How to Get Closer to God in Our Busy Life

By Qingxin

The Bible says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). As believers in God, we all know that building a normal relationship with God in order to get closer to God and receive more of the Holy Spirit’s work is crucial. In the fast-paced modern life, however, busy jobs, complicated relationships and evil social trends draw us in and occupy our hearts more and more, and they prevent us from quieting ourselves before God. This causes our relationship with God to become ever more distant and causes us to often feel empty and agitated in the depths of our souls. So how exactly can we establish a proper relationship with God and become closer to God? This is a very important issue put in front of each believer. Actually, we need only to grasp the three aspects below, and our relationship with God will grow closer.

How Can We Establish a Normal Relationship With God in a Busy Life?

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Grow in Christ:

I am a believer who has just accepted God’s work. Even though fellowship meetings and daily devotions are very important to a Christian, my demanding and tiring job robs all the time I have. I make good money but I always feel the emptiness and shame. How do I balance daily devotions and a hectic work life?

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

(Mat 18:12-14) How think you? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, does he not leave the ninety and nine, and goes into the mountains, and seeks that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

The Experience of Growth of a Christian Born in the 1990s

Wei Chen, Fujian Province

I’m a Christian who was born in the 1990s. I was once a student in one of those famous schools that all parents want their kids to study at and will go to extreme lengths to get them in. In China, they are known as key schools, and I studied in one for 10 years. In China, parents have very high expectations of such schools, and rack their brains for ways to improve their children’s chances of going to these high-quality places of learning. They think that their kids will thus gain a first-class education that will put them head and shoulders above the rest and bring glory to their family and ancestors. In order to get me into a key school, my mother pulled out all the stops to develop relationships with the right people and also spent a considerable sum of money. But the schools run by the C.C.P. have already lost all their purity of purpose and have become dens of lies and falsehoods. The teachers and staff—who should have been upstanding models of fairness, humanity and morality—have become treacherous, cunning and immoral hypocrites who are cultivating batch after batch of similarly hypocritical students, the so-called “pillars of the nation.”

The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 2)

By Yuanzhi, Brazil

One day, while I was browsing through Facebook, I read an article about someone’s experience and testimony titled “I Have Found Salvation in the Last Days on Facebook.” After I opened it, I read that this sister had similar experiences to me. When she first started contacting TheChurch of Almighty God, she encountered rumors about it that her friends sent to her. She was very disturbed. I wanted to understand what the conclusion was, so I continued reading impatiently. I read that this sister prayed to the Lord and asked the Lord to guide her. After she finished praying, she felt that she could not selectively listen and believe. She had to realistically investigate The Church of Almighty God in order to differentiate whether it was true or false. If she blindly listened to the rumors and refused to investigate the second coming of the Lord, it would not be very rational. She had to find out the truth about the Lord’s return. When I read this, I felt that it was correct. The return of the Lord is an important thing and one must treat it prudently. I cannot simply follow the herd and blindly reject and resist it. I continued reading the article and saw that the circumstances regarding The Church of Almighty God that this sister came to understand were completely different from what her online friends were telling her. Additionally, she personally received as visitors some sisters from The Church of Almighty God. They fellowshiped with her about Almighty God’s words and they also helped and cared for her. The true experiences of this sister told me that I could no longer continue to be deceived by these rumors, nor could I believe gossip and reject investigating the work of Almighty God in the last days. Otherwise, it is possible that I would lose God’s grace of the last days. I must connect with The Church of Almighty God again for further investigation!

At night, while I was tossing and turning restlessly in bed, I thought, “I must find Sister Yang, whom I have blacklisted. If I can find her, I would definitely be able to find Brother Zhang from The Church of Almighty God.” I recalled that Sister Yang is someone who truly believes in God. All along, she has investigated the work of Almighty God in the last days. Right now, she should have already understood a lot. I want to know how her investigation is coming along. Through the help of some friends, two days later, with difficulty, I found Sister Yang’s Facebook account. I was glad that she was not angry at me for blocking her. After I contacted her, she told me that she had already investigated things quite clearly. Almighty God is the return of Jesus. She also happily connected me with Brother Zhang. Through the Internet, I contacted Brother Zhang and Sister Yang. I said, “After this period of experience, I can see that the Lord is guiding me. I am also willing to seek and investigate the work of Almighty God of the last days. However, I have many questions to ask you two. The thing I do not understand the most is that Jesus incarnated as a man to do His work. However, today, why can Jesus incarnate as a woman to do the work? This is a mystery. Brother Zhang, can you explain this to me?”

