters pay attention only to working and performing duties, and very few of us pay attention to knowing ourselves. Many times when we fellowship in a meeting about the topic concerning knowing ourselves, some brothers and sisters have questions and resistance in their heart: Since we believe in God, we just believe in God. If I am assigned to do hosting, I will do hosting; if I am assigned to preach the gospel, I will preach the gospel. I will do whatever I am assigned to do and practice in whatever way I am required to practice. I submit to the arrangements of God’s family and also perform my duty. Isn’t it good enough if I do not make mistakes in performing my duty? Why always fellowship about knowing ourselves? What is knowing myself to do with my believing in God? Can I do well in believing in God if I know myself? Even some leaders also think: The work arrangements have stated the principles of all aspects of the work very clearly. Isn’t it good enough if we do not work against the work arrangements but carry out the work according to the requirements in them without changing them? Why must we know ourselves?

1 How to Pursue to Be an Honest Person

Miaoxiao Anyang City, Henan Province

In the past, when reading in God’s word that we were required to be an honest person, many brothers and sisters thought that it was not hard to be an honest person and that as long as one told the truth without cheating others in everything, he was an honest person. Most people did not meditate or seek whether they had lived up to the standards of an honest person, and even less did they pay attention to entering into being an honest person. Thus, the matter of practicing being an honest person was shelved. Recently, through the man’s fellowship “The Four Indices People Have to Grasp in Pursuing the Truth to Gain the Transformation of Their Disposition,” we have clearly realized the importance and crucialness of being an honest person, knowing that being an honest person is the prerequisite and the foundation for the transformation of our disposition and is the start of pursuing the transformation of our disposition. Because God likes honest people and loathes crafty people, only if we begin by practicing and entering into being an honest person will we be able to establish a normal relationship with God, and will we easily communicate with God and receive the working of the Holy Spirit. If we have no entering in in being an honest person, we cannot have transformation of our disposition, even less can we be saved and perfected by God.

Coming Home

By Muyi, South Korea

“God’s love overflowing is freely given to man, God’s love is around him. Man, innocent and pure, without a care to tie him down, lives in bliss in the eyes of God. … If you are a person of conscience and with humanity, you will feel warm, being cared for and loved, you will feel blessed with happiness” (“How Important God’s Love for Man Is” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). Every time I start to sing this hymn of the word of God, it’s hard to keep down the emotions stirring inside me. That is because I was once far astray from God and went against Him. I was like a lost sheep, unable to find the road home, and it was God’s steadfast love that led me to return home. In what follows, I wish to share my experience of returning to God’s house with both those brothers and sisters who are part of the Lord as well as those friends who have not yet turned to God.

After Listening With My Heart, I Have Welcomed the Lord’s Return (Audio Essay)

Max, United States

In 1994, I was born in the United States. My parents are both Chinese. My mother was the classic example of a successful career woman. She is able to think for herself and is very competent. I love my mother very much. When I was in Grade 2, my parents brought me back to China to study so that I would be able to learn Chinese. It was also at that time that I started to get acquainted with the Lord Jesus. I remember one day in 2004, after I got home from school, there was a guest at our house. My mother introduced her and told me that she was a pastor from the United States. I was very happy because that was when I found out that my mother had believed in the Lord Jesus for some time. Before, she did not believe. Every Chinese New Year, she would burn incense and worship Buddha. However, after my mother started to believe in the Lord Jesus, I no longer had to smell the whiff of burnt Joss paper and incense. That day, the American pastor told me a story about the Lord Jesus. Soon after, I was brought to the bathroom and before I could react, “plop,” the pastor had dunked my head into the bathtub and after a moment, pulled my head out. All I heard was my mother and the pastor telling me, “Welcome to the embrace of the Lord Jesus. We are all lost sheep.” In this way, I started a new life journey before I knew it. However, because the Lord was with me, my heart was very happy. Afterward, each Sunday, I would go to church to worship and listen to the pastor talk about Bible stories and read from the scriptures. I was very happy all along. My heart was steadfast and I felt that believing in the Lord Jesus was truly a good thing.

Analyzing and Discerning the CCP Government’s and the Religious World’s Rumors and Lies (2)

(3) Dissecting the Third Chinese Communist Party and Religious Community Rumor: The Church of Almighty God Was Created by a Person

What will the outcome of the CCP government and the religious world be after they madly condemn and resist God?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matthew 12:31-32).

How can you pursue the truth so that you are not taken in by lies? What are the principles of practice? (2)

Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:

Some people listen to so many of God’s words, yet when they listen to one sentence of the great red dragon’s negative propaganda, they start to be suspicious all of a sudden. It is as if God’s words are not true and the work that God does is false. Do these kinds of people have faith in God? This is not faith. The faith of Abraham and Job was genuine faith. They harbored no notions no matter what God said. What were the most important words that Peter spoke in his testimony? “Even if God were playing with humans like they were toys, how would humans be able to complain? What right would they have?” Did these words spoken by him show genuine faith? (Yes.) Some people say, “I will always obey, no matter what God does. The lies spread by the great red dragon amount to nothing! Even if all the things that the entire religious world and the great red dragon say were true, I would still believe in Almighty God.” Does this show a genuine faith? Only this shows a genuine faith. Why do you believe in this manner? Because you can see that God is real, you can see that the things that God says are true, and you can see God is doing the work of perfecting man. This is why, no matter what the great red dragon says, even if what it says were true, God would still be God, and God will forever be God! Someone says, “Now, is it the case that no matter what God does, He is still God?” Correct. This is how it is. Let’s say you have two children. With one word, God causes your two children to die. Is He still God? Would you still believe? If God lets your entire family perish in an earthquake, would you still believe? (Yes.) Why would you still believe? Because this does not affect God’s essence and the reality that God is still God. God is God. No matter how many things God does that are at odds with man’s notions and no matter how many destructive things He visits upon mankind, He is still God. Isn’t this a genuine knowledge of God? (Yes.) No matter how many good things Satan does, it is still Satan, right? Someone says, “Then how do you tell the positive from the negative?” What are positive things and what are negative things? What is correct, and what is wrong? What is true and what is false? How do we differentiate these things? Everything God says is the truth and is positive, because God is the truth. All the things that Satan says and does are evil, wicked and fallacious. They are all negative things. It is fine if you define these things in this way. No matter how many things Satan does that people think are good, it is still Satan. No matter how many things God does that destroy and punish mankind, He is still God. It is an objective fact. For example, regardless of how your father beats and scolds you, he is still your father. If he treats you well, he is your father. If he does not treat you well, he is still your father. No matter how he treats you, he is your father. Why do I say this? It is a fact that he is your father. If it is an established fact that he is your father, then nothing that he does can cause this fact to be untrue. This is the correct way to see things. Someone says, “Of the things that God does, there are some matters in which I do not see how it could be the truth, nor do I see how they could be beneficial to mankind.” In this case, you must seek the truth, listen to fellowship and sermons, and read and ponder more of God’s word. As for the key aspects which cannot be clearly explained by man, pray to God about them and perhaps the Holy Spirit will enlighten you, and then you will be able to understand a bit more. One day, you will know that whatever comes from God and everything that God does or says is the truth, and all of it is positive. Is this a good way to experience God’s work? (Yes.) If you always try to delimit God, you will never be able to know God. Once you learn how to obey God, you will be able to know God. This is the secret to obtaining the truth!

A Battle

By Zhang Hui, China

My name is Zhang Hui, and in 1993 my entire family came to believe in the Lord Jesus. I was an enthusiastic seeker, so I quickly became a preacher. I would often travel around to different churches to work and preach. After a few years, I quit my job and began to serve the Lord full time. However, for some unknown reason, my brothers’ and sisters’ faith and love gradually cooled, and jealousy and strife grew between co-workers. I also felt that my spirit was withering, and I had nothing left to preach on. In 2005, my wife got cancer, and she died soon after that. This was a huge blow for me and I became even weaker. One day, I went to stay at my cousin’s house and met two sisters there, who preached Almighty God’s gospel of the kingdom. Over several days of fellowship and debate, I came to truly believe that the Lord Jesus had returned, that He is Almighty God in the flesh. Through reading Almighty God’s words, my thirsty heart was watered and supplied, and I savored the sweetness of the Holy Spirit’s work, understanding many truths and mysteries I had never understood before. However, just as I was immersed in the joy of reunion with the Lord, the temptations and attacks of Satan were creeping ever-closer to me …

Breaking Through Satan’s Tight Encirclement

Zhao Gang, China

It was bitterly cold this past November in Northeast China, none of the snow that fell to the ground melted away, and many people who walked outside were so cold that they stuffed their hands into their armpits and walked along cautiously, bodies bent over. The other day in the early morning the winds were blowing from the northwest, when I, my brother-in-law and his wife and about a dozen brothers and sisters were sitting in my home on the warm kang (a heatable brick bed). Everyone had a copy of the Bible beside them and in their hands everyone was holding a copy of the book Judgment Begins With the House of God. Two sisters from The Church of Almighty God were fellowshiping on the truth concerning God’s three stages of work. The two sisters were drawing pictures of the three stages of work as they fellowshiped: “God’s work for the salvation of mankind can be divided into three stages, from the Age of Law to the Age of Grace and then to the Age of Kingdom. Each stage of work is newer and more improved and also more profound than the previous stage. The work done in the last days is the final stage of work, in which God expresses words to judge and cleanse man….” We nodded our heads as we listened, and our minds felt especially clear: Who would’ve thought that God’s management plan for the salvation of mankind would have so many mysteries! Besides God Himself, who else could speak of the mysteries of these three stages of God’s work so clearly? This truly is the work of God! We fellowshiped into the evening of the following day, and our whole group expressed a willingness to seek out and look into Almighty God’s work of the last days.

