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?

22 It Is Very Important to Know the States of the “Hidden” Passivity

Wu Ming    Heze City, Shandong Province

We often have some passive states within us. For example, some people become passive because they are short of money; some become passive because the day of God has not come after so long a time; some become passive because they achieve no results in their work; some become passive because they have been pruned and dealt with; some become passive because they see that they remain unchanged; some become passive because they have serious transgressions and are worried that they cannot be saved; and so on. All these are common passive states in us. As to such obvious passive states that can restrain us from performing our duties properly, usually most of us can realize them and can pay attention to looking for the roots and resolving them through eating and drinking the relevant words of God. However, we also have a kind of extremely harmful passivity, the hidden passivity, in us, which seriously hinders our life entering. With such passivity, we appear to be in a normal state on the surface, and it does not seem to restrain us from performing our duties, nor does it cause us to do things of obviously resisting God and rebelling against God. Thus, we cannot discover it easily, nor can we discern it very easily. We can say that, for those who do not pay attention to the detailed experiences, who do not treat their life entering seriously, and who do not measure and examine themselves strictly against God’s word, it is very difficult to discern such an abnormal state. As it is said in the man’s fellowship attached to Christ’s Talks with Church Leaders and Workers: “Another kind of passivity cannot be discerned easily. They seem to be in a normal state. On the surface, they have the normal church life, perform their duties properly, and can eat and drink God’s word. But they treat nothing seriously, being content with their present situation, and follow the general trend. A careful observation will find that they do not have many elements of progressing positively. This is the hidden passivity. People who live in such negativity are slow in entering into the truth and can hardly achieve the transformation of their disposition. They appear to be in a normal state, but their progress is too slow, so it is still abnormal. Besides, their unconcerned, careless, and indifferent disposition is what God loathes. Such people do not seem to have great difficulties, but actually many things are hidden within them. Without careful observation, they cannot be discovered easily. The people who live for long in the hidden passivity also suffer great harm.” Therefore, it is very crucial to know and resolve the hidden passivity within us.

18 It Is So Important to Pray Genuinely

Zhuiqiu    Jiuquan City, Gansu Province

Doctrinally most believers in God know that prayer is very important and we should all pray genuinely. But in our real life, we do not pay attention to praying genuinely. Most of the time, we pray to God perfunctorily and deceitfully. For example, many times we rest content with praying several times a day without caring whether we have achieved results, and sometimes we even do not know what we have said in our prayer. Sometimes we do not feel like praying, but when we see that other brothers and sisters are praying, we also kneel down and say something carelessly. When we encounter difficulties, most often we weep them out to God in prayer, asking God to help us get things done in any way. When we are in a good state and achieve good results in our work, we pray to God to keep us always in such a state and let us always achieve good results. When we are dealt with and feel aggrieved, we air our grievances before God: “O God, you are almighty and you know the truth of the matter best. I am really not as the leader said….” None of such prayers is genuine prayer.

16 Everything God Does Is Salvation and Love for Man

Xiaotong    Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province

We often say that everything God does is salvation and love for man, but in reality we often deny this fact, not fully acknowledging or accepting it, and always contradict ourselves. When what God does is in conformity with our notions, we acknowledge that God saves man and loves man. But when what God does is not in conformity with our notions, we deny God’s love at once and are full of misunderstandings, complaints, and resistance against God. For example, in 1999, we thought that God’s work was about to be concluded and we would soon enter the kingdom, so we all felt ourselves to be the most blessed people in the world and said repeatedly that “God loves us so much.” But later when we heard that we still needed to experience the “seven-year trial,” we immediately had complaints within, thinking that God was purposely tormenting us to make us suffer, and so were very unwilling to accept it. When God places us in favorable circumstances to let us experience, we immediately say, “God loves us so much. He knows our small stature and is so thoughtful for us. He has really gone to a lot of trouble for saving us.” But when God places us in unfavorable circumstances to refine us, we resist in our hearts and complain that what God does is inhuman. When we read God’s words of comforting man and blessing man, we grin from ear to ear and say that God loves man so much. But when we read God’s words of judging man and cursing man, we say that God’s words are too stern and God does not have any intention to save man. And so on. In our real life, we express our naturalness capriciously. At one moment we say that God loves us so much, and at another we say that God is inhuman. At one moment we say that God has really gone to a lot of trouble for saving us, and at another we say that God is purposely tormenting us.

