Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice”

【126-A-3】

Why do we feel we only like to associate with honest people? Because associating with deceitful people is too dangerous, annoying and disgusting. When you hear deceitful people say something, it’s really disgusting. It puts you off your food. Actually you already know, “When you say this it isn’t sincere, what are you being pretentious about? What are you arguing about? What are you trying to show off? Do you imagine I don’t know what’s in your heart?” So deceitful people can upset you with just a few words, and it’s as though you are boiling over. It’s awful, horrible, as if you’re seeing right through them. And because it’s so awful, disgusting and boring to associate with deceitful people, people don’t enjoy it and don’t associate with them. But as soon as you associate with honest people you find it happy and bright. They say what they think. So you feel light-hearted, happy, excited. You can share openly something in common with them, and this creates a resonance. And you will feel peaceful and pleasurable. This is one side of it: the very real emotional enjoyment and happiness. Furthermore, it is not dangerous no matter how you deal with honest people: they won’t deceive you or cheat you. They certainly won’t harm you. You could happily go out and leave them in your home to look after things. Imagine, you could put your gold ring and gold necklace in a drawer and tell them, “Look after these for me, will you? I am putting them here.” “Fine, don’t worry!” When you come back and check the drawer, the ring and the necklace are gone. “What’s happened?” “They weren’t safe there, I hid them away in a safe place.” You check and there they are. “Fine, you’re more careful than I am!” You see how it is to associate with honest people? You feel secure. If you associate with evil people, if something goes wrong, they will scowl. “This guy is so ferocious, with such a horrifying expression. It’s best not to have anything to do with him. If you just say some small thing wrong and offend him, you don’t know whether he might take out a knife behind your back, and you don’t know what will happen to you. You just can’t associate with such an evil person, it’s like bumping into a poisonous snake!” Isn’t there this kind of feeling? To be with an evil person, first of all you won’t feel secure; secondly, you can’t fathom them out; thirdly, you never know when they will become devilish. It’s just too dangerous to deal with this kind of person. So after having experienced being an honest person for three to five years, or five to six years, you will have the likeness of an honest person, the likeness of mankind. People will like to see you as an honest person. Then won’t you enjoy this? You will. How will you enjoy it? “Now I know what the likeness of a real man is, and what kind of person I should be.” Surely to have insight into this is to understand a mystery of life, right?

Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice”

【126-A-2】

We’ve just read a passage from God’s word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice.” This passage tells people clearly how to experience God’s work and how to fulfill their duty. Now, let’s have a fellowship. Read this first: “Each stage of the Holy Spirit’s work simultaneously requires the testimony of man. Each stage of work is a battle between God and Satan, and the object of the battle is Satan, while the one who will be made perfect by this work is man. Whether or not God’s work can bear fruit depends on the manner of man’s testimony to God. This testimony is what God requires of those who follow Him; it is the testimony made before Satan, and also proof of the effects of His work.” What is this paragraph saying? It’s easy to see the literal meaning of God’s word: God has requirements for those who experience His work. What does He require? He requires you to bear witness once you’ve experienced a step of God’s work. What will the result be if you don’t bear witness? Needless to say, you will definitely be eliminated. Those who bear witness are those who will be gained by God and receive God’s blessing. It is extremely important that people bear witness during every step of work done and it should not be treated as a trifling matter; but if people don’t pay attention, does this show they are heartless? God requires people to bear witness during every step of His work, but what exactly does it mean to bear witness? Someone once said: “It means fulfilling my duty, and fulfilling it in every step of the work done; that’s what it means to bear witness.” Is this right? It’s good, but not complete, though you can say that the response is correct. Why is it said that it’s correct? What is the basis for determining whether or not one’s performing duty is bearing witness? It’s based on whether one fulfills their duty adequately. Fulfilling your duties adequately; that is bearing witness. Like when someone says, “When I fulfill my duties well, is that not bearing witness?” This sounds absolutely correct! Fulfilling one’s duty well is bearing witness. But what is the standard for “fulfilling one’s duty well”? Does it mean to fulfill one’s duty adequately? When you fulfill your duty, and do so adequately, that is bearing witness. Someone might ask if doing good deeds had any relationship to bearing witness. Doing good deeds is a part of bearing witness. Aren’t most of the good deeds man does part of duties they should fulfill? You can say that good deeds are the duties that one should fulfill; the more good deeds one does, the more of their duty they fulfill, and their testimony will resonate. If someone fulfills their duty only in one aspect, does that mean they’ve done many good deeds? If they fulfill their duty in one aspect without accomplishing any other good deeds, is their testimony bright and resounding? This does not meet the standard!

