After following God over these years, I felt I had endured some suffering and paid a certain price, so I gradually started living off my past gains and flaunting my seniority. I thought: I’ve left home for so many years and my family hasn’t heard from me in a long time. Under these circumstances, the church will surely look after me.
Some time ago, we needed to plot out districts within our area, and based on our principles for the selection of leaders, there was one brother who was a relatively suitable candidate.
I had just been promoted to take on the responsibility of church leader. But after a period of hard work, not only was the church’s evangelical work fairly lackluster, but my brothers and sisters in the evangelical team were all also living in negativity and weakness. Faced with this situation, I could no longer contain my feelings. How on earth could I work to revitalize the evangelical work?
“I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Mat 3:11).
One day, I saw this following passage of God’s word in the piece “How Peter Came to Know Jesus”: “Over the time he followed Jesus, Peter observed and took to heart everything about His life: His actions, words, movements, and expressions. … From his time in contact with Jesus, Peter also realized that His character was different from that of an ordinary man. He always acted steadily and never with haste, never exaggerated nor underplayed a subject, and conducted His life in a way that was both normal and admirable. In conversation, Jesus was elegant and graceful, open and cheerful yet serene, and never lost His dignity in the execution of His work. Peter saw that Jesus was sometimes taciturn, yet other times talked incessantly. He was sometimes so happy that He became agile and lively like a dove, and yet sometimes so sad that He did not talk at all, as if He were a weather-beaten mother. At times He was filled with anger, like a brave soldier charging off to kill enemies, and sometimes even like a roaring lion. Sometimes He laughed; other times He prayed and wept. No matter how Jesus acted, Peter grew to have boundless love and respect for Him. Jesus’ laughter filled him up with happiness, His sorrow plunged him into grief, His anger frightened him, while His mercy, forgiveness, and strictness made him come to truly love Jesus, developing a true reverence and longing for Him. Of course, Peter only gradually came to realize all of this once he had lived alongside Jesus for a few years.” After reading this passage I thought: No wonder Peter could achieve knowledge of God! Turns out it was because during the time he lived alongside Jesus day and night, he personally witnessed Jesus’ every word and every move, and from that he discovered more of God’s adorableness. Now is also the era of when God becomes flesh to personally descend upon the world of man to work. If I could also have the fortune of being able to come into contact with God and spend time together like Peter had, then wouldn’t I also know God better? Oh! It’s a shame that now I can only read God’s word but cannot see the face of Christ. Then how would I be able to gain true knowledge of God?
Just when I was sad and disappointed over this and losing my confidence in God, His words enlightened me: “Knowing God must be done through reading God’s word and understanding God’s word. Some people say: ‘I haven’t seen God incarnate, so how can I know God?’ God’s word is actually an expression of God’s disposition. From God’s word you can see God’s love for mankind, His salvation of mankind, and the way He saves them … because God’s word is expressed by God as opposed to God using man to write it out. It is personally expressed by God. It is God Himself expressing His own words and His inner voice. … expressing His disposition, His will, His thoughts, His love for mankind, His salvation of mankind, and His expectations of mankind. Among God’s words.… Sometimes God speaks from a gentle and compassionate perspective, and people see God’s love for mankind; sometimes He speaks from a strict perspective, and people see God’s unoffendable disposition. Man is deplorably filthy and is not worthy of seeing God’s face, and is not worthy of coming before God. People’s coming before God now is purely out of God’s grace. God’s wisdom can be seen from the way God works and the meaning of His work. Even if people don’t come into contact with God, they will still be able to see these things in God’s word” (“Knowledge of the Incarnation” in Records of Christ’s Talks). God’s words made me suddenly see the light. Yes! God in the flesh of the last days has already used His word to express all His disposition to man, allowing man to see through God’s word His great power, His supremacy, His humility and hiddenness, and His adorableness, and moreover understand His joys and sorrows, and know all He has and is. This is sufficient to show that reading God’s word and experiencing God’s word is the only path to knowing God. If I move away from God’s word, then so what even if I see God in the flesh? Didn’t the Pharisees also see Jesus back then? So why did they nail Jesus to the cross? Wasn’t it because they didn’t listen to Jesus’ words, they were arrogant and stubbornly held on to their own conceptions and imaginations, and resisted and condemned the Lord Jesus based on that little bit of the scriptures they understood? On the other hand, Peter was able to know Jesus because he could let go of his own conceptions and imaginations, listen closely to the words of Lord Jesus, and was good at carefully contemplating every word and sentence uttered by Jesus. Through Lord Jesus’ utterances and work he got to know God’s disposition and all He has and is, ultimately gaining true knowledge of God. Doesn’t this ironclad fact sufficiently explain that man can only know God through His word? Moreover, given that the main work of God in the flesh of the last days is the work of the word, doesn’t this benefit me in getting to know God?