14 Only If We Have a Deep Enough Knowledge of Ourselves Can We Gain the Transformation of Our Disposition

Zirun    Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province

In most of us there exists such a state: Although we have gained some knowledge of what aspects of the corrupt nature we have and also have a general idea of what nature the corruptions we express are out of, nevertheless, when encountering things, we still relapse into our old nature and can never practice the truth, nor can any transformation be seen in us. For example, we know that we are arrogant and conceited, and we also often fellowship about the corruption of this aspect, yet when encountering things, we still hold on to our own ideas, not submissive to anyone. When performing our duties, we still exalt ourselves and testify ourselves, unable to do the work according to the work arrangements. We have realized that we seek ease and comfort and are too lazy, yet when performing our duties, we are still unwilling to endure hardships and unable to forsake our flesh, and we still have too much perfunctoriness and deceit. We acknowledge that we are too crafty, yet when giving a report on our work, we still employ trickery and practice deception. And so on. There are too many such states existing in us. Then, exactly what has caused us to have knowledge only but gain no transformation?

12 The Work of the Man Used by the Holy Spirit Is Led Completely by the Holy Spirit

Chao Wei    Hefei City, Anhui Province

We often hear some people in the church say, “The man used by the Holy Spirit is also a man, so his work is unavoidably mixed with man’s will.” For this reason, some people do not absolutely obey the work of the man used by the Holy Spirit nor cooperate with the arrangements from above actively on their own initiative. Some even despise or refuse to read the fellowship from above. Some do not express anything outwardly but resist in their hearts and are unwilling to accept. Some even judge and demolish, and especially when the arrangement from above does not match their notions, they react more strongly. For example, the above said the gospel work would be concluded at the end of the year 2003 by and large, but it was not concluded at the end of that year as people had imagined. Thus, many people complained, “This is done by man. It is to coax us to go forward.” When the above required us to preach the gospel to the unbelievers, many people formed notions, saying, “This is done by man. This stage of the work has nothing to do with the unbelievers at all!” When the above required that those possessed by evil spirits, those who often had the working of evil spirits, those antichrists and the like be purged and expelled from the church and that the church members be classified into groups according to their kind to have meetings, some judged by saying, “This is done by man. It is too harmful and merciless to do like this”; some did not say anything with their mouth but just refused to carry it out. When the above required the workers and the leaders of God’s family to write ministering articles, some formed notions and uttered complaints, saying, “It is enough that we just believe in God; why is it so troublesome? We are asked to write this today and that tomorrow.” And so on. These manifestations are sufficient to prove that we do not know the substance of the work done by the man used by the Holy Spirit, do not know that the leading of the man used by the Holy Spirit is completely the leading of the Holy Spirit and is a way for God to do the work and lead the people, and do not understand why God has to raise up the man used by the Holy Spirit to lead us or what are the purpose and significance of God’s doing the work in this way.

Western Scholars Gather in Seoul for The Church of Almighty God’s Premiering Photo Exhibit

October 24, 2018, The Church of Almighty God held its first photo exhibition in Seoul, South Korea with the theme of “The birth and development of The Church of Almighty God,” drawing eleven experts and scholars from seven countries including the USA, Canada, England, France, and Italy to attend and explore the exhibit. Massimo Introvigne, who is an Italian sociologist and the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), France’s Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, professor of North American Studies at the University of Bordeaux Montaigne, Canadian sociologist and author Susan Jean Palmer, and others raised questions on Almighty God’s work of the last days, and several Christians who accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days in its early period provided detailed answers to each one of them. They also shared their feelings and understandings from undergoing Almighty God’s work and words with the guests.

