A Blade of Grass That Grows Among Thorns

A Blade of Grass That Grows Among Thorns

Yixin    Singapore

Editors’ note:

Yixin, a kind and caring beautician, came to Singapore from China. Under the Lord’s protection, she had a secure job and led a happy and steady life. Later, she heard the news about the Lord’s return. Unexpectedly, during the process of her investigation, she was paid attention to by her company and pastor. She was once afraid of a rupture with others and the loss of her job. However, God’s words led her. Depending on the guidance of God’s words, she saw clearly what came from Satan and what came from God in the hindrance and attack from her pastor and fellow believers. She understood many aspects of truths and grew gradually amid attacks and threats, ultimately solidifying her will to follow God all her life. Here is the inspiring experience she narrated.

A Sister of My Original Church Knew That I Was Investigating the Work of God in the Last Days

In November of 2016, I made the acquaintance of people in the Church of Almighty God on Facebook, a brother named Lin Quan, two sisters called Zhang Hua and Xiaoxiao. They fellowshiped and bore witness to me about God’s work in the last days combining with the prophecies in the Bible. Through their fellowship and testimony, I got to know that Almighty God has done a stage of work of judgment and purification with the word based upon the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus. In the last days, God intends to completely save man from the domain of Satan through judgment, allow man to break away from Satan’s influence, stopping disobeying Him and resisting Him and becoming someone truly obedient to Him. From Almighty God’s words, I also came to understand that God will separate wheat from tares, sheep from goats through judgment so that man shall be classified according to kind. Through Almighty God’s words and the testimonies of the brothers and sisters, I realized that Almighty God is exactly the coming of the Lord Jesus whom I longed for. I was willing to accept His work in the last days.

One day, Sister Zhu of my original denomination suddenly asked what I was up to recently. Then I told her my investigation on Almighty God’s work in the last days. Upon hearing the Church of Almighty God, she began to slander the Church and blaspheme Almighty God by repeating many online rumors and words of condemnation of God. She also advised me not to contact the people of the Church of Almighty God. I said, “I have engaged with those brothers and sisters for a while and felt good to communicate with them. They are different from what you said. What’s more, Almighty God’s words are very practical and easy to understand and remember. They can supply man and be the bread of life and show man the way to practice, giving me much more than the pastor’s sermons.” Seeing my determined attitude, she quit trying to persuade me but asked me whether to tell my investigation on the work of Almighty God in the last days to Sister Yun, who preached the Lord’s gospel to us. I answered, “No. There are still many things I don’t understand. I will tell everyone when I fully verify it.” She promised me not to speak to Sister Yun until I was clear about it.

My Investigation on God’s Work in the Last Days Was Given Away and I Was Attacked by My Boss

Against all expectations, five days later, my boss found me and said, “Yixin, Sister Yun asked me to pray for you. Although I don’t know how to pray, I will try my best….” Upon hearing these words, I realized that Sister Zhu had told Sister Yun my investigation on Almighty God’s work of the last days. Such behavior of hers was so immoral and full of deceit and betrayal to me, making me feel that even brothers and sisters in the Lord were untrustworthy…. As I thought of this, my boss, without asking me the ins and outs, accused me of not believing in the Lord properly and going astray in the presence of over ten people in the company. She also spoke many words resisting Almighty God and condemning the Church of Almighty God. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t know what to do, with a very awful feeling. So I prayed silently, “O Lord! Why did they say those words of resistance and condemnation without investigation? How could they put so much trust in the online rumors? O Lord! What should I do? Am I really wrong? O Lord! I wish for You to protect me. I don’t know what to do….”

Almighty God Guided Me to See Through Satan’s Plot

Later, I told Brother Lin Quan what happened to me. He sent me some God’s words, “Satan is constantly devouring the knowledge that men hold of Me in their hearts, and constantly, with teeth bared and claws unsheathed, engaged in the last throes of its death struggle. Do you wish to be captured by its deceitful stratagems at this moment? Do you wish, at the moment that the last phase of My work is completed, to cut off your own life? Surely you are not still waiting for Me to dispense My leniency one more time? Seeking to know Me is the key thing, but neither should you neglect to pay attention to actual practice. I am revealing insights to you directly in My words, in hopes that you will be able to submit to My guidance …” (“The Sixth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). And “When God is working in the flesh, He is actually doing battle with Satan in the flesh. When He works in the flesh, He is doing His work in the spiritual realm, and makes the whole of His work in the spiritual realm real on earth” (“Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Brother Lin told me, “God’s words make us understand that it is a spiritual battle and that Satan’s harassment has come upon you. God incarnate expresses words for man to know Him, His work and His disposition so as to save them. While Satan follows on the heels of God to disturb and disrupt God’s work, deny God’s work and Christ, and reject the truth so as to hinder man’s return to God. The Bible says, ‘And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not’ (John 1:5). ‘He came to his own, and his own received him not’ (John 1:11). When the Lord Jesus came to do His work, the leaders of Judaism, like the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, not only rejected Him but also became Satan’s servants, making every effort to defy His work. They mainly used the means of creating rumors and giving false testimonies to oppose God. For example, they slandered and blasphemed the Lord Jesus, saying that He drove demons out by the prince of the devils. They also framed Him for perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar. What’s more, after the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, they even bribed the soldiers to give the false testimony that the body of the Lord Jesus was stolen by His disciples. It is even recorded in the books other than the Bible that the Lord Jesus was an illegitimate son. In the last days when God carries out His new work, the CCP government fabricates numerous rumors in order to establish an atheistic place in China, and many pastors and elders in the religious world give lots of false testimonies for the sake of maintaining their status and jobs. So that people might be blinded, frightened, and hindered from investigating and accepting God’s new work. Therefore, we must see clearly that the atheist CCP government is the enemy of God, that the pastors, elders and the wicked who prevent man from investigating God’s work of the last days are the Pharisees of modern times, and that the online rumors are Satan’s schemes. Only in this way can we stand at God’s side in this spiritual struggle, without being taken captive by Satan….”