In response to my question, Brother Zhang replied, “Yes. Within God’s incarnation, there is a mystery. The meaning of His incarnation is great and it is deep. It is also something that we cannot fathom. Therefore, we must have a heart of reverence in regard to the return of the Lord. Even if God’s work is not in accordance with our notions at all, we must watch our tongues. We must not judge it without thinking the matter through. Seriously speaking, arbitrarily judging God’s work is blaspheming against God. The sin of blaspheming God cannot be pardoned in this life or the next. Almighty God of the last days has come and opened up all the mysteries. This is exactly fulfilling Jesus’ prophecies: ‘I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come’ (Jhn 16:12–13). If we read the words of Almighty God together, we will be able to understand this aspect of the truth. Almighty God said: ‘Back then, when Jesus came, He was male, but this time He is female. From this, you can see that God created both male and female for the sake of His work, and with Him there is no distinction of gender. When His Spirit comes, He can take on any kind of flesh at will and that flesh can represent Him. Whether male or female, it can represent God as long as it is His incarnate flesh. If Jesus had appeared as a female when He came, in other words, if an infant girl, and not a boy, had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, that stage of work would have been completed all the same. If such had been the case, then the present stage of work would have to be completed by a male instead, but the work would be completed all the same. The work done in either stage is equally significant; neither stage of work is repeated nor conflicts with the other. At the time, Jesus in doing His work was called the only Son, and “Son” implies the male gender. Then why is the only Son not mentioned in this stage? This is because the requirements of the work have necessitated a change in gender different from that of Jesus. With God there is no distinction of gender. He does His work as He wishes and in doing His work He is not subject to any restrictions, but is especially free. However, every stage of work has its own practical significance. … In the beginning, when Jehovah created mankind, He made two kinds of human being, both male and female; and so His incarnate flesh was also differentiated into either male or female. He did not decide upon His work on the basis of the words He spoke to Adam and Eve. The two times He became flesh were determined entirely according to His thinking at the time He first created mankind, that is, He completed the work of His two incarnations based on the male and the female before they had been corrupted’ (‘The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh). ‘In gender, one is male and the other female; in this the meaning of God’s incarnation has been completed. It dispels man’s misconceptions of God: God can become both male and female, and the incarnate God is in essence genderless. God made both man and woman, and He does not differentiate between the genders’” (“The Essence of the Flesh Inhabited by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After we finished reading God’s words, Brother Zhang said, “Whatever God does has meaning. God absolutely does not get involved with matters that do not have meaning or value. The Bible says: ‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them’ (Gen 1:27). From this we can see, in the beginning, He created man and woman in His image. The reason He chose to embody different genders the two times He was incarnated is to make whole the meaning of His creation of man and woman. At the same time, by doing so, He dispels man’s fallacious belief that God can only incarnate as a man and that He cannot incarnate as a woman. This allows man to acknowledge that not only could God’s incarnation embody the identity of a man, but it could also embody the identity of a woman. This allows man to see that God is indeed almighty, that man is unable to fathom it and he should not arbitrarily judge or define God. Additionally, God’s essence is spirit. Spirits are sexless. Sex only applies to created mankind. In order to save and redeem mankind, God incarnated Himself twice. Therefore, the sex of God’s incarnation is only dependent on the period of time in which He does His work. Once the incarnated God’s work on earth concludes, God will return to the spiritual world. At that time, He will no longer be differentiated by sex. Therefore, if we confine God to a certain sex, it is a great blasphemy against God! …”

After listening to the words of Almighty God and Brother Zhang’s fellowship, I had a sudden flash of insight. Finally, I understood the reason why God took on a different sex the two times that He was incarnated. As it turns out, this embodies the will that God had when He first created man and it also embodies God’s kind intentions. If God embodied a man the two times He was incarnated to do work, we would have believed that God is eternally a man and we would fallaciously believe that the male sex is greater and has higher status than the female sex. God incarnate of the last days working as a woman embodies God’s impartiality and righteousness and it lets me see that God’s incarnation this time working as a woman is very meaningful! Otherwise, I would never know God and my notions and definition about God would never have been eliminated. Furthermore, due to my defining God, I would have offended God’s disposition. The first time that God was incarnated, He embodied the identity of a man. In the last days, God’s incarnation embodied the identity of a woman. From these two times of God’s incarnation, it can be seen that these two instances indeed make whole the meaning of God’s incarnation. It allows me to have a more accurate and a more genuine understanding of God. Thank God! God’s work is truly wise!

After Sister Yang and Brother Zhang listened to my understanding and knowledge of God’s words, they were happy that I was able to understand God’s will and that I had eliminated my notions and misunderstandings about God. They were so moved by the salvation work that God had done upon me that they cried. Afterward, we had fellowship three more times. Thanks to God’s guidance, I understood more and more of the truth, I learned about the mystery of God’s incarnation and I learned about the mystery of God’s three stages of work. I learned of the differences between God’s work and man’s work, the differences between the Holy Spirit’s work and Satan’s work and other such aspects of the truth. I could truly feel that Almighty God is the return of Jesus and that He is the truth, the way and the life. On Saturday night, Sister Yang sent me a new MV called Love the Practical God With All Our Heart, “God’s will has been revealed—to perfect the true lovers of God. Lively and innocent people all offer up praises to God, and dance beautiful dances around the true God together. People are called back by God’s voice from different places. Words of life are bestowed upon us. We are purified by the judgment of God’s words. …” After I listened to this song, I was very encouraged, and I cried tears full of emotion. I called Sister Yang’s telephone, but I was so emotional that I could not speak. All I could do was repeatedly say one sentence: “Thank God! Thank you….”