Question 16: You say that Almighty God is the appearance of God in the last days, and is the true way. You also say that it was God who created this world, and who rules over what happens in this world, that it is God's work that has guided and saved people all along. What basis in fact do you have for saying this? We Communist Party members are atheists, and do not recognize God's existence or God's sovereignty in the least. Even less do we recognize the appearance and work of God incarnate of which you talk. The Jesus in whom Christianity believes is clearly a person. He had parents, and had siblings. Christianity, however, absolutely requires that He be treated as Christ, and be worshiped as God. This is utterly inconceivable. Almighty God in whom you believe is just like Jesus, clearly just an ordinary person. Why must you obstinately insist that He is God incarnate? Why must you bear witness that He is Christ Savior of the last days in person? Isn't this terribly foolish and ignorant? There is no such thing in this world as God. Even less does there exist a God as God incarnate. You obstinately say that an ordinary person is God incarnate. What is the basis of this? Are you all able to express the grounds and basis of your belief?

Answer: God is Spirit. People cannot see Him or touch Him. But the Spirit of God does things, and says words that people can see and hear. This is true. From the facts recorded by the Bible we can see that the Spirit of God can speak through thunder, and can appear and speak to people through flames of fire, and can be incarnated to come among people to speak to people. These are facts that no one can deny. God has guided people all along, over thousands of years, and has done three stages of work in the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. In every stage of work, God has expressed many words. In the Age of Grace, God was incarnated as the Lord Jesus to express truth, and was nailed to the cross for the sins of mankind, doing the work of redeeming the human race. During the Age of Kingdom, God has become incarnate again as Almighty God, has expressed truth to do the judgment work of the last days, has come to thoroughly purify and save the human race, and lead the human race to a glorious destination. Thereupon the age of evil and darkness came to an end. All of the words that God spoke during the two times He was incarnated allowed the human race to hear the voice of God, and to see the appearance and work of God, so the people have turned toward God one after another. Henceforth the human race has been able to see God’s omnipotence and wisdom in the words of God, has come to know the righteous disposition of God, and has seen that the words of God accomplish everything. This is the most obvious outcome achieved by the work of God incarnate. This effect could never be attained through the work of the human race, because humans do not possess truth, and are even less able to express truth to conquer and save the human race. Regardless of the method in which God works or speaks, however, regardless of how great the work done by God, or how large the number of people who turn to God, those of the satanic category must do their utmost to condemn the appearance and work of God. They also seek out various excuses to deceive people, causing people to be suspicious of God, and to deny God. The Communist Party does its utmost to deny Christ, to condemn Christ, and calls the incarnate Lord Jesus and Almighty God ordinary people. This is completely decided by the demonic essence of the Communist Party that hates truth and resists God! The Communist Party is an atheist political party that dares even to deny God in heaven. How would it ever recognize the incarnate God?

It Is So Important to Obey the Work of the Holy Spirit

By Xiaowei, Shanghai City

Some time ago, even though I always received some inspiration and benefit when a sister who performed duties with me shared the enlightenment she had attained while reading the word of God, I also always had the lingering sense that she was showing off. I would think to myself, “If I respond to her right now, won’t I be pandering to her? In that sense, will I not then seem lesser than her?” As a result, I refused to bring up my own views in fellowship or comment on any of the thoughts that she shared. One time, my sister, having received some insights from reading a particular passage of God’s words, felt that there was something wrong with our states and asked me if I would be willing to fellowship with her on that passage of God’s words. As soon as she asked, all these thoughts and feelings of resentment floated to the surface: “You just want to testify about yourself, to have an audience to preach to. Why should I fellowship with you?” I even went so far as to skip out on a meeting so I wouldn’t have to hear her. After a while, I felt a heavy weight in my heart, I knew something was wrong with my state, but I couldn’t think of a good way to resolve my inner conflict. All I could do was to fully invest myself in my duties, read the word of God, and sing the hymns to distract myself from these negative feelings. However, whenever I had to face the current situation, the same corrupt disposition would rise in my heart—things were getting worse, not better—and I hadn’t a clue how to break free from it.

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

By Ouyang Mo,China

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

Bye Bye, Games!

Introduction

Hello everybody! Online games are one of the trends that are present in society these days. Many young people are deeply addicted to these games. Those that are harmed by these games also know that playing these games brings all sorts of negative consequences to their future prospects and their families. However, no matter what, they are unable to break free. Just how can they thoroughly break free from these games? Next, we will listen to Brother Zhangjin share about his experience. Afterward, from what he shares with us, you will be able to find the answers you need.

