God Has Brought His Glory to the East

God gave His glory to Israel then moved it away from there,bringing the Israelites and bringing all men to the East.God has led them all to the light,so that they may be reunited and associate with light,no longer have to search, search for the light.

Who is my Lord

Liu Zhizhong is a pastor at a local house church in China. He's been a believer for over 30 years, and has constantly maintained that "The Holy Bible is inspired by God," "The Holy Bible represents God, believing in God is believing in the Bible, believing in the Bible is believing in God."

Faith in God

Yu Congguang is a gospel preacher from the Church of Almighty God. Because he was pursued by the CCP government while preaching the gospel, he fled to the mountain and got help from Zheng Xun, a co-worker of the local house church.

XiaoZhen's Story

Xiao Zhen used to be a pure, kind-hearted Christian, who always treated her friends sincerely. However, when it was to their benefit, her former friends became her enemies.

The Mystery of GodLiness

Lin Bo’en had believed in the Lord for decades and was a senior preacher. Ever since his acceptance of Almighty God, Christ of the last days, he had been confronted with the condemnation and rejection of the pastors, elders, and antichrist forces in the religious world and was eventually expelled from the religion.

Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Knock, and It Shall Be Opened to You II

Knock, and It Shall Be Opened to You II

After that, I still went to the meetings with my Bible. When what was talked about was in line with the Bible, I accepted it. If it was not, I turned a deaf ear to it. I waited for the day when my brothers and sisters would wake up. However, their states became ever better and their countenances were full of joy, while I had a heavy heart, and just responded to their greetings with a false smile. One day in the meeting, the brothers and sisters fellowshiped about their understanding and knowledge of the words of Almighty God enthusiastically, and they were joyful as if having received a treasure, but I could hardly understand what they fellowshiped about, just sitting there like a fool without a word. I became more and more sad and distressed and could only cry to the Lord in my heart, “O Lord, You were so gracious to me before. Why don’t You enlighten me now? Have You rejected me? O Lord, my only hope is in You. Please don’t forsake me.” Although I cried to the Lord desperately, I could not feel any response or comfort from Him.
Back home, I could not hold back my sorrow anymore and threw myself down on the bed crying out to God tearfully, “O Lord, You know I love You, and I will not put the Bible aside and depart from You whatever happens. However, I have never felt so dark in my heart throughout the many years of my belief in You. O Lord, please don’t hide Your face from me, and please have mercy on me. My brothers and sisters all say that the words in The Scroll Opened by the Lamb are the utterances of You who have returned, and that they have gained a lot from them. I, however, have fallen into darkness and cannot feel Your presence. O Lord! I am very distressed and bewildered, and don’t know how to face all this. O Lord, are the words in The Scroll Opened by the Lamb really the utterances of You who have returned? If they are, I am also willing to follow You.” When I spoke this, suddenly in my mind appeared a picture of the Lord Jesus standing at the door and knocking, who seemed to have waited for a long time. I was startled at this, and realized that I had shut the Lord outside the door. The Church of Almighty GodImmediately tears of self-reproach, remorse, and indebtedness gushed out, and I did not wipe them, but took out the Bible and turned to Revelation 3:20-22, which said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches.” I was certain that it was the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, so I knelt before the Lord again with my tears coursing down unceasingly, “My Lord, Almighty God, little did I expect that I would treat Your coming this way … I was so blind and foolish that I did not recognize Your voice and shut You outside the door … I’ve grieved and disappointed You … were it not for Your mercy, I would continue rejecting Your utterances and live in darkness…. O Almighty God! I am willing to return to You and accept Your words. Please hide Your face from my transgressions and continue Your salvation of me.” After the prayer, I felt incomparably released, and my heart was so relieved, as if a big stone weighing upon it had been moved away. From then on, whenever I had time, I would read God’s words, wishing to make up for the time I had lost before. However, I still did not know why God does His work outside of the Bible.