The more I thought back to my logical reasoning the more I felt my own wretchedness, foolishness, and childishness. Every day I held God’s word in my hands, ate and drank God’s word, read God’s word, and experienced God’s word, but I did not love God’s word dearly, thinking that I could only know God by seeing the face of Christ. I really was living a blessed life without appreciating it! Oh God! Thank You for revealing and turning around my wrong way of knowing and making me see the path to knowing God. From now on, I will long to read Your word, contemplate Your word, seek to understand Your joys and sorrows through Your word, and through discovering more of Your adorableness get to know You even deeper. Recommendation: About the Church of Almighty God Eastern Lightning
Back to God | Recital and Singing "Chinese Gospel Choir 12th Performance"
God created this world and created mankind. He cares for mankind night and day. At the beginning, man, innocent and carefree, lived happily under God’s care. Corrupted by Satan, man stayed further and further away from God, forgot God’s instructions, forsook God’s way, and abandoned himself to hideous depravity. He lost the blessings and promises of God and fell under the wrath of God….
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The seven thunders roll, shaking up the world, rending through the sky, changing heaven and earth. Piercing is the sound. Where can man run and hide? Heaven and earth are changed by thunder and lightning. Man lies dying. A fierce storm rolls in across the universe, fast as thunderbolt; heavy rain pours in. Each corner of the earth is bathed in this storm and nothing impure remains, oh, oh. The whole world is washed and nothing unclean stands. Who can hide from the stormy rain? Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. When destruction comes, all enemies will fall, defeated helpless into the raging torrent. They're swiftly taken to their deserved end, defeated hopeless, rushed away to their death.
II
The seven thunders roll. God's purposes are clear. Evil will be punished with gusts of weeping. Some wake from their dreams, ponder their wicked schemes, only to hurry back to the foot of God's throne. They don't hesitate, hurry to God's throne. They do not indulge in their deceit and crime, but repent just in time. God is righteous and God is loving and God is merciful, oh, oh, God is trustworthy, He's God of majesty. Someday the earth will see, oh, oh, God is a burning fire. God is a burning fire. He will show no mercy, when judgment is in His path. From His royal throne God gazes down, searching deeply into hearts and minds, saving all those who seek after Him, sincerely seek after Him. Whoever loves God above other things, knows God's heart with understanding, follows Him all the way to the end, God will save him eternally.
III
The seven thunders roll all throughout the earth. Man gets salvation and comes to God's throne. They seek to survive in the light of life, come worship and bow down to God Almighty! The seven thunders roll, lightning flashes down, proclaiming to one and all judgment has begun. He who speaks not his heart, who's doubtful and careless, and refuses God's will, judgment surely awaits them, awaits them! God is righteous and God is loving and God is merciful, oh, oh, God is trustworthy, He's God of majesty. Someday the earth will see, oh, oh, God is a burning fire. God is a burning fire. He will show no mercy, when judgment is in His path. Let the whole universe know the truth, Almighty God is the only God worth bowing to. Who can fight against God or oppose Him? There is none who can judge or revile Him. Every heart and tongue will be allegiant. Every nation will surrender before God. Today and tomorrow and eternally, they will bow down to God forever! They will bow down to God forever! They will bow down, they will bow down, they will bow down to God forever!
from "The Thirty-fifth Utterance" of Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.