God Didn’t Have the Heart to Let Me Fall Into the Underworld

How a Public Security Bureau Local Station Chief Was Conquered by God’s Words

Zhang Jun, Sichuan Province

Almighty God says: “Look back to the time of Noah’s ark: Mankind was deeply corrupt, had strayed from the blessing of God, was no longer cared for by God, and had lost the promises of God. They lived in darkness, without the light of God. Thus they became licentious by nature, abandoned themselves to hideous depravity. Such men could no longer receive the promise of God; they were unfit to witness the face of God, nor to hear the voice of God, for they had abandoned God, had cast aside all that He had bestowed upon them, and had forgotten the teachings of God. Their heart strayed farther and farther from God, and as it did, they became depraved beyond all reason and humanity, and became increasingly evil. Thus they came ever closer to death, and fell under the wrath and punishment of God. Only Noah worshiped God and shunned evil, and so he was able to hear the voice of God, and hear the instructions of God. He built the ark according to the instructions of God’s word, and assembled all manner of living creatures. And in this way, once everything had been prepared, God unleashed His destruction upon the world. Only Noah and the seven members of his family survived the destruction, for Noah worshiped Jehovah and shunned evil” (“God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). After reading this passage of God’s words I fell into a state of deep contemplation …

Farewell to Those Days of Wrestling With Fate

Yixin

A rustic village fallen behind, my parents exhausted from their work, a life in financial straits … these gloomy memories were branded on to my young mind, they were my first impression of “fate.” After I started attending school, the first time I heard my teacher say that “You control your fate in your own hands,” I kept these words firmly in my mind. I believed that although I could not change the fact that I was born into poverty, I could still change my own fate through hard work. As a result, I exerted my full strength to wrestle with my “fate,” and gain a slice of heaven to call my own.

What Is the Rapture?

Li Huan

Just like many other Christian brothers and sisters, I eagerly long for the second coming of the. We abide Lord Jesus by the following passage from the Bible: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Ts 4:17). For this reason, we foolishly look up to the skies longing for the day that Jesus will return and take us up into the clouds so that we can be with the Lord. However, after so many years have passed, the four blood moons have already appeared; earthquakes, famines, plagues and war and all sorts of other disasters are becoming more and more intense. The prophecies of the Lord’s second coming have basically been fulfilled. However, we still have not seen one Christian raptured into heaven. I cannot help but think, “Why does the Lord not come to receive us? The Lord is trustworthy. The Lord promised that He would take us into the heavenly kingdom in the last days. The Lord’s promise certainly will be accomplished and fulfilled. I do not doubt this at all. Yet, how come up until now, we still have not been raptured by the Lord into heaven? Could it be that there are some problems with our longing?”

3 Methods on How to Pray So That God Will Listen

Cheng Shi

Brothers and sisters:

Peace to you in the Lord! Praying is an important way for us Christians to establish a normal relationship with God. This is especially the case during the morning and at night. That is why learning how to pray is extremely important. However, many brothers and sisters feel perplexed: Every single day, we pray both in the morning and at night; we also pray before we eat and after we finish eating as well as when we have gatherings; furthermore, each time we pray, we say a lot to the Lord and pray for a long time. However, we always feel as if God is not there; it feels as if we are just talking to ourselves when we pray, and our spirit does not feel peace or joy. Why does God not listen to our prayers? How should we pray so that we can receive God’s praise?

Unveiled: The True Meaning of “It Is Finished” Spoken by the Lord Jesus on the Cross

By Xiang’ai, Heilongjiang Province

Many brothers and sisters believe that what Jesus meant by saying “It is finished” when He was on the cross was that God’s work to save mankind was completed. But was this really the case? What exactly did He mean by saying “It is finished”? The following article will uncover the true meaning of the words “It is finished” that the Lord Jesus spoke upon the cross. Please read on …

What Is the Meaning of Christmas, and Are You Truly Worshiping the Lord Jesus?