One day, I opened the book of God’s word and read these words: “How should the Bible be approached in the belief in God? This is a question of principle. … For many years, people’s traditional means of belief (that of Christianity, one of the world’s three major religions) has been to read the Bible; departure from the Bible is not the belief in the Lord, departure from the Bible is an evil cult, and heresy, and even when people read other books, the foundation of these books must be the explanation of the Bible. Which is to say, if you say you believe in the Lord, then you must read the Bible, you must eat and drink the Bible, and outside the Bible you must not worship any book that does not involve the Bible. If you do, then you are betraying God. From the time when there was the Bible, people’s belief in the Lord has been the belief in the Bible. Instead of saying people believe in the Lord, it is better to say they believe in the Bible; rather than saying they have begun reading the Bible, it is better to say they have begun believing in the Bible; and rather than saying they have returned before the Lord, it would be better to say they have returned before the Bible” (“Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
While I read this passage of God’s word, I felt as if God was teaching me face to face. I thought, “Yes, this is exactly my former view. I believed that a believer in God must read the Bible and should not read any book except the Bible, otherwise he is a betrayer of God. Now through God’s disclosure, I have realized that my view is indeed wrong. But isn’t the Bible given by inspiration of God? Haven’t we believed in the Lord according to the Bible? Then what’s the difference between returning before the Bible and returning before the Lord?” I wanted to know the answers, so I continued to seek in God’s words. I saw these words: “The Bible is a historical record of God’s work in Israel, and documents many of the foretellings of ancient prophets as well as some of the utterances of Jehovah in His work at that time. Thus, people all look upon this book as ‘holy’ (for God is holy and great). Of course, this is all a result of their reverence for Jehovah and their adoration for God. People refer to this book in this way only because the creatures of God are so adoring of their Creator, and there are even those who call this book a ‘heavenly book.’ In fact, it is merely a human record. It was not personally named by Jehovah, nor did Jehovah personally guide its creation. In other words, the author of this book is not God, but men. The ‘Holy’ Bible is only the respectful title given to it by man. This title was not decided by Jehovah and Jesus after they had a discussion amongst each other; it is nothing more than a human idea. For this book was not written by Jehovah, much less by Jesus. Instead, it is the accounts of many ancient prophets, apostles, and seers, which were compiled by later generations into a book of ancient writings that, to people, seems especially holy, a book that they believe contains many unfathomable and profound mysteries that are waiting to be unlocked by future generations. As such, people are even more disposed to believe that this book is a ‘heavenly book.’ With the addition of the Four Gospels and the Book of Revelation, people’s attitude toward it is particularly different from any other book, and thus no one dares to dissect this ‘heavenly book’—because it is too ‘sacred’” (“Concerning the Bible (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
The words of Almighty God have unlocked the mystery of ages past. Almighty God says: “The Bible is a historical record of God’s work in Israel….” I pondered over these words carefully and realized they were true. “God is a God who created all things and rules over all mankind; how can it be possible that He only works in Israel? But the Bible only documents the work God did in Israel. This is a fact. The reason why the Bible is called a ‘holy book’ by people is that it documents many words of God. People call it a ‘holy book’ out of their reverence for God. However, the publication of the Bible was actually not decided by Jehovah and man after they had a discussion together; it is nothing more than a human idea. Moreover, the author of the Bible is not God, but those ancient saints, prophets, seers, and apostles.” God’s disclosure left me ashamed and humiliated. Thinking about the view I had held throughout the years of my belief in God, I realized I was too ignorant and foolish. I saw the Bible as important as God, and thought that whoever departs from the Bible is not a believer in God. I was not clear about the substance of the Bible and its value, nor did I ever think about the difference between belief in God and belief in the Bible. I did not know anything about the reality of belief in God, and regarded my conceptions as the truth and talked wildly. However, God did not treat me according to my ignorance. Instead of condemning me, He enlightened and guided me…. From God’s words I saw the Creator’s mercy for corrupt mankind.
Although in God’s words, I felt God’s majesty that I had never felt in my many years of belief in the Lord, I was still fascinated by them and read on. Through reading God’s words, I could treat the Bible correctly and moreover received God’s watering and shepherding, so that I understood some truths gradually. I thank and praise God from the bottom of my heart.
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Sunday, October 22, 2017

