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!

How can you pursue the truth so that you are not taken in by lies? What are the principles of practice? (1)

Relevant Words of God:

My words represent Me, Myself. Remember this! Do not have doubts; you absolutely must be certain. This is a matter of life and death! This is a terrible thing! As soon as My words are spoken, what I want to do has come to pass.

Why Did the Chinese Communist Party Manufacture the 5/28 Zhaoyuan Incident?

Ma Jinlong (Captain of the National Security Team): Tell you the truth, Han Lu. It isn’t that we don’t understand people who believe in God. There are believers of God among my friends. I know that those who believe in God are good people who do not do bad things. Then why does the Communist Party want to capture you? It is because your Church of Almighty God is developing too fast, its impacts are increasingly greater. You still keep spreading the word of Almighty God, shocking the entire religious community. Is it possible that the Communist Party does not suppress and restrict you? Do you know what the “May 28 Shandong Zhaoyuan Case” is about? It was the Communist Party’s signal to the whole world that it wanted to ban and destroy the Church of Almighty God. And it also shouted the slogan, “Troops won’t be withdrawn until the ban is done!” What does this demonstrate? This demonstrates that the central leadership has determined to completely ban and eliminate all the underground churches, especially your Church of Almighty God. After the public trial of the Shandong Zhaoyuan case, although many people have raised all kinds of questions about the Shandong Zhaoyuan case, saying that this case was most likely a phony case fabricated intentionally by the Communist Party to frame and smear the Church of Almighty God, nevertheless, this case was heard publicly by the court. The news media also made a follow-up report on the case. No matter how much you doubt and deny the May 28 Shandong Zhaoyuan case, it is useless. When the Communist Party can say and do so, there will certainly be many people who believe it. Although the lie and violence are not a positive thing, they are effective. Isn’t it what is all about?

Why Does the Chinese Communist Party Force Christians to Join the Three-Self Church?

Hou Xiangke (Chief of the Public Security Bureau): Han Lu, you must know that the Communist Party is an atheist party and started out from revolution. The Communist Party is most inimical to God and God’s word. The truth that you accept and the path that you walk are hated the most by the Communist Party. You are an eyesore and a thorn in the side for the Communist Party. Therefore, the Communist Party will severely repress you, punish you, and ban you! In China, you must follow the leadership of the Communist Party when you believe in God, accept the Communist Party’s United Front, join the Three-Self Church, and take the path of love for country and religion. Aside from this, there is no way out! Have you seen through these matters?

Exposing the Truth of the CCP’s Religious Policy Masked by its Constitution

Ma Jinlong (Captain of the National Security Team): Han Lu, here is a chance for you to score some points. As long as you tell us who your leaders are and where your church’s money is stashed, we will go easy on you. Naturally, if you do well, it is not out of the question that we let you go.

The Origin of Eastern Lightning’s Prosperity

The mention of Eastern Lightning perplexes many brothers and sisters in the Lord: Why is it that as the religious community as a whole becomes increasingly desolate and degenerate, as each denomination becomes increasingly guarded and conservative in condemning and banishing Eastern Lightning, not only does Eastern Lightning not become desolate or ebb, but surges like an unstoppable, billowing wave, sweeping across mainland China, and now that it has even expanded beyond China’s borders to foreign countries and regions, and is being accepted by more and more people worldwide? Faced with this fact, the religious people are thoroughly puzzled, while in fact the reason is quite simple: What the various denominations call Eastern Lightning is the returned Savior Jesus of the last days, riding down from the heavens upon a “white cloud”; it is the practical God Himself, who has returned to flesh! For this reason, despite the fact that every denomination in the world resists, attacks, or condemns God incarnate of the last days or His work, there is no person or force that can ever obstruct or suppress what He wishes to achieve. God’s authority, power, and His almightiness and wisdom are unsurpassable by any force of Satan.

God Is by My Side

By Guozi, USA

I was born into a Christian family, and when I was one year old, my mom accepted the new work of the Lord Jesus returned—Almighty God—but my grandma was strongly opposed. I remember when I was little, her most frequent words to me were: “If you don’t feel well or you can’t do your homework, just pray to the Lord Jesus. He’ll give you intelligence and wisdom; He’ll look after your safety.” My mom, though, would often tell me: “God created this world and He created mankind. He’s always by our sides. Remember to pray to Almighty God when you encounter an issue and He will care for and protect you.” These two different voices frequently rang in my ears. I once asked my mom uncertainly: “Grandma wants me to pray to the Lord Jesus and you want me to pray to Almighty God. Who should I listen to?” She said: “Actually, the Lord Jesus and Almighty God are the same God. It’s just that the names God took on and the work He’s done are different because the ages are different. The Lord Jesus did the work of the Age of Grace, and Almighty God does the work of the Age of Kingdom. He changes the way He works in every age, and He also changes His name. But no matter how His name and His work change, His essence doesn’t change. Just like today you’re wearing red to go to school and tomorrow you’ll wear blue to go to the restaurant—even though you’re wearing different clothing, going to different places, and doing different things, you’re still you. But when God’s new era arrives we have to keep up with His new work. That’s why we should pray to Almighty God now.” Even though I heard my mom’s explanation, I was still very perplexed in my heart and still had a somewhat doubtful attitude toward Almighty God’s new work.