Brother Lin’s fellowship allowed me to know the root cause of the rumors. None of the people who attacked me had investigated Almighty God’s work of the last days before resisting it. They got really carried away with those rumors. Wise people would draw a conclusion after investigation. However, since belief in God was a serious matter, I feared taking a wrong path and had some misgivings. After I got home from work, I prayed to the Lord in tears, “O Lord! You are the God who observes the depths of man’s heart. You once guided me when I was most in need, making me happy and joyful. O Lord! I am very bewildered right now. May You guide and lead me. O Lord! Today I won’t listen to others and follow the crowd. I am willing to act in harmony with Your will.” As I was sleeping that night, without knowing the time, I felt in a daze that something was pressing on me. I wanted to open my eyes but failed and my struggling was in vain. I shouted hurriedly, “Lord Jesus, save me!” But it was useless although I had shouted twice. I was very fearful and was at a loss what to do. Suddenly I thought of Almighty God. So I cried out “Almighty God” twice and then I woke up. I was seized by panic and it was quite a while before I recovered. I thought to myself: Why was it useful to cry out to Almighty God while calling out to the Lord Jesus was not? At that time, I remembered Brother Lin’s fellowship: Almighty God has come and continued the work of the Lord Jesus. He has ushered in a new age and concluded the old by the name of Almighty God. Because there is one name for each age, the Holy Spirit upholds His new name in the new age. Now it is the last days. Almighty God set about His work in 1991. So, God only answers our prayers when we pray in the name of Almighty God. Only then did I realize that what happened just now was not accidental, but the confirmation given by God after He heard my prayer. Thanks be to the Lord! Thus, I had confidence to face the attacks from my boss and my colleagues.

I Was Again Attacked Because I Persisted in Believing in Almighty God

When I was at work the next day, my boss again criticized me in front of all the employees, saying that I was walking the wrong path. She also spoke very harsh words to blaspheme God. I was indignant at those words and asked her, “What is evil? We all believe in God. Why do you condemn others in this way?” After saying this, I stormed away. A few minutes later, my boss came for me and blamed me for losing my temper with her. I said, “I did not mean to get mad. But you shouldn’t have said those words. We believers in God should not say the words profaning, resisting or condemning God, which is sinning against God. If you feel I will be detrimental to the company, I can choose to leave. All I want is to believe in God properly. I won’t hurt you or affect the company. You think you mean well. But I’m an adult with rational thinking. Concerning whether Almighty God is the coming of the Lord Jesus, I have sought and investigated it rather than believed it by listening to others casually.” She then asked me if I had read the statements on TV and online. I answered, “Anything negative comes from Satan. What I have seen differs from what you have seen. The Church of Almighty God has never made people do those evil things. Rather, quite the opposite, we’re asked to be good and honest people.” Then she was speechless and left.

A Hymn of God’s Word Gave Me Confidence to Fight

However, from then on, my boss has been freezing me out and even satirizing me in order for me to give up my faith in Almighty God. One day, my boss suddenly told me, “Sister Yun will talk to you when she comes back from her business trip.” At those words, I felt somewhat bad and nervous. It was Sister Yun who spread the Lord’s gospel to me. She was also a VIP client in our beauty salon. If she was offended, it would be hard for me to deal with her and my boss would be unhappy. As the day of Sister Yun coming back approached, I became more nervous and scared. One afternoon, I prayed to God in a VIP room. Just after my prayer, my boss phoned to say, “Sister Yun will come in a moment. Give a facial treatment to her.” Though reluctant, I had no excuse to wriggle out of it. I went to the staff room, listening to hymns of God’s word in order to quiet my heart before God. I listened to the 210th hymn “I Am Determined to Love God”: “… I wish for You to open the eyes of my spirit, I wish for Your Spirit to touch my heart, so that before You I am divested of all passive states, and unconstrained by any person, matter, or thing; my heart I completely lay bare before You, such that my entire being is devoted before You, and You may test me however You wish. Now, I give no thought to my prospects, nor am I bound by death. Using my heart that loves You, I wish to seek the way of life.” God’s words gave me faith. Gradually, my heart calmed down and was at ease. Yes. Whatever others say, I should seek the truth, search for the appearance and work of God and pursue to love Him without the constraint of anyone. How my boss sees or treats me and how my relationship with Sister Yun is going to be rest in God’s palm. Therefore, I got the faith to face all this.

I Triumphed in the Test by Praying to and Depending on God

A few minutes later, Sister Yun arrived. I prayed to God silently, “Almighty God! I am afraid that she will speak words that blaspheme, resist and condemn You…. May You protect and help me.” She started by only talking with me about what she reaped from her business trip to Israel. In the end, however, she asked me in a roundabout way, “In the last days, many false Christs and false prophets have appeared to deceive people….” I said, “Yes. The Lord Jesus indeed reminded us of that. But He also said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). The Lord will lead us onto the right path. We should not only worry about deception from false Christs in the last days, because God has told us that His sheep listen to His voice.” However, she didn’t listen to me at all but kept telling me to be careful of false Christs that appeared in the last days to deceive people. She then spoke negative words about the Church of Almighty God. I ignored her words. Seeing me not respond to her, she no longer said anything. I thanked God for protecting me. As such, I passed this test.