A Wandering Heart Comes Home

By Novo, Philippines

My name is Novo, and I’m Filipino. I have followed my mom in her belief in God since I was little, and would go listen to sermons at church together with my siblings. Although I had believed in the Lord for many years, I felt that I had not changed, and that I was the same as an unbeliever, in my heart thinking all day about how to make more money, and about how to spend my days in comfort and enjoy the good life. Furthermore, I also often went drinking with my friends, and the moment I had any spare cash I’d go gambling. I knew that doing these things was at odds with the Lord’s will, I would often pray to the Lord and confess my sins, and I would make firm my resolution to Him that I would give up these bad habits and never sin again from that day on. But with the cajoling and enticement of my friends, I simply couldn’t control myself. And so it was that I became more and more degenerate, my heart got farther and farther away from God, there was no longer any sincerity when I prayed to the Lord, and every week I would just say a few simple prayers, and do it in a slipshod way. Sometimes I would even feel such despair, as I knew that when the Lord returned He would judge each and every person based on their actions and behavior, and then decide for each person whether they would go up to heaven or down to hell. I felt I was so degenerate that God would not forgive me again. Afterward, I married and had kids. All I thought about was my wife and my children. When it came to my faith, I pushed it to the back of my mind. In order to provide a better future for my children and to achieve my desires to become rich, I decided to go work abroad. And so I came to Taiwan. After I found a job and made some money, I’d still not changed the way I used to live my life, and in my leisure time I would go with my workmates to drink and sing karaoke, living a life of revelry; I’d long since put my belief in God to the back of my mind.

The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit

By Yuanzhi, Brazil

I was born in a small city in Northern China. In 2010, I followed my relatives to Brazil. In Brazil, I got acquainted with a Christian friend. He brought me to church to listen to sermons. But though I went three times, I never absorbed it. Afterward, because my job was keeping me busy, I didn’t go to church again until one day in June, 2015, when my friend brought me to church once more. This time, through what brothers and sisters shared, I had some understanding that the Lord Jesus is the Redeemer. Especially, when I first read Genesis, I understood that man was actually created by God and that God had created all things, and I felt that the Creator is truly wondrous. In school, the textbooks had taught me that man evolved from apes and monkeys and all the things in the world were formed naturally. Suddenly, I felt that, for more than twenty years, I had been deceived. Only after reading the Bible did I completely awaken. From that point on, I believed in the Lord Jesus.

31. The Principles of Resolving Negativity

31. The Principles of Resolving Negativity

1. You must approach all problems according to God’s words and the truth, recognize that everything God does is for the salvation and love of man, and be able to deny yourself and forsake the flesh;

2. You must recognize the essence and root of negativity. Being negative is to reject and oppose the truth, and to be negative and complain is to defy God and betray God;

3. You must pray to God and seek to grasp God’s will so as to know God’s work, understand God’s will and requirements, and to leave negativity behind;

4. It is too dangerous to live in satanic dispositions, as you will be capable of being negative and defying God at any moment. You must seek the truth so that the positive and right reality of the truth can hold sway.

Relevant Words of God:

God perfects man in various ways, and it is possible in all matters for you to be perfected as a result. Not only can you be perfected in terms of the positive, but also of the negative, thereby enriching you. …

… If you wish to be perfected by God, you must learn to experience all things and be enlightened in all that you face. Whenever you are faced with something, be it good or bad, you should benefit from it and it should not cause you to become passive. No matter what, you should be able to consider it by standing on the side of God, and not analyze or study it from the perspective of man (this is a deviation in your experience). If this is the manner of your experience, then your heart will be taken over by the burdens for your life; you will live constantly in the light of God’s countenance and will not easily deviate in your practice. Such kind of man has great prospects.

from “Promises to Those Who Have Been Perfected” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

If a person always has this vision within them, they will feel internally clear and at ease; they will be certain of these matters. You will say: “God is not harming me and He’s not deliberately making me into a joke or humiliating me. Although He speaks somewhat harshly and it strikes to the heart, it is for my own sake. Although He speaks that harshly, He is still saving me, and He is still considerate of my weaknesses. He is not punishing me with the facts. I believe that God is salvation.” If you truly have this vision, you won’t get to the point of fleeing. In your conscience, you may feel you are wrong, you may feel condemnation, that you should not treat God that way. You think of all the grace you have gained, all the words you have heard—could you listen to them in vain? No matter who runs away, you can’t. Other people don’t believe, but you must. Other people abandon God, but you must uphold God and bear witness to Him. Others slander God, but you cannot. No matter how unkind God is to you, you still must treat Him right. You should repay His love and you must have a conscience, because God is innocent. His coming to earth from heaven to work amongst mankind was already a great humiliation. He is holy without the slightest filth. Coming to a land of filth—how much humiliation has He endured? Working in you is for your sake. If you are conscienceless in your treatment of Him, it would be better to die an early death!

from “The Significance of Saving the Descendants of Moab” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

If you truly love God, and do not satisfy the flesh, then you’ll see that everything God does is so right, and so good, and that His curse of your rebelliousness and judgment of your unrighteousness is justified. There will be times when God chastens and disciplines you, and raises up an environment to temper you, forcing you to come before Him—and you will always feel that what God is doing is wonderful. Thus you will feel as if there isn’t much pain, and that God is so lovely. If you pander to the weaknesses of the flesh, and say that God goes too far, then you’ll always feel in pain, and will always be depressed, and you will be unclear about all of the work of God, and it will seem as if God is not sympathetic to man’s weakness at all, and unaware of man’s difficulties. And thus you will feel miserable and alone, as if you have suffered great injustice, and at this time you will begin to complain. The more you pander to the weaknesses of the flesh in this way, the more you will feel that God goes too far, until it gets so bad that you deny the work of God, and begin to oppose God, and become full of disobedience. Thus, you must rebel against the flesh, and not pander to it: Your husband, wife, children, prospects, marriage, family—none of them matter! You need to have this resolve: “In my heart there is only God, and I must try my best to satisfy God, and not satisfy the flesh.” If you are always possessed of such resolve, then when you put the truth into practice, and put yourself aside, you will be able to do so with but a little effort.