Knock, and It Shall Be Opened to You I

Knock, and It Shall Be Opened to You I

Zheng Dao
In 1989, I accepted the gospel of the Lord Jesus with my mother. After I believed in the Lord, I often attended meetings and read the Bible, and so I came to know that God created the heavens and earth and all things in them. At that time, our preachers told us, “Whatever difficulties you face, just ask the Lord to help you, for He said, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened’ (Matthew 7:7-8). So when we have difficulties, the Lord will speak to us through the Bible if we pray to Him.” Since then, I committed to the Lord everything, whether important events in my life or matters of daily living. The Lord really listened to my prayers and fulfilled everything I had prayed for. So I regarded the Bible as precious all the more, and I took it with me wherever I went, almost unable to be separated from it.
One Sunday in September, 1997, I came to the meeting as usual. Our preacher, an elderly sister, said, “Thank the Lord for His grace in enabling us brothers and sisters to gather before His throne today. I believe that God will give us the rich supply of His living water of life according to what we lack. I invited these two young sisters to fellowship with us today. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them.” I had been deeply admiring the elderly sister, for she began to believe in the Lord at the age of 18, and she wore out three copies of the Bible during fifty years. But that day she unexpectedly invited two sisters over 20 to give messages. “How many days have they believed in God?” I belittled them in my heart, but I didn’t say anything, for they were invited by the elderly sister. As I was fond of singing, when the young sisters taught us to sing a hymn “A River of Water of Life” composed from Revelation 22:1-5, I felt it was fresh and beautiful, and so my heart became somewhat calm.
Then they taught us to sing a new song “Almighty God Has Appeared in the East of the World.” I felt it was very good too, lively as well as dynamic, and more inspiring than the hymns we had sung before. At the time I was no longer prejudiced against them so much. Suddenly, one of them said that God had personally opened the little scroll and started a stage of work to judge and purify man upon the foundation of the Bible. With that she put the Bible aside and took out a copy of The Scroll Opened by the Lamb. At the sight of that, my thoughts were in a tumult: They are believers in God, but they put the Bible aside. This is absolutely wrong. How can a believer in the Lord not read the Bible? Our senior preacher has worn out three copies of the Bible during her several decades of belief in God. The Bible is the basis of our belief in God. We shall never abandon it! Just when I was about to refute them, I saw the elderly sister frequently nodding her approval of what they said. So I bit the words back, thinking, “Since the elderly sister approves of them, I’m afraid, I can’t confute them by my little knowledge of the Bible; if I try, that will embarrass me. It is better for me to talk with the elderly sister after they leave, and I will tell her it is absolutely wrong to depart from the Bible, for it is written: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God …’ (2 Timothy 3:16). Since the Bible is given by inspiration of God, it represents the will of God. Whether we keep to the Bible is an important matter that concerns whether we will be blessed or cursed in the future. We mustn’t be careless in it and be misled by these two young sisters.” I was alarmed and nervous and rather disturbed throughout the meeting. At last the meeting was over. When I looked at the elderly sister, I felt that she seemed to very much approve of what the young sisters had fellowshiped about, for she still looked steady and joyful. So I couldn’t but murmur in my heart, “Why did you keep silent? How could you just allow them to preach those things outside the Bible? Are you still a good steward of the Lord? …”
On my way home, the more I thought about that, the more anxious I became. “I have read the Bible for nearly ten years, but now they asked us to put the Bible aside, and the elderly sister seemed not to mind it at all. Is this according to what the Lord required of us? Now most brothers and sisters in the church have accepted the words of Almighty God. If I refuse, will I miss the opportunity to welcome the return of the Lord?” Then I thought, “I cannot accept the words of Almighty God and put the Bible aside as they did. Then what shall I do?” Confused and worried, I felt as if the path under my feet had become uneven. I came home in a fluster.
Seeing uneasiness on my face, my husband asked me, “Why do you look restless? Is there anything bothering you?” I said anxiously, “Well, you can hardly imagine it. Today two young sisters came to our church and gave messages, and they said that the Lord Jesus has returned and opened the little scroll. Look, this is the book they gave me. They said it is the new word of God, and told us to read it—The Scroll Opened by the Lamb—from now on. As you know, we have been reading and studying the Bible throughout the many years of our belief in the Lord. The Bible has benefited us greatly. We should never give it up.” My husband said with surprise, “Oh? Can there be such a thing?” He thought for a while and said, “I think what you said is right. We should have a conscience toward the Lord, and as a believer in God, we should not depart from the Bible.” His affirmative answer strengthened my faith to hold to the Bible.
In the evening, I knelt before the Bible and prayed to the Lord with eagerness and asked Him to guard His sheep from being stolen. In the days that followed, I still read the Bible. On Sunday, I went to the gathering place early with the Bible. I also put the book The Scroll Opened by the Lamb into my bag, for I did not know how to treat it and wanted to know what the elderly sister and the others thought about it. When I saw the elderly sister, I poured out my opinion about it. At my words, she smiled a calm smile and said, “My young sister, this is indeed not a small matter. We don’t know what will be the consequences if we jump to conclusions. Pray much with an earnest heart before the Lord, and I believe that the Lord will enlighten and illuminate us to understand His will.” (I knew later on that she had begun to examine the way two weeks earlier than that and was convinced that it is the true way.) Little had I expected that she would say such words, but judging by her attitude, she seemed to have reached the final conclusion on this matter. At night, I tossed about in bed, unable to fall asleep. I thought, “The elderly sister has believed in God for many years, and she is a person of discernment. When there was confusion in the Three-Self Church and the religious leaders persecuted her and pushed her aside, she found out the will of God through prayer and determinedly gave up her position and joined the house church. I admire her for what she did, and I believe that she would not jump to conclusions this time without praying and seeking. But the book The Scroll Opened by the Lamb goes beyond the Bible. This is by no means right. O Lord, what shall I do?” At that moment, I thought of the elderly sister’s exhortation to me, so I knelt down before the Lord and prayed to Him, “The gracious Lord Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, now all my brothers and sisters read The Scroll Opened by the Lamb, and they said it is Your new word. Throughout many years, none of the believers in You have ever departed from the Bible, but the Bible verses are not fellowshiped about in the meetings now. How should I believe in You? O Lord, may You give me directions, for You are a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I am waiting for You to guide me.”