God’s Words Guided Me Again and Gave Me Discernment

Later, my boss was still not pleased about me believing in Almighty God, keeping freezing me out and attacking me in front of my colleagues. During that time, brothers and sisters from the Church of Almighty God constantly fellowshiped and shared with me in order to allow me to understand God’s will. They told me: God gives people freedom of choice and He never forces them, which is His working principle. People volunteer to accept or not accept Almighty God’s work in the last days without being compelled. They also sent me a passage of God’s words, “Now what I set is the exercise for your life to grow, so that your spirit will be acute, your spiritual eyes will be opened and thus you will know what is from God. If it is from God, you will be capable and burdened in your service and be assured in your spirit. If it is not from Me, everything will be empty, and you will gain nothing, feel down in your spirit, lose faith, become distant from Me, and sink into mind. Now, living in the spirit, you can transcend all the worldly things. Living in the mind, you will fall into Satan’s trap and come to a dead end. Now, it is very simple. Look up to Me with your heart, and immediately you will be strong in your spirit and have ways of practice. I will lead you at your every step, and My word will be revealed to you anywhere and anytime. No matter when and where it is and how adverse the environment is, as long as your heart looks up to Me, I will surely let you see clearly, My heart will surely be revealed to you, and you will not get lost when running forward” (“The Thirteenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I gained a bit of knowledge about this passage of God’s words through their fellowship. There was always God’s permission no matter what happened to me. He created such an environment to try me and test me whether or not I had true faith in Him. Meanwhile, God wanted to open the eyes of my spirit so that I could distinguish between what came from God and what came from Satan. God also wished me to learn to rely on and look up to Him in trials because He would be with me to lead, guide, care and protect me.

With the guidance of God’s words and the help of brothers and sisters, I was even more aware of what was the right path. I ascertained that following Almighty God was keeping pace with the footsteps of the Lamb rather than taking the wrong path. Brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God fellowshiped about the truth and God’s will with me, and bore witness to what God has and what God is. They never forced me to believe but allowed me to choose freely. They only communicated with me on God’s will and helped me learn to discern various views. Whereas Sister Yun and my boss kept saying the words of profanity and resistance to God according to the online rumors in order to obstruct me from accepting God’s work of the last days by compulsion. When I didn’t listen to them, they just denounced and took digs at me. This made me thoroughly understand that only what was from Satan would push, attack and force man. Thanks be to God! It was obvious for me that who was from God and who was from Satan.

I Was Attacked and Threatened by the Pastor of My Original Church

I had thought things had come to an end, but something unexpected again happened. One day, I had just finished a beauty treatment for a client when my boss came to take me to the next building. I remembered she was out for a couple of hours, but I didn’t know she was actually talking with Sister Yun and the pastor of my original church in the next building. She didn’t tell me that Sister Yun was waiting for me until when we were almost to the door. I entered and saw that Pastor Liu and his wife and Sister Yun were there. I was a little nervous at that time for I had no idea what they would do. So I prayed to God silently, “Almighty God! They come to me for another talk. I ask You to protect me, help me and give me Your wisdom to respond to them.” About ten minutes later, I was no longer nervous or flustered. I thought to myself: Are they here to force me to leave Almighty God? If I don’t agree, will I lose my job? But I then called to mind that everything was in God’s hand and He would make proper arrangements. I wouldn’t leave Almighty God even if my job was lost. Pastor Liu asked me when I started believing in the Lord and spoke many things about belief in the Lord. Then he asked, “Do you know the Church of Almighty God? Are you still in touch with them? …” He also said many words that blasphemed Almighty God and vilified the Church. I said with some anger, “Why do your knowledge and opinion of the Church of Almighty God conflict with what I’ve learned through contact? We all browsed on the Internet. I saw both negative and positive information. But you started to condemn it without considering the positive or investigating. Is that proper?” Instead of answering me, Pastor Liu said, “The Church of Almighty God develops rapidly and has stolen the lambs from many churches. If you don’t listen to our admonitions and persist in believing in Almighty God, we won’t be courteous to you. We will tell all the brothers and sisters in the church that you have believed in Almighty God and they will think that you want to steal lambs if you go to the church.” He then intimidated me by saying some false testimonies. I wasn’t scared of his words but on the contrary, I asked him with confidence, “Have you seen these things with your own eyes? Are you sure that people in the Church of Almighty God did them? You blindly condemn the Church and blaspheme Almighty God by echoing others’ views without seeking or investigation. Aren’t you the same as the Pharisees who resisted the Lord Jesus?”

I Saw Through the Pastor’s Lie

I continued to ask, “It is prophesied in the Bible that the Lord will be rejected by this generation when He comes again. What does it mean? Is people’s resistance against Almighty God the same as that of the Pharisees against the Lord Jesus? What did the Lord Jesus say when the Pharisees opposed Him? He said, ‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in’ (Matthew 23:13). Why was it that they opposed the Lord Jesus while His disciples followed Him? The Lord Jesus once said that His sheep hear His voice and that He would separate sheep from goats. I haven’t believed in God for a long time and don’t understand the Bible. Pastor Liu, you studied theology. I think you’ll have some answers.” He was incapable of replying to my questions. He only said, “We can obtain everlasting life since we believe in the Lord and have been baptized.” I said, “What? Is it this simple to obtain everlasting life? Does everyone who was baptized in the church treat the Lord with sincerity? There are always sermons to encourage offerings in the church. But the Lord never said giving offerings is love for Him. Then what does it really mean to love the Lord? Please talk about it.” He answered, “Loving the Lord is to read the Bible more and pray more.” At that point, I thought: Although I don’t know what true love for the Lord is, his answer is purely fooling me. The Pharisees read many scriptures and offered a lot of prayers. Could it be said that they loved the Lord? If they did, why did they blaspheme and condemn the Lord and nail Him to the cross? Pastor Liu has no idea at all about what it is to love the Lord. It turns out that having biblical knowledge and theology doesn’t mean understanding the truth. When my thoughts went there, I felt that it was meaningless to argue with him. So I didn’t want to say more. But Pastor Liu still continued, “Do you know they claim that the Lord has returned through incarnation as a female to do His work?” On hearing this question, I said, “What form the Lord takes when He becomes flesh is His own business. We are just small and insignificant men. Can we define the work of God? Men are mere dust before God and cannot even compare with ants. It is not necessary for God to seek our advice about how to perform His work.” Seeing that they did not at all have a heart of seeking and investigating God’s work of the last days, I didn’t want to go on talking with them. At last, I asked, “Have you ever thought that your arrival to the company for me like this would affect my work?” I didn’t expect that Pastor Liu lied to me, “Your boss has no idea about the content of our conversation.” Upon hearing his words, I didn’t say anything but forced a smile. I prayed silently to God in my heart, “Dear God, You have allowed me to see clearly the pastor’s true face. He is full of lies. He spent the whole afternoon talking with my boss. What’s more, since my boss heard it from Sister Yun that I believe in Almighty God, she has got a sharp tongue and kept attacking me. Now the pastor actually tells me that the content of our conversation is unknown to my boss, which is really blatant deceit of me.” I didn’t want to speak to him anymore, and felt like leaving.