from “Only Loving God Is Truly Believing in God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You all have the following state: lazy, unmotivated, unwilling to pay a price, or passively waiting. Some people even make complaints; they don’t understand the aims and significance of God’s work, and it’s hard for them to pursue the truth. Such people detest the truth, and will ultimately be eliminated. None among them can be made perfect, and none will be spared. If people don’t have a little resolve to resist the influence of Satan, there’s nothing that can be done for them!

from “Practice (7)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

People’s inner views, their extravagant desires are actually not catering to God’s intention, and there is essentially no substance of submission. This also touches on that saying: One hundred percent of what’s inside human nature is betrayal. So in dissecting this or that event of yours, in dissecting this issue, that thought, or that reaction, whether you confront it in a negative way, or you complain, whether you are indifferent or silent and speechless, there is resistance in all of this. It is all betrayal. Is this dissection correct? Were I not to dissect this, there would be some people who feel: I can be considered to be a good person. If I had encountered this thing a few years ago, I would certainly have complained, and possibly retreated, but now I do not complain. You do not complain, but do you have understanding? Does your little bit of understanding constitute true understanding? Is there truth in it? Is your understanding in keeping with God’s intention? Does it meet God’s approval? Do you have the substance of submitting to God? Are you willing and ready to submit to God? If not, then you are definitely conflicting with God. It may be that your mood now is good, and you feel not bad, or because at the moment you are being put to use. If one day you are sent home, and when you are in the darkness of a downcast mood however, what is inside of you will be revealed. There are some people of lower stature, with a shorter duration of experience who would turn around and run, returning to the world. In fact, in the final analysis, whatever reaction you have, you are refusing the environments that God has arranged for you. The nature of people to betray God is revealed everywhere. If this were not dissected, people would not know themselves deeply enough. When people encounter anything, they all betray God and do not submit to Him. The reaction of some of you is unwillingness, or an air of complaint, negative and down, and you say: Inside, man does not like truth, and this dislike is none other than betrayal. It is still not enough if you only speak in this way, and you have not dissected to the depths of substance. You say that not loving truth is betrayal, but in fact, this is not so simple. How have you dissected it? You do not understand yourselves. You may not know what is that situation you have, and can’t differentiate right from wrong, if it is betrayal or not, and you do not know clearly yourselves whether you have submitted or not. You are not able to thoroughly dissect your own natures.

from “How to Satisfy God in the Midst of Trials” in Records of Christ’s Talks

You must enter in from the positive side. If you wait passively, it is still negative. You must be proactive in cooperating with Me; be diligent and never lazy. Always be in fellowship with Me and have deeper intimacy with Me. If you do not understand, do not be impatient for quick results. It’s not that I won’t tell you; I want to see if you rely on Me when you are in My presence and whether you depend on Me with confidence. You must always remain close to Me and place all matters in My hands. Do not go back in vain. After unknowingly being close to Me for a period of time, My intentions shall be revealed to you. If you grasp them, then you will truly be face-to-face with Me, and you will have truly found My face. You will be quite clear and steady within and you will have something to rely on, and you will also have power as well as confidence. You will also have a path forward and everything will come easy to you.

from Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning

The Holy Spirit has a path to walk in each person, and gives each person chances to be perfected. Through your negativity you are made to know your own corruption, and then through throwing off negativity you will find a path to practice, and this is the perfection of you. Further, through the continuous guidance and illumination of some positive things inside of you, you will proactively fulfill your function and grow in insight and gain discernment. When your conditions are good, you are especially willing to read the word of God, and especially willing to pray to God, and can relate the sermons you hear to your own states. At such times God enlightens and illuminates you within, making you realize some things of the positive aspect. This is perfection of you in the positive aspect. In negative states, you are weak and negative, and feel that you don’t have God, yet God illuminates you, helping you find a path to practice. Coming out of this is attainment of perfection in the negative aspect. God can perfect man in both positive and negative aspects. It depends on whether you are able to experience, and on whether you pursue being perfected by God. If you truly seek being perfected by God, then the negative cannot make you suffer loss, but can bring you things that are more real, and can make you more able to know that which is lacking within you, more able to come to grips with your real states, and see that man has nothing, and is nothing; if you do not experience trials, you do not know, and will always feel that you are above others and better than everyone else. Through all this you will see that all that came before was done by God and protected by God. Entry into trials leaves you without love or faith, you lack prayer, and are unable to sing hymns—and, without realizing it, in the midst of this you come to know yourself. God has many means of perfecting man. He employs all manner of environments to deal with the corrupt disposition of man, and uses various things to lay man bare; in one regard He deals with man, in another He lays man bare, and in another He reveals man, digging out and revealing the “mysteries” in the depths of man’s heart, and showing man his nature by revealing many of his states. God perfects man through many methods—through revelation, dealing, refinement, and chastisement—so that man may know that God is practical.

