The Word of God in the Last Days | "God Himself, the Unique (VI) God's Holiness (III)" (Part Three)
Almighty God says, "As God has none of the corruption of mankind and has nothing even remotely like the corrupt disposition of mankind or the essence of Satan, from this point of view we can say that God is holy. God reveals no corruption, and the revelation of His own essence in His work is all the confirmation we need that God Himself is holy. Do you see this now? That is to say, to know God’s holy essence, for the time being let us look at these two aspects: 1) There is no corrupt disposition in God; 2) the essence of God’s work on man allows man to see God’s own essence and this essence is both entirely positive and entirely real. For what are the things that every manner of God’s work brings to man? They are all positive things, they are all love, all truth and all reality."
Almighty God says, "Knowing the work of God is no simple matter: You should have standards and an objective in your pursuit, you should know how to seek the true way, and how to measure whether or not it is the true way, and whether or not it is the work of God. What is the most basic principle in seeking the true way? You have to look at whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit, whether or not these words are the expression of the truth, who is testified to, and what it can bring you. Distinguishing between the true way and the false way requires several aspects of basic knowledge, the most fundamental of which is to tell whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit."
The Word of the Spirit of God "In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God"
Almighty God says, "Key to obeying God is appreciating the new light, and being able to accept it and put it into practice. Only this is true obedience. … Not being satisfied with living amid God’s graces, actively thirsting for the truth, and searching for the truth, and pursuing being gained by God—this is what it means to consciously obey God; this is precisely the kind of faith that God wants."
Word of God | "All Who Do Not Know God Are Those Who Oppose God"
Almighty God says, "Those who I say are in opposition to God are those who do not know God, those who acknowledge God with empty words yet do not know Him, those who follow God yet do not obey Him, and those who revel in the grace of God yet cannot stand witness to Him. Without an understanding of the purpose of God’s work and the work of God in man, man cannot be in accord with the heart of God, and cannot stand witness to God. The reason that man opposes God stems, on the one hand, from the corrupt disposition of man, and on the other hand, from ignorance of God and lack of understanding of the principles of God’s work and His will toward man. These two aspects merge into a history of man’s resistance to God."
I am an outgoing and forthright kind of person. I speak with people in a very straightforward manner; whatever I want to say, I say it—I’m not the type to beat around the bush. In my interactions with others I tend to be a pretty straight shooter. I’m often cheated or ridiculed for placing trust in others too easily. This is often very distressing for me. After believing in God, I read in His words that God loves those who are simple and honest. I thought to myself: God wants honest people;
Several days ago, our church replaced a leader. As I did not understand the principle behind the church’s revision of personnel, a conception arose within me: The sister that was replaced was very good at both receiving and fellowshiping the truth, and could be open about her own expressions of corruption. How could someone who pursued the truth so much be replaced?
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Using God’s Word as a Mirror
After I accepted God’s work of the last days, I came to understand through reading God’s words that, if one wants to achieve a changed disposition and enter onto the right track of salvation in one’s belief in God, then one first has to learn the lesson of self-knowledge. Only by accepting the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, by knowing oneself from within God’s words, and by achieving an understanding of one’s own various satanic dispositions and corrupt essence, can one hate oneself and forsake one’s flesh, and no longer do anything rebellious against God or that defies God. Only when one truly knows the truth of one’s own corruption can one sincerely thirst for the truth, pursue the truth, and take God’s words into one’s real life to experience and practice. Only in this way can one gradually enter into the truth and achieve a changed disposition, and that is why self-knowledge is so important. Consequently, while reading the word of God, I made sure to cross-check myself against the word by which God exposes man. Whatever happened to me, I could recognize my deficiencies and inadequacies. I felt that I was able to understand myself. Yet, it was through a revelation from God that I was able to see that I did not truly understand myself according to God’s word.
christian testimony, I Learned to Work With Others,
By Liu Heng, Jiangxi Province
In a recent vote, I was elected to be a church leader. In order to repay God’s love, I made a resolution before God: No matter what I encounter, I will not abandon my responsibilities and betray God. I will coordinate with my brothers and sisters to perform my duty well and will be someone who pursues the truth.