After my emotions subsided, that night, I had a very heartfelt conversation with my brother and sister. I was thankful that Almighty God did not give up on my salvation all this time and that He did not treat me based on my resistance and contradiction. Instead, He was with me all this time. He used gospel movies or videos and my brothers’ and sisters’ experience articles to guide and move me bit by bit, and brought me back to His family and before Him. From the bottom of my heart, I told my brother and sister: “I have already experienced God’s love. I also understand the truth of God’s incarnation. I no longer believe hearsay and rumors. I completely accept Almighty God as my Savior and as my God. Since I have already determined that Almighty God is the return of Jesus, He is a God that has provided me with a lot of grace and He is the Redeemer of mankind.”

I recalled the past when I listened to rumors, was full of conflict in regard to the work of God in the last days and said some words of judgment against God. I was so rebellious! My heart felt very indebted to God and I was remorseful and grieved. However, Sister Yang told me: “During circumstances when someone does not know God, it is very easy for them to be deceived by lies. As long as we truly repent, God will not remember. God’s word says, ‘God did not come this time to strike people down, but rather to save people to the greatest extent possible. Who is entirely free from errors? If everyone is struck down, then how could it be called salvation? Some transgressions are done on purpose and other transgressions are done involuntarily. With involuntary matters, you can change after you recognize them, so would God strike you down before you change? Is this how God saves people? It is not like that! Regardless of whether you transgress involuntarily or out of a rebellious nature, you must remember: Hurry and wake up to reality. Press onward; no matter what situation arises, you must press onward. God is working to save people and He will not randomly strike the people He wants to save’” (“God’s Will Is to Save People to the Greatest Extent Possible” in Records of Christ’s Talks). God’s words have given me great comfort and they have allowed me to see that God is full of mercy and forgiveness. God’s love is great! Within my heart, I cannot help but be grateful to God. Afterward, I got into contact with the brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God. I could see that The Church of Almighty God was not at all what the rumors purported it to be. In fact, it was completely opposite. This was the place where we can pursue the truth and know God. When we had gatherings in The Church of Almighty God, nobody talked about a life of pleasure. Nobody talked about cars, money or houses. Nobody talked about the dirty and filthy evil in the world. Everybody read Almighty God’s word together and we communicated our experience and knowledge of God’s words. We practiced adhering to Almighty God’s words. I can see that God’s word, the truth, and Christ are completely in power within The Church of Almighty God. This place is filled with equality and righteousness. It is like I had a taste in advance of a beautiful life in a new heaven and earth! At this time, when I recall those rumors, I realize that they simply trap and harm people. Due to those rumors, I almost lost God’s salvation of the last days. Thankfully, Almighty God saved me and helped me have an understanding of God’s work. My spirit was awakened, I broke through the net of Satan’s rumors and I came before the throne of God. I am thankful to God for saving me. All the glory be to Almighty God!

There Are Actually Principles for Making Offerings to God

Li Hui

Because of some trouble at home, in 1997 I began to believe in the Lord Jesus. Afterward, through practicing the Lord’s words, there was no longer any arguing at home. The Lord saved my family, saved me from my pain and gave me hope in life.

I remember the first time I went to a meeting at a church. The pastor read chapter 12, verses 1 to 8 from the Gospel of John, and he preached about Mary anointing the Lord Jesus with perfumed oil, as well as the offering made by the poor widow and, after I’d heard these stories, I felt very moved. The pastor said to us: “Brothers and sisters, in our belief in the Lord, we must be like Mary and the poor widow, and we must make more offerings to the Lord. The poor widow made an offering to the Lord of her money for food, and Mary used a jar of very valuable nard to anoint the Lord. That is to say, Mary took the best thing she possessed, the most valuable thing, and offered it up to the Lord, and this kind of action is what the Lord finds most acceptable and praiseworthy. Therefore, the more money we offer, the more treasures we will accumulate in heaven. People who do this are most blessed by the Lord, and only people like this can receive a hundredfold in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come….” After the meeting, I saw many brothers and sisters walk over to the offering box and put money inside, and I thought: “The Lord Jesus died nailed upon the cross so that mankind could be redeemed, and He has now saved me from my pain, so I should make more offerings to the Lord to repay His love. From now on, I’ll be like the poor widow and Mary, and love the Lord by offering my money. By doing this, the Lord will be gladdened and the pastor will like me too.”

From then on, I practiced in accordance with what the pastor had preached, and I used the money I would ordinarily be saving especially as an offering to the Lord.