By Siyuan

The Origins of Christmas

Every year, as Christmas approaches, shops on the street arrange a dazzling display of Christmas presents, with Santa Claus and Christmas trees, and so on. Festooned in trees and on buildings there are many-colored lights, and whole cities are decorated with lanterns and colored hangings, and everywhere there is joy and excitement. To Christianity, Christmas is a very special holiday, and several months before Christmas, many churches will begin to busy themselves preparing everything necessary for the Christmas holiday. On Christmas Day, the churches are filled, and brothers and sisters get involved in the celebrations, eating Christmas dinner, putting on performances and worshiping the Lord Jesus, and so on. Everyone’s face is flushed with happiness. However, when we get together in joyous gatherings to celebrate the Lord Jesus’ birth, do we understand the meaning of Christmas? Perhaps brothers and sisters will say, “The Lord Jesus was nailed upon the cross to redeem all mankind, and so as to remember and celebrate the Lord Jesus’ birth, Christians established Christmas. Though the specific day on which the Lord Jesus was born is not recorded in the Bible, Christmas gradually became a universal holiday in the wake of the expansion of Jesus Christ’s gospel.” We may have known this, but do we know God’s love and His will for us that was actually hidden behind the birth of the Lord Jesus? And how should we approach Christmas in a way that is after the Lord’s heart?

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!”

“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? …

Catholic Beliefs: I Have Welcomed the Lord’s Return

By Amy, USA

“Meeting with the Lord is the greatest hope of all believers. By the grace of the Lord, I have welcomed the Lord’s return and I am full of gratitude to Him….” It’s nighttime, and the clear moonlight spills into the room through the window. Under the soft light of her lamp, Amy is quickly typing out her experience of welcoming the Lord’s return. Thinking of God’s love and salvation for her, Amy stands up and softly walks to the window and gazes out at the full moon, reminiscing on the past …

Coming Home (Part 2)

By Muyi, South Korea

In this period, there was another brother named Yang who also investigated Almighty God's work in the last days together with me. I had always had a careless and absent-minded attitude, but Brother Yang was earnest in his studies. Brother Yang said that he had rejected the gospel of Almighty God when people had preached it to him before but that hearing it again today must be an opportunity granted by God! He wanted to investigate it. Brother Yang saw that I was only interested in listening to the pastor’s words and not investigating with an open mind. He found a passage for me, which was Matthew 5:3–6: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. … Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Reading the word of the Lord, I wondered: Why is it that I can’t seek tranquilly in the presence of the Lord? If the Lord were really to return by some chance, and I did not listen to Him or investigate it, would I not be left behind? I should also learn some humility, and I must not blindly come to conclusions based on my own imagination. Just when I had decided to settle my heart to investigate it sincerely, a missionary of the church gave me a call out of the blue and asked me if I were still with the people from The Church of Almighty God. I said that yes, the missionary again reminded me to cease contact with them. The missionary’s words dispelled the thought that I had just been wanting to investigate. I thought, “The pastor and missionary have a much better understanding of the Bible than I do, and none of them acknowledges that the Lord has returned. I had too little understanding of the Bible and had no ability to discriminate for myself, so I had better just listen to what the pastor and missionary were saying.” When I hung up the phone, I said to Brother Cheng: “If Brother Yang wants to investigate, then you two go on speaking. I don’t want to hear it.” Just like that, I had once again stiffly rejected the salvation of God.

Coming Home (Part 1)

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.

Question 4: The Lord Jesus spoke the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to the disciples, and as the return of the Lord Jesus, has Almighty God also revealed many mysteries? Could you fellowship with us about some of the mysteries revealed by Almighty God? It would be a great help to us in identifying the voice of God.