Brothers and sisters, peace be with you! The majority of us understand “normal humanity” as, if nothing else but, living harmoniously with others, having a loving heart, tolerance and acceptance for others or being kind and charitable. Now, do you know how we should live out a normal humanity as God requests us to? As Christians, how can we practice and gain entry so that we can live out a genuine humanity in accordance with God’s will? The essay that will be shared today will provide us with a new understanding about this topic. Please listen …
Yue Ming
Picture of The Church of Almighty God
God said: “Normal humanity includes these aspects: insight, sense, conscience, and character. If you can achieve normality in each of these respects, your humanity is up to standard. You should have the likeness of a normal human being and behave like a believer in God. You don’t have to achieve great heights or engage in diplomacy. You just have to be a normal human being, with a normal person’s sense, be able to see through things, and at least look like a normal human being. That will be enough” (“Improving Caliber Is for Receiving God’s Salvation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). In the past, my understanding was that as long as one did not fight or quarrel with others and could live harmoniously with others, one was living out a normal humanity.
I used to think that God judged and chastised man only when revealing man’s inherent corruption or conveying harsh words determining someone’s final destination, but those gentler words were not words of judgment and chastisement. It was only much later that an experience led me to realize that even God’s gentle words are also His judgment and chastisement. I realized then that every word God utters is His judgment of man.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | What Is Truly Accepting Truth, Seeking truth
By Xiaohe, Henan Province
In the past, every time I read the words revealed by God about how people do not accept truth, I didn’t believe those words applied to me. I enjoyed reading the word of God and communicating God’s word, and I was able to accept and acknowledge everything God has said as truth—regardless of how much it pricked my heart or didn’t conform with my notions. Moreover, regardless of how many imperfections my brothers and sisters would point out, I could acknowledge it and accept it. I didn’t seek to justify myself, so I thought that I was a person who surely accepted truth. In my opinion, only people who were especially arrogant and conceited, and who had notions about the word of God and wouldn’t acknowledge that God’s word is truth were the ones who wouldn’t accept truth. It wasn’t until one day when I was listening to a sermon that I understood what it meant to truly accept truth.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Only Way to Avoid a Disaster
By Chaotuo, Hubei Province
After the Sichuan earthquake, I became constantly fearful and worried that I might someday be struck by disaster. Particularly as I saw disasters becoming larger and larger, and earthquakes more and more frequent, my fear of impending disaster became even more pronounced. As a result, I spent entire days pondering what precautions I should take to protect myself should an earthquake hit.
Diary of a Christian: Learning the Lesson of Obedience
Friday, January 5, 2018 Sunny
Today was a day I’ll never forget. The person in charge told me that urgently needed a sister to perform hosting duties and asked if I’d be willing. When I heard this, my heart was in turmoil and I couldn’t calm myself down. I never thought I would be asked to perform this duty, and the discontent I felt inside came straight out: “How can you arrange for me to do hosting duties? Elderly brothers and sisters are suited to do that kind of duty. Though my caliber may be lacking, it’s not so poor that I’m only fit to do hosting duties! I’ve been a leader for years and wherever I go, brothers and sisters host me and revolve around me, and yet now I’m actually expected to host others in turn? Don’t you know anything about how to use people?