I remember, not long after I’d first started believing in the Lord, it just so happened to be Christmas. On Christmas evening, I went to church and made an offering of 500 yuan, which was all the money that I’d managed to save on food and expenses. A pastor who had come from another church saw me offering so much money and he happily blessed me, and prayed to the Lord to bestow great blessings on me. Seeing how delighted the pastor was at my offering, I thought: “Since the pastor is so happy with my offering, the Lord will surely accept it!” When I thought of the Lord accepting my offering, my heart felt incomparable sweetness. In the days that followed, I was even more active in offering money; as long as I had even a little money on hand, I would offer it, and, without fail, I continued to make offerings. The church’s pastor also lavished praise on me, and often prayed for me to be blessed. During that time, I lived constantly within my own conceptions and imaginings, believing that as long as I offered lots of money, the pastor would be happy, the Lord Jesus would surely praise me, and I would be someone who most delighted the Lord.

Later, however, the pastors and elders became jealous of each other, and they argued and became divided in their struggle over position and offerings, which resulted in the church being in total chaos, and I couldn’t perceive any peace and joy of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Witnessing this spectacle, I couldn’t help but feel bitterly disappointed, and I left the Three-Self Church and went to other denominations in search of the Lord’s footsteps. I went to the Justification by Faith Church, the Local Churches, and other denominations, but no matter which church I went to, I saw that their circumstances were all pretty much the same. Furthermore, I always heard the pastors preach the doctrine of making offerings, appealing to believers to make more offerings so that they could attain more of the Lord’s blessings, and so I always made offerings to the churches without fail. I saw that the pastors and elders always liked people who made offerings and were always willing to pray for blessings upon those who made constant offerings, so I believed that the pastors’ actions were correct.

In 2012, a sister passed on to me the kingdom gospel of Almighty God. Through seeking and investigating, I ascertained that Almighty God was indeed the returned Lord Jesus, and so I began to live the church life. I thought: “I’ve believed in the Lord all these years and I’ve always made offerings. Now, at last, I welcome the return of the Lord, and I want even more to make lots of offerings, and thereby repay God’s love.” But I discovered that The Church of Almighty God had no offering boxes, and I thought: “Why do the pastors and elders in religion always preach the doctrine of making offerings, when the people in charge in The Church of Almighty God aren’t concerned with this matter?” Although I had some ideas of my own, seeing the brothers and sisters all living out a pious life, all dedicating and expending themselves in order to spread the gospel and bear witness for God and preparing good deeds, I felt very moved, and still I wanted to offer some money to prepare good deeds.

One time, I saw Sister Yang from the church exhausting herself by spreading the gospel, so I took 300 yuan and gave it to her as an expression of support for the gospel work, and I also made an offering to God of the money I’d saved. Unexpectedly, Sister Yang said to me very earnestly: “Sister Li, everything we do in The Church of Almighty God has a principle behind it, including the offering of money. I cannot just take your money.”

Hearing her say this, I felt very puzzled, and thought: “Making offerings to God is perfectly justified. Didn’t believers in the Lord always make offerings in religion? What principles are needed?” And so I said: “While I have believed in the Lord, I have been to meetings at other churches, and the pastors there would often preach the doctrine of making offerings, and would appeal to brothers and sisters to offer their money. I also frequently made offerings. But I’ve never heard any pastor preach about any principles concerning offering money. Is there any difference between The Church of Almighty God and other denominations when it comes to offering money?”

Sister Yang said amiably: “It’s fitting that we should make offerings to God, and it is the duty that we, as created beings, should perform. But there are principles to making offerings, and even more so there are truths to be sought. Let’s first look at the church’s principles for offering money: ‘All those who believe in God know very clearly that God’s work requires the coordination of people, and it requires leaders and workers from all levels of the church to supply, water, and guide God’s chosen people in maintaining God’s work. The expansion of God’s gospel of the kingdom requires God’s chosen people to run around and expend themselves; in addition, the various books of God’s word and of communication of truths used by God’s chosen people require printing and distributing. Therefore, God’s work of salvation pays a price for each and every one of God’s chosen people who receive God’s work, and all such expenses are supported by the offerings that God’s chosen people make to God. As a result, God has expectations for all God’s chosen people, and offering to God is a duty and obligation of created beings, and expending themselves for God is the responsibility that they should fulfill. This is justified and obligatory. Everyone should offer up their share for God’s work, regardless of how each person understands this matter. Some insist on making an offering of ten percent, while others contribute in different ways. As long as it is being offered willingly, God will gladly accept it. God’s house only specifies that those who have only believed in God for less than a year are temporarily exempt from providing any offerings, while poor people are not required to provide any offerings but can make offerings according to their faith. The church will not accept offerings that might lead to family disputes. Those making an offering of money must pray several times, and only after they are sure they are completely willing and are certain they will never have any regrets are they to be allowed to make their offerings…. The principles for making offerings are: You must know God’s work, can see that you have come to a real understanding of the truths through your faith in God, know how to live as a human, walk the path of attaining salvation, feel that you are in debt to God for His love, and that you must fulfill your duties as a man such that your conscience will feel at ease. If you then make offerings at this time, you shall be completely willing, while at the same time, you will feel enjoyment and comfort because you have conscience and reason. If someone has believed in God for many years, yet does not feel that he is a pursuer of the truth and that he will attain salvation, then he has no need to make any offerings, for he will not be completely willing even if he should make any offerings…. The church does not allow anyone to ask others to make offerings through preaching or any other reason. All those who are keen to talk about making offerings have ulterior motives. The matter of making offerings depends on each individual’s conscience and reason, as well as their understanding of truths’” (“Principles for Establishing a Church and Managing Church Life” in Selected Annals of the Work Arrangements of The Church of Almighty God).

Sister Yang went on to fellowship: “Sister Li, according to the principles for making offerings, although offering our possessions is a duty and an obligation that every one of us should perform, it must be practiced according to whether or not we understand the truth and whether or not we are willing to do it. This is because God doesn’t want us to offer money externally, and it is not the case that God blesses whoever offers the most. What God wants is our hearts, not our momentary impulses or temporary enthusiasm. If, because we understand His will and experience His salvation of us, we then want to repay God’s love, pray and seek many times, and make offerings willingly and gladly without the intention of gaining God’s blessings, then this is the only kind of offering God will accept. If we do not seek His will, but just offer a lot of money without really being willing to do so, then we will one day come to regret it, and God does not accept this kind of offering. God’s house therefore requires that if people do not understand the truth and cannot bring themselves to be willing to make offerings, then they must not make offerings, for God does not compel people to do anything that is against their will. Right now, you’ve only just entered the church and you don’t yet understand many truths. You must focus on reading God’s words diligently and, after you’ve understood the truth, then you can make offerings according to the principles of the truth, and only when we do things this way will God remember it. Moreover, within The Church of Almighty God, no one, no matter who they are, may use any excuse to appeal to people to make offerings. If they do, then they are people who are harboring wrong intentions, and they will be dealt with, disciplined and warned. Leaders and workers who persist in appealing to people to make offerings will be replaced. Furthermore, the money offered by brothers and sisters is an offering made to God, not to any one person in particular, and no one may privately accept an offering made by brothers and sisters or take the liberty of using it themselves. If someone secretly steals any offering, then they are a Judas, and in serious circumstances, they will be expelled from the church.”

Amazed, I said: “The Church of Almighty God is indeed different from religion. In order to make an offering, one has to understand the truth, and there are all these principles and stipulations. This is something that can only be done by people who have God in their hearts and who fear God, and it is something I have never seen in religion. Thinking of the time I spent in religion, the pastors simply didn’t care whether we were new believers or veteran believers, or whether we understood the truth or not. They just kept appealing to the brothers and sisters to make offerings, saying that God took delight in people’s offerings, and that only those who offered a lot were considered praiseworthy by God. The pastors preaching to us in this way led us all astray, and made us think wrongly that the more we offered, the greater the blessings we would receive. So in order to get the pastors to like us and to earn God’s praise, many brothers and sisters ended up offering their money, and little did we realize that all our offered money would eventually be grafted away in the name of all manner of things by the pastors and elders. It was such a dirty trick for the pastors to do this—wasn’t this just the same as when Judas stole offerings? The consequences of doing this are so serious! Today, The Church of Almighty God does not permit its members to appeal to people to make offerings, and there are also principles for offering. The church first asks people to understand the truth, and then it allows them to make offerings. If anyone dares to privately misappropriate or squander offerings, then a corresponding punishment is meted out to them according to the situation. The Church of Almighty God truly is fair and just, and the truth is in power! Sister Yang, I’m already certain that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, and my offering is made most willingly, so please take it!”

Sister Yang spoke gently, saying: “Sister Li, if our offerings are made sincerely, we still have to practice prayer several times in accordance with principles, for only when we are sure not to regret it and our actions are pure can the offering be acceptable. Moreover, I cannot myself take your money, for there are also principles for the taking of money. Let’s see what the principles say: ‘Any leader, worker or evangelist of the church must not accept offerings directly from brothers and sisters alone. There must be at least two people to accept the offering together, and a receipt must be given to the brother or sister who made the offering as proof that the money has been transferred to God’s house. All transactions that involve passing money to a senior level of the church must be done by two people together. The money must not be carried by one person alone…’ (‘Administrative Principles for Managing and Using the Money of God’s House’ in Selected Annals of the Work Arrangements of The Church of Almighty God). Sister Li, God knows us like the palm of His hand. He knows that we have been corrupted so deeply by Satan and that we all have greedy natures, and that our lust for money is particularly strong. Therefore, the church stipulates that when an offering of money is being taken, it must be handled by two people so that they may supervise one another—this is God’s protecting us! Right now, I am on my own, and this does not conform to the principle of taking an offering. In a few days, I and the person in charge will come back together to take it—only practicing in accordance with principles earns God’s praise.”

Hearing the sister speak, I said: “That’s fine. I never realized that The Church of Almighty God would have so many strict principles and requirements about just offering some money. It really is so different from the world of religion, and so different from any department or organization found in society! I see that the requirements of God’s house are all there to protect people, and that the truth is indeed in power within The Church of Almighty God.”

Sister Yang was much moved, and said: “That’s right! Almighty God has come in the last days to work and He expresses millions of words. All these words are the truth, they tell people all the truths they need in order to attain salvation, and they allow people to have the principles of the truth in their every action and deed and to live out a true human likeness. Almighty God says: ‘First, for the sake of your fate, you ought to seek to be approved by God. That is to say, since you acknowledge that you are numbered among the house of God, you ought then to bring peace of mind to God and satisfy Him in all things. In other words, you must be principled in your actions and conform to the truth in them. If this lies beyond your ability, then you shall be detested and rejected by God and spurned by every man. Once you have fallen into such a predicament, you cannot then be counted among the house of God. This is what it is meant by not being approved by God’ (‘Three Admonitions’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From God’s words, we realize that we must seek the truth in all matters and handle them with principle in our belief in God, and this is the condition for meeting with God’s approval. We must hold to all of the requirements God has for us, for only in this way will we win God’s protection. Therefore, God requires that we must accept the truth and practice the truth in our belief in Him, and handle all matters according to the principles of the truth, for only by doing this will we conform to His will and earn His praise. Otherwise, we will be detested and rejected by God and spurned by all other people. Sister Li, all the truths expressed by Almighty God are what we need, and as long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will come to understand even more principles of the truth.”

After listening to Sister Yang’s fellowship, I thought again of the time I’d spent believing in the Lord in religion. Every church had its own offering box, and the pastors often preached sermons to make people offer their money, and whoever offered the most was held in high esteem by the pastors. When offering money, we would just place it in the offering box; there were simply no principles to making offerings, much less did we ask for any receipt, and so most of the offered money ended up being pocketed by the pastors and the elders. But The Church of Almighty God is different. Regardless of whether someone is making an offering or receiving money, there are principles to follow, and this really widened my knowledge and broadened my horizons. When I heard Sister Yang refuse my offering, I didn’t understand. But now having read the principles of offering money and heard her fellowship about God’s words, I understand that Sister Yang was acting in accordance with the principles of the truth, and was acting entirely in accordance with God’s will. The whole world has now been so corrupted by Satan that it is at its zenith of darkness and evil; the saying “Everyone for himself and the devil take the hindmost” has become people’s motto for their lives, everyone worships money, and everywhere has become saturated with the exchange of money and power. Every group thinks of ways to make money, and even relief funds donated to areas struck with disaster are embezzled by greedy officials abusing their authority. But now I see that only The Church of Almighty God is a pure land. Almighty God Himself expresses the truth to provide for people, so that they may seek and understand the truth in the course of performing their duties, act in accordance with the principles of the truth, and thereby gain the truth, obtain life and live out a true human likeness—this really is the work of the true God! I wish to earnestly follow this path of faith in God and pursue the truth, so that I may handle matters with principle, and attain the salvation of Almighty God.

Q&A About God’s Work of Judgment in the Last Days-Question 1

Question 1: You say that God becomes flesh in the last days to do the work of judgment. Does this have basis in the Bible, or fulfill biblical prophecies? Without a biblical basis, we shouldn’t be so quick to believe it.

Answer: Any major incidents of God’s work are prophesied in the Bible, and there are quite a few relating tothe second coming of the Lord Jesus and God’s work of judgment. But we should understand that prophecies only tell people what will happen. They are reminders for people to be alert and to seek and investigate in the last days, so they won’t be abandoned or eliminated by God.

Are the Truths in the Bible Already Complete?

Question 2: The truths in the Bible are already complete. In believing in God, we have the Bible, and that’s enough. We don’t need the new word at all.

 Answer: What the Bible records is limited. The Old Testament only records the work of Jehovah God, and the New Testament only records the work of the Lord Jesus. The Bible only prophesies God’s work in the last days, but doesn’t record the details, because in the last days God does the work of judgment, which is a new work outside the Bible. God is the expresser of the truth, and even more is the Ruler of all things. His richness is unfailing and inexhaustible, and He is unfathomable to any created being. So, the contents of the Bible alone can’t make clear all God’s deeds at all. Almighty God tells us, “All that is recorded within the Bible is limited and unable to represent all the work of God. The Four Gospels have fewer than one hundred chapters altogether in which are written a finite number of happenings, such as Jesus cursing the fig tree, Peter’s three denials of the Lord, Jesus appearing to the disciples following His crucifixion and resurrection, teaching about fasting, teaching about prayer, teaching about divorce, the birth and genealogy of Jesus, Jesus’ appointment of the disciples, and so forth. These are but a few writings, yet man values them as treasures, even verifying the work of today against them.

After Listening With My Heart, I Have Welcomed the Lord’s Return

In 1994, I was born in the United States. My parents are both Chinese. My mother was the classic example of a successful career woman. She is able to think for herself and is very competent. I love my mother very much. When I was in Grade 2, my parents brought me back to China to study so that I would be able to learn Chinese. It was also at that time that I started to get acquainted with the Lord Jesus. I remember one day in 2004, after I got home from school, there was a guest at our house. My mother introduced her and told me that she was a pastor from the United States. I was very happy because that was when I found out that my mother had believed in the Lord Jesus for some time. Before, she did not believe. Every Chinese New Year, she would burn incense and worship Buddha. However, after my mother started to believe in the Lord Jesus, I no longer had to smell the whiff of burnt Joss paper and incense. That day, the American pastor told me a story about the Lord Jesus. Soon after, I was brought to the bathroom and before I could react, “plop,” the pastor had dunked my head into the bathtub and after a moment, pulled my head out. All I heard was my mother and the pastor telling me, “Welcome to the embrace of the Lord Jesus. We are all lost sheep.” In this way, I started a new life journey before I knew it. However, because the Lord was with me, my heart was very happy. Afterward, each Sunday, I would go to church to worship and listen to the pastor talk about Bible stories and read from the scriptures. I was very happy all along. My heart was steadfast and I felt that believing in the Lord Jesus was truly a good thing.

As a Christian, Regularly Attending Gatherings Cannot Be Neglected!

Xiaogao

Hello brothers and sisters of Spiritual Q&A,

I get very tired from working during the day, and I do not sleep very well at night. As a result, I am not willing to make it to gatherings on time. I do not like to be restricted. I feel that if I have spiritual needs, as long as I look for my brothers and sisters to chat during those times, it should be fine. I wonder what the cause of this issue is. How should I resolve this?

An Jing

Hello Sister An Jing,

You said that you are not willing to attend gatherings on time and that when you feel you have spiritual needs, that is the only time you will actively look for your brothers and sisters to chat. We can think like this because we do not understand what truly believing in God and the importance of gatherings are. Thank the Lord. I will talk a little bit about my understanding about this aspect. I hope it will be useful to you.

What It Means to Truly Believe in God

We all know that the reason why God originally created man was so that man would honor and worship God on earth. The Lord Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Mat 22:37-38). As believers in the Lord, we should all prioritize faith and worshiping God and have normal relationships with God. Gatherings, prayer, communicating the truth, singing hymns and praising God are ways to establish a normal relationship with God. As Christians, these are things that we must do at the very least. God’s words say: “‘Belief in God’ means believing that there is a God; this is the simplest concept of faith in God. What’s more, believing that there is a God is not the same as truly believing in God; rather, it is a kind of simple faith with strong religious overtones. True faith in God means experiencing the words and work of God based on a belief that God holds sovereignty over all things. So you shall be freed of your corrupt disposition, shall fulfill the desire of God, and shall come to know God. Only through such a journey can you be said to believe in God” (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh). “There are some people whose belief has never been acknowledged in God’s heart. In other words, God does not recognize that these people are His followers, because God does not praise their belief. … They regard believing in God as some kind of amateur hobby, treating God merely as spiritual sustenance…. How does God look upon these people? He views them as non-believers” (“How to Know God’s Disposition and the Result of His Work” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From here we can see, if our faith in God merely consists of verbal acknowledgement and believing within our hearts, yet we do not pursue the truth, do not experience and practice God’s words but regard faith as spiritual sustenance or a hobby, this is not truly believing in God. God does not praise this sort of faith. True believers in God should frequently come before God, pray to God often, read God’s words often, attend gatherings often and understand more of the truth from God. At the same time, they must bring God’s words into real life. They believe that what happens every day is presided and arranged by God. This is especially the case when they encounter something that is not in accordance with their notions and when they reveal their own corruption and are unable to let go of it. They are able to come before God and reflect upon themselves in accordance with God’s words. They are able to seek in the environment arranged by God the lessons they should learn and the truths they should enter and put into practice. Afterward, they actually put them into practice in accordance with God’s demands, cast off satanic corrupt disposition, live out a normal humanity and in the end, achieve a true understanding of God, obedience to God and love for God. Only this way of experiencing God’s work and words constitutes truly believing in God. We can only obtain God’s approval if we believe in God in this manner. If we do this, in the end, we will be brought into God’s kingdom. Contrarily, if our faith does not involve a normal relationship with God, regular participation in gatherings, prayer, communicating the truth and putting God’s words into practice; if it is just a spare-time faith, if we believe in God a few years yet our corrupt disposition has not changed whatsoever and if we do not have a true understanding of God, God does not acknowledge this sort of faith. There is no difference between this and the faith of unbelievers. If our faith is like this, even though we believe until the very end, we will not be able to obtain God’s approval and salvation.

Church Life Is Essential

If we are unwilling to attend gatherings on time, this indicates that we do not understand the importance of church life. In fact, church life is our life of communicating God’s word and entering into the truth, and it is also the life of experiencing the Holy Spirit’s work and enjoying God’s love. Understanding the truth, entering into the truth and attaining God’s salvation are completely a result that is achieved through the Holy Spirit’s work. Only through our lives in the church where we serve and provide for one another, fulfill our duties and bear witness to God would we be able to easily obtain the Holy Spirit’s work and God’s purification and salvation. In other words, winning God’s approval in regard to our faith and attaining His salvation are inextricably tied to a normal church life. In the Bible, it says: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching” (Heb 10:25). The Lord Jesus said: “Again I say to you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the middle of them” (Mat 18:19-20). From this, we can see, living a church life is one of God’s demands for us as Christians. Since our caliber itself is limited and we do not have the organ to receive the truth, it is very difficult to understand the truths and mysteries within God’s words. Even though we understand a lot of the literal meaning, we understand very little of God’s intentions and the demands that God has for man. But if we consistently participate in church life, pray together with our brothers and sisters, read God’s words and communicate our own understanding, experience and acceptance of God’s words, we will be able to obtain the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and illumination. We will obtain even more light and rewards, we will understand more clearly God’s intentions and requests, and the path of practice will be even clearer. This is especially the case when we do not understand God’s words or encounter various difficulties. If we cooperate with our brothers and sisters to seek God, pray to God and have the Holy Spirit work amongst us, we will be able to understand the esoteric meaning of God’s words and all our problems and difficulties will be resolved because we understand the truth. The more problems we solve in our church life, the more truth we will understand and obtain. This way, we will no longer be annoyed with worldly affairs. Our lives will be effortless and liberating. Afterward, we will be able to tackle the situations we encounter in accordance with God’s intentions and demands. Gradually, God’s words will become the principles and directions with which we handle situations. Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we will walk upon the path of God’s salvation.

If we do not participate in church life, if we occasionally pray to God ourselves and read God’s words, our attainment of the Holy Spirit’s work will be very limited. Without the Holy Spirit’s work, we will not be able to understand the truth, nor will we be able to enter into the reality of the truth. When we encounter difficulties or problems, since we do not understand God’s intentions, we will frequently not know what to do nor how to put the truth into practice. If we occasionally rely on our own notions and imaginations to do things, we will do things that violate God’s intentions and even offend God’s disposition. We will lose the Holy Spirit’s presence, not to mention God’s salvation. God’s words say: “If your spiritual life is not normal, you cannot understand God’s current work; you always feel that it is completely incompatible with your own notions, and you are willing to follow Him, but you lack internal drive. So no matter what God is currently doing, people must cooperate. If people don’t cooperate the Holy Spirit can’t do His work, and if people do not have a heart of cooperation, they cannot attain the work of the Holy Spirit. … If people do not cooperate with God and do not pursue deeper entry, God will take away what they once had. Inside, people are always greedy for ease and would rather enjoy what is already available. They want to gain God’s promises without paying any price at all. These are the extravagant thoughts within mankind. Gaining life itself without paying a price—what has ever been so easy? When someone believes in God and seeks to enter into life and seeks a change in their disposition, they must pay a price and achieve a state where they will always follow God no matter what He does. This is something that people must do. Even if you follow all of this as a rule, you must stick to it, and no matter how great the trials, you cannot let go of your normal relationship with God. You should be able to pray, maintain your church life, and stay with brothers and sisters. When God tries you, you should still seek the truth. This is the minimum for a spiritual life” (“You Ought to Maintain Your Devotion to God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From God’s words, we can see that a normal spiritual life is very important to us. Praying, reading God’s words and attending gatherings are all a part of a spiritual life. If we are unable to adhere to these, we will be unable to attain the Holy Spirit’s work. Even though our hearts want to follow God, we will not have faith. Therefore, regardless of how busy our work lives are and how tired our physical bodies are, we must not lose our normal relationship with God. At the minimum, we must maintain a normal spiritual life. We must live before God and seek the truth and put the truth into practice when we encounter situations. Only if we do this will our spiritual life become unyielding. Only then will we have a path that we can take when we encounter situations.

Only God’s Love Is Real

Xiaodong Sichuan Province

God said, “The Chinese nation which has been corrupted for thousands of years has continued on until today. All sorts of viruses continue to expand and are spreading everywhere like the plague; just looking at people’s relationships is enough to see how many viruses are in people. It’s extremely difficult for God to develop His work in such a tightly closed and virus-infected area. People’s personalities, habits, the way they do things, everything they express in their lives and their interpersonal relationships are all broken beyond belief …” (“The Path … (6)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The revelation in God’s words made me see how Satan’s corruption makes all relationships between people abnormal, because all are based on Satan’s philosophy of life, without containing even a shred of truth. Without God’s salvation, my eyes would still be covered and my emotions entrapped, but experiencing the work of God made me understand the essence of what it means to “help one another” and showed me the truth of friendship, love, and familial affection. I saw that only God’s words are the truth, and that only by living by God’s words could we escape the influence of Satan, and that only by comporting oneself according to the truth could one live out a meaningful life.