from “Only Those Who Focus on Practice Can Be Perfected” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Your many experiences of failure, of weakness, and times of negativity could be said to be God’s trials of you. This is because everything comes from God, all things and events are in His hands. Whether you fail or whether you are weak and you stumble all rests on God and is within His grasp. From God’s side, this is a trial of you, and if you cannot recognize that, it will become temptation. There are two kinds of states that people should recognize: One comes from the Holy Spirit, and the other likely comes from Satan. One state is that the Holy Spirit illuminates you and allows you to know yourself, to detest and regret yourself and to be able to have genuine love for God, to set your heart on satisfying Him. The other state is that you know yourself, but you are negative and weak. It could be said that that is God’s refinement. It could also be said that it is Satan’s temptation. If you recognize that this is God’s salvation of you and that you are now incredibly in His debt, and if from now on you try to repay Him and no longer fall into such depravity, if you put your effort into eating and drinking His words, and if you always consider yourself to be lacking, and have a heart of longing, then this is God’s trial. After the suffering has ended and you are once again moving forward, God will still lead, illuminate, enlighten, and nourish you. But if you don’t recognize it and you are negative, simply abandoning yourself to despair, if you think this way, then Satan’s temptation has come upon you. When Job underwent trials, God and Satan were betting with each other, and God allowed Satan to afflict Job, to test him. Even though it was God testing Job, it was actually Satan that came upon him. For Satan, it was tempting Job, but Job was on God’s side and if that hadn’t been the case, he would have fallen into temptation.

from “Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Do not be a passive follower of God, and do not pursue that which is curious. Through being neither cold nor hot you will forfeit yourself and delay your life. You must rid yourself of such passivity and inactivity, and become adept at pursuing positive things and overcoming your own weaknesses, so that you may gain the truth and live out the truth. There’s nothing fearful about your weaknesses, and your shortcomings are not your biggest problem. Your biggest problem, and your greatest shortcoming, is your being neither hot nor cold and your lack of desire to seek the truth. The biggest problem with all of you is a cowardly mentality whereby you are happy with things as they are, and await passively. This is your greatest obstacle, and the greatest enemy to your pursuit of the truth.

from “The Experiences of Peter: His Knowledge of Chastisement and Judgment” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Nowadays you must not pay attention to the negative things. You must first put aside and disregard each and every thing that can make you feel negative. When you are handling affairs you must maintain a heart of seeking and groping, and you must maintain a heart of obedience to God. Whenever you discover any weakness within yourselves, but you are not subject to its control and you perform the function that you ought to, this is a positive move forward. For example: Older brothers and sisters have religious notions, but you are able to pray, and you are able to submit yourselves, eat and drink the word of God, and sing hymns…. In a word, whatever you are able to do, whatever function you are able to perform, make full use of it with all the strength you can muster. Do not wait passively. Being able to perform your duty to the satisfaction of God is the first step. Then when you are able to understand the truth and enter into the reality of the word of God, you will have been perfected by God.

from “On Everyone Performing Their Function” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

If your heart truly is quiet before God you won’t be bothered by anything going on in the world outside, and no person, event, or thing will occupy you. If you have entry into this, then those negative states or all negative things, such as human conceptions, philosophy of life, abnormal relationships with people, and thoughts in your heart will naturally disappear. Because you are always pondering God’s words, and your heart is always drawing close to God and occupied by the current words of God, those negative things are unconsciously stripped off. When positive new things occupy you, negative old things will have no place, so don’t pay attention to those negative things. You needn’t make efforts trying to control them. Pay attention to being quiet before God, eat and drink more of God’s words and enjoy them, sing more hymns praising God, and let God have a chance to work on you, because God at present wants to personally perfect people, and He wants to gain your heart; His Spirit moves your heart, and if you live before God following the guidance of the Holy Spirit you will satisfy God.

from “On Quieting Your Heart Before God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

from: Practice and Exercises for Principled Behavior

Recommended:The Origin of the Eastern Lightning’s Prosperity

Breaking Free From Shackles and Returning to the Presence of God

Breaking Free From Shackles and Returning to the Presence of God

                                               By Yongyuan, USA

In November of 1982, our whole family emigrated to the USA. Because our family had been faithful to the Lord since the generation of my grandfather, we quickly found a Chinese church in Chinatown, New York where we could attend mass after we arrived in the United States. We never missed a single mass since we started attending, and my mother and elder sister were especially good about reading the scriptures whenever they had time to seek the Lord’s blessing. At that time, the priest would often say: “When the Lord comes, He will judge people publicly and divide people into categories: Those who truly repent and confess, and who are of good faith in Him, will be able to go to heaven; those who commit sins but not grave ones will suffer the torment of purgatory but are still able to be saved and ascend to heaven; those who do not believe in the Lord or commit sins that are too grave will suffer the punishment of hell.” These words left an impression on my heart as if they had been branded there. They caused me to believe in the Lord with enthusiasm, and even if I was busy with work, I never stopped going to mass.