3. The True Meaning of Service and the Duties of Workers

The true meaning of service is to exalt God, to bear witness to God, and to do God’s will. It is that simple, but to truly perform service is not easy. All those church leaders were eliminated in the past because they did not carry out such service and they were despised and proscribed by God. They exalted themselves, bore witness to themselves, firmly established their own authority making others acknowledge them and obey them, achieving the aim of acting tyrannically. These people are mean little men who have lost their conscience and reason. Of course, in spite of themselves, they understand principles but they do not act on them. It is obvious that their humanity is too bad. If they had had the slightest humanity, they would not have come to such a final outcome of being eliminated after having undergone so much pruning and dealing. Truly exalting God and bearing witness to God enables man to worship God in the highest, to magnify God and to submit under God’s dominion, making men know God and worship God, allowing God to be glorified. Doing God’s will means to bring men before God so that they can be completely obtained by Him, and it is only by attaining this outcome that service is in accord with God’s will. It was often communicated in the past that service to God means leading man to know God, and by taking the opportunity to exalt God, and to bear witness to God, man is led before God and able to submit to God, and to know and love God. If anyone’s service has reached this outcome, then his service is qualified, while the service of those which cannot reach this outcome is unqualified. Should anyone exalt himself and bear witness to himself in his service so that others are submitting to him and do not know God, he is an antichrist. This is absolutely right, and this is the state of things. It has subsequently come to light that the service of some people is of this kind. They are always concerned about the state of their personal prestige, and if they perceive that no one is attaching much importance to them or paying them much heed, they are discomfited and view the matter as particularly grave. They believe that if they cannot resolve this problem they will have no means of doing their work and therefore they display death-defying determination to bring others under their control and establish their individual prestige. This is how work is performed when man’s life disposition has not changed. Even though from the outside they treat God quite kindly, their essence is still disobedient. To resolve the question of submission to God, one needs to commence with understanding the truth and resolve the question of changing their disposition. They should not first resolve the problem of their own prestige as this is too selfish. It is important that they be considerate of God’s intentions because God wants to obtain men, and it is God that man believes in. God asks man to exalt Him in order to resolve the question of man’s submission to God, and of man knowing God. It is not in order to resolve the question of whether or not people are taking heed of you. Some people always complain, asking why others don’t listen to them. First, they have not grasped the essence of the problem. Secondly, because they do not know God, they do not have the truth. Thirdly, in the way they go about things they have lost their reason and do not have humanity. Therefore, no one pays them any heed. If your communication truly has achievements in respect of others’ life, and it truly enables them to know God, submit to God, and have a path to practice, then others will immediately like you and respect you, and be willing to open up their hearts to communicate with you, and to do as you say. This is absolute, and my understanding is very profound.