Answer: Each time God becomes flesh, He reveals many truths and mysteries to us. This is without doubt. God becomes flesh in order to save mankind, and so, He naturally expresses many truths, and reveals many mysteries. In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus, God incarnate revealed many mysteries whilst preaching and doing His work, such as, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 4:17). “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21). The Lord Jesus also revealed many other mysteries in addition to this, which I won’t go into now. In the last days, Almighty God has come, and carried out the work of judgment beginning from the house of God, and has expressed all truths for the purification and salvation of mankind. Almighty God has not only accomplished all of the prophecies of the Lord Jesus, but has also laid bare to us the great mysteries of the past, the present, and the future, which relate to God's management plan. Let us read two passages of the words of Almighty God. “The work I have been managing for thousands of years is only completely revealed to man in the last days. It is only now that I have opened up the full mystery of My management to man. Man knows the purpose of My work and moreover has obtained an understanding of all My mysteries. And I have told man everything about the destination he is concerned about. I have already uncovered for man all My mysteries that were hidden for over 5,900 years” (“The Work of Spreading the Gospel Is Also the Work of Saving Man” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “This stage of work will elucidate for you the law of Jehovah and the redemption of Jesus, and is principally so that you may understand the entire work of God’s six-thousand-year management plan, and appreciate all the significance and substance of this six-thousand-year management plan, and understand the purpose of all the work done by Jesus and the words He spoke, and even your blind credence in and adoration of the Bible. All this it will allow you to perceive. You will come to understand both the work done by Jesus, and the work of God today; you will understand and behold all of the truth, the life, and the way. … In the end, this current stage will bring God’s work to a complete end, and will provide its conclusion. All will come to understand and know of God’s management plan. The conceptions within man, his intentions, his erroneous understanding, his conceptions toward the work of Jehovah and Jesus, his views about the Gentiles, and all his deviation and errors will be corrected. And man will understand all the right paths of life, and all the work done by God, and the entire truth. When that happens, this stage of work will come to an end” (“The Vision of God’s Work (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

IV. Questions and Answers on How to Discern the Voice of God

Question 1: The Lord Jesus has now returned and He has a new name—Almighty God. Almighty God has expressed the words in the book The Word Appears in the Flesh, and it is the voice of the bridegroom, yet many brothers and sisters are still unable to discern the voice of God. And so, today we have invited the witnesses from the Church of Almighty God. We have invited them to fellowship with us about how to identify the voice of God. So we’ll know how to ascertain that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus.

You have testified that Almighty God is God in the flesh and is performing God’s judgment work of the last days. God incarnate is most difficult to recognize for mankind. In South Korea, there are a lot of people who treat man’s work as God’s work. There are even many people who treat the deceiving words of false Christs as God’s work to be accepted and followed, causing them to be deceived and follow Satan. Please communicate to us how to distinguish between God’s work and man’s work and what differences there are between the work of God incarnate and the work of men used by God. We are in urgent need of understanding this aspect of the truth.

Answer: The work of God and the work of man are certainly different. If we investigate carefully we will all be able to see it. For instance, if we look at the utterance and work of the Lord Jesus and then take a look at the utterance and work of the apostles, we can say that the difference is too obvious. Every word uttered by the Lord Jesus is the truth and carries authority, and can reveal many mysteries. These are all things man can never do. That is why there are so many people who follow the Lord Jesus, whereas the work of the apostles can only spread the gospel, bear witness to God, and supply the church. The results are all very limited. The difference between God’s work and man’s work is so obvious. Then, why can’t people see through it? What is the reason? It’s because corrupt mankind doesn’t know God and possesses no truth whatsoever. Therefore, it results in man not knowing the difference between God’s work and man’s work, and makes it easy to treat the work of God incarnate as man’s work and makes it easy to treat the work of man we admire and the work of evil spirits, the work of false Christs and prophets as God’s work to be accepted and followed. This is deviating from the true way and resisting God, and is considered adoring man, following Satan and worshiping Satan. It's a serious offense against God’s disposition and will be cursed by God. People like this will lose the opportunity to be saved. That is why your question is very important to people’s investigation of the true way and knowing God’s work of the last days. From the outside, the work of God incarnate and the work of men used by God both look like man is working and speaking. But there is a world of difference between their essence and the nature of their work. Today, Almighty God has come and revealed all truths and mysteries and revealed the differences between God’s work and man’s work. Only now do we have knowledge and discernment over God’s work and man’s work. Let’s take a look at Almighty God’s words.

Most of our brothers and sisters think that God used Brother Lin. Brother Lin wrote so many spiritual books and gave us so many messages. His words were the nourishment and the way of life, and possessed the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, like the apostles’ epistles in the Bible. These words are of great benefit to us. They all accord with the truth. But you said that while the words of the men God uses may accord with the truth, they are not actually the truth. Then, what exactly is the truth?