In seemingly no time at all, 2014 arrived. One day, a parishioner told me out of the blue, “Your elder sister now believes in Almighty God….” And he said many things besides, slandering and condemning Almighty God and The Church of Almighty God. Hearing this unexpected news, I felt very anxious, and became very worried that my elder sister had gone astray. The news of my sister having accepted the work of Almighty God in the last days quickly spread throughout the whole church. The priest exhorted me to keep my distance from my sister, and there were several other members of the church who also said slanderous and accusatory things against Almighty God to my face. Through all the many times the priest and parishioners “helped” me, I started to believe their words and decided that my sister had gone astray. I told the priest and parishioners that I wouldn’t listen to my sister anymore and that if given the opportunity I would try to bring her back into the fold so she could repent to the Lord. I called my brothers after I got home, and they stood by me. We all tried persuading my sister together, but not only did she continue to firmly believe in Almighty God, she also bore witness to us that Almighty God is the returned Lord. She started trying to persuade us to accept God’s work in the last days so that we wouldn’t miss our opportunity to attain God’s salvation. But my heart had already been filled with negative ideas that were instilled in me by the priest and parishioners. No matter what my sister fellowshiped to me or to what she bore witness, I just would not listen.

Later, my mother and I had several arguments with my sister because of my sister’s belief in Almighty God. Still, no matter what my sister said, I kept believing the priest and the rumors I had read on the Internet, and I never dared to seek or investigate the work and words of Almighty God. Every time we got into an argument it ended unsuccessfully, but I discovered that my mother was gradually starting to agree with what my sister fellowshiped and what she was bearing witness to. She actually came to form a “united front” together with my sister and ended up accepting the work of Almighty God in the last days. When I saw that my mother had also come to believe in Almighty God, I became even more worried. If it really was like the priest and parishioners said and something bad happened to our family, what would I do? Desperate, I went to find Sister Qianhe who was on good terms with both my sister and me. I got her to try and persuade my mother and sister. What I never expected was that not only did this sister fail to persuade my sister and mother, but that she also came to believe in Almighty God. I found something puzzling: This sister’s behavior was upstanding and she was an enthusiastic seeker, so how could she not be able persuade someone, but even come to believe in Almighty God herself? Does the word of Almighty God really have so much power? Could it be that the word of Almighty God can really provide man with life? However, when I thought of the words of the priest and parishioners attacking Almighty God, as well as what I had seen online resisting and accusing The Church of Almighty God, I again felt fear in my heart and didn’t want to be contact with them anymore. After that, I almost never went to see my mother. I would occasionally go just to pay a visit and then leave in a hurry. I refused to listen to what my sister and mother fellowshiped. And so, this “cold war” between myself and my mother and sister went on like this for a year and a half.

One day in March of 2016, I heard that some prominent members of the church had gone to try to persuade my sister, so I went to see whether or not she had changed. When I saw my sister, I asked her what she was thinking. My sister said to me, “I have caught up with the footsteps of the Lamb and affirmed that the way of Almighty God is the truth. Almighty God is the returned Lord and I absolutely will not depart from Almighty God.” My sister’s steady gaze and resounding, forceful answer made my heart waver somewhat and aroused my curiosity. I thought: My sister is the believer in our family who seeks the most ardently, and Sister Qianhe is also someone in the church who seeks well and has discernment. My mother, too, has always had firm faith in the Lord. Now, they were all believers in Almighty God, and their faith had grown all the more after they came to follow Almighty God. They spoke with more insight and no one could shake or contradict them. What power was it that could allow them still to have such great faith in the face of the opposition of so many people? Could the work of Almighty God in the last days really be the true way? Could Almighty God really be the returned Lord? Thinking about it again, my sister, Sister Qianhe, and my mother had accepted the work of Almighty God for almost two years, but when I saw that everything in their lives was just as it had been before, I could see that the alarmism and scare tactics of the priest, and what I had read online had not come true in their case…. When I thought about this, my heart softened a bit and I wanted to investigate the words and work of Almighty God. I shared my thoughts with my sister. She responded with positivity and invited me to my mother’s house to listen to the sisters of The Church of Almighty God fellowship about Almighty God’s work in the last days.