Sister Yun’s “Persuasion” and the Pastor’s Warning

Seeing me not want to go on with the conversation, Sister Yun said, “Yixin, you have parents and children. You should think about them.” I said, “My family are all good and safe. I have God’s blessings and guidance when I believe in Almighty God. We will get better and better.” Pastor Liu and Sister Yun suggested making a prayer for me but I refused. Then Pastor Liu warned me by saying, “If you don’t leave the Church of Almighty God, nobody of our church will admit you in the future.” I thought: How does the church look like now? It has become a den of thieves, just like the temple when the Lord Jesus came to do His work. I can’t receive any provision there. There is nothing I cannot bear to part with. I have accepted God’s work in the last days, followed the Lamb’s footsteps, come before God’s throne, being supplied by the living water of life flowing from Christ. The Church of Almighty God is my only true family.

I Saw the Fulfillment of Almighty God’s words

Thanks to God’s mercy. I have gained discernment through the disturbance from the religious force. I saw that the pastor told a pack of lies. What he lived out and what he did totally came from Satan. Besides, the believers in religion deceived each other and were unworthy of trust. The religious circle has lost the work of the Holy Spirit, been completely shrouded by darkness and dominated by Satan. In the meanwhile, I also saw that the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God solve people’s problems and difficulties with God’s words, living under the guidance of God’s words. It is the truth that rules in the Church, it is the word of God that rules, it is the Holy Spirit that rules. The sun shines resplendent here. No wonder Almighty God says, “Now what I set is the exercise for your life to grow, so that your spirit will be acute, your spiritual eyes will be opened and thus you will know what is from God” (“The Thirteenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). After experiencing these words from Almighty God, I’ve recognized that He is as good as His word and that His word shall be accomplished. This is absolute. Almighty God’s words are indeed the truth, and I am even more certain that the Church of Almighty God is the real church and that Almighty God is the Creator who has appeared to work. I am willing to follow Him all my life.

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Penetrating Satan’s Deceptions in Trials

Penetrating Satan’s Deceptions in Trials

Ji Ying

I had never dreamed that I could meet the return of the Lord Jesus during my lifetime, which made me feel immeasurable joy. However, some time after I accepted God’s work of the last days, I was suddenly diagnosed as having prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc. My husband suffered a car accident abruptly. Though there was no bone injury, he could not walk temporarily and needed a week of rest before going to work. After that, my four-year-old son caught a cold all of a sudden, wheezing out of breath. Whenever I saw my child fighting for breath, it really tugged at my heartstrings. I thought: How could those mishaps come upon me in succession? Normally, after accepting God’s work of the last days, I should have remained inside God’s care and protection and such misadventures shouldn’t have come upon me. But why do they happen? Although Sister Yang in the Church of Almighty God communicated with me about God’s words, urging me not to misunderstand God’s intentions, yet I just could not listen to her for I got caught up in diseases. I began to wonder whether Almighty God is really the return of the Lord Jesus. Later, my son got over his cold, but his symptom of gasping for breath still remained, even developed persistent asthma. We spent our days going one doctor visit to the next but my son failed to improve. My heart was in so much pain. I thought: Will my son go on gasping for breath? At that point, my mother-in-law said to me, “A doctor concluded that the kid has a heart attack. I’m afraid he will have difficulty to look for a spouse.” My heart sank after I heard this. I recalled that when I lived in my grandma’s home in my childhood, a woman next door had asthma, wheezed out of breath, and looked aged before turning 40. What’s more, she even was not able to work at all. “Could it be that my son will suffer the same fate? Will he struggle against disease for his whole life?” When I saw his contemporaries growing up healthily while my son suffering illness painfully, I felt tortured inside, not knowing how to get through the rest of our life. I thought of that I did not listen attentively when Sister Yang came to communicate with me last time, but at that moment, I hoped so much she could drop in and communicate with me again to resolve my actual difficulties.

God does observe the depths of man’s heart. He is acquainted with man’s inside needs. Sister Yang came to see me very soon. I let all my sufferings out to her. She said to me in a very calm way, “Sister, we need to penetrate all the deceitful schemes of Satan to avoid being tricked by it. Satan sees that we have accepted God’s work of the last days and gotten the chance for salvation, so it becomes desperate and tries all the ways and means to stop us from worshiping God. Therefore, when illness or other misfortunes suddenly befall us, all of these are Satan’s disturbance. Satan uses these things to play on man,  makes man misunderstand God and doubt Him, and then deny God and go back to its camp, losing the opportunity of God’s salvation. This is Satan’s despicable objective.” After saying this, Sister Yang read two passages of God’s words.