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Will the Lord Jesus Come Again in a Jewish Image?

Will the Lord Jesus Come Again in a Jewish Image?
In 1994, I accepted the gospel of the Lord Jesus. At that time, my third elder sister gave me a Bible, and we made an appointment to attend a meeting on Sunday. That day, as soon as I entered the church, a rectangular stereoscopic oil portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ came into my view: He bears the image of a Jew and wears a white robe, with long curly blond hair spilling over His shoulders, with blue eyes, a high nose, and a kindly face…. I was quite amazed and thought within: actually the God I believe in bears a Jewish image…. Due to my zealous pursuit, I became a preacher soon. On a Sabbath day, when it was my turn to give a sermon, I looked at the believers down there and said gently, “Brothers and sisters, it is because of the Lord’s great love that we poor people are chosen from different places. The Lord Jesus is full of lovingkindness and mercy, and He promised us that He would come again. Please turn to Acts 1:11, ‘Which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.’ As we all know, the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven in a Jewish image. So, when He returns, He shall still descend among His sincere believers in the image and clothes of a Jew. We must hold on to the Lord’s way firmly to welcome His return.” After hearing that, the believers all nodded in agreement. With such an expectation, I was more zealous in my pursuit and service. However, I had never seen the return of the Lord Jesus….
Jesus Pictures - The youth Jesus
Later, Sister Yang, at her old age, came to our church. During my contact with her, I found she was quite spiritual. So, I often fellowshipped with her about the verses in the Bible. One day, she said to me, “I have a good news for you. The Lord Jesus has come back, and He has returned to flesh and is doing a new work in China.” I was absolutely shaken and asked, “You said that the Lord Jesus has come back and is doing a new work in China. Then, what does He look like?” She answered with a smile, “Of course He takes the image of a Chinese.” I said, “Acts 1:11 says, ‘…this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.’ The Lord Jesus went away in a Jewish image, so He shall still appear to all peoples in a Jewish image when He returns. How can He come in the image of a Chinese? It’s impossible.” Sister Yang said, “As to this question, we may look back on what kind of images God took when He appeared to man. As a matter of fact, in God’s work, God never appeared to man in a fixed image. In the Age of Law, God appeared to Abraham in the image of a man (referring to Genesis 18); and He also appeared to Moses in the brambles and fire (referring to Exodus 3:1-4). In the Age of Grace, although God became flesh in the image of the Lord Jesus and did His work in Judea for several years, He didn’t ask man to memorize His Jewish image. For instance, the Lord Jesus was once transfigured before His disciples, with His face shining as the sun, which was definitely not a Jewish image; after He was nailed to the cross and resurrected, His image was not the previous image, so that the two disciples on their way to Emmaus and Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize Him. From these, we know that the image of God is beyond man’s definition. Let’s read a passage of Almighty God’s words, ‘God is the greatest in the entire universe, so could He fully explain Himself using the image of a flesh? God puts on the flesh in order to do a stage of His work. There is no significance to the image of the flesh, and it bears no relation to the passing of ages, and has nothing to do with God’s disposition. … Although the image of man was created in the image of God, how could the appearance of man represent the exalted image of God? When God becomes flesh, He merely descends from heaven into a particular flesh. His Spirit descends into a flesh, through which He does the work of the Spirit. The Spirit is expressed in the flesh, and the Spirit does His work in the flesh. The work done in the flesh fully represents the Spirit, and the flesh is for the sake of work, but that does not make the image of the flesh a substitute for the true image of God Himself; this is not the purpose and significance of God become flesh. He becomes flesh only so that the Spirit can have somewhere appropriate to reside when doing His work, so that He can achieve His work in the flesh—so that people can see His work, come into contact with His disposition, hear His words, and know the wonder of His work. His name represents His disposition, His work represents His identity, but He has never said that His appearance in the flesh represents His image; that is merely a notion of man. … The portrait of Jesus was painted by man so that man could worship Him. At the time, no special instructions were provided by the Holy Spirit, and so man passed the portrait on until today. In fact, according to the original intention of God, man should not have done this. It is only the zeal of man which has caused the portrait of Jesus to remain until this day. God is Spirit, and man will never be capable of summing up exactly what His image is. His image can only be represented by His disposition.’ (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)”) From Almighty God’s words, we know that God is the supreme Ruler. He is the invisible Spirit, who is formless and imageless. God can ascend to the highest place and humble Himself to be a man. No matter which image He appears in, His substance is still God Himself. When God becomes flesh to carry out His work, it is totally because of the needs of His work, not for the purpose of replacing the true image of God Himself with the image of His flesh. The appearance of His flesh can’t represent God’s disposition or God’s true identity. The image of God incarnate has nothing to do with God’s substance or God’s true image. Only from His work and word can we know God’s disposition, substance, and identity, and that God is the truth, the way, and the life. Man must not regard the appearance of God’s flesh as God’s true image or make such a conclusion that ‘God took the image of a Jew, so God will look like this forever.’ It is a blasphemy and slander against God. Whatever image God takes to do His work, it is meaningful. When God becomes flesh, He will take the image of people in the country where He does His work, for it is advantageous to people’s contact with Him and the smooth progress of His work in the flesh. For example, in the Age of Grace, God became flesh in Judea and did His work among the Jews, so He bore a Jewish image, wore the clothes of the Jews, and spoke Hebrew. In this way, it was relatively easy for the Jews to contact Him and know more about His word and work and thus receive His salvation. Similarly, God becomes flesh in China in the last days, and so He appears in the image of a Chinese and speaks Chinese. In this way, it is convenient for the chosen people of China to accept God’s work and receive the truth expressed by God. If God, when incarnated in China, still took a Jewish image and spoke Hebrew, the Chinese wouldn’t be able to understand His word, much less would they understand the truth expressed by Christ. In that case, wouldn’t God’s work of salvation yield no effects? Thus, it is so logical that wherever God becomes flesh to do His work, He will take the image of people there. But we should know that no matter which country’s people God incarnate resembles in looks, His substance is still God Himself, which is beyond all doubt. As Almighty God says, ‘Although the image God’s flesh takes in the work of today is totally different from Jesus, Their substance and origin are one after all, and They are from one source. Maybe They have many differences in Their outer shells, but the inside truth of Their works is not in the least different. After all, the ages are completely different. How could God’s works be completely the same or be contradictory to each other?’”
Hearing that, I realized such fellowship was very reasonable and irrefutable, and found the viewpoint baseless that the Lord Jesus would return in a Jewish image, which I had preached for many years…. At that time, Sister Yang continued, “No matter what image God takes, where He appears, or in which way He appears to man, God can accomplish His own work. Man shouldn’t confine God within a limited scope or within his notions and imaginations, thinking that God will surely reappear in the image of the Lord Jesus. We shall come out of our own notions and imaginations to seek and investigate the truth, and only in this way will we see the appearance of God and truly welcome the return of the Lord. Let’s read another passage of Almighty God’s words, ‘The objective of God’s appearance free from the constraints of any form or country is for Him to be able to complete the work in His plan. For example, when God became flesh in Judea, His aim was to complete the work of crucifixion to redeem all mankind. Yet the Jews believed that it was impossible for God to do this, and they thought it impossible that God could become flesh and assume the form of the Lord Jesus. Their “impossible” became the basis by which they condemned and opposed God, and ultimately led to the destruction of Israel. Today, many people have committed a similar error. They wantonly proclaim the imminent appearance of God, yet also condemn His appearance; their “impossible” once more confines the appearance of God within the limits of their imagination. … Put your conceptions to one side! Stop and carefully read these words. If you yearn for the truth, God will enlighten you to understand His will and His words. Put aside your view of “impossible”! The more that people believe something is “impossible,” the more likely it is to occur, for the wisdom of God soars higher than the heavens, God’s thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts, and the work of God transcends the limits of man’s thinking and conception. The more that something is impossible, the more there is the truth to be sought; the more that something is beyond the conception and imagination of man, the more it contains the will of God.’” Almighty God’s words shook my heart. I would no longer hold on to the notion that the Lord Jesus would return in a Jewish image….
Later, Sister Yang fellowshipped with me about several pieces of words expressed by Almighty God: The Substance of the “Flesh” God Is In, The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of Incarnation, God Is the Lord of All Created Beings, The Age of Kingdom Is the Age of the Word, and so on. Under the unending supply of Almighty God’s word, I understand more and more truths and increasingly feel that what God has and is is so rich. Before God, man is only a handful of dust. As a created being, man can never fathom the wisdom and wonderfulness of God’s work, much less define God’s true image. So, we should seek and investigate more about God’s return to flesh.
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Friday, October 13, 2017

Inquiring Into the Facts (I)

Inquiring Into the Facts (I)

Xiangyi

Synopsis: In view of rumors and slanders spread by the CCP government about the man used by the Holy Spirit in the Church of Almighty God, some people carry out an interview to question closely about the facts.
Characters:
Host: Xunguang;
Guests: Zhengyi and Xiangming.
Xunguang: Inquiring Into the Facts pays close attention to the hot topic about which the public care the most with you. In recent years, the rapid development of the Church of Almighty God has attracted widespread attention of countries and the popular media. About this topic which all of us focus on, today we’ve invited two guests from the Church of Almighty God to solve our doubts. Hello, Mr. Zhengyi and Mr. Xiangming.
Zhengyi and Xiangming: Hello, host.
Xunguang: We all know that, in 1991, the incarnate Almighty God formally began to express the truth and perform His ministry in Mainland China. He has expressed millions of words and done the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. The true believers who thirst for God’s appearance in all denominations and sects, after hearing God’s voice, have recognized that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus in the last days and have turned toward Him one after another. In recent years, Almighty God’s kingdom gospel has been spread to many foreign countries and regions, and His words as well as gospel films, videos and articles of testifying about God have been disseminated widely via the Internet, which attracts an increasing number of men to seek and investigate. However, the Church of Almighty God growing stronger day by day triggers the atheistic CCP government’s deep concern and panic. As is known to all, the CCP government has been suppressing and persecuting underground house churches in China, and we frequently hear the news that the believers in the Church of Almighty God are arrested and sentenced by it. We also see a great deal of negative words from its official media, in the midst of which there is a conspicuous condemnation on a man to draw our attention especially.
“In 2000, the Chinese government launched a large-scale, nationwide search, so Zhao XX fled to New York, the United States via Tokyo, Japan. In June, 2001, he submitted an application for political asylum to the American authorities on the grounds of suffering religious persecution. The authorities who were unaware of the truth approved his request.”
Is it really the case? Considering the CCP’s unsavory reputation of persecuting religious belief and afflicting Christians all along, which is well-known in the international community, in order to avoid listening to its one-sided statement, let’s welcome these two brothers to dig out the truth for us.

Inquiry I

Xunguang: Almighty God has been working in Mainland China for more than twenty years, and millions of people have turned toward Him. But why does the CCP consume the largest manpower and material resources for solely arresting Zhao XX? It not only offered a reward of more than one million yuan for the capture of him in China, but after he went overseas, it does not give up and dispatches spies to shadow and spy on him and does its utmost to attack him on public media opinion. What kind of person is Zhao XX, whom the CCP has put a lot of efforts to arrest in the Church of Almighty God?
God gives the law through Moses
Zhengyi: Bible-readers are all familiar with that God once ordained Moses to lead the Israelites when he worked in the Age of Law, which created a precedent that God uses man to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit. When God incarnate appears and works in the last days, He again ordains a man to lead His chosen people of the churches. Zhao XX is the man He ordains in the Age of Kingdom to be in charge of leading and shepherding all people in the Church of Almighty God, and the man used by the Holy Spirit in the Age of Kingdom. Almighty God says, “The work carried out by the one who is used by God is in order to cooperate with the work of Christ or the Holy Spirit. This man is raised up by God among man, he is there to lead all of God’s chosen ones, and he is also raised up by God in order to do the work of human cooperation. With someone such as this, who is able to do the work of human cooperation, more of God’s requirements toward man and the work that the Holy Spirit must do among man can be achieved through him” (“Concerning God’s Use of Man” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Through Almighty God’s words we can learn that Zhao XX, as the predestined and selected man used by the Holy Spirit when God carries out the work of the last days, is the man who cooperates with God’s work and leads His chosen ones to pursue salvation. He leads and shepherds God’s chosen people totally in compliance with God’s words. Since he began to be responsible for the church’s work, he has issued a good deal of work arrangements as well as fellowship and preaching to help believers enter into the reality of the truth. And he has served as the “translator” as well as the bridge to help us comprehend and receive God’s words. Under his leading, we have possessed a number of real experiences about Almighty God’s words and some practical knowledge of God. Meanwhile, we have seen clearly the facts about our corruption by Satan, and walked on the right way of human life of seeking the transformation of life disposition. Moreover, we have penetrated the atheistic CCP government’s satanic, devilish substance of resisting God frenziedly. After going through its persecution and arrest, we God’s chosen people have possessed real faith in God and have broken through the bondage of the influence of darkness, not enslaved or controlled by the CCP anymore. No matter how serious obstacles or persecution we suffer, we still persevere with our belief in and worship of God. The CCP is very clear that if all the people come to follow God, there will be no one to worship it or believe its atheistic thoughts and communist theory. That will be the time when its desires of making China a place without God and enslaving Chinese people forever are dashed. Hence, it is deeply worried that the man used by the Holy Spirit will bring all mankind before God and extremely afraid that God will reign as King among men. The reason why it frenziedly condemns and hunts the man used by the Holy Spirit is that it wants to ban the Church of Almighty God and God’s work of the last days. But when he went abroad after being persecuted, the CCP cannot arrest him anymore. It doesn’t take its defeat lying down, but spreads various rumors about him and stirs up the antagonism of men toward the Church of Almighty God. Its goal is to hinder man from seeking and investigating God’s work of the last days.