2. Practicing the Truth and the Duties One Should Do

Most people now are basically clear regarding the question of what after all we should obtain from our faith in God, namely we obtain from God the truth, the way, and the life. On the two occasions that He was God incarnate, God said that He is the truth, the way, and the life. This also explains that God’s intention and the aim of God’s work is to confer upon man the truth, the way, and the life. Regardless of the manner in which God conducts His work, men are able to obtain from God the truth, the way, and the life. What is the relationship between the truth, the way, and the life? We may put it this way, the truth is the life, and it is the path that man ought to follow. Once he obtains the truth, he also has life, and he has a path for his life. Once he obtains the truth, all is resolved. These three things are in fact one thing that is explained from three aspects, God is the truth and He is also the life and the way. These three aspects are three major aspects that ought to be resolved through man’s belief in God. Once these three questions are resolved, the important questions in the life of man are resolved. We obtain life once we have the truth, and the truth itself is also the way. When we have the life, our lives are resolved, and when we have life, the fundamental questions of man are resolved. This is precisely the entire work of God’s salvation of man, and it is a simple and generalized way of explaining it.

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.

Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life”

124-A-1

Let’s first read a passage of God’s words, “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life.”

Not just anyone can possess the way of life, nor can every single person easily obtain it. That is because life can only come from God, which is to say, only God Himself possesses the substance of life, and only God Himself has the way of life.

1. What Is the Work of Managing Mankind?

Relevant Words of God:

The work of managing mankind is divided into three stages, which means that the work of saving mankind is divided into three stages. These three stages do not include the work of creating the world, but are rather the three stages of the work of the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. The work of creating the world was the work of producing the whole of mankind. It was not the work of saving mankind, and bears no relation to the work of saving mankind, for when the world was created mankind had not been corrupted by Satan, and so there was no need to carry out the work of mankind’s salvation. The work of saving mankind only began when mankind had been corrupted by Satan, and so the work of managing mankind also only began when mankind had been corrupted. In other words, God’s management of man began as a result of the work of saving mankind, and did not arise from the work of creating the world. It was only after mankind acquired a corrupt disposition that the work of management came into existence, and so the work of managing mankind includes three parts, rather than four stages, or four ages. Only this is the correct way to refer to God’s management of mankind. When the final age comes to a close, the work of managing mankind will have come to a complete end. The conclusion of the work of management means that the work of saving all mankind has been completely finished, and that mankind has reached his journey’s end. Without the work of saving all mankind, the work of managing mankind would not exist, nor would there be the three stages of work. It was precisely because of mankind’s depravity, and because mankind was in such urgent need of salvation, that Jehovah concluded the creation of the world and began the work of the Age of Law. Only then did the work of managing mankind begin, which means that only then did the work of saving mankind begin. “Managing mankind” does not mean guiding the life of mankind, newly created, on earth (which is to say, a mankind that had yet to be corrupted). Rather, it is the salvation of a mankind that has been corrupted by Satan, which is to say, it is to transform this corrupt mankind. This is the meaning of managing mankind. The work of saving mankind does not include the work of creating the world, and so the work of managing mankind does not include the work of creating the world, and only includes three stages of work that are separate from the world’s creation. To understand the work of managing mankind, it is necessary to be aware of the history of the three stages of work—this is what everyone must be aware of in order to be saved.

from “Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

2. Why Is God Called by Different Names in Different Ages?

Relevant Words of God:

In every age in which God personally does His own work, He uses a name that befits the age in order to encapsulate the work that He intends to do. He uses this particular name, one that possesses temporal significance, to represent His disposition in that age. This is God using the language of mankind to express His own disposition.

from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

1. Why Does God Take Names, and Can One Name Represent the Entirety of God?

Relevant Words of God:

You should know that God originally had no name. He only took on one, or two, or many names because He had work to do and had to manage mankind. Whatever name He is called by—did He not freely choose it Himself? Would He need you—one of His creatures—to decide it? The name by which God is called is a name that accords with what man is capable of apprehending, with the language of mankind, but this name is not something that man can encompass.

from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

2. Almighty God Is the Returned Lord Jesus

Relevant Words of God:

After the work of Jehovah, Jesus became flesh to do His work amongst man. His work was not carried out in isolation, but built upon the work of Jehovah. It was work for a new age after God had concluded the Age of Law. Similarly, after the work of Jesus ended, God still continued His work for the next age, because the entire management of God is always progressing forward. When the old age passes, it will be replaced by a new age, and once the old work has been completed, a new work will continue the management of God. This incarnation is God’s second incarnation following the completion of Jesus’ work. Of course, this incarnation does not occur independently, but is the third stage of work after the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. Each new stage of God’s work always brings a new beginning and a new age. So too are there corresponding changes in the disposition of God, in His way of working, in the location of His work, and in His name. No wonder, then, that it is difficult for man to accept the work of God in the new age. But regardless of how He is opposed by man, God is always doing His work, and is always leading the whole of mankind forward. When Jesus came into the world of man, He brought the Age of Grace and ended the Age of Law. During the last days, God once more became flesh, and when He became flesh this time, He ended the Age of Grace and brought the Age of Kingdom. All those who accept the second incarnation of God will be led into the Age of Kingdom, and be able to personally accept the guidance of God. Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

1. Almighty God Is the One True God Who Rules Over All Things

Relevant Words of God:

Everything of this world swiftly changes with the Almighty’s thoughts and beneath His eyes. Things mankind has never heard of suddenly arrive, whereas things that mankind has long possessed unknowingly slip away. No one can fathom the Almighty’s whereabouts, much less can anyone sense the transcendence and greatness of the Almighty’s life force. He is transcendent in that He can perceive what humans cannot. He is great in that He is the One who is forsaken by mankind and yet saves mankind. He knows the meaning of life and death, and more than that, He knows what rules are appropriate for governing the existence of the mankind that He created. He is the foundation of human existence, and He is the Redeemer who resurrects mankind.

from “The Sighing of the Almighty” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind

As members of the human race and devout Christians, it is the responsibility and obligation of us all to offer up our mind and body for the fulfillment of God’s commission, for our entire being came from God, and it exists thanks to the sovereignty of God. If our minds and bodies are not for God’s commission and not for the righteous cause of mankind, then our souls will be unworthy of those who were martyred for God’s commission, much more unworthy of God, who has provided us with everything.

The Appearance of God Has Ushered in a New Age

God’s six-thousand-year plan of management is coming to an end, and the gate of the kingdom has already been opened to all those who seek His appearance. Dear brothers and sisters, what are you waiting for? What is it that you seek? Are you waiting for God to appear? Are you searching for His footprints? How one yearns for the appearance of God! And how difficult it is to find God’s footprints! In an age such as this, in a world such as this, what must we do to witness the day on which God appears? What must we do to keep pace with the footsteps of God? Questions of this kind are faced by all those who are waiting for God to appear. You have all considered them on more than one occasion—but with what outcome? Where does God appear? Where are God’s footprints? Have you got the answer? Many people would reply in this way: God appears among all those who follow Him and His footprints are in our midst; it’s that simple! Anyone can provide a formulaic answer, but do you understand what is meant by the appearance of God or His footprints? The appearance of God refers to His arrival on earth to do His work in person. With His own identity and disposition, and in the way that is innate to Him, He descends into mankind to conduct the work of initiating an age and ending an age. This kind of appearance is not a form of ceremony. It is not a sign, a picture, a miracle, or some kind of a grand vision, and even less is it a kind of religious process. It is a real and actual fact that can be touched and beheld by anyone. This kind of appearance is not for the sake of going through the motions, or for the sake of a short-term undertaking; it is, rather, for the sake of a stage of work in His management plan. The appearance of God is always meaningful and always bears some relation to His management plan. What is called “appearance” here is completely different from the kind of “appearance” in which God guides, leads, and enlightens man. God carries out a stage of His great work each time He reveals Himself. This work is different from that of any other age. It is unimaginable to man, and has never been experienced by man. It is work that starts a new age and concludes the old age, and it is a new and improved form of work for the salvation of mankind; moreover, it is work that brings mankind into the new age. This is what the appearance of God signifies.