Recommendation: The brief introduction of the Church of Almighty God
Realizing I’ve Been Walking the Path of the Pharisees
Wuxin Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province
Something we have always discussed in previous communions is the paths walked by Peter and Paul. It is said that Peter paid attention to knowing himself and God, and was someone God approved, while Paul only paid attention to his work, reputation and status, and was someone God despised.
"I Will Love God to Eternity" (Official Music Video)
I O God! Your words have led me back to You. I accept training in Your kingdom day and night. So many trials and pains, so many tribulations. Many times I shed tears and felt heart-stricken, and many times have fallen into the trap of Satan. But You have never departed from me. You led me through many hardships, You kept me through many dangers. Now I know that You have loved me.
Because of a work requirement, I was transferred to another work area. At that time, I was very grateful to God. I felt that I was lacking so much, yet through God’s divine promotion, I was given the opportunity to fulfill my duty in such a wonderful work area. I made a vow to God in my heart: I would do my very best to repay God.
However, after I arrived, I discovered many loopholes in the work being done. As a result, I took it upon myself to begin inspecting each item of work. As I was performing my inspections, I was also thinking to myself: “How did any work get done like this? None of the work was managed properly! I thought the work done here would be excellent. But I never thought it would be worse than my previous job. Now that I’m here, it must be properly managed, step by step, according to the work arrangement. I will lead all the brothers and sisters to enter into life.” Because of this, I got together with the coordinators, began organizing each item of work, communicating, planning, and making arrangements. Throughout my communications, I frequently revealed my true feelings, “The work quality here is so low. My work before wasn’t like how yours is now. At my old workplace, we always managed work in such-and-such a way, we always did so-and-so well. We were obedient to God….” After these meetings, some of the coordinators would say: “Exactly right! We haven’t done any work of real value. This time, we need to start over and do our work according to God’s requirements.” Others would say: “Thank you for your great communication and for the arrangements you made today. Otherwise, our lack of attention to safety measures would be too dangerous.” Upon hearing these words, I was very happy. I felt that I was indeed stronger than their former leader. While I was proud of myself, I also couldn’t help but feel a little guilty: Was it really appropriate for me to talk like that? Why did I always say that my former workplace was better? But on the other hand, I thought: What’s wrong with saying that? I was just trying to teach them how to do a better job. In this way, I didn’t follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit to examine myself. In the Bible, the Book of Proverbs says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Just as I was diving head-first into my work with very high hopes, I felt that, in my heart, I was losing touch with God. Not only did my work fail to fall into place, but also the effectiveness of our gospel work went from soaring to taking a nosedive. I fell into an extremely painful position, but wasn’t sure what I did wrong. So, I went before God in prayer to earnestly seek guidance. At this time, words from a hymn began ringing in my ear: “As a leader serving God, one needs to stand on principles. Even if you can’t communicate the truth clearly, your heart must be in the right place. You must exalt God no matter what and bear witness to God as best as you can. Only say as much as you yourself understand, only exalt and bear witness to God. Do not exalt yourself and let others worship you. Whatever you do, do not exalt yourself and let others worship you. This is the first principle you must remember” (“Three Principles for Leaders to Remember” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs).Tears streamed down my face. Remorse, guilt, and gratitude all filled my heart at the same time. I recalled all that I had said to the coordinators and felt that I was really unworthy of God’s divine promotion. The church arranged for me to come here to do my duty so that I could exalt and bear witness to God, lead brothers and sisters before God, and help them to know Him. Yet, I shamelessly showed off, exalted myself, bore witness to myself, and built myself up. I did this so that others would look up to and worship me. I was prideful. I bore witness to myself and built myself up in the name of loving and satisfying God. How does such a despicable person deserve to serve God? How could the work of such a person be blessed by God? All I was doing was competing with God for the hearts of men. I was no more than an antichrist. I was interfering with God’s work and acting as His rival. My ministry was purely against God, and God hated it. The more I thought about it, the more I detested myself. I couldn’t help but remorsefully prostrate myself before God, and cry out to Him, “Oh God! Thank You for Your chastisement and judgment which awakened me, allowing me to recognize my antichrist essence and nature like that of the archangel. You also revealed the direction of my ministry to me, helping me understand that only if I exalt and bear witness to You can I satisfy You, allow Your will to be done, and accomplish the mission You gave me to do. Only exalting and bearing witness to You are glorious. That is my duty as the created for the Creator. Oh, God! From now on, I vow to examine my heart and motives before I speak or act, consciously exalting You and bearing witness to You, leading brothers and sisters to know You, and comforting Your heart by being someone who possesses truth and humanity.” Recommendation: Know more of the Church of Almighty God Eastern Lightning
Results of God's Work in the Last Days Are Achieved Through the Word |Almighty God
The results of God's work in the last days are achieved through the word, through the word. The word helps man understand mysteries and God's work throughout history.