Inquiry II

Xunguang: The CCP claims that it once mobilized the nationwide policemen to search for the man used by the Holy Spirit in a large-scale way, which makes us feel as if Zhao XX had committed a felony and is a principal criminal. Could Zhao XX, a Christian really break the law? Why is such a man who worships God heart and soul listed as a wanted criminal throughout China?
Xiangming: As the law stands, the wanted criminal must meet three requirements: 1. The wanted man must be a criminal suspect. 2. The suspect should satisfy the requirements of arrest. 3. The suspect surely shirks the legal liability and his present whereabouts is unknown. Only man who fulfils the above-mentioned requirements can be wanted legitimately and legally. It is obvious that the CCP cannot list any sinful fact of the man used by the Holy Spirit or tell which law he has broken, but just says that he submitted an application for political asylum to the American authorities on the grounds of suffering religious persecution. From it, we understand that the CCP gives orders to arrest him just because he believes in and serves God. The CCP government is quite clear that if the leader of the Church of Almighty God is not eliminated, he will lead and shepherd us, God’s chosen ones all the while to make us better understand the truth and further strengthen our faith in Almighty God and our love for Him. When we all understand the truth and are made overcomers by God, we aren’t restrained or bound by any Satan’s forces anymore and can worship and serve God wholeheartedly, and the CCP will be abandoned thoroughly. Accordingly, it simply ignores the international human rights treaties and the condemnation from the international community, but just stops at nothing to arrest him.

Inquiry III

Xunguang: All right. We see that the CCP is unable to obtain its desire all the while. After the man used by the Holy Spirit went abroad, it circulates rumors through the media that Zhao XX has already fled abroad. It is incomprehensible to many people how this action, that a Christian went abroad in order to believe in God and preach the gospel seriously because he was wanted by the atheistic government, can be called fleeing. How should we treat this issue?
Zhengyi: It’s quite simple. Let’s review those apostles and missionaries who preached the Lord’s way throughout the ages, and then we can know the answer.
In 1583, Matteo Ricci, an Italian missionary, sailed across the ocean to preach in China. At that time, the gospel of the Lord Jesus’ redemption of mankind spread by him was welcomed and esteemed by Chinese scholar-bureaucrats.
In 1605, Gao Yizhi, an Italian missionary of the Societas Iesu, came to China to preach. He left China in 1616, and at the end of 1624, he returned to Shanxi, China to resume preaching until he passed away.
In 1853, James Hudson Taylor, a British missionary who was only 21 years old, bade farewell to his parents and came to China to preach the Lord’s way. Since then he had never left China.
In 1885, Herbert Dixon, a British missionary, in company with his wife, left their four young children behind in England to preach in China until they martyred themselves in Xinzhou, Shanxi in 1900.
In 1916, Zhong Aihua, an American missionary, came to preach in China, and engaged in medical missionary work for 25 years. He was also one of those who dedicated most of their lives to Chinese Christians.
For thousands of years, it was precisely these missionaries who crossed borders to spread God’s gospel all over the world. None of the governments of democracies have ever condemned them as fugitives. If we say that preaching the gospel abroad means fleeing, could it be said that all Christian churches are formed by the gospel-spreading of those criminals who flee to escape punishment? And that Christians can believe in God at all times and in all countries is because they accept the gospel preached by fugitives? In order to complete the work of the church and to expand God’s kingdom gospel, the man used by the Holy Spirit went abroad. How could he be related to the word fleeing? Obviously, the CCP’s nonsense is purely the discredit against the Church of Almighty God and the smear against him. For the sake of banning God’s work of the last days, it has told a pack of lies and stops at no evil. Now it is quite reckless of the consequences when speaking and doing things. That it makes up these rumors is, in effect, making an enemy of God as well as Christians at all times and in all places openly. So, none of the words spread by the CCP deserve to be trusted.
To Be Continued …