Almighty God says, “Because of God’s incarnation, Satan makes every attempt to accuse and wants to attack God by doing so. However, God does not retreat on that account, and He just speaks among men and works among men, letting men know Him through His incarnate flesh. But Satan becomes irritated, and it also puts in a lot of efforts on God’s people, trying to make them become passive, draw back, and even get lost” (“The Interpretation of the Thirteenth Utterance”  in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “God works, God cares for a person, looks upon a person, and Satan dogs His every step. Whoever God favors, Satan also watches, trailing along behind. If God wants this person, Satan would do everything in its power to obstruct God, using various evil ways to tempt, harass and wreck the work God does in order to achieve its hidden objective. What is its objective? It does not want God to have anyone; it wants all those that God wants, to possess them, control them, to take charge of them so they worship it, so they commit evil acts alongside it. Is this not Satan’s sinister motive? … Satan is at war with God, trailing along behind Him. Its objective is to demolish all the work God wants to do, to possess and control those whom God wants, to completely extinguish those whom God wants. If they are not extinguished, then they come to Satan’s possession to be used by it—this is its objective” (“God Himself, the Unique IV” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh).         

After reading God’s words, Sister Yang continued her fellowship, “Through the revelations of God’s word, we have seen clearly Satan’s evil nature. By the illness, it disturbs our belief in God in order to make us turn away from God, losing God’s care and protection. For those whom God wishes to save, Satan does its utmost to disturb, sows dissension in their relationship with God, schemes to make them misunderstand, complain about, and betray God, and in the end it could devour them. As the Bible recorded, Job was righteous and he feared God. He was a perfect man in God’s eyes. Satan hates people that could fear God and shun evil. So it attacked Job, deprived him of his property and children, and caused sore boils all over his body, to devastate Job in that way and to strike down Job’s faith and loyalty to God with a vain attempt. However, Job stood firm in his testimony in this spiritual war. He not only didn’t complain about God, but on the contrary, he praised God from his heart, saying, “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” So we encountered the trial of sickness, which is a matter in the spiritual realm. If God did not tell us the reality of the spiritual realm, we wouldn’t know what bad things Satan is doing in the spiritual world, nor would we know God’s work. The spiritual battle is becoming more and more intense. If we don’t understand God’s will, nor do we read more of God’s words, we will be likely to fall prey to Satan’s trickery. Thus, we should read and fellowship God’s words more to know His work and His will. Then we shall face that which befell us calmly, obey the work of God, stand the testimony for God and shame Satan.”

Sister Yang’s fellowship made me suddenly see the light. It turned out that all manner of misfortune I met with was Satan’s affliction. It was due to Satan’s harassment, which made me become doubtful toward God, even become rebellious against God, and thus lose my chance for salvation. Thanks to God’s protection. Through sister’s timely fellowship with me about God’s words, I understood God’s intention and came out of my negativity. I prayed to God, “Almighty God, I thank and praise You! Your words allow me to understand the reality of the battle in the spiritual world. I will no longer misunderstand or complain about You. I believe that everything rests in Your palm. Whether or not my son would have disease sequela is also within Your grasp. No matter what the outcome, I will devote myself to following You and stand testimony for You! Amen!”

At dusk a couple of days later, my son and his little friends were playing in full swing outside. About five or six minutes after he returned home, my mother-in-law said in surprise when she held his small hands, “Why is he so feverish?” When I heard this, I took his temperature immediately. He had indeed gotten a fever, but he neither cried nor made any trouble, just as if nothing happened. I realized right away that was again the scheme of Satan. Satan was disturbing my heart so as to let me misunderstand God. After thinking of that, I proclaimed to Satan in my heart, “Stand back, Satan! I won’t fall prey to your trickery this time to misunderstand God. Whether my son can recover is controlled by the hand of God, so is his life.” At that time, my heart was at peace. Later, my son went to bed with his grandma.

After my prayer, though I was not all that panic-stricken, I still had my own demands on God, unwilling to see my kid suffering illness or something unpeaceful befalling my family. I realized something wrong with my condition, so I opened The Scroll Opened by the Lamb. I saw God’s words, “Are you content to live under the influence of Satan, with peace and joy, and a little fleshly comfort? Are you not the lowliest of all people? None are more foolish than those who have beheld salvation but do not pursue to gain it: They are people who gorge themselves on the flesh and enjoy Satan. You hope that your faith in God will not entail any challenges or tribulations, or the slightest hardship. You always pursue those things that are worthless, and you attach no value to life, instead putting your own extravagant thoughts before the truth. You are so worthless!” (“The Experiences of Peter: His Knowledge of Chastisement and Judgment” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words made me feel ashamed. I was reminded of my pursuit of receiving grace and blessings when I followed the Lord Jesus. After I had followed God’s new work, I still pursued to gain grace instead of the truth of life or the purification of my corrupt disposition. Wasn’t I the most foolish person who God has exposed? In the last days, God becomes flesh again to do the work of judging and purifying man, causing man to seek the truth and gain the truth when things befall him, so that man can submit to God and bear testimony to God in all circumstances. This is the ultimate fruit of God’s work. Yet despite believing in God I only sought to gain grace and blessings, did not focus on pursuing the truth to achieve a change in my life disposition. This faith of seeking bread to satisfy hunger undoubtedly cannot gain God’s approval. At that time, God arranged some circumstances for my family. And the revelation of His words helped me not only to see through Satan’s evil face of carrying out plots to devour man but also to know my erroneous view of pursuit in believing in God. This is really God’s love and salvation to me. After understanding God’s intention, I prayed to God, “Almighty God! I offer thanks and praise to You! Thanks to Your salvation to me and Your timely reminder that prevents me from falling prey to Satan’s trickery. From this point on, regardless of whether my child gets well or not, or what difficulties befall my family, I will rely on You, no longer follow the thoughts sent by Satan to misunderstand or complain about You. Instead, I will seek and pursue the truth in order to live out a life of value and meaning. Amen!” After I prayed, I felt much more at ease. A while later, my mother-in-law knocked my door and said to me with a thrill, “The kid’s fever has gone!” I was deeply aware that it was God’s care and protection. Otherwise it was impossible for my son’s fever to quickly come and quickly go. This was really God’s wondrous deeds. Everything is in the hands of God.