I Have Found True Happiness

Zhang Hua, Cambodia

I was born into an ordinary farming family. Even though my family was not wealthy, my father and mother loved each other and treated me very well. Our family life was quite abundant and blessed. After I grew up, I told myself: I must find a husband that will treat me well and I must establish a blissful and happy family. This is what is most important. I do not seek riches, I only need to have a loving relationship with my husband and a peaceful family life.

If I Were Not Saved by God

Lingwu, Japan

“If I were not saved by God, I would still be drifting in this world, struggling hard and painfully in sin; every day gets bleak and hopeless. If I were not saved by God, I’d still be crushed below the devil’s feet, snared in sin and its enjoyments, ignorant of what my life would be. If I were not saved by God, I’d be without my blessings here today, much less know why we should live on or the meaning of our lives. If I were not saved by God, I’d still be confused about my faith, still in empty space passing the days, unaware in whom to put my faith. I have finally understood God’s loving hand holds mine as we go. I would never go and lose my way ’cause I’m on this brilliant course to stay” (“If I Were Not Saved by God” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). Whenever I hear this hymn of experience, I am always deeply moved. If it weren’t for God saving me, as described in the hymn, I might still be wandering aimlessly in the world, tiring myself out chasing after money, even to the point that I would long since have lost my life and died abroad in a foreign land …

Fortune and Misfortune

By Dujuan, Japan

I was born into a poor family in a Chinese rural village. Because my family was poor, I sometimes did not even know if I would have my next meal, let alone snacks and toys. And from a young age, I would wear what my older sister used to wear. Her clothes were usually too big for me. As a result, my classmates would laugh at me and they would not play with me. My childhood was very bitter. From that point on, I resolved to myself: Once I grow up, I will be somebody and make lots of money. I won’t let others look down on me again. Since my family had no money, I was forced to drop out before junior high school graduation. I went to the county town to work in a medicine factory. In order to earn more money, I would frequently work until 9 or 10 PM. However, the money I earned was little. Afterward, when I heard that my sister was able to earn in five days what I earned in a month selling vegetables, I quit my job at the medicine factory and went to sell vegetables. After a period of time, I found that I could make even more money selling fruits, so I decided to start a business selling fruits. After I married my husband, we started a restaurant business. I thought that now that I had a restaurant, I would be able to earn even more money. Once I could earn a considerable amount of income, naturally, I would win other’s admiration and regard. Other people would start looking up to me and at the same time, I would be able to live a better life. However, after managing the business for a while, I found that we couldn’t make much money running a restaurant. I started getting anxious. When would I be able to lead a life that others would admire?

That Day the Sky Was Especially Clear and Sunny

By Tian Ying, China

I used to be a believer in the Three-Self Church in China. When I first started participating in gatherings, the pastors would often say to us: “Brothers and sisters, it is recorded in the Bible that: ‘For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation’ (Rom 10:10). We’ve been justified due to our faith. Since we believe in Jesus, we have been saved. If we believed in any other, then we wouldn’t have been saved….” I held on to these words of the pastors. As a result, I ardently pursued and actively attended gatherings as I waited for the Lord to come and let me into the kingdom of heaven. Later on, as unlawful deeds kept occurring in the church, it made me feel fed up with the gatherings there. Among the pastors they were divided and partitioned, each trying to establish themselves at the top of the faction and set up independent kingdoms. The sermons from the pastors needed to obey the United Front Work Department (UFWD). The UFWD didn’t allow them to discuss the Book of Revelation out of fear that it would disturb popular sentiment, so the pastors didn’t preach it. The pastors would often preach about donation, saying that the more one donated then the more blessings they would receive from God…. So when I saw that these were the circumstances in the church I felt quite bewildered: Why did the church change into this current form? Do the pastors not believe in the Lord? Why do they not follow the Lord’s word? Why do they not have a heart of reverence for the Lord? From that point on I no longer wanted to go to gatherings at the Three-Self Church, for I felt that they did not truly believe in God, that they were false shepherds who acted in the name of believing in God in order to obtain the hard-earned money from brothers and sisters.

The Light Is Warm When Passing Through the Tunnel

Wang Yuping, China

Just like all the other brothers and sisters who thirst for the return of the Lord Jesus, I too continuously long for our Lord eagerly to return to receive us into the kingdom of heaven soon so that we can enjoy its blessings. One day in November of 2006 I finally heard the news of the Lord’s return. Through reading the words expressed by Almighty God and through the fellowshiping about and bearing witness to God’s work in the last days from my brothers and sisters, I finally recognized that Almighty God incarnate is the returned Lord Jesus. Thereupon, I willingly accepted Almighty God’s work in the last days.