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

The Difference Between Worshiping God and Worshiping Idols

The Difference Between Worshiping God and Worshiping Idols

Now, a statement circulating online says that putting illustrations of the Lord Jesus on the Internet or sharing them with brothers and sisters is worshiping idols, not worshiping God. Does it conform to the truth? How can we tell the difference between worshiping God and worshiping idols?
The Lord Jesus said, “when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him” (John 4:23). Based on these words from the Lord Jesus, many thoughtful, savvy people will acknowledge such a fact: To judge whether or not one truly worships God depends not fully on his outward behavior, but on whether he truly believes in God and thirsts for the truth, and whether he is an honest man who shows a true representation of himself before God. That is to say, a man who appears devout on the outside is not necessarily a true worshiper of God, while a true worshiper of God focuses on worshiping God in spirit and in truth, not outward practices. So, my brothers and sisters and I all believe illustrations of the Lord Jesus are merely a symbol and metaphor which represents God is with us. We are not worshiping idols by using these pictures. What does worshiping idols truly refer to? It means to regard the illustrations or the Bible as God, and prostrate and kneel before them. That is truly worshiping idols. Let us put forward some examples. Some people must pray with a Bible in front of them, and some always take a Bible with them wherever they go and even hold it as they sleep. Still, there are some believers who must pray with their faces to a portrait of the Lord Jesus, and some others who make long prayers laying their hands on the Bible. These people all believe what they do is worshiping God. Yet, in fact, they have been unable to feel the presence of the Lord and the work of the Holy Spirit long ago. Some preachers in the churches cannot communicate any true knowledge of God, or reveal the real road for the believers to practice the truth and follow God’s will. Those who listen to the messages in a muddled way don’t know to actively search for the footsteps of the work of the Holy Spirit and only hold to various religious rituals, even though they cannot obtain the supply of life. Is this type of belief really worshiping God? If one cannot gain the work of the Holy Spirit and worships the illustrations and the Bible as God, then the object of his worship is actually empty air or a vague God in his notions and imagination, and in essence he is worshiping idols. By contrast, some people who have a picture of the Lord Jesus hanging in their homes are very pious as they pray to Him, and in their prayers, they often speak from their hearts, give thought to the Lord’s love, and are moved to tears. They normally focus on practicing and experiencing the Lord’s words, frequently receive enlightenment from the Holy Spirit and reap knowledge about the reality of the truth. This is the result reached through the work of the Holy Spirit. For such people, who can say they are worshiping idols?
Worshiping Idols,religious rituals,pray
Second of all, some people do not honor God as great as they believe in God, but blindly believe in and worship their pastors and elders. They believe and obey whatever their pastors and elders say, and never rely on God’s words to discern whether their words are in accordance with the truth and whether their deeds are after God’s heart. With regard to receiving the Lord’s second coming, many people are especially obedient to their pastors and elders. If their pastors and elders condemn and oppose something, they will follow them without discernment. When the pastors and elders claim that the Lord has not returned or define the way in which He shall come, they put blind faith in it, rather than discern it according to God’s words or seek a way of practice that is after God’s heart in God’s words. In their eyes, belief in God means to listen to the pastors and elders in all things. They worship and have blind faith in man so much that they even obey man as God. This is truly worshiping idols, and the men they worship are precisely their idols.
The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). As we believe in God, we should have a place for God in our hearts, often exalt and testify to God, seek truth in all things, submit to God’s word and put it into practice. This is following the will of God, and through this we can certainly obtain the work of the Holy Spirit. In this way, no matter how many illustrations of the Lord Jesus we place in our homes and churches, or on the websites, it is completely right, because it is for the sake of spreading the gospel and bearing testimony to God, and it is regarded as a positive thing commended by God, which is beyond doubt. Conversely, those who believe in God in name only and worship status and power in reality, blindly believe in and follow the pastors and elders and treat man as God, hold to letters and doctrines as the truth—such people cannot possibly have the work of the Holy Spirit. No matter how many religious ceremonies they follow, God will not like them, but instead detest and reject them, for they never take exalting and bearing witness to God as their duty, or consider implementing and experiencing God’s words as important. These people are the chaff and false believers without life. Their faith is genuinely worshiping idols.