On the weekend, I drove to my mother’s house. My sister, Sister Qianhe, and a sister of The Church of Almighty God named Zhang Xiao were all there. Sister Qianhe was especially happy to hear that I wanted to seek and investigate. She fellowshiped to me: “In the last days, the Lord has come mainly to express the word and do the work of judging and cleansing people in order to save us from the bondage of sin. At present, the people in the Age of Grace are living in a cycle of committing and then confessing sin. Even though we persevere in attending mass and reading the scriptures, as well as confessing to the priest, we still continue to lie and deceive and to live in our corrupt dispositions such as arrogance, greed, and selfishness. In spite of ourselves, we sin against and resist God, and there is no one who is able to break free of the bondage of this sinful nature, nor anyone able to attain to purity through reliance on confession and repentance. Therefore, we still must accept the work the Lord returned to do in the last days of judging and cleansing people. Only by doing so can we completely break free from the bondage of sin, be cleansed and transformed, and attain salvation from God.” Perplexed at having heard this, I asked: “The priest often said: ‘If people commit minor sins, then when the Lord comes again to publicly judge mankind, after completing their suffering in purgatory they will be able to ascend to heaven. Those who commit major sins go straight to hell to be punished.’ But how can you say that the work of judgment God returns to do is to cleanse and save people?” Sister Qianhe said: “I too used to believe the words of the priest. I had the same notions as you about how God will return to do the work of judgment, but thinking about it now, does what the priest said actually accord with the Bible? Is it based on the word of the Lord? Did the Lord Jesus say anything about purgatory? Did He say anything about people who commit minor sins being able to ascend to heaven after concluding their suffering in purgatory, and that only those who commit major sins go to hell? Of course not! So where do these words come from? They obviously come out of people’s notions and imaginations and are the speculation and conjecture of man. They do not accord whatsoever with the words of God, nor do they accord with the reality of God’s work. What use is it for us to persist in this?” I nodded in silence after hearing what Sister Qianhe fellowshiped. She continued: “We are, at present, filled with sin, and there is no one who is clean. Based on what the priest said, when the Lord returns to publicly judge all peoples, those who commit minor sins will go to purgatory whereas those who commit major sins go to hell. In that case, wouldn’t we all have to be condemned and suffer the punishment of going to hell? Wouldn’t God’s work of saving mankind be all for naught? Would there be any point in the Lord’s return?” What the sister fellowshiped touched my heart, and I thought: It’s true, even if we believe in the Lord, all we do is commit sins and confess them all day, and no one is clean. Indeed, no one is fit to see God, and if God has come to openly judge, condemn, and punish people, then everyone will have to go to hell. No one could attain salvation…. It was only then that I realized how impractical the words are that “When the Lord comes again to openly judge all peoples, those who commit major sins go directly to hell whereas those who commit minor sins go into purgatory, and after completing their suffering they will ascend into heaven.” It is not at all in keeping with God’s intention of saving man. Sister Qianhe then said: “As for God’s work of judgment in the last days, let us all take a look at how it is described in the word of Almighty God! Almighty God says: ‘God has not come to kill, or destroy, but to judge, curse, chastise, and save. Prior to the conclusion of His 6,000-year management plan—before He makes plain the end of each category of man—God’s work on earth is for the sake of salvation, it is all in order to make those who love Him totally complete, and bring them into submission to His dominion. No matter how God saves people, it is all done by making them break away from their old satanic nature; that is, He saves them by making them seek life. If they do not seek life then they will have no way to accept God’s salvation’ (‘You Should Put Aside the Blessings of Status and Understand God’s Will for the Salvation of Man’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh). ‘In the last days, Christ uses a variety of truths to teach man, expose the essence of man, and dissect his words and deeds. These words comprise various truths, such as man’s duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out the normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and the disposition of God, and so on. These words are all directed at the essence of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, those words that expose how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan and an enemy force against God. In undertaking His work of judgment, God does not simply make clear the nature of man with just a few words; He exposes, deals with, and prunes it over the long term. These methods of exposure, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words, but with the truth that man does not possess at all. Only methods of this kind are deemed judgment; only through judgment of this kind can man be subdued and thoroughly convinced into submission to God, and moreover gain true knowledge of God. What the work of judgment brings about is man’s understanding of the true face of God and the truth about his own rebelliousness. The work of judgment allows man to gain much understanding of the will of God, of the purpose of God’s work, and of the mysteries that are incomprehensible to him. It also allows man to recognize and know his corrupt substance and the roots of his corruption, as well as to discover the ugliness of man. These effects are all brought about by the work of judgment, for the substance of this work is actually the work of opening up the truth, the way, and the life of God to all those who have faith in Him. This work is the work of judgment done by God’” (“Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After reading the word of God, Sister Zhang Xiao fellowshiped: “The word of Almighty God makes precisely clear the meaning of the work of judgment in the last days, the exact nature of judgment, and the effect of the work of judgment among man. God’s work of judgment is not killing and punishing people like in our notions and imaginations. Instead, this work makes use of the word to expose people’s thoughts, speech, and actions, to root out the deep-rooted satanic and corrupt nature that resists God. It allows us to know the truth of our corruption by Satan. At the same time, it allows us to know God’s righteous and holy disposition. When we get an understanding of these things, we begin to hate ourselves, and this produces true repentance and a heart that truly reveres God. In the judgment of the word of God we can better understand and gain the truth. We will be able naturally to live in reliance on the truth, and this way whatever satanic things we hold within will gradually be thrown off. We will be able to be in harmony with God, and from that moment on will no longer go against or resist God. We will be able to truly obey God, and only this is attaining salvation. After being corrupted by Satan, we no longer have human likeness and we lose the conscience and sense that normal people ought to have. What takes their place are the satanic dispositions such as arrogance, self-righteousness, selfishness, and craftiness which fill us. Our attitudes and notions toward things are also not compatible with God. For example: When faced with God’s work of judgment in the last days, we will all have our own understanding and will all cling to our own views regardless of whether there is a basis in God’s word. We will not seek God’s will, but blindly believe that our own way of thinking is correct. When God’s work doesn’t conform to our notions and imaginations, we will make our own judgments about God, and we will deny, attack, and accuse Him. This is caused by our arrogant nature. With such a satanic nature it is too easy for us to resist God, so we are in urgent need of God doing a stage of the work of judgment, and of Him cleansing and changing our satanic disposition. Without that, no one will break free of corruption and receive salvation.”