Breaking Through the Fog to See the Light

Faith, China

I am an ordinary worker. At the end of November, 2013, a coworker saw that my wife and I would always make a lot of noise about little things, that every day we were worried and distressed, so he passed on the work of Almighty God in the last days to us. From the word of Almighty God, we have learned that the heavens and earth and all things were created by God, and that man’s life is bestowed on him by God. We have also understood the truth of the mystery of the six-thousand-year management plan, the mystery of the incarnation, God’s three stages of work in saving mankind, the significance of God’s work of judgment in the last days, and other respects. My wife and I thought that happening upon God incarnate having come to save mankind during our lifetimes was a great blessing. We happily accepted God’s work in the last days, and led a church life. Under the guidance of the word of God, we both pursued the truth and to transform ourselves, and whenever something happened and we started to argue, we wouldn’t just find fault with each other like we used to, but rather we would reflect on ourselves and try to know ourselves. After that, we acted in a way that forsook the flesh in accordance with God’s demands, and our marital relations became better and better, and our hearts became peaceful and steady. We felt that believing in God was truly good. However, while we were joyous and happy to follow God, when we were enjoying the blessed life, we were faced with a violent attack coming from our families…. Just when I was losing my way, it was the word of God that guided me to see through Satan’s scheme, and to break through the fog and enter onto the radiant and correct path for life.

This Is How I Welcomed the Lord

Xiyue, Japan

When I was six years old my mother believed in the Lord Jesus, and she would often bring me to church gatherings. I slowly became aware of the fact that man was created by God, that if we are in trouble we should pray to God and rely on God, and that we should thank God for everything. My mother told me: “God loves people, so long as we pray to God and entrust Him with what’s on our mind and truly rely on Him, then He will solve our problems and bestow us with bountiful grace. As long as we truly believe in the Lord then He will come in the future to receive us into the kingdom of heaven!” Listening to mother’s words, my heart felt at peace and free from anxiety, I felt like I had something to rely on, and I firmly believed that one day the Lord Jesus would return to bring us into the kingdom of heaven. I looked forward to and dreamed of the arrival of this day.

Who Is the Obstacle on the Road to the Heavenly Kingdom?

By Meng’ai, Malaysia

The year my husband died, I was deep in despair, and on top of that I had the added burden of raising my children. Hardship had suddenly befallen my life, but I had the love of the Lord with me all along, and with the help of my brothers and sisters I got through this difficult time. To recompense the love of the Lord, I continued to make donations and serve the church, and have been doing so for over thirty years. In this time, I have experienced the thriving of the church and seen the glorious occasion of the spread of the gospel of the Lord Jesus. I’ve also witnessed desolation and helplessness in the church. I thought back to when the Holy Spirit first began to do the great work in the church, when we experienced enjoyment and gained much from listening to the pastor’s preaching. There was mutual love among the brothers and sisters just as if we were all one family, and everyone was united in spreading the gospel and bearing witness to the Lord. Later, without knowing what had happened, there was no longer any light in what the pastor preached. It was like everything was just the same old story repeated again and again, and the believers simply could not get anything to nourish them. Their faith and love gradually waned, and there were fewer and fewer people coming to gatherings. Those of us who participated in service were also just going through the motions. We all acted according to the wishes of the people in the ministry and not at all in the service of God, but rather we just exerted ourselves in front of other people and tried to win their admiration. I knew that this kind of service was not in line with God’s will, and so it was very painful for me. I also felt helpless, with no idea how to walk the path ahead of me. I hoped all the more for the Lord to return as soon as possible, so that all these problems would be solved.

Competing in This Way, I Benefit Tremendously

By Ma Xin, China

Since my husband was not engaged in honest work, frequently drank alcohol and showed no concern for family matters, I would often sink into bitterness and pain. At a time when I did not have the strength to struggle on, a relative delivered Almighty God’s kingdom gospel to me. Through reading God’s word, I understood: God expresses the truth and does the judgment work of the last days in order to save the human race from the hands of Satan. He instructs man to understand, obey and return to Him so that he can receive His protection and care. As a result, I gladly accepted the work of Almighty God of the last days and quickly started my church life. However, right as I found something I could depend my life upon and felt a sense of joy and cheer, Satan’s temptations pounced on me like a wild beast rushed after its prey and a spiritual war erupted …

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 Free From the Rumor Trap

By Xiaoyun, China

I used to be a female army officer. One day in 1999, a Korean pastor preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus to me. Because of my earnest pursuit, I soon became the focus of the pastor’s training and his right-hand man. The summer of 2000, the pastor came to Yunnan on a short summer missionary trip with more than a dozen college students from the Korean Gospel Church. Unexpectedly this alarmed the CCP government. We were arrested whilst having a meeting at the pastor’s home and then brought to Yunnan Province Public Security Department for trial. The Korean university students were deported the same night and the Korean pastor was also expelled. The church suffered persecution by the CCP and many believers were cowardly and did not dare believe. A proportion of believers were also forced to go to the Three-Self Church and this was how the church was broken up by the CCP. I was one of the main co-workers in the church and the persecution by the CCP this time also caused me to lose my job.

“Pigeon” Mail

Su Jie, China

One day in 1999, after the meeting had ended, the pastor said to me, “Su Jie, here is a letter for you.” As soon as I saw it, I knew that it came from the church I established in Shandong. I took the letter and on the way home, I thought as I walked: This letter is so thick, could it be that they have encountered some difficulties? …

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.