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Experiencing God’s Special Love
Jiayi Fuyang City, Anhui Province
My nature is especially arrogant; no matter what I’m doing, I always use ingenuity and originality to show my brilliance and therefore frequently violate work arrangements to do things my own way. I am especially arrogant with regard to choosing people for a certain position. I believe that I have unique talent and insight that help me always select the right person. Because of this, when I chose someone, I wouldn’t earnestly probe to understand all the circumstances of the person I wanted to select. I also wouldn’t carefully weigh out the people I want to choose according to the relative principles. The result of this was that I ended up choosing some sly and crafty people who only spoke of letters and doctrines to take upon themselves important responsibilities in the church. This created a big loss for the work as well as for the life of my brothers and sisters. Finally, due to my lack of substantive work in the service of God, I was rejected by God. I lost the work of the Holy Spirit and was removed from service.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Jealousy, the Spiritual Chronic Illness
He Jiejing Hezhou City, Guangxi Province
A sister and I were paired up to revise articles together. As we were meeting, I realized that it didn’t matter whether it was singing, dancing, understanding God’s word, or fellowshiping about the truth, she was better than me in all these things. The brothers and sisters of the host family all liked her and would seek her out to fellowship with her. Because of this, my heart was quite unsettled and I felt like I was being given the cold shoulder—even to the point of thinking that as long as she was there, there was no place for me. In my heart, I began to feel fed up with her and I didn’t want to work with her in fulfilling our duties anymore. I hoped that she would leave so that the brothers and sisters would like me and think highly of me.
Not too long ago, after listening to some sermons, I started to understand that only those who practice the truth can obtain the truth and ultimately become ones who possess the truth and humanity thus attaining God’s approval. From then on, I made a conscious effort to forsake my flesh and practice the truth in my daily life. Some time later, I happily discovered that I could practice some truths. For example, in the past, after I revealed corruption, I was afraid to show my dark side to others. Now I was consciously open with my brothers and sisters, dissecting my corrupt disposition. Before, when I was pruned and dealt with, I would always make excuses and shirk responsibility. Now I made a conscious effort to deny myself instead of trying to justify my bad behavior. In the past, when I experienced friction with the brothers and sisters that I was partnered with, I was narrow-minded, petty and prone to sulking. Now when I encountered those situations I would forsake my flesh and consciously exercise tolerance and patience with others. Every time I thought of my “results” in practicing the truth, I would feel extremely happy. I thought that my ability to practice some truths meant that I was a genuine practitioner of the truth. And so, in this way I unknowingly came to live in a state of complacency and self-admiration.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Whatever God Says Is the Very Judgment of Man
I used to think that God judged and chastised man only when revealing man’s inherent corruption or conveying harsh words determining someone’s final destination, but those gentler words were not words of judgment and chastisement. It was only much later that an experience led me to realize that even God’s gentle words are also His judgment and chastisement. I realized then that every word God utters is His judgment of man.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | It’s Not Easy Being an Honest Person
By Zixin, Hubei Province
After accepting Almighty God’s end-time work, through reading God’s words and listening to sermons, I came to understand the importance of pursuing being an honest person in one’s belief, and that only by becoming an honest person can someone gain God’s salvation. Thus I began practicing to be an honest person in real life. After a period of time, I found that I gained some entry into this. For example: While praying or conversing with someone, I would be able to speak the truth and from the heart; I could also take fulfilling my duty seriously, and when I revealed corruption I could open myself up to other people. Because of this, I thought being an honest person was quite easy to practice, and not at all as difficult as it was made out to be by God’s words: “Many would rather be condemned to hell than speak and act honestly” (“Three Admonitions” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). It was not until later that I was able to appreciate through several experiences that it really is not easy for us, corrupt human beings, to be honest people. God’s words really are absolutely true and completely unexaggerated.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The True Reason for Ineffective Work
Some time ago, when I went to the church for gatherings I would often hear leaders and co-workers say that some brothers and sisters, after attending fellowship with me, became negative, weak, and lacked motivation to continue in their seeking. Others felt it too challenging to believe in God and misunderstood God. Some said that their condition was fine before they met with me, but after they saw me, they felt tremendously pressured and uncomfortable. … Hearing this, my heart sank, and I felt terribly wronged—every time I came to have fellowship with them I would stay for a number of days, and, in order to resolve their problems, I would comb through all sorts of chapters and cite countless passages of the word of God, talking until my mouth was dry, and all the while thinking that my efforts were yielding good results. I never imagined that things would turn out like this. Why had this happened? I held this question in my thoughts as I prayed to God, “Oh God, I am surely at fault for the outcome of performing my duty, but I don’t know where I went wrong. I ask for Your guidance, so that I may become more aware of my faults.”