After listening to the word of Almighty God and what the sister fellowshiped, my heart suddenly became clear at once and felt that these words were spoken very well. Although there were some things I didn’t understand, these words made me feel that God’s work is so wise and that the Lord really does love man so much. In the past, when it came to God coming to judge people, I thought that people would go to hell or suffer the torment of purgatory. In fact, God’s work of judgment is not what we imagined, but rather it is that God comes incarnate to practically express the truth and do the work of judgment. This way, He cleanses and saves people! God’s work of judgment is so full of meaning. It is exactly what we corrupt mankind need!

When I was listening to all this with keen interest, my husband suddenly called to say he wanted to use the car. My mother noticed that I would then listen to the word. Right when I was about to leave, she gave me a book called The Scroll Opened by the Lamb and said that the words within it were the voice of God Himself. She also told me that when I went back I had to read the word of Almighty God. After I got home, I would read the book whenever I had time. Through reading the word of Almighty God, I understood many truths and gained a lot of knowledge. At the same time, I also distinctly felt God observing the depths of man’s heart. Every word of Almighty God pierced straight to my heart, revealing my inner corrupt nature. Sometimes, I saw how the word of God reveals our corruption, and I felt that God feels particular contempt for our corruption. It is as if God is angry with us, and my numb and unfeeling heart was stirred immediately. I had awe for God in my heart, and I was no longer like I had been before, when I had committed sins without fear. Through many experiences and the enlightenment and guidance of God’s words, I saw that the work of judgment of Almighty God could indeed save people from sin and allow them to break away from sin. How practical is God’s work! When I thought back on how I had resisted God’s work in the last days throughout the last two years, I felt a lot of remorse. I hated myself and had been so foolish and ignorant to not seek to understand or investigate a matter as great as the second coming of the Lord, but instead I listened blindly to those rumors, I shut the Lord out, I condemned God, and I resisted God. I almost missed the Lord’s salvation in the last days. How could I have been so blind! I saw clearly that the slander, judgments, and blasphemy against Almighty God and the defamation of The Church of Almighty God were all just falsehood from Satan. Those are tricks used especially by Satan to confuse, entrap, and obstruct people from accepting God’s work in the last days. No longer would I believe the falsehoods of Satan. No matter what I encounter or hear in the future, I will always judge right from wrong according to the word of God and to reality. I would no longer listen to Satan’s lies and deceit, and only in so doing can one be in accord with the will of God. With this in mind, I sincerely gave thanks to Almighty God for the mercy and salvation He provided me. God did not treat me on the basis of my transgressions, but continuously arranged for people to spread the gospel to me and bring me back into the house of God. How great is God’s love! Every time I hear the lyrics of the music video “Song of Heartfelt Attachment,” which go: “There is One who is God incarnate. All He says, all He does, is the truth. I love well His righteousness, His wisdom. To see Him, to obey Him, is truly a blessing,” my heart is particularly touched and inspired. I feel how fortunate I am to welcome the return of the Lord and to encounter the word of God directly. What a great fortune this is to receive!

I later participated in the life of The Church of Almighty God. The brothers and sisters would sing hymnsand dance to give praise to God together. They would read the word of God, and if there was any corruption revealed, they would open wide their hearts and fellowship it. Everyone would discuss their knowledge and experience of the word of Almighty God and seek a path to enter and carry out. This kind of life in the church made me feel especially liberated and provided for. I truly realized that only such a church in which the Holy Spirit is at work could be the house of God. This is where I belong. I was now entirely determined that Almighty God is the returned Lord. I determined to follow Almighty God to the end!

from: Testimonies

The Lord Has Appeared in the East

The Lord Has Appeared in the East

Qiu Zhen, China

One day, my sister phoned me and said that she was back from the north and that she had something important to tell me. She asked me to come over right away. I had a feeling about what might have happened and went to my sister’s house after the phone call. As soon as I entered and saw that my sister was reading a book, I felt relieved. My sister saw that I had arrived, suddenly stood up and said: “Sister! This time in the north I got some good news: The Lord Jesus has returned!”

Why Does Eastern Lightning Surge Forward With Unstoppable Progress?

Why Does Eastern Lightning Surge Forward With Unstoppable Progress?

Christ of the last days has been doing His work in mainland China for over 20 years, work which has shaken the various religious sects to their core. The most perplexing question for the religious community during this time has been: Most pastors and elders in the religious community have done their utmost to judge and attack the Eastern Lightning through various means such as spreading rumors about and defaming the Eastern Lightning. Furthermore, they have even sealed off their churches and even gone so far as colluding with the CCP government to arrest and persecute the Christians in the Church of Almighty God.

God’s Love Is Most Real

Wenzhong, Beijing

August 11, 2012

On the night of July 21, 2012, we had a huge flood here, which seldom happens. I would like to tell everyone who thirsts for God what I actually experienced and saw then.