Only He Who Experiences the Work of God Truly Believes in God

Though many people believe in God, few understand what faith in God means, and what they must do to be after God’s heart. This is because, though people are familiar with the word “God” and phrases such as “the work of God,” they do not know God, much less do they know His work. No wonder, then, that all those who do not know God are possessed of a muddled belief. People do not take belief in God seriously because believing in God is too unfamiliar, too strange for them. In this way, they fall short of the demands of God. In other words, if people do not know God, do not know His work, then they are not fit for God’s use, much less can they fulfill the desire of God. “Belief in God” means believing that there is a God; this is the simplest concept of faith in God. What’s more, believing that there is a God is not the same as truly believing in God; rather, it is a kind of simple faith with strong religious overtones. True faith in God means experiencing the words and work of God based on a belief that God holds sovereignty over all things. So you shall be freed of your corrupt disposition, shall fulfill the desire of God, and shall come to know God. Only through such a journey can you be said to believe in God. Yet people often see belief in God as something very simple and frivolous. The belief of such people is meaningless and shall never gain the approval of God, because they tread the wrong path. Today, there are still those who believe in God in letters, in hollow doctrines. They are unaware that their belief in God has no substance, and that they are unable to gain the approval of God, and they still pray for peace and sufficient grace from God. We should stop and ask ourselves: Could believing in God really be the easiest thing on earth? Does believing in God mean nothing more than receiving much grace from God? Can people who believe in God but do not know Him, and believe in God yet oppose Him, really fulfill the desire of God?

7. Believers in God Should Prepare for Their Destination With Sufficient Good Deeds

Relevant Words of God:

My mercy is expressed upon those who love Me and deny themselves. And the punishment visited upon the wicked is precisely proof of My righteous disposition and, even more, testimony to My wrath. When disaster comes, famine and plague will befall all those who oppose Me and they will weep. Those who have committed all manner of wickedness, but who have followed Me for many years, will not escape paying for their sins; they too, falling into disaster, the like of which has seldom been seen throughout millions of years, will come to live in a constant state of panic and fear. And those of My followers who have shown loyalty to Me alone shall rejoice and applaud My might. They will experience ineffable contentment and live in a joy that I have never before bestowed upon mankind. For I treasure the good deeds of men and abhor their evil deeds. Since I first began to lead mankind, I have been eagerly hoping to gain a group of men of the same mind with Me. I have never forgotten those who are not of the same mind with Me; I have held them with loathing in My heart, awaiting only the opportunity to visit My retribution on them, which will give Me relish to see. My day has finally come today, and I need no longer wait!

6. The Meaning of Suffering and What Kind of Suffering Believers of God Must Bear

Relevant Words of God:

Today, most people don’t have that knowledge. They believe that suffering is without value, they are renounced by the world, their home life is troubled, they are not beloved of God, and their prospects are bleak. The suffering of some people reaches a certain point, and their thoughts turn to death. This is not the true love of God; such people are cowards, they have no perseverance, they are weak and powerless! God is eager for man to love Him, but the more man loves Him, the greater man’s suffering, and the more man loves Him, the greater man’s trials. If you love Him, then every kind of suffering will befall you—and if you don’t, then perhaps everything will go smoothly for you, and all will be peaceful around you. When you love God, you will feel that much around you is insurmountable, and because your stature is too small you will be refined; moreover, you are incapable of satisfying God, and you will always feel that God’s will is too lofty, that it is beyond the reach of man. Because of all this you will be refined—because there is much weakness within you, and much that is incapable of satisfying the will of God, you will be refined inside. Yet you must clearly see that purification is only achieved through refinement. … Only after experiencing hardship and refinement does man know that God is lovely. Having experienced up until today, it can be said that man has come to know part of God’s loveliness—but this is still not enough, because man is so lacking. He must experience more of God’s wondrous work, and more of all the refinement of suffering set out by God. Only then can man’s life disposition be changed.

from “Only by Experiencing Painful Trials Can You Know the Loveliness of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Why Are People Unable to Get Rid of Sin Even After Receiving the Salvation of the Cross?