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Throwing off Satan’s Yoke Is Liberating
Momo Hefei City, Anhui Province
Before I believed in God, no matter what I was doing, I never wanted to fall behind. I was willing to accept any hardship as long as it meant I could rise above everyone else. After I accepted God, my attitude remained the same, because I firmly believed in the saying, “No pain, no gain,” and saw my attitude as proof of my motivation. When God revealed the truth to me, I finally realized I had been living under Satan’s yoke, living under its domain.
The musical, Xiaozhen's Story, raked in nine awards, including those for best director, best feature film, best musical score, and so on, at the Christian Film Festival in Virginia, United States. Since its release in 2015, this musical, with the unfolding of life's transformation as its theme, has received multiple awards one after another in countries such as Russia, India, America, and so on. This is the 7th time since its first screening that this movie has won film festival awards.
This musical centers on the metamorphosis of the life of the Christian Xiaozhen. A true story, it tells of how people are enticed by money and fame into forfeiting their humanity, growing distant from God, losing their direction and goals in life, and heading toward the terror and helplessness of falling from grace. Through twists and turns, the fates of the characters are very moving and invocative, and by way of one climax after another, the plot triggers the audience into wondering such things as: Just what is happiness? What is the value and meaning of life? Who can save people from their lives of suffering, and bring them happiness and light? The lyrics used in the screenplay come from utterances spoken to all humanity by the Creator. They express God's concern, hopes, and care for humans, pointing out the way to all those who are profoundly suffering and have been led astray, and bringing them the gospel and hope!
Mr. Richard, the film festival organizer said, "I thought Xiaozhen's Story was a great message not only for Christians but it could be for everybody. Everybody eventually, after they chase the things of the world, will realize that those things don't fill their heart, and what really fills their heart is Jesus. And so I thought that it was a great story, and lots of Christians should watch it. Because they will all relate to Xiaozhen and her journey. It was definitely an award-winning film and that's why it was recognized with so many awards."
"The Light of Truth" journalist Han Xi reports from Newport News in Virginia
Recommendation: If Eastern Lightning is the true way, then what is the basis of your confirmation? We believe in the Lord Jesus because He redeemed us, but what do you use to verify that Eastern Lightning is the true way?
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | This Is Putting Truth Into Practice
In the past, I was paired up with a sister to work on some duties. Because I was arrogant and conceited and did not seek after truth, I had some preconceived ideas toward this sister which I always kept in my heart and didn’t openly communicated with her. When we separated, I had not entered the truth of a harmonious working relationship. Later, the church arranged for me to work with another sister and I established a resolution before God: From now on, I will not walk in the paths of failure. I’ve learned my lesson and so this time I will certainly have more open communication with this sister and reach a harmonious working relationship.
Not long ago, I noticed that one of the brothers would often pay excessive attention to some sisters, and so I thought he was perhaps expressing a wicked disposition, and I decided to look for an opportunity to remind him of this. Later on, I saw that this brother was not achieving any significant results in his duties, and this was further confirmation that what I thought about him was correct. So I decided to find an opportunity to talk to him. However, when we touched upon this matter, he sternly denied all my comments and retorted that I was judgmental. “For all these years,” he said, “whenever you fellowship with me, you lecture me with a condescending attitude, and today you speak in the same condescending manner.”
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | A True Partnership
Fang Li Anyang City, Henan Province
Lately I’d thought I had entered a harmonious partnership. My partner and I could discuss anything, sometimes I even asked him to point out my shortcomings, and we never fought, so I thought we had achieved a harmonious partnership. But as the facts and the truth revealed, a truly harmonious partnership wasn’t anything like I’d assumed.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Finest Gift God Has Given Me
Before, I would frequently hear my brothers and sisters say, “Everything that God does is for the best; it is all what people need.” I admitted this and agreed with it, but I didn’t have any understanding through my own experience. Later on I gained some understanding of it through an environment that God created for me.
