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!”