By Xuesong

The cross was a torture device used for capital punishment in ancient times. After the Lord Jesus, who was free from sin, sacrificed Himself as a sin offering and was crucified for mankind, the cross came to symbolize the Lord Jesus’s redemptive grace. When we receive His salvation and come before the Lord to confess our sins and repent, our sins are forgiven. That is, the Lord no longer views us as sinful. As such, many of our brothers and sisters believe that receiving the salvation of the cross means they have already been saved, which means they have already been gained by God and when the Lord returns they will be caught up directly into the kingdom of heaven. However, has anyone stopped to question whether this line of thinking is commensurate with the Lord’s word? It’s true that we have received the salvation of the cross, but it’s also undeniable that we still often sin. Will people such as us really be caught up directly into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns?

Christian Reflection: Can We Really Receive the Returned Lord by Waiting for Him to Reveal Himself?

By Tian Yuan

Editor’s Note: In chapter 22 of Revelation, the Lord Jesus prophesies a few times, “I come quickly.” It’s certain that every brother and sister who sincerely believes in the Lord hopes to be able to receive the returned Lord Jesus and dine with Him at the wedding banquet. So, what should we do to be ready to receive the returned Lord? Read the following to discover the answer.

Spiritual Warfare: A Septuagenarian Christian’s Joys and Sorrows Dealing With Her Family’s Resistance

By Jinbu, South Korea

A Septuagenarian Welcomes the Lord’s Return

I turned 74 this year. I used to be a member of the Three-Self Church in China, but after my husband passed away I came to South Korea to live with my daughter and her husband. I kept trying to find a church here that possessed the work of the Holy Spirit, but I discovered that the pastors and elders always preached on the same old things and I didn’t gain the least bit of spiritual sustenance. I was feeling really discouraged.

Testimony of Faith: How to Overcome the Temptations of Satan (Part 2)

By Geng Xin

Though when I was tempted this time, I had understood God’s will and not been caught out by Satan’s deceitful scheme, Satan was not quite done yet. Not long after, Satan began to attack me once again.

Testimony of Faith: How to Overcome the Temptations of Satan (Part 1)

By Geng Xin

Editor’s Note: The Bible records, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is incredibly insidious, evil and treacherous. It does not want us to attain God’s salvation and so it frequently enacts its deceitful schemes against us in an attempt to make us shun God and betray God, so it can then devour our souls. When we are attacked by Satan’s temptations, how should we deal with them? I trust that Brother Geng Xin’s experiences will allow you to reap some benefit.

Embroiled in a Spiritual Battle, I Relied on God and Overcame the Temptations of Satan (Part 2)

By Hu Yang, France

The CCP’s Lies Are Revealed and I Steadfastly Follow the Path of Belief in God

Through reading God’s words and listening to Sister Feng’s fellowship, I came to have some discernment about the deceitful schemes of Satan that lurked behind my husband’s attempts to stop me from believing in God. Sister Feng then said to me, “Sister, although your husband has promised not to try to force you to give up your belief anymore, this does not mean that he won’t oppose your belief in God again in the future. Because he has no discernment of the essence of these lies, you must help him with love to discern them, make him see the malicious intent behind the CCP’s lies and enable him to see through Satan’s deceitful schemes!”

Embroiled in a Spiritual Battle, I Relied on God and Overcame the Temptations of Satan (Part 1)

By Hu Yang, France

In late May 2018, I was fortunate enough to hear the last days gospel of Almighty God. By reading Almighty God’s words and listening to fellowships given by the brothers and sisters, I became aware of the factual truth of mankind’s corruption by Satan, God’s six-thousand-year management plan to save mankind and the aim of God’s three stages of work. I also came to understand how one can enter into the heavenly kingdom and the future destination and end for mankind, as well as other truths. After a period of seeking and investigating, I became absolutely certain that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned, after which I actively attended our church gatherings. As I read more and more of God’s words, I came to some understanding of the painstaking efforts God goes to to save mankind, and I wanted to spread the gospel to my husband so that he too could soon receive God’s salvation of the last days. Unexpectedly, on the afternoon on which I had arranged with my church sisters to preach the gospel to my husband, something happened which I could never have foreseen …

Spiritual Battle: By Discernment of Sayings on the Internet, I Was Able to Receive the Returned Lord (Part 2)

By William, United States

Why Does the CCP Spread Rumors Condemning The Church of Almighty God?