It Is So Important to Obey the Work of the Holy Spirit!
Some time ago, even though I always received some inspiration and benefit when a sister who partnered with me shared the enlightenment she had attained while eating and drinking the word of God, I also always had the lingering sense that she was showing off. I would think to myself, “If I respond to her right now, won’t I be pandering to her? In that sense, will I not then seem lesser than her?” As a result, I refused to bring up my own views in communion or comment on any of the thoughts that she shared. One time, my sister, having received some insights from eating and drinking a particular passage of God’s word, felt that there was something wrong with our situation and asked me if I would be willing to commune with her on that passage of God’s word.
We had never believed in God before. In 2005, uplifted by God, my husband, my father-in-law, my uncle, and I all accepted God’s work of the last days. Before long, the church arranged for me to do the duty of safekeeping the books. Later, our house was in a fire, and during this fire we received God’s miraculous protection. God truly is almighty!
One day in March of 2006, after lunch around 1 p.m., it was snowing heavily outside. My husband, daughter and I were inside, warming ourselves by the fire and shelling corn, when we suddenly heard a voice from outside loudly yelling, “Your house is on fire! Quick, come outside and put it out!” We hastily ran outside, and saw that the fire had already burned the roof of the kitchen and pigsty. Three unbelievers helped us fight the fire, and shouted, “Come and help fight the fire!” Two neighboring villages heard our shouts, and immediately 30 or 40 people came to help us fight the fire.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Work of God Is So Wise
During my time working as a leader in the church, my leader would often share experiences of others’ failures to serve as a lesson and a warning for us. For instance: Some leaders only preached letters and doctrines but failed to mention their own corruption or fellowship any real understanding of the truth. As a result, such leaders often were ineffective in their years of service and even turned into people who do evil and resist God. Some leaders would show themselves off, exalt themselves and testify to themselves, and work to protect their status, and in the end, such leaders would lead people before themselves and would become antichrists who vied for mankind with God. Some leaders would show too great a consideration for their own flesh, coveting comforts and never doing any real work.
The entire management of God is divided into three stages, and in each stage, fitting requirements are made of man. Furthermore, as the ages pass and progress, God’s requirements of all mankind become ever higher. Thus, step-by-step, this work of God’s management reaches its climax, until man beholds the fact of the “appearance of the Word in the flesh,” and in this way the requirements of man become even higher, and requirements of man to bear testimony become even higher. … In the past, man was required to comply with the law and the commandments, and was required to be patient and humble. Today, man is required to obey all of God’s arrangements and possess a supreme love of God, and is ultimately required to still love God amid the tribulation. These three stages are requirements that God makes of man, step-by-step, throughout His entire management. Each stage of God’s work goes deeper than the last, and in each stage the requirements of man are more profound than the last, and in this way, God’s entire management gradually takes shape. It is precisely because the requirements of man are ever higher that man’s disposition comes ever closer to the standards required by God, and it is only then that the whole of mankind gradually departs from the influence of Satan until, when God’s work comes to a complete end, the whole of mankind will have been saved from the influence of Satan.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Xiaozhen's Story
Chen Dan Hunan Province
At the end of last year, because I was unable to get the gospel work in my area off the ground, God’s family transferred a brother from another area to take over my work. Prior to this I had not been informed, but rather heard indirectly through a sister I was partnering with. I was very upset. I suspected that the person in charge hadn’t informed me for fear that I would be unwilling to give up my position and put up a fight. As a result, I formed a poor opinion of the sister in charge. Later, the sister met with me and asked about how I felt about being replaced—initially I meant to speak my mind, but I worried that she’d get a bad impression of me and think I was angling for position. So instead, in as relaxed a voice as possible I said, “It’s no problem, I wasn’t able to do constructive work so it makes sense I’d be replaced.
