Hardship Is the Greatest Blessing God Can Bestow on Us

By Xiang Yang

  One day, I read a fable. There was once a farmer who hoped that his wheat would not be affected by any terrible weather while it was growing, but would grow tall and strong in light winds and sunshine. But when his wish was realized and the time came to collect the harvest, the wheat held no grain. As it happens, if wheat is not baptized through all kinds of hard weather as it grows, it will not bear a rich harvest.

Christian Video | "A Rebirth" | God's Judgement in the Last Days Led Me Onto the Right Path of Life

Christian Video | "A Rebirth" | God's Judgement in the Last Days Led Me Onto the Right Path of Life

Her name is Zheng Lu, and since childhood, she had been especially vain. Because of the social influence and the education of traditional Chinese culture, she studied tirelessly, hoping to get into university and realize her dream of outperforming her peers and becoming successful, but an unexpected accident shattered her dream. Just when she felt negative, weak, and unable to find direction in life, Almighty God's salvation in the last days found her.

Church Life Movie Trailer "Salvation" | What Exactly Is True Salvation? | The Church of Almighty God

Church Life Movie Trailer "Salvation" | What Exactly Is True Salvation? | The Church of Almighty God

What is salvation? Every believer in the Lord believes that as long as they pray to the Lord with a true heart, confess and repent to Him, their sins will be forgiven, and they will be saved by grace. When the Lord comes back, they will be directly taken into the kingdom of heaven. Is salvation really so simple?

What Kind of People Are the Poor in Spirit (Matthew 5:3)?

By Mei Juan

    In one of my daily devotions, I read that the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). I put down the Bible and began to contemplate this, “The Lord likes and blesses the poor in spirit, and theirs is the kingdom of heaven. But what kind of people are the poor in spirit? Are the poor in spirit those who appear on the outside to be humble, gentle, and loving to others?” I contemplated this for quite a while, but found no light, and I thought about it into the afternoon, when I just happened to have a meeting, where I could discuss and explore this question with my brothers and sisters.

Welcoming the Lord’s Return | A Guileless Person Is Not an Honest Person

A Guileless Person Is Not an Honest Person

By Cheng Mingjie, Shaanxi Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty 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;

Welcoming the Lord’s Return | Reflections on Being Replaced

By Yi Ran, Shandong Province

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?

Welcoming the Lord’s Return | Using God’s Word as a Mirror

Using God’s Word as a Mirror

By Wu Xia, Shandong Province

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.

Welcoming the Lord’s Return | I Learned to Coordinate With Others

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.

What Does It Mean to Have Humanity?

What Does It Mean to Have Humanity?

Introduction

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.

Whatever God Says Is the Very Judgment of Man

Whatever God Says Is the Very Judgment of Man

By Xunqiu, Henan Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty God

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.

Christian testimonies | What Is Truly Accepting Truth

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.

Christian testimonies | The Only Way to Avoid Disaster

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

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?

Christian testimonies | Experiencing God’s Special Love

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.

Christian testimonies | Jealousy, the Chronic Illness of the Heart

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.

Christian testimonies | What Is a Genuine Practice of the Truth

What Is a Genuine Practice of the Truth

By Hengxin, Hunan Province

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.

Christian testimonies | Whatever God Says Is the Very Judgment of Man

Whatever God Says Is the Very Judgment of Man

By Xunqiu, Henan Province

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.

Christian testimonies | It’s Not Easy Being an Honest Person

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.

Christian testimonies | The True Reason for Ineffective Work

The True Reason for Ineffective Work

By Xinyi, Shaanxi Province

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.”

Christian testimonies | Throwing off Satan’s Yoke Is Liberating

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.