Later, I saw Xiaoyi in the film say, “Why is it that the CCP maintains our church is an outfit of man? Why hasn’t it said a word about the incarnate God? Why hasn’t it said a thing about the book The Word Appears in the Flesh? Why is that? What the CCP fears most is the truth expressed by Almighty God, because the CCP knows all Almighty God followers accepted Almighty God after they carefully read the book, The Word Appears in the Flesh. So the CCP distracts people’s attention by saying that The Church of Almighty God was really created by man. It intentionally hides the appearance of Almighty God, Christ of the last days, so that people will pay attention to this person. The government does this to stop people from believing in and following God. This is in fact its real purpose. The CCP distorts the facts and claims the church where God appears to work is an outfit of man. This is the CCP’s excuse for persecuting and suppressing God’s church. The CCP is so cunning and so vicious!”

Spiritual Battle: By Discernment of Sayings on the Internet, I Was Able to Receive the Returned Lord (Part 1)

By William, United States

In today’s era of highly developed information networks, many people have their own preferred websites they trust for information, and they use the information from these websites as standards for judging right and wrong and evaluating the correctness of things, but they rarely attempt to discern whether the news they find on these websites and information platforms is true and objective. Once, I had a website that I trusted, and even in the hugely important matter of receiving the returned Lord, I blindly believed various reports and news on the website, which nearly caused me to miss the opportunity to receive the Lord’s return. Thanks be to the Lord for guiding me again and again at the crucial moments, so that I could receive the Lord’s return!

5. Faith in God Should Not Only Be for Seeking Peace and Blessings

Relevant Words of God:

Man’s belief in God is not solely for salvation of the soul and welfare of the flesh, nor is it to enrich his life through love of God, and so on. As it stands, if you love God for the sake of welfare of the flesh or momentary pleasure, then even if, in the end, your love for God reaches its peak and you ask for nothing, this love you seek is still an impure love and not pleasing to God. Those who use love for God to enrich their dull lives and fill a void in their heart are those who seek to live in ease, not those who truly seek to love God. This kind of love is against one’s will, a pursuit of emotional pleasure, and God does not need this kind of love. What kind, then, is a love such as yours? For what do you love God? How much true love do you have for God now? The love of most among you is as previously mentioned. This kind of love can only maintain the status quo; it cannot attain eternal constancy, nor take root in man. This kind of love is that of a flower which bears no fruit after it has bloomed then withered. In other words, after you have loved God once in such a way and there is no one to lead you on the path ahead, then you will fall. If you can only love God in the times of loving God and you make no changes to your life disposition afterward, then you will continue to be shrouded by the influence of darkness, unable to escape, and still unable to break free from being bound and fooled by Satan. No such man can be fully gained by God; in the end, their spirit, soul, and body will still belong to Satan. This is unquestionable. All those who cannot be fully gained by God will return to their original place, that is, back to Satan, and they will go down to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone to accept the next step of punishment from God. Those gained by God are those who rebel against Satan and escape from its domain. Such men will be officially numbered among the people of the kingdom. This is how the people of the kingdom come to be.

from “What Viewpoint Believers Ought to Hold” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

4. The Saintly Decency Believers of God Should Possess

Relevant Words of God:

What is included within normal humanity? Insight, sense, conscience, and character. If you can achieve normality in each of these respects, your humanity is up to standard. You should have the likeness of a normal human being and behave like a believer in God. You don’t have to achieve great heights or engage in diplomacy. You just have to be a normal human being, with a normal person’s sense, be able to see through things, and at least look like a normal human being. That will be enough. … In accordance with the caliber of you people, you should at least be able to speak with wisdom and tact and explain things clearly. It is then that you meet the requirements. At the very least, insight and sense should be attained. At present the main thing is to cast off the corrupt satanic disposition. You must cast off the ugliness you express. If you have not cast these off, how can you touch upon supreme sense and insight? A lot of people see that the age has changed, so they don’t exercise any humility or patience, and they might as well not have any love or saintly decency either. These people are too absurd! Do they have an ounce of normal humanity? Do they have any testimony to speak of? They don’t have any insight and sense whatsoever. Of course, some aspects of people’s practice that are deviant and erroneous need to be corrected. Like people’s rigid spiritual life of the past or their appearance of numbness and imbecility—all of these things have to change. Change doesn’t mean letting you be dissolute or indulge in the flesh, saying whatever you want. Speaking carelessly cannot do. Behaving like a normal human being is to speak with coherence. Yes means yes, no means no. Be true to the facts and speak appropriately. Don’t cheat, don’t lie.

from “Improving Caliber Is for Receiving God’s Salvation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

3. In Believing in God, You Should Establish a Normal Relationship With God

Relevant Words of God:

In believing in God, you must at least resolve the issue of having a normal relationship with God. Without a normal relationship with God, then the significance in believing in God is lost. Establishing a normal relationship with God is entirely attained through quieting your heart in God’s presence. A normal relationship with God means being able to not doubt or deny any of God’s work and submit to it, and furthermore it means having the right intentions in the presence of God, not thinking of yourself, always having the interests of God’s family as the most important thing no matter what you are doing, accepting God’s observation, and submitting to God’s arrangements. You are able to quiet your heart in God’s presence whenever you do anything; even if you do not understand God’s will, you must still fulfill your duties and responsibilities to the best of your ability. It is not too late to wait for God’s will to be revealed to you and then put this into practice. When your relationship with God has become normal, then you will also have a normal relationship with people. Everything is established on the foundation of God’s words. Through eating and drinking the words of God, practice in accordance with God’s requirements, put your viewpoints right, and do not do things that resist God or disturb the church. Do not do things that do not benefit the lives of the brothers and sisters, do not say things that do not contribute to other people, do not do shameful things. Be just and honorable when doing all things and make them presentable before God. Even though the flesh is weak sometimes, you are able to attach the highest importance to benefiting God’s family, not covet your own benefits, and carry out righteousness. If you can practice in this way, your relationship with God will be normal.

from “How Is Your Relationship With God?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

2019 Inspirational Devotion: What Is Entering Into Rest?

By Zhongcheng

The Origin of Rest

It is recorded in the Bible, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:2–3). In the beginning, God used six days to create the heavens, the earth, and all things within, and on the seventh day, when the work of creation was complete, He rested. God created the ancestors of mankind, Adam and Eve, placed them in the Garden of Eden, and told them to keep His rules. Adam and Eve listened to God, obeyed Him, and lived under God’s care and protection. They suffered no illness or pain, and had no troubles or anxieties. They lived carefree lives in the garden, and enjoyed their rest with God.

The Last Days Are Here: Are You Prepared to Meet God?

By Zhou Jing

One day I saw a lively discussion online; people were saying that four blood moons appearing at night in the Western hemisphere is a warning of the end times, and that major earthquakes are becoming more frequent across the entire globe. I thought to myself, “The four blood moons have already happened, celestial phenomena have appeared, disasters are occurring frequently all over the world, terrorist incidents are increasing, wars are constantly breaking out…. All the signs show that the prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically been fulfilled, so why haven’t I seen Him coming down on a cloud to meet us? Is it that the Lord hasn’t returned yet or that He has returned, but I haven’t seen Him? How can I welcome His return?” This confusion wound itself around my heart leaving me baffled. Trying to get some clarity on this issue, I started praying and praying to the Lord, asking for Him to enlighten and guide me so that I’ll be able to welcome His return and not be cast out by Him.