Through the grace and exaltation of God, I took on the responsibility of being a church leader. At that time, I was very enthusiastic and I set a resolution before God: No matter what I encounter, I will not abandon my responsibilities. I will work well with the other sister and will be someone who seeks after truth. But I was merely resolved, and didn’t know how to enter into the reality of a harmonious working relationship. When I first started associating with the sister whom I was working with, and when we had differing opinions or disputes, I would consciously pray to God asking Him to protect my heart and spirit that I might not blame my partner.
From the work of Jehovah to that of Jesus, and from the work of Jesus to that of this current stage, these three stages cover in a continuous thread the entire gamut of God’s management, and are all the work of one Spirit. Since the creation of the world, God has always been at work managing mankind. He is the Beginning and the End, He is the First and the Last, and He is the One who begins an age and the One who brings the age to an end. The three stages of work, in different ages and different locations, are unmistakably the work of one Spirit. All those who separate these three stages stand in opposition to God.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Why Have I Walked the Path of the Pharisees?
Suxing Shanxi Province
I am an arrogant and conceited person, and position has been my Achilles heel. For many years, I have been bound by reputation and position and have not been able to free myself from it. Time and time again I have been promoted and replaced; I have had a lot of setbacks in my position and have had many bumps along the way.
Knowing the Purpose and Significance of Each of the Three Stages of God’s Work
Picture of The Church of Almighty God
(1) The aim and significance of God’s work in the Age of Law Relevant Words of God:
The work that Jehovah did upon the Israelites established among humanity God’s earthly place of origin, which was also the sacred place where He was present. He confined His work to the people of Israel. At first, He did not work outside of Israel; instead, He chose a people He found suitable in order to restrict the scope of His work. Israel is the place where God created Adam and Eve, and out of the dust of that place Jehovah made man; this place became the base of His work on earth. The Israelites, who were the descendants of Noah and also the descendants of Adam, were the human foundation of Jehovah’s work on earth.
There is a feeling of guilt that wells up in my heart every time I see these words of God: “The biggest problem with man is that he thinks of nothing but his fate and prospects, that he idolizes them. Man pursues God for the sake of his fate and prospects; he does not worship God because of his love for Him. And so, in the conquest of man, man’s selfishness, greed and the things that most obstruct his worship of God must all be eliminated. In doing so, the effects of man’s conquest will be achieved. As a result, in the earliest conquest of man it is necessary to first purge the wild ambitions and most grievous weaknesses of man, and, through this, to reveal man’s love of God, and change his knowledge of human life, his view of God, and the meaning of his existence. In this way, man’s love of God is cleansed, which is to say, man’s heart is conquered” (“Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Finally I Live Out a Little Like a Human
Xiangwang Sichuan Province
I feel deeply chastised in my heart every time I see that God’s words say: “Cruel, brutal mankind! The conniving and intrigue, the jostling with each other, the scramble for reputation and fortune, the mutual slaughter—when will it ever end? God has spoken hundreds of thousands of words, yet no one has come to their senses. They act for the sake of their families, and sons and daughters, for their careers, prospects, status, vanity, and money, for the sake of clothes, for food and the flesh—whose actions are truly for the sake of God?
Knowing the purpose of the three stages of work of God’s management of mankind
Picture of The Church of Almighty God
Relevant Words of God:
My entire management plan, a plan that spans six thousand years, consists of three stages, or three ages: the Age of Law in the beginning; the Age of Grace (which is also the Age of Redemption); and the Age of Kingdom in . My work in these three ages differs in content according to the nature of each age, but at each stage it accords with man’s needs—or, to be more precise, it is done according to the tricks that Satan employs in the war that I wage against it. The purpose of My work is to defeat Satan, to make manifest My wisdom and omnipotence, to expose all of Satan’s tricks, and thereby to save the entire human race, which lives under its domain.
Only by Entering Into the Truth Myself May I Truly Help Others
Du Fan Jiangsu Province
Picture of The Church of Almighty God
Recently, a church was holding a vote to select a new leader, but the presiding leader went against the principles of the church, using her own way to carry out the vote. When some other brothers and sisters voiced their opinions, not only did she not acknowledge them, but insisted on upholding her own way. The church was subsequently thrown into confusion by the leader’s actions. When I found out, I totally lost my temper: How could someone be so arrogant and self-righteous? Carrying out the duties of a church leader without God in one’s heart, looking down upon the work arrangements, refuting and rejecting brother’s and sister’s suggestions—who else is there to blame for the church’s confusion but you!
In March 2018, The Church of Almighty God’s website and YouTube channel rolled out a special series called “Church Life—Variety Show Series,” that includes short sketches, crosstalk, scene plays, songs and dance performances etc., and in which Christians present their understanding, attainment, and all kinds of testimonies of their experiences of God’s work in the last days using various different art forms. In this program, we interview the actors as well as Christian viewers of the shows and, through sharing their experiences, the audience can understand how Christians in The Church of Almighty God experience God’s work of the last days, and can also follow closely the salvation of the last days brought by the return of the Lord Jesus—Almighty God.
June 25 and 26 were unforgettable days. Our Zhejiang region experienced a huge event, with most region leaders and workers seized by the great red dragon. Only a few of us escaped unscathed and, our hearts full of gratitude, we made a secret oath to God: to cooperate well with the work to follow. Subsequently we started the hectic work of dealing with the aftermath. And after almost a month, the arrangements were approaching completion. That month was a hot one, and while we suffered physically our hearts were content, as our work proceeded smoothly right under the nose of the great red dragon. When the work was complete I unwittingly found myself in a state of self-satisfaction, thinking how clever I was to have arranged the work so well. What a capable worker I was! And it was at this time that God visited His chastisement and judgment upon me …
I was born into an impoverished rural family that was backward in their thinking. I was vain from a young age and my desire for status was particularly strong. Over time, through the social influence and a traditional education, I took all sorts of Satan’s rules for survival into my heart. All kinds of fallacies nurtured my desire for reputation and status, such as building a beautiful homeland with your own two hands, fame will make you immortal, people need face like a tree needs its bark, getting ahead and being on top, one should bring honor to his ancestors, etc. These gradually became my life and made me firmly believe that as long as we are living in this world, we have to work to be seen highly by others. No matter what crowd we are with we must have status, we should be the most outstanding one.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Pledging My Life to Devotion
On April 3, 2003, I went with a sister to visit a new believer. This new believer had still not been set in the truth and ended up reporting us. As a result, four evil plain-clothes police came and aggressively forced the two of us into their vehicle and took us to the police station. On the road, my heart was extremely nervous, because on my person was a pager, a partial list of names of members of our church, and a notepad. I was afraid that the evil police would discover these things and I was more afraid that my brothers and sisters would call my pager, therefore I continually and urgently prayed to God in my heart: “God, what am I supposed to do?
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Riches of Life
Over the years since accepting the work of Almighty God in the last days, my wife and I have undergone this together under the oppression of the great red dragon. During this time, although I have had weaknesses, pain, and tears, I feel that I have gained a great deal from experiencing this oppression. These bitter experiences have not only made me clearly see the reactionary, evil nature and the ugly countenance of the great red dragon, but I have also recognized my own corrupt essence. It has also allowed me to experience God’s almightiness and wisdom. I have truly experienced and recognized the actual significance of God utilizing the great red dragon as a foil, from which my confidence in following God has become firmer and firmer.
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Youth With No Regrets
“Love is a pure emotion, pure without a blemish. Use your heart, use your heart to love and feel and care. Love doesn’t set conditions or barriers or distance. … In love there’s no suspicion,no cunning, no deceit. Use your heart, use your heart to love and feel and care. In love there is no distance and nothing that’s not pure” (“Pure Love Without Blemish” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). This hymn of God’s word once helped me get through the pain of a long and drawn-out life in prison that lasted 7 years and 4 months. Even though the CCP government deprived me of the most beautiful years of my youth, I have obtained the most precious and real truth from Almighty God and therefore have no complaints or regrets.