When I was willing to reverse my perspective on belief in God and developed my true faith in God, I saw God’s wonderful deeds. Before long, I realized my son’s asthma had gone unknowingly. When I took him to a hospital for a check, the doctor said, “The kid’s heart and lung are in good nick. There is nothing wrong with him.” Not only that, I also recovered from prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc by one therapy so that I could perform my duty and do work normally. Whereas one of my colleagues who suffered from the same illness as I had did not recover though his illness was less serious than mine and we received treatment from the same doctor. What’s more, he even underwent an operation. But he couldn’t manage to work now. His wife asked me how I recovered once she saw me. Though I told her I recovered naturally, I knew well that was because of God’s deeds and His wonderful protection. Almighty God is truly an almighty doctor！

Through this special experience, I realize that in experiencing God’s work of salvation, man is all along accompanied by Satan’s temptation, attack and disturbance. Which is to say, the spiritual battle is very fierce. Satan is like roaring lion prowling around, searching for man to eat up. Only when we pray to God, rely on Him, read more of God’s words to understand the truth, can we defeat Satan and gain God’s salvation in the last days. Thank God for making me perfect by the trials, causing me to lay the foundation in the true way and allowing me to have more confidence to follow Him. All the glory goes to Almighty God!

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What is the difference between the work of God incarnate and the work of the Spirit?

What is the difference between the work of God incarnate and the work of the Spirit?

Bible Verse(s) for Reference:

“And he said, I beseech you, show me your glory. And he said, … You can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live” (Exodus 33:18-20).

“And the LORD came down on mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish” (Exo 19:20-21).

“And all the people saw the thunder, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, Speak you with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (Exo 20:18-19).

Relevant Words of God:

God’s saving of man is not done directly through the means of the Spirit or as the Spirit, for His Spirit can neither be touched nor seen by man, and cannot be approached by man. If He tried to save man directly in the manner of the Spirit, man would be unable to receive His salvation.

And if not for God putting on the outward form of a created man, they would be unable to receive this salvation. For man can in no way approach Him, much like how none could go near the cloud of Jehovah. Only by becoming a man of creation, that is, putting His word into the flesh He will become, can He personally work the word into all who follow Him. Only then can man hear for himself His word, see His word, and receive His word, then through this be fully saved. If God did not become flesh, no fleshly man would receive such great salvation, nor would a single man be saved. If the Spirit of God worked directly among man, man would be smitten or completely carried away captive by Satan because man is unable to associate with God.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

If God does not become flesh, He remains the Spirit both invisible and intangible to man. Man is a creature of flesh, and man and God belong to two different worlds and are different in nature. The Spirit of God is incompatible with man of flesh, and no relations can be established between them; moreover, man cannot become a spirit. As such, the Spirit of God must become one of the creatures and do His original work. God can both ascend to the highest place and humble Himself by becoming a man of creation, doing work and living among man, but man cannot ascend to the highest place and become a spirit and much less can he descend to the lowest place. Therefore, God must become flesh to carry out His work. Much as with the first incarnation, only the flesh of God incarnate could redeem man through His crucifixion, whereas it was not possible for the Spirit of God to be crucified as a sin offering for man.

God could directly become flesh to serve as a sin offering for man, but man could not directly ascend to heaven to take the sin offering that God had prepared for them. As such, God must journey to and fro between heaven and earth, rather than letting man ascend to heaven to take this salvation, for man had fallen and could not ascend to heaven, much less obtain the sin offering. Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to come among men and personally do the work that simply could not be accomplished by man. Every time that God became flesh, it was absolutely necessary to do so. If any of the stages could have been carried out directly by the Spirit of God, He would not have endured the indignities of being incarnated.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

So if this work is done by the Spirit—if God does not become flesh, and instead the Spirit speaks directly through thunder, so that man has no contact with Him, would man know His disposition? If only the Spirit does the work, then man would have no way of knowing His disposition. People can only behold God’s disposition with their own eyes when He becomes flesh, and reveals His words in the flesh, and expresses His entire disposition through the flesh. God truly lives among man. He is tangible; man can truly engage with His disposition and what He has and is; only in this way can man truly know Him.

from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the FleshThough God’s work in the flesh involves many unimaginable difficulties, the effects that it ultimately achieves far exceed those of the work done directly by the Spirit. The work of the flesh entails much hardship, and the flesh cannot possess the same great identity as the Spirit, cannot carry out the same supernatural deeds as the Spirit, much less can He possess the same authority as the Spirit. Yet the substance of the work done by this unremarkable flesh is far superior to that of the work done directly by the Spirit, and this flesh Himself is the answer to all of man’s needs. For those to be saved, the use value of the Spirit is far inferior to that of the flesh: The work of the Spirit is able to cover the entire universe, across all mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans, yet the work of the flesh more effectively relates to every person with whom He has contact. What’s more, God’s flesh with tangible form can better be understood and trusted by man, and can further deepen man’s knowledge of God, and can leave upon man a more profound impression of the actual deeds of God. The work of the Spirit is shrouded in mystery, it is difficult for mortal beings to fathom, and even harder for them to see, and so they can only rely on hollow imaginings. The work of the flesh, however, is normal, and based on reality, and possessed of rich wisdom, and is a fact that can be beheld by the physical eye of man; man can personally experience the wisdom of the work of God, and has no need to employ his bountiful imagination. This is the accuracy and real value of the work of God in the flesh. The Spirit can only do things that are invisible to man and difficult for him to imagine, for example the enlightenment of the Spirit, the moving of the Spirit, and the guidance of the Spirit, but for man who has a mind, these do not provide any clear meaning. They only provide a moving, or a broad meaning, and cannot give an instruction with words. The work of God in the flesh, however, is greatly different: It has accurate guidance of words, has clear will, and has clear required goals. And so man does not need to grope around, or employ his imagination, much less make guesses. This is the clarity of the work in the flesh, and its great difference from the work of the Spirit. The work of the Spirit is only suitable for a limited scope, and cannot replace the work of the flesh. The work of the flesh gives man far more exact and necessary goals and far more real, valuable knowledge than the work of the Spirit. The work that is of greatest value to corrupt man is that which provides accurate words, clear goals to pursue, and which can be seen and touched. Only realistic work and timely guidance are suited to man’s tastes, and only real work can save man from his corrupt and depraved disposition. This can only be achieved by the incarnate God; only the incarnate God can save man from his formerly corrupt and depraved disposition. Although the Spirit is the inherent substance of God, work such as this can only be done by His flesh. If the Spirit worked single-handedly, then it would not be possible for His work to be effective—this is a plain truth.

For everyone who seeks the truth and longs for the appearance of God, the Spirit’s work can only provide moving or revelation, and a sense of wondrousness that it is inexplicable and unimaginable, and a sense that it is great, transcendent, and admirable, yet also unattainable and unobtainable to all. Man and the Spirit of God can only look upon each other from afar, as if there is a great distance between them, and they can never be alike, as if separated by an invisible divide. In fact, this is an illusion given to man by the Spirit, which is because the Spirit and man are not of the same kind, and the Spirit and man shall never coexist in the same world, and because the Spirit possesses nothing of man. So man does not have need of the Spirit, for the Spirit cannot directly do the work most needed by man. The work of the flesh offers man real objectives to pursue, clear words, and a sense that He is real and normal, that He is humble and ordinary. Although man may fear Him, for most people He is easy to relate to: Man can behold His face, and hear His voice, and does not need to look at Him from afar. This flesh feels approachable to man, not distant, or unfathomable, but visible and touchable, for this flesh is in the same world as man.

from “Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

When God had not become flesh, people did not understand much of what He said because it came out of complete divinity. The perspective and context of what He said was invisible and unreachable to mankind; it was expressed from a spiritual realm that people could not see. For people who lived in the flesh, they could not pass through the spiritual realm. But after God became flesh, He spoke to mankind from the perspective of humanity, and this dialogue came out of and surpassed the scope of the spiritual realm. He could express His divine disposition, will, and attitude, through things humans could imagine and things they saw and encountered in their lives, and using methods that humans could accept, in a language they could understand, and knowledge they could grasp, to allow mankind to understand and to know God, to comprehend His meaning and His required standards within the scope of their capacity, to the degree that they were able. This was the method and principle of God’s work in humanity. Even though God’s ways and His principles of working in the flesh were mostly achieved by or through humanity, it truly did achieve results that could not be achieved by working directly in divinity.

from “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself III” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh

This was the advantage of God becoming flesh: He could take advantage of mankind’s knowledge and use human language to speak to people, to express His will. He explained or “translated” to man His profound, divine language that people struggled to understand in human language, in a human way. This helped people understand His will and know what He wanted to do. He could also have conversations with people from the human perspective, using human language, and communicate with people in a way they understood. He could even speak and work using human language and knowledge so that people could feel God’s kindness and closeness, so that they could see His heart.

from “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself III” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh

The work done by the Spirit is implied and unfathomable, and it is fearful and unapproachable to man; the Spirit is not suited to directly doing the work of salvation, and is not suited to directly providing life to man. Most suitable for man is to transform the work of the Spirit into an approach that is close to man, which is to say, what is most suitable for man is for God to become an ordinary, normal person to do His work. This requires God to be incarnated to replace the work of the Spirit, and for man, there is no more suitable way for God to work.

from “Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

If the Spirit of God directly spoke to man, they would all submit to the voice, falling down without words of revelation, much like how Paul fell to the ground amid the light as he journeyed to Damascus. If God continued to work in this way, man would never be able to recognize his own corruption through judgment by the word and attain salvation. Only through becoming flesh can He personally deliver His words to the ears of all so that all who have ears can hear His words and receive His work of judgment by the word. Only such is the result achieved by His word, rather than the emergence of the Spirit frightening man into submission. Only through such practical and extraordinary work can the old disposition of man, hidden deep within for many years, be fully revealed so that man may recognize it and have it changed. This is the practical work of God incarnate; He speaks and executes judgment in a practical manner to achieve the results of judgment upon man by the word. This is the authority of God incarnate and the significance of God’s incarnation. … He becomes flesh because the flesh can also possess authority, and He is capable of carrying out work among man in a practical manner, which is visible and tangible to man. Such work is much more realistic than any work directly done by the Spirit of God who possesses all authority, and its results are apparent as well. This is because His incarnate flesh can speak and do work in a practical way; the outward form of His flesh holds no authority and can be approached by man. His substance carries authority, but His authority is visible to none. When He speaks and works, man is unable to detect the existence of His authority; this is even more favorable to His actual work. And all of such work can achieve results. Even though no man realizes that He holds authority or sees that He cannot be offended or sees His wrath, through His veiled authority and wrath and public speech, He achieves the intended results of His words. In other words, through His tone of voice, sternness of speech, and all the wisdom of His words, man is utterly convinced. In this way, man submits to the word of God incarnate, who seemingly has no authority, thereby attaining His aim of salvation for man. This is another significance of His incarnation: to speak more realistically and allow the reality of His words to have an effect upon man so that they witness the power of the word of God. So this work, if not done through incarnation, would not achieve the slightest results and would not be able to fully save sinners.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Because the one who is judged is man, man who is of the flesh and has been corrupted, and it is not the spirit of Satan that is judged directly, the work of judgment is not carried out in the spiritual world, but among man. No one is more suitable, and qualified, than God in the flesh for the work of judging the corruption of man’s flesh. If judgment were carried out directly by the Spirit of God, then it would not be all-embracing. Furthermore, such work would be difficult for man to accept, for the Spirit is unable to come face-to-face with man, and because of this, the effects would not be immediate, much less would man be able to behold the unoffendable disposition of God more clearly. Satan can only be fully defeated if God in the flesh judges the corruption of mankind. … If this work were done by the Spirit of God, then it would not be victory over Satan. The Spirit is inherently more exalted than mortal beings, and the Spirit of God is inherently holy, and triumphant over the flesh. If the Spirit did this work directly, He would not be able to judge all of man’s disobedience, and could not reveal all of man’s unrighteousness. For the work of judgment is also carried out through man’s conceptions of God, and man has never had any conceptions of the Spirit, and so the Spirit is incapable of better revealing the unrighteousness of man, much less of completely disclosing such unrighteousness. The incarnate God is the enemy of all those who do not know Him. Through judging man’s conceptions and opposition to Him, He discloses all the disobedience of mankind. The effects of His work in the flesh are more apparent than those of the work of the Spirit. And so, the judgment of all mankind is not carried out directly by the Spirit, but is the work of the incarnate God. God in the flesh can be seen and touched by man, and God in the flesh can completely conquer man. In his relationship with God in the flesh, man progresses from opposition to obedience, from persecution to acceptance, from conception to knowledge, and from rejection to love. These are the effects of the work of the incarnate God. Man is only saved through the acceptance of His judgment, only gradually comes to know Him through the words of His mouth, is conquered by Him during his opposition to Him, and receives the life supply from Him during the acceptance of His chastisement. All of this work is the work of God in the flesh, and not the work of God in His identity as the Spirit.

from “Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Yet there is one truth that you do not know: The corrupt disposition and rebellion and resistance of man are exposed when he sees Christ, and the rebellion and resistance exposed on such occasion are more absolute and complete than on any other. It is because Christ is the Son of man and possesses normal humanity that man neither honors nor respects Him. It is because God lives in the flesh that the rebellion of man is brought to light thoroughly and vividly. So I say that the coming of Christ has unearthed all the rebellion of mankind and has thrown the nature of mankind into sharp relief. This is called “luring a tiger down the mountain” and “luring a wolf out of the cave.”

from “Those Incompatible With Christ Are Surely Opponents of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The conceptions of man are laid bare when the incarnate God officially does His work, because the normality and reality of the incarnate God is the antithesis of the vague and supernatural God in man’s imagination. The original conceptions of man can only be revealed through their contrast to the incarnate God. Without the comparison to the incarnate God, the conceptions of man could not be revealed; in other words, without the contrast of reality the vague things could not be revealed. No one is capable of using words to do this work, and no one is capable of articulating this work using words. Only God Himself can do His own work, and no one else can do this work on His behalf. No matter how rich the language of man is, he is incapable of articulating the reality and normality of God. Man can only know God more practically, and can only see Him more clearly, if God personally works among man and completely shows forth His image and His being. This effect cannot be achieved by any fleshly man. Of course, God’s Spirit is also incapable of achieving this effect. God can save corrupt man from the influence of Satan, but this work cannot be directly accomplished by the Spirit of God; rather, it can only be done by the flesh God’s Spirit wears, by God’s incarnate flesh.

from “Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The best thing about His work in the flesh is that He can leave accurate words and exhortations, and His accurate will for mankind to those who follow Him, so that afterward His followers can more accurately and more concretely pass on all of His work in the flesh and His will for the whole of mankind to those who accept this way. Only the work of God in the flesh among man truly accomplishes the fact of God’s being and living together with man. Only this work fulfills man’s desire to behold the face of God, witness the work of God, and hear the personal word of God. The incarnate God brings to an end the age when only the back of Jehovah appeared to mankind, and also concludes the age of mankind’s belief in the vague God. In particular, the work of the last incarnate God brings all mankind into an age that is more realistic, more practical, and more pleasant. He not only concludes the age of law and doctrine; more importantly, He reveals to mankind a God who is real and normal, who is righteous and holy, who unlocks the work of the management plan and demonstrates the mysteries and destination of mankind, who created mankind and brings to an end the management work, and who has remained hidden for thousands of years. He brings the age of vagueness to a complete end, He concludes the age in which the whole of mankind wished to seek God’s face but was unable to, He ends the age in which the whole of mankind served Satan, and leads the whole of mankind all the way into a completely new era. All this is the outcome of the work of God in the flesh instead of God’s Spirit. When God works in His flesh, those who follow Him no longer seek and grope after those vague and ambiguous things, and cease to guess at the will of the vague God. When God spreads His work in the flesh, those who follow Him shall pass on the work that He has done in the flesh to all denominations and sects, and they shall communicate all of His words to the ears of the whole of mankind. All that is heard by those who receive His gospel shall be the facts of His work, shall be things personally seen and heard by man, and shall be facts and not hearsay. These facts are the evidence with which He spreads the work, and are also the tools that He uses in spreading the work. Without the existence of facts, His gospel would not spread across all countries and to all places; without facts but only with man’s imaginations, He would never be able to do the work of conquering the entire universe. The Spirit is impalpable to man, and invisible to man, and the work of the Spirit is incapable of leaving any further evidence or facts of God’s work for man. Man shall never behold the real face of God, and shall always believe in a vague God that does not exist. Man shall never behold the face of God, nor will man ever hear words personally spoken by God. Man’s imaginings are, after all, empty, and cannot replace the true face of God; the inherent disposition of God, and the work of God Himself cannot be impersonated by man. The invisible God in heaven and His work can only be brought to earth by God incarnate who personally does His work among man. This is the most ideal way in which God appears to man, in which man sees God and comes to know the true face of God, and it cannot be achieved by a non-incarnate God.

from “Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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