New Heaven and New Earth | Musical "Gospel Choir 13th Performance"
Almighty God has revealed the mystery of the six-thousand-year management plan to man. Focus on God's work in the last days and the fate of mankind; focus on Chinese Gospel Choir 13th Performance of the Church of Almighty God. The 13th performance by the Church of Almighty God is a musical, a chorus of praise which fuses together Beijing opera, rock and roll, traditional work songs, Latin dance, animation, drama and other forms of expression, to give a vivid interpretation of the journey made by mankind—that has been deceived and corrupted by Satan—as they cast Satan aside and return before God to come under His salvation.
I
So many people believe, but so few understand what faith in God really means, what they need to do to beat with God's heart. So many know the word "God," know phrases like the "work of God," but they don't know Him, nor what He really does.
The Truth Behind God's Work in the Age of Kingdom | Almighty God
I
If you remain in the Age of Grace, you will never know God's own disposition, or be free from corrupt disposition. And if you live in abundance of grace, but don't know how to know and please God, pitifully believe Him but never gain Him. After you read God's word, and you've experienced all His works in the Age of Kingdom, the dreams you held for many years will all come true. You'll feel you've finally seen God, face to face.
Over the past few days, the church has arranged a change in my work. As I received this new assignment, I thought, “I need to take this final opportunity to call a meeting with my brothers and sisters, speak to them clearly about matters, and leave them with a good impression.”
My station in life, or status, was something I could never let go of, and when God created an environment that exposed me, I was only negative, complaining, and despairing. Only through refinement after refinement did I come to understand God’s good intentions, and that His testing of me was not to torment me. Rather, it was to cleanse me and make me perfect, to allow me to understand that believing in God for the sake of a station can only ruin me, thus allowing me to let go of improper views of pursuit, and to have a proper goal to pursue.
In 1999, I became a leader due to the requirements of the work of the church. Although I felt deeply that I was not worthy of the job when I first started, after a while, due to my arrogant and self-righteous nature, my initial cautiousness gradually turned into exalting myself and testifying about myself. I cared about food, clothes, and enjoyment, greedily indulging in the blessings of my status. I even wanted to be on an equal footing with God. In the end, I was finally dismissed and sent home.
I
God is the source of the life of man; heaven and earth live by His power. Nothing alive can free itself from God's rule and authority. It doesn't matter who you are, everyone must obey God, submit to His dominion, to His control and commandments!
That God has become flesh shakes the religious world, upsets the religious order, and stirs up the souls of all who long for God's appearance. Who does not marvel at this? Who does not long to see God? God has spent years among man, but man is simply unaware of this. Today, God Himself has appeared to renew His old love with man.
II
After He left from Judea, God vanished without a trace. People long to see Him again, but never have they expected to reunite with Him here and today. How could this not bring back memories of the past? Two thousand years ago, Simon son of Jonah met Lord Jesus, and ate with the Lord at the same table. Years of following deepened his love for Him. He loved Jesus to the bottom of his heart. God has spent years among man, but man is simply unaware of this. Today, God Himself has appeared to renew His old love with man, to renew His old love with man.
from "Work and Entry (10)" in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.