Answer: This is a good question! This is the core truth that all we believers in the Lord must understand. If we want to know why the words that accord with the truth spoken by men that God uses are not the truth, we must first be very clear about what the “truth” actually is. Throughout all of history, no person has ever truly known what the truth is. When the  came to Lord Jesus this world in the Age of Grace, He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jhn 14:6). Still no one understood the actual meaning of the “truth.” Only when Christ of the last days—Almighty God—arrives are the mysteries of the “truth” completely revealed to mankind. Let’s look at what Almighty God says about this.

We believe that the Lord Jesus returns mainly to rapture His believers. He can’t possibly do the work of judgment in the last days to make overcomers. God raised up Brother Lin and used him. He has led us to be renewed, transformed, conformed, and glorified to become overcomers. When the Lord returns, our Local Church will be the first to be raptured. You testified that only God is capable of making overcomers. I want to ask: If we pursue according to the way led by Brother Lin, can’t we be made overcomers?

Answer: You said that Brother Lin’s path would make you into overcomers, that you only need to practice according to Brother Lin’s path to become overcomers, and that the Lord Jesus returns mainly to rapture believers into the kingdom of heaven and can’t possibly do the work of judgment in the last days to make overcomers. Do you have any biblical basis for this? Are there any prophecies where the Lord Jesus testified to this? Are there any prophecies where the Lord Jesus testified to this? Anyone who knows the Bible knows that God will make the overcomers before the disaster. In the last days, God becomes flesh to arrive in secret, expresses the truth and does the work of judgment beginning with God's house to make a group of overcomers. It’s just like the prophecy in Revelation: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things said … Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come on all the world, to try them that dwell on the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown. Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write on him my new name. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches” (Rev 3: 7, 10-13). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4: 17). The Bible prophesied what the Holy Spirit said to the churches, the rapture of the Philadelphia Church, that His judgment must begin with the house of God, etc. This is what the Lord Jesus will do when He returns. In the last days, God becomes flesh and arrives secretly in order to do the work of judgment beginning from God's house, to make a group of overcomers. Almighty God’s utterance, The Word Appears in the Flesh, this is what the Holy Spirit said to the churches, the hidden manna. Almighty God is God's new name. The Philadelphia Church attained God’s new name, and they were raptured before God’s throne. All who pray and call upon the name of Almighty God and eat and drink of Almighty God's words are raptured before God’s throne to be judged and purified by Almighty God’s words. In the end, they will attain the truth, overcome the influences of Satan, and God will gain and perfect them. These people are the true overcomers. It’s clear that God Himself will do the work of making overcomers in the last days. No one can replace Him.

What is engaging in religious ceremony?

Relevant Words of God:

A normal spiritual life is not limited to prayer, song, church life, eating and drinking the words of God, and other such practices, but it means to live a spiritual life that is fresh and lively. It’s not about the method, but the result. Most people think that in order to have a normal spiritual life one must pray, sing, eat and drink the words of God, or try to figure out the words of God. No matter whether there is any result, or whether there is a true understanding, these people just focus on going through the motions on the outside, and do not focus on the result—they are people living within the rituals of religion, and are not people living within the church, and even less are they people of the kingdom. This kind of person’s prayers, songs, and eating and drinking of the words of God are all abiding by the rules, they are compelled to do them, and they are done in keeping with trends; they are not done willingly or done from the heart. No matter how much these people pray or sing, there will be no result at all, because all they practice are religious rules and rituals, and they are not practicing the word of God. By only focusing on the method, and taking the words of God as rules to keep, this kind of person is not practicing the word of God, but is satisfying the flesh, and is doing things to show off to others. This kind of religious ritual and rule comes from man, not from God. God does not keep rules, does not abide by any laws; He does new things every day and He does practical work. Like the people in the Three-Self Church who are limited to daily morning watch, evening prayers, giving thanks before meals, expressing thanks in everything, and other such practices, no matter how much these people do, or how long they practice, they will not have the work of the Holy Spirit. If people live within rules, with their hearts poured into practice, then the Holy Spirit has no way to work, because people’s hearts are taken up with rules, are taken up with human conceptions; therefore God has no way to do work; people will just always be living under control of the law, and this type of person will never be able to receive the praise of God.

from “Regarding a Normal Spiritual Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh