菜單

30 Jun 2017

What is the significance of prayer?


Concerning the Practice of Prayer

You pay no attention to prayer in your daily life. People have always overlooked prayer. In their prayers before they were simply going through the motions and playing around, and no one has ever fully given their heart before God and truly prayed to God. People only pray to God when something happens to them. Throughout all this time, have you ever truly prayed to God? Have you ever wept tears of pain before God? Have you ever come to know yourself before God? Have you ever had a heart-to-heart prayer with God? Praying is practiced gradually: If you don’t ordinarily pray at home, then you will have no way of praying in church, and if you don’t normally pray during small assemblies, then you will be incapable of praying during large assemblies. If you do not ordinarily draw near to God or reflect upon the words of God, then you will have nothing to say when it is time to pray—and even if you do pray, your lips will just be moving, you won’t be truly praying.

What does it mean to truly pray? It means speaking the words within your heart to God, and communing with God having grasped His will and based upon His words; it means feeling particularly close to God, feeling that He is in front of you, and that you have something to say to Him; and it means being especially radiant within your heart, and feeling that God is especially lovely. You will feel especially inspired, and after hearing your words your brothers and sisters will feel gratified, they will feel that the words you speak are the words within their hearts, the words they wish to say, and that what you say represents what they want to say. This is what it means to truly pray. After you have truly prayed, in your heart you will feel at peace, and gratified; the strength to love God will rise up, and you will feel that nothing in your entire life is more worthy or significant than loving God—and all this will prove that your prayers have been effective. Have you ever prayed in such a way?

And what about the content of prayers? You should pray, step-by-step, in accordance with your true state and that which is to be done by the Holy Spirit, and you should commune with God in keeping with God’s will and His requirements of man. When you begin practicing your prayers, first give your heart to God. Do not attempt to grasp God’s will; only try to speak the words within your heart to God. When you come before God, speak thus: “O God! Only today do I realize that I used to disobey You. I am truly corrupt and despicable. Before, I was wasting my time; starting from today I will live for You, I will live out a life of meaning, and satisfy Your will. I would that Your Spirit always works within me, and always illuminates and enlightens me, so that I can bear strong and resounding testimony before You, allowing Satan to see Your glory, Your testimony, and the proof of Your triumph within us.” When you pray in this way, your heart will be completely set free, having prayed in this way, your heart will be closer to God, and by often praying in this way, the Holy Spirit will inevitably work within you. If you always call out to God in this way and make your resolution before God, the day will come when your resolution can be accepted before God, when your heart and entire being will be received by God, and you will ultimately be made perfect by God. Prayer is of the utmost importance for you. When you pray, you receive the work of the Holy Spirit, your heart is thus touched by God, and the strength of the love for God within you comes forth. If you do not pray with your heart, if you do not open your heart to commune with God, then God will have no way of working within you. If, having prayed, you have spoken all the words within your heart and the Spirit of God has not stirred, if you do not feel inspired inside, then this shows that your heart is not earnest, that your words are not true, and still impure. If, having prayed, you are gratified, then your prayers have been accepted by God and the Spirit of God has worked within you. As someone who serves before God, you cannot be without prayers. If you truly see fellowship with God as something that is meaningful and valuable, could you forsake prayer? No one can be without communion with God. Without prayer, you live in the flesh, you live in the bondage of Satan; without true prayer, you live under the influence of darkness. I hope that the brothers and sisters are able to truly pray each and every day. This is not adherence to doctrine, however, but an effect that must be achieved. Are you willing to forego a little sleep and gratification, saying morning prayers at dawn and then enjoying the words of God? If you pray and eat and drink the words of God, in this way, with a pure heart, then you will be more accepted by God. If you do every day, practicing giving your heart to God each day and communing with God, then your knowledge of God is sure to increase, and you will be better able to grasp God’s will. You should say: “O God! I wish to fulfill my duty. In order that You may be glorified in us, and may enjoy the testimony in us, this group of people, I can but devote my entire being to You. I beg You to work within us, so that I can truly love and satisfy You, and make You the objective that I pursue.” When you are possessed of this burden, God will surely make you perfect; you should not only pray for the sake of yourself, but also for the sake of carrying out the will of God, and for the sake of loving Him. Such is the truest kind of prayer. Do you pray in order to carry out the will of God?

Before, you did not know how to pray, and overlooked prayer; today, you must do your best to train yourself to pray. If you are unable to summon the strength within you to love God, then how can you pray? You should say: “O God! My heart is incapable of truly loving You, I wish to love You but I lack the strength. What should I do? I wish for You to open the eyes of my spirit, I wish for Your Spirit to touch my heart, so that before You I am divested of all passive states, and unconstrained by any person, matter, or thing; my heart I completely lay bare before You, such that my entire being is devoted before You, and You may test me however You wish. Now, I give no thought to my prospects, nor am I bound by death. Using my heart that loves You, I wish to seek the way of life. All things and events are in Your hands, my fate is in Your hands, and, moreover, my life is controlled by Your hands. Now, I pursue the love of You, and regardless of whether You let me love You, regardless of how Satan interferes, I am determined to love You.” When you encounter such things, you pray in this way. If you do so every day, the strength to love God will gradually rise up.

How does one enter into true prayer?

Whilst praying, your heart must be at peace before God, and it must be sincere. You are truly communing and praying with God; you must not deceive God using nice-sounding words. Prayer is centered around that which God wishes to complete today. Ask God to bring you greater enlightenment and illumination, and bring your actual state and troubles before God to pray, and make resolution before God. Prayer is not the following of procedure, but the seeking of God using your true heart. Ask that God protect your heart, making it able to often be at peace before God, making you able to know yourself, and despise yourself, and forsake yourself in the environment that God has set for you, thus allowing you to have a normal relationship with God and making you someone who truly loves God.

What is the significance of prayer?

Prayer is one of the ways in which man cooperates with God, it is a means by which man calls upon God, and it is the process by which man is touched by God’s Spirit. It can be said that those who are without prayer are dead ones without spirit, proof that they lack the faculties to be touched by God. Without prayer, they are unable to attain a normal spiritual life, much less are they able to follow the work of the Holy Spirit; without prayer, they sever their relationship with God, and are incapable of receiving God’s approval. Being someone who believes in God, the more you pray, the more you are touched by God. Such people have greater resolution and are more able to receive the latest enlightenment from God; as a result, only people like this can be made perfect as soon as possible by the Holy Spirit.

What is the effect to be achieved by prayer?

People are able to carry out the practice of prayer and understand the significance of prayer, but the effect to be achieved by prayer is no simple matter. Prayer is not a case of going through the formalities, or following procedure, or reciting the words of God, which is to say, prayer does not mean parroting words and copying others. In prayer, you must give your heart to God, sharing the words in your heart with God so that you may be touched by God. If your prayers are to be effective, then they must be based on your reading of God’s words. Only by praying amid God’s words will you be able to receive more enlightenment and illumination. A true prayer is shown by having a heart that yearns for the requirements made by God, and being willing to fulfill these requirements; you will be able to hate all that God hates, upon the basis of which you will have knowledge, and will know and be clear about the truths explained by God. Having the resolution, and faith, and knowledge, and a path by which to practice after praying—only this is truly praying, and only prayer such as this can be effective. Yet prayer must be built upon the foundation of enjoying God’s words and communing with God in His words and your heart is able to seek God and be at peace before God. Such prayer has already reached the point of true communion with God.

Basic knowledge about praying:

1. Do not blindly say whatever comes to mind. There must be a burden within your heart,

which is to say, you must have an objective when you pray.
2. Your prayers must contain the words of God; they must be based upon the words of God.

3. When praying, you cannot go over old ground; you must not bring up things that are

outdated. You should specially train yourself to speak the actual words of the Holy Spirit;
only then will you be able to make a connection with God.
4. Group prayer must be centered around a core, which must be the work of the Holy Spirit

today.
5. All people must learn how to pray for others. They must find the part in God’s words

that they wish to pray for, based upon which they must have a burden, and for which they
must often pray. This is one manifestation of care for God’s will.
Personal prayer life is based upon understanding the significance of prayer and the basic knowledge of prayer. Man must often pray for his shortcomings in his daily life, and must pray upon the foundation of the knowledge of God’s words in order to achieve changes in his life disposition. Everyone should establish their own prayer life, they should pray for the knowledge based upon God’s words, should pray in order to seek the knowledge of God’s work. Lay your actual circumstances before God, and be pragmatic, and don’t pay attention to method; the key is to attain a true knowledge, and to actually experience God’s words. Anyone who pursues entry into the spiritual life must be able to pray in multiple ways. Silent prayer, pondering the words of God, coming to know the work of God, and so on—this targeted work of communion, is in order to achieve entry into normal spiritual life, making your own situation before God better and better, and causing ever greater progress in your life. In short, all that you do—whether it be eating and drinking the words of God, or praying silently or declaring loudly—is in order to clearly see God’s words, and His work, and that which He wishes to achieve in you. More importantly, it is in order to reach the standards that God requires and take your life to the next level. The lowest standard that God requires of people is that they be able to open their hearts to Him. If man gives his true heart to God and says what is really within his heart to God, then God is willing to work in man; God does not want the twisted heart of man, but his pure and honest heart. If man does not truly speak his heart to God, then God does not touch man’s heart, or work within him. Thus, the most crucial thing about praying is to speak the words of your true heart to God, telling God of your flaws or rebellious disposition and completely opening yourself up to God. Only then will God be interested in your prayers; if not, then God will hide His face from you. The minimum criterion for prayer is that you must be able to keep your heart at peace before God, and it must not depart from God. Perhaps, during this period, you have not gained a newer or higher view, but you must use prayer to keep things as they are—you cannot regress. This is the very least that you must achieve. If you cannot accomplish even this, then it proves that your spiritual life has not entered onto the right track; as a result, you are unable to hold on to your original vision, and bereft of faith in God, and your resolution subsequently disappears. Your entry into the spiritual life is marked by whether or not your prayers have entered onto the right track. All people must enter into this reality, they must all do the work of consciously training themselves in prayer, not passively waiting, but consciously seeking to be touched by the Holy Spirit. Only then will they be people who truly seek God.

When you begin to pray, be realistic, and mustn’t overreach yourself; you cannot make extravagant demands, hoping that as soon as you open your mouth you will be touched by the Holy Spirit, enlightened and illuminated, and bestowed with much grace. That is impossible—God does not do things that are supernatural. God accomplishes people’s prayers in His own time and sometimes He tests your faith to see whether you are loyal before Him. When you pray you must have faith, perseverance, and resolution. When they begin training themselves to pray, most people don’t feel that they have been touched by the Holy Spirit and so lose heart. This won’t do! You must have persistence, you must focus on feeling the touch of the Holy Spirit, and on seeking and exploring. Sometimes, the path that you act upon is the wrong one; sometimes, your motivations and conceptions are unable to stand firm before God, and so God’s Spirit doesn’t move you; so too are there times when God looks at whether or not you are loyal. In short, you must devote more effort to training yourself. If you discover that the path you act upon is deviant, you can change the way you pray. As long as you truly seek, and long to receive, then the Holy Spirit will surely take you into this reality. Sometimes you pray with a true heart but don’t feel as if you have been particularly touched. At times like these you must rely on your faith, and trust that God looks upon your prayers; you must have perseverance in your prayers.

You must be honest, and must pray in order to rid yourself of the craftiness in your heart. As you use prayer to purify yourself whenever needed, and use it to be touched by the Spirit of God, your disposition will gradually change. The true spiritual life is a life of prayer, and it is a life that is touched by the Holy Spirit. The process of being touched by the Holy Spirit is the process of changing your disposition. A life that has not been touched by the Holy Spirit is not a spiritual life, it is still religious ritual; only those who are often touched by the Holy Spirit, and have been enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, are people who have entered into the spiritual life. Man’s disposition constantly changes as he prays, and the more that he is moved by the Spirit of God, the more proactive and obedient he is. So, too, will his heart gradually be purified, after which his disposition will gradually change. Such is the effect of true prayer.

Gospel Movie Trailer "My Dream of the Heavenly Kingdom"


God’s Blessing to Noah After the Flood


“In regards to God’s blessing of Noah, some people will say: “If man listens to God and satisfies God, then God should bless man. Doesn’t that go without saying?” Can we say that? Some people say: “No.” Why can’t we say that? Some people say: “Man is not worthy of enjoying God’s blessing.” That’s not completely right. Because when a person accepts what God entrusts, God has a standard for judging whether the person’s actions are good or bad and whether the person has obeyed, and whether the person has satisfied God’s will and whether what they do is qualified. What God cares about is the person’s heart, not their actions on the surface. It’s not the case that God should bless someone as long as they do it, regardless of how they do it. This is people’s misunderstanding of God. God looks not just at the end result of things, but places more emphasis on how a person’s heart is and how a person’s attitude is during the development of things, and looks at whether there is obedience, consideration, and the desire to satisfy God in their heart. ”

From"God’s Blessing to Noah After the Flood“in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Marriage


“One encounters many people in one’s life, but no one knows who will become one’s partner in marriage. Though everyone has their own ideas and personal stances on the subject of marriage, no one can foresee who will finally become their true other half, and one’s own notions count for little. After meeting a person you like, you can pursue that person; but whether he or she is interested in you, whether he or she is able to become your partner, is not yours to decide. The object of your affections is not necessarily the person with whom you will be able to share your life; and meanwhile someone you never expected quietly enters your life and becomes your partner, becomes the most important element in your fate, your other half, to whom your fate is inextricably bound.”

From"Marriage: The Fourth Juncture“in The Word Appears in the Flesh

29 Jun 2017

Is it right that believers in God can never depart from the Bible and whatever departs from the Bible is false and is a heresy?


Bible Reference:

“Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (John 5:39-40).

The answer from God’s word:

“The Bible is a historical book, and if you had eaten and drunk the Old Testament during the Age of Grace—if you had put into practice what was required in the time of the Old Testament during the Age of Grace—Jesus would have rejected you, and condemned you; if you had applied the Old Testament to the work of Jesus, you would have been a Pharisee. … During the time of Jesus, Jesus led the Jews and all those who followed Him according to the Holy Spirit’s work in Him at the time. He didn’t take the Bible as the basis of what He did, but spoke according to His work; He paid no heed to what the Bible said, nor did He search in the Bible for a path to lead His followers. Right from when He began to work, He spread the way of repentance—a word of which there was absolutely no mention in the prophecies of the Old Testament. Not only did He not act according to the Bible, but He also led a new path, and did new work. Never did He refer to the Bible when He preached. During the Age of Law, no one had ever been able to perform His miracles of healing the sick and casting out demons. His work, His teachings, His authority—no one had done this during the Age of Law. Jesus simply did His newer work, and even though many people condemned Him using the Bible—and even used the Old Testament to crucify Him—His work surpassed the Old Testament; if this were not so, why did people nail Him to the cross? Was it not because it said nothing in the Old Testament of His teaching, and His ability to heal the sick and cast out demons? His work was in order to lead a new path, it was not to deliberately ‘pick a fight’ against the Bible, or to deliberately dispense with the Old Testament. He simply came to perform His ministry, to bring the new work to those who yearned for and sought Him. He didn’t come to explain the Old Testament or uphold its work. His work was not in order to allow the Age of Law to continue developing, for His work gave no consideration to whether it had the Bible as its base; Jesus simply came to do the work that He ought to do. … Why must God’s work be according to the Bible? Could it be that God has no right to exceed the Bible? Can God not depart from the Bible and do other work? Why did Jesus and His disciples not keep the Sabbath? If He were to keep the Sabbath and practice according to the commandments of the Old Testament, why did Jesus not keep the Sabbath after He came, but instead washed feet, covered head, broke bread, and drank wine? Isn’t this all absent from the commandments of the Old Testament? If Jesus honored the Old Testament, why did He defy these doctrines? You should know which came first, God or the Bible! Being the Lord of the Sabbath, could He not also be the Lord of the Bible?

… Thus, the work done by Jesus exceeded the law of the Old Testament, it was higher than it, and was not in accordance with it. During the Age of Grace, Jesus did not work according to the law of the Old Testament, He had defied those doctrines. Today there are still people who adhere to the Bible, and the law of the Old Testament in particular—does this not deny the work of Jesus? Some people say the Bible is a holy book, that it must be read, and some people say that God’s work must be upheld forever, that the Old Testament is God’s covenant with the Israelites, and cannot be dispensed with, and the Sabbath must always be kept! Are they not ridiculous? Why didn’t Jesus keep the Sabbath? Was He sinning? Who can see through to such things?”

from “Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“The work of God continues to advance, and though the purpose of His work remains unchanging, the means by which He works are constantly changing, and thereby so are those who follow God. The more work of God, the more thoroughly man comes to know God, and the disposition of man changes accordingly along with His work. However, it is because the work of God is ever-changing that those who do not know the work of the Holy Spirit and those absurd men who do not know the truth become opponents of God. Not ever does the work of God conform to the conceptions of man, for His work is always new and never old. Not ever does He repeat work of old but rather forges ahead with work never before done. As God does not repeat His work and man invariably judges the work of God today based on His work of the past, it is exceedingly difficult for God to carry out each stage of work of the new age. Man presents far too many hindrances! The thinking of man is too hidebound! No man knows the work of God, yet they all define such work. Away from God, man loses life, truth, and the blessings of God, yet neither does man accept life nor truth, much less the greater blessings God bestows upon mankind. All men wish to gain God yet are unable to tolerate any changes in God’s work. Those who do not accept the new work of God believe that the work of God is changeless, and that the work of God forever remains at a standstill. In their belief, all that is needed to gain eternal salvation from God is to keep the law, and as long as they repent and confess their sins, the heart of God will be forever satisfied. They are of the opinion that God can only be the God under the law and the God who was nailed on the cross for man; it is their opinion too that God should not and cannot exceed the Bible. It is precisely these opinions that have shackled them firmly to the law of old and kept them fettered by rigid regulations. …

At that time, Jesus stated that the work of Jehovah had fallen behind in the Age of Grace, much as I say today that the work of Jesus has fallen behind. If there had been only the Age of Law and not the Age of Grace, Jesus could not have been crucified and could not have redeemed all mankind; if there had only been the Age of Law, could mankind possibly have developed until this day? History advances forward; is not history the natural law of God’s work? Is this not a depiction of His management of man within the entire universe? History progresses forward, so does the work of God, and the will of God continuously changes. It would be impractical for God to maintain a single stage of work for six thousand years, for all of man knows that He is always new and never old. He could not possibly continue to sustain work akin to the crucifixion, and once, twice, three times … be nailed to the cross. This is the perception of an absurd man. God does not sustain the same work, and His work is ever-changing and always new, much as how I daily speak to you new words and do new work. This is the work I do, the key of which lies in the words ‘new’ and ‘wondrous.’”

from “How Can Man Who Has Defined God in His Conceptions Receive the Revelations of God?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“If you use conceptions to measure and delineate God, as if God were an unchanging clay statue, and if you delimit God within the Bible, and contain Him within a limited scope of work, then this proves that you have condemned God. Because, in their hearts, the Jews of the age of the Old Testament cast God in the mold of idol, as if God could only be called the Messiah, and only He who was called the Messiah was God, and because they served and worshiped God as if He were a (lifeless) clay statue, they nailed the Jesus of that time to the cross, sentencing Him to death—condemning innocent Jesus to death. God had committed no crime, yet man did not spare God, and unwaveringly sentenced Him to death. Thus, Jesus was crucified. Man always believes that God is unchanging, and defines Him according to the Bible, as though man has seen through to God’s management, as though all that God does is in the hands of man. People are ridiculous to the extreme, they are possessed of the utmost arrogance, and they all have a flair for turgid eloquence. Regardless of how great your knowledge of God, still I say that you do not know God, that there are none who are more opposed to God, and that you condemn God, for you are utterly incapable of obeying the work of God and walking the path of being made perfect by God.”

from “The Wicked Must Be Punished” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

How Peter Came to Know Jesus



Almighty God says, "During his time following Jesus, he had many opinions of Him and always judged Him from his own perspective. Although he had a certain degree of understanding of the Spirit, Peter was not very enlightened, hence his words when he said: “I must follow he who is sent by the heavenly Father. I must acknowledge he who is chosen by the Holy Spirit.” He did not understand the things Jesus did and received no enlightenment. After following Him for some time he grew interested in what He did and said, and in Jesus Himself. He came to feel that Jesus inspired both affection and respect; he liked to associate with Him and stay beside Him, and listening to Jesus’ words rendered him supply and help. Over the time he followed Jesus, Peter observed and took to heart everything about His life: His actions, words, movements, and expressions. He gained a deep understanding that Jesus was not like ordinary men. Although His human appearance was exceedingly ordinary, He was full of love, compassion, and tolerance for man. Everything He did or said was of great aid to others, and by His side Peter saw and learned things he had never seen or had before."

Independence


“As far as fate is concerned, everyone is independent, and everyone has his or her own fate. So no one’s parents can stave off one’s fate in life or exert the slightest influence on the role one plays in life. It could be said that the family into which one is destined to be born, and the environment in which one grows up, are nothing more than the preconditions for fulfilling one’s mission in life. They do not in any way determine a person’s fate in life or the kind of destiny amidst which a person fulfills his or her mission. And so no one’s parents can assist one in accomplishing one’s mission in life, no one’s relatives can help one assume one’s role in life. How one accomplishes one’s mission and in what kind of living environment one performs one’s role are entirely determined by one’s fate in life.”

From"God’s Authority (II)

what kind of environment do the birds and the beasts and the insects live within?


"Second, what kind of environment do the birds and the beasts and the insects live within? Aside from establishing boundaries for the various geographical environments, He also drew boundaries for the various birds and beasts, fish, insects, and all the plants. He also established laws. Because of the differences between various geographical environments and because of the existence of different geographical environments, different types of birds and beasts, fish, insects, and plants have different environments for survival. The birds and the beasts and the insects live amongst the various plants, the fish live in the water, and the plants grow in the land. What does the land include? Various areas such as the mountains, plains, and hills. So, the birds and the beasts have their own fixed homelands and won’t wander all over the place. Their homelands are the forests and the mountains. If, one day, their homelands were destroyed, this order would be thrown into chaos. As soon as that order is thrown into chaos, what are the consequences? Who are the first to be hurt? (Mankind.) It is mankind! Within these laws and limits that God has established, have you seen any peculiar phenomena? For example, elephants just casually wandering around in the desert. Have you seen that? If that were the case, it would be a very strange phenomenon. This is because the environment that elephants live in is the forest, and the forest is the environment for living, for survival that God prepared for them. It has its own environment for survival and its own fixed home, so why would it go running around? Has anyone seen lions or tigers wandering around by the ocean? The homeland of the lions and tigers is the forest and the mountains. Has anyone seen whales or sharks from the ocean just hanging out in the desert? Whales and sharks make their homes in the ocean and they have no way to live on land. In humans’ living environment, are there people who live alongside brown bears? Are there people who are always surrounded by peacocks or other birds, inside and outside of their homes? Has anyone seen cattle and sheep inside of forests? Has anyone seen eagles or wild geese playing with monkeys? If so, these would all be peculiar phenomena. This is the reason I speak of these things that are peculiar phenomena in your eyes. It’s to have you understand that all beings created by God—no matter if they are fixed in one place or have breath and can walk—they all have their laws for survival. Long before God created these living beings He had prepared for them their own homelands, their own environments for survival. These living beings had their own fixed environments for survival, their own food, their own fixed homelands, their own fixed places suitable for their survival, places with temperatures suitable for their survival. That way they wouldn’t wander around or undermine mankind’s survival or impact their lives. This is how God manages all beings. It is to provide for mankind the best environment for survival. The living beings within all beings each have life-sustaining food within their own environments for survival. With that food, they are fixed within their native environment for survival; they are fixed in that environment. In that kind of environment, they are still surviving, multiplying, and continuing on according to the laws God has established for them. Because of these types of laws, because of God’s predestination, all beings interact harmoniously with mankind, and mankind and all beings are interdependent."

"The Creator’s Sincere Feelings Toward Mankind" (Selected Passage)



Almighty God says, "People often say that it is not an easy thing to know God. I, however, say that knowing God is not a difficult matter at all, for God frequently allows man to witness His deeds. God has never ceased His dialogue with mankind; He has never concealed Himself from man, nor has He hidden Himself. His thoughts, His ideas, His words and His deeds are all revealed to mankind. Therefore, so long as man wishes to know God, he can come to understand and know Him through all sorts of means and methods. The reason why man blindly thinks that God has intentionally avoided him, that God has intentionally hidden Himself from humanity, that God has no intention of allowing man to understand and know Him, is that he does not know who God is, nor does he wish to understand God; even more so, he is not concerned with the Creator’s thoughts, words or deeds…. Truthfully speaking, if one only uses their idle time to focus upon and understand the Creator’s words or deeds, and pay a little attention to the Creator’s thoughts and the voice of His heart, it will not be difficult for them to realize that the Creator’s thoughts, words and deeds are visible and transparent. Likewise, it will take little effort to realize that the Creator is among man at all times, that He is always in conversation with man and the entirety of creation, and that He is performing new deeds every day. His substance and disposition are expressed in His dialogue with man; His thoughts and ideas are revealed completely in His deeds; He accompanies and observes mankind at all times. He speaks quietly to mankind and all of creation with His silent words: I am above the universe, and I am amongst My creation. I am keeping watch; I am waiting; I am at your side…. His hands are warm and strong; His footsteps are light; His voice is soft and graceful; His form passes and turns, embracing all of mankind; His countenance is beautiful and gentle. He has never left, nor has He vanished. From dawn to dusk, He is mankind’s constant companion. His devoted care and special affection for humanity, as well as His true concern and love for man, were displayed bit by bit when He saved the city of Nineveh. In particular, the exchange between Jehovah God and Jonah laid barer the Creator’s pity for the mankind He Himself created. Through these words, you can obtain a deep understanding of God’s sincere feelings for humanity…."

from "Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh"



The Hymn of God's Word"Two Thousand Years of Longing"



I
That God has become flesh
shakes the religious world,
upsets the religious order,
and stirs up the souls of all
who long for God's appearance.
Who does not marvel at this?
Who does not long to see God?
God has spent years among man,
but man is simply unaware of this.
Today, God Himself has appeared
to renew His old love with man.
II
After He left from Judea,
God vanished without a trace.
People long to see Him again,
but never have they expected
to reunite with Him here and today.
How could this not bring back
memories of the past?
Two thousand years ago,
Simon son of Jonah met Lord Jesus,
and ate with the Lord
at the same table.
Years of following
deepened his love for Him.
He loved Jesus
to the bottom of his heart.
God has spent years among man,
but man is simply unaware of this.
Today, God Himself has appeared
to renew His old love with man,
to renew His old love with man.

from "Work and Entry (10)"
in The Word Appears in the Flesh

27 Jun 2017

Short Film "God's Work Has Made Me Live Out the Likeness of a Man"


He has worked in the construction and decoration industry for fifteen years. As to how such jerry-built buildings as “the leaning building” and “the falling building” were produced, he knows it better than anyone else.

In this dark society where if one doesn’t practice the “unspoken rule” of “collusion between officials and businessmen,” he’ll have no business, in order to survive, he helplessly followed the evil trends of the society. Offering bribes, indulging himself, and acting in collusion with the government officials, he lost himself and lost his character and dignity. The pricks of his conscious accompanied him everyday, and made him struggle painfully.…

Later, Almighty God’s end-time gospel came upon him. Through reading God’s words, his soul revived. Under the judgment and chastisement of God’s word and God’s discipline, he gradually gets to break free from the bondage of satanic poisons, be an honest person according to God’s word and the truth, live in God’s blessing and keeping, and walk on the bright right way of human life….

The Hymn of God's Word "How God Rules Over All Things"



1. From the moment you come crying into this world, you begin to perform your duty. In the plan and ordination of God, you assume your role, and begin the journey of life. Whatever your background or the journey ahead of you, none can escape the orchestration and arrangement that Heaven has in store, and none are in control of their destiny, for only He who rules over all things is capable of such work.

2. Since the day man came into existence, God has been steady in His work, managing this universe and directing the change and movement of all things. Like all things, man quietly and unknowingly receives the nourishment of the sweetness and rain and dew from God. Like all things, man unknowingly lives under the orchestration of God’s hand. The heart and spirit of man are held in the hand of God, and all the life of man is beheld in the eyes of God. Regardless of whether or not you believe this, any and all things, living or dead, will shift, change, renew, and disappear according to God’s thoughts. This is how God rules over all things.

from “God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh


26 Jun 2017

Amazing!


"God created all things, each of which lives through different forms and different ways and uses different methods to exhibit its power and form of life. No matter what method, it is all under God’s rule. "

From"God Is the Source of Life for All Things (II)“in “The Word Appears in the Flesh”

What is the essential difference between the words spoken by man that accord with the truth and the truth itself?



What is the essential difference between the words spoken by man that accord with the truth and the truth itself? This clip will uncover the mysteries for you.

Storyline:

Zhao Zhigang is an elder at the Local Church in China. Like many Christians, his greatest hope as a believer in the Lord is to be raptured alive, meet the Lord and rule with Him. In 1999, after the church leader released the message, "In the year 2000 the Lord shall come again, and His believers will be raptured alive," he was even more excited and enthusiastic than before. Brimming with faith and confidence, he looked to the future with hope and expectation…. However, after the year 2000 came and went, his hope had been all for naught. An unprecedented crisis of faith emerged in his denomination, and he couldn't help but wonder whether or not he had chosen the right path.

After the gospel of the descent of kingdom of Almighty God spread throughout his denomination, Zhao Zhigang and a group of fellow workers entered into deep discussion and debate with preachers from the Church of Almighty God. These discussions revolved around beliefs they had maintained for many years within their denomination…. Finally, Zhao Zhigang could see clearly that they had been misled into confusion by religious antichrists. He quickly recognized the truth and came to accept the work of Almighty God. Eventually he was raptured before God's throne, where he could not help but to lament, "My rapture was truly in peril!"

God’s Disposition Is Vivid and Holy



I
Real and vivid is God's disposition.
His thoughts transform,
attitude shifts,
as He responds to changes of things,
of the environment.
Different facets of God's substance
will be revealed
as He changes His thoughts.
A lion's wrath. Mother's mercy.
How vividly God inclines.
His righteous disposition,
which is His wrath and mercy,
can't be questioned,
twisted, offended,
or changed by anyone.
It's shown in all things,
at any time, any place.
In each corner of nature,
in every minute and every second,
God shows His righteous disposition,
unlimited by space or time.
The wrath of God is free from flaw;
God's mercy, no creature bears.
His mercy, holy and pure.
Experience and thought
prove it's true.
II
God's fierce wrath is a response
to the evil people do;
His wrath is pure.
God's heart is moved and changed
when He sees people repent to Him.
Such change and mercy is flawless,
His tolerance unblemished and pure.
Though wrath must flow,
so mercy too,
in answer to repentant hearts
and different conduct.
All He reveals and expresses
are pure and without blemish.
His substance is unique from
all the rest of His creation.
No matter what God does,
His deeds are flawless,
and His thoughts and decisions
pure like Himself.
As God has decided,
so will He carry on
and complete what He plans.
Everything He does
is precise and faultless,
for its source is flawless and pure.
In each corner of nature,
in every minute and every second,
God shows His righteous disposition,
unlimited by space or time.
The wrath of God is free from flaw;
God's mercy, no creature bears.
His mercy, holy and pure.
Experience and thought
prove it's true.
from Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs



Where did man actually come from?



Where did man actually come from? Do you understand this question?

Storyline:

Xiao Zhen used to be a pure, kind-hearted Christian, who always treated her friends sincerely. However, when it was to their benefit, her former friends became her enemies. After suffering this tragedy, Xiao Zhen was forced to abandon her true heart and her formal principles. She began to betray her own good conscience and good spirit, and wallowed in the mire of the evil world. … As she fell from grace and walked a path of depravity, she was trampled by the world and became riddled with scars and bruises. She had reached a dead end, and at her point of despair when she had given up all hope, Almighty God's sincere call finally awakened Xiao Zhen's heart and soul….

God’s work of the Age of Grace lasted two thousand years. How many years will it take for God’s work of the last days to end the old age and open up the new heaven and new earth?


The answer from God’s word:

“Although now is already the last days, know that the ‘last days’ is but a name for an age: Just like the Age of Law and the Age of Grace, it refers to an age, and it indicates an entire age, rather than the final few years or months. Yet the last days are quite unlike the Age of Grace and the Age of Law. The work of the last days is not carried out in Israel, but among the Gentiles; it is the conquest before My throne of all nations and peoples outside of Israel, so that My glory throughout the universe can fill the entire cosmos. It is so that I can gain greater glory, so that all creatures on earth can pass on My glory to every nation, forever down the generations, and all creatures in heaven and on earth can see all the glory that I have gained on earth. The work carried out during the last days is the work of conquest. It is not the guidance of the lives of all the people on earth, but the conclusion of mankind’s imperishable, millennia-long life of suffering on earth. As a consequence, the work of the last days cannot be like the several thousand years of work in Israel, nor like the decade of work in Judea which then continued for several thousand years until the second incarnation of God. The people of the last days encounter only the reappearance of the Redeemer in the flesh, and they receive the personal work and words of God. It will not be two thousand years before the last days come to an end; they are brief, like the time when Jesus carried out the work of the Age of Grace in Judea. This is because the last days are the conclusion of the entire era. They are the completion and the ending of God’s six-thousand-year management plan, and they conclude mankind’s life journey of suffering. They do not take the whole of mankind into a new age or allow mankind’s life to continue. That would hold no significance for My management plan or the existence of man. If mankind carried on like this, then sooner or later they would be entirely devoured by the devil, and those souls that belong to Me would ultimately be forfeited by its hands. My work lasts for but six thousand years, and I promised that the evil one’s control over the whole of mankind would also be for no more than six thousand years. And so, the time is up. I will neither continue nor delay any longer: During the last days I will vanquish Satan, I will take back all My glory, and I will reclaim all the souls that belong to Me on earth so that these distressed souls may escape from the sea of suffering, and thus will be concluded My entire work on earth.”

from “None Who Are of the Flesh Can Escape the Day of Wrath” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

God says,"When you are weary and when you begin to feel the desolation of this world,do not be perplexed,do not cry."



Almighty God says, "God created this world and brought man, a living being unto which He bestowed life, into it. In turn, man came to have parents and kin and was no longer alone. Ever since man first laid eyes on this material world, he was destined to exist within the ordination of God. It is the breath of life from God that supports each living being throughout his growth into adulthood. During this process, none believe that man lives and grows up under the care of God. Rather, they hold that man grows up under the love and care of his parents, and that his growth is governed by the instinct of life. This is because man knows not who bestowed life or from whence it came, much less how the instinct of life creates miracles. Man knows only that food is the basis of the continuation of life, that perseverance is the source of existence of life, and that the belief in his mind is the wealth of his survival. Man does not feel the grace and provision from God. Man then squanders the life bestowed upon him by God. … Not one man whom God looks upon day and night takes the initiative to worship Him. God continues to work as He has planned on man for whom He holds no expectations. He does so in the hope that one day, man will awaken from his dream and suddenly comprehend the value and purpose of life, understand the cost at which God has given man everything, and know how fervently God longs for man to turn back to Him. None have ever considered the secrets to the origin and continuation of man’s life. And yet, only God who understands all of this silently endures the hurt and blows from man, who has received everything from God but is not thankful. Man takes for granted all that life brings, and “as a matter of course,” God is betrayed, forgotten, and extorted by man. Is the plan of God truly of such importance? Is man, the living being that came from the hand of God, truly of such importance? The plan of God is of absolute importance; however, the living being created by the hand of God exists for His plan. Therefore, God cannot lay waste to His plan out of hatred for this mankind. It is for the sake of His plan and the breath He exhaled that God endures all torment, not for the flesh of man but for the life of man. He wishes to take back not the flesh of man but the life He breathed out. This is His plan."



Almighty God says, "Knowledge of God’s disposition and what He has and is can have a positive impact on humans."



lmighty God says: "God sees this instance of management of mankind, of saving humans, as more important than anything else. He does these things not only with His mind, nor is it only with His words, and He particularly does not do it casually—He does all of these things with a plan, with a goal, with standards, and with His will. It is clear that this work to save mankind holds great significance for both God and man. No matter how difficult the work is, no matter how great the obstacles are, no matter how weak humans are, or how deep mankind’s rebelliousness is, none of this is difficult for God. God makes Himself busy, expending His effort and managing the work He Himself wants to carry out. He is also arranging everything, and ruling all the people and the work He wants to complete—none of this has been done before. It is the first time God has used these methods and paid a great price for this major project of managing and saving mankind. While God is carrying out this work, little by little He is expressing to humans without reservation His hard work, what He has and is, His wisdom and almightiness, and every aspect of His disposition. He unreservedly reveals all of this to mankind bit by bit, revealing and expressing these things as He has never done before."

from "Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh"

“Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not” (Luke 12:40).



When the Lord comes again, will He descend with the clouds, or will He come as secretly as a thief? How will you face the second coming of the Lord? Will you be too afraid of being misled by a false Christ that you will refuse to seek Him out, or will you act the part of the wise virgin and pay careful attention to God's voice? How should we "watch and wait" so that we will be able to welcome the Lord when He comes? Watch this short video!

Storyline:

Yang Hou'en is a pastor at a house church in China. With his father Yang Shoudao, they have awaited the Lord Jesus to descend from the clouds and take them up into the kingdom of heaven. For this, they diligently worked for the Lord, held fast to His name, and believed that anyone who is not the Lord Jesus descending from the clouds is a false Christ. And so, when they heard the news of the Lord's second coming, they did not listen to it or accept it. They thought that it was best to watch and wait…. While they waited passively, Yang Hou'en's cousin Li Jiayin accepted the work of Almighty God in the last days, and spread the gospel to them. After some intense discussions, Yang Hou'en finally understood the true meaning of "watch and wait," and could see that Almighty God's words were the truth, the way, the life, and these were the voice of the Lord, and Almighty God was the second coming of the Lord Jesus that they had waited for so many years….

The Hymn of God's Word "Song of the Overcomers"



God’s kingdom is expanding in humanity’s midst.

It is forming in humanity’s midst.

It is standing up in humanity’s midst.

There is not any force that can destroy God’s kingdom.

People in the kingdom of today,

which of you is not one of the human race,

or lies outside the human condition?

When God’s new starting point is announced to the multitude,

how will humanity react?

You’ve seen with your own eyes the state of mankind.

Do you still harbor hopes of enduring forever in this world?



God is now walking in the midst of His people.

He lives in the midst of His people.

Blessed are those who bear genuine love towards God today.

Blessed are those who submit to God.

They will surely stay in His kingdom.

Blessed are those who have knowledge of God.

They’ll surely wield power in His kingdom.

Blessed are those who seek after God.

They’ll surely escape from Satan’s bonds and enjoy blessing in God.

Blessed are those who can forsake themselves.

They will surely enter into God’s possession.

They will inherit the bounty in God’s kingdom.



God will commemorate those who run around for His sake.

God will joyfully embrace those who go to expense for His sake.

God will give enjoyment to those who make offering to Him.

God will bless those who find enjoyment in God’s words.

They’ll surely be the pillars that hold up the ridgepole in His kingdom.

They’ll surely have matchless bounty in His house, and no one can compare with them.



Have you ever accepted the blessings that you were given?

Have you ever sought the promises of God that you were made?

You will surely, with the guidance of His light,

break through the stranglehold of the forces of darkness.

You’ll surely not, in the midst of darkness, lose the light guiding you.

You’ll surely be the master of all creation.

You’ll surely be an overcomer before Satan.

You will surely stand up amid the myriad throngs

to bear witness to His victory at the downfall of the great red dragon.

You will surely be strong and steady in the land of Sinim.

You’ll inherit the blessing that comes from God for the sufferings you endure,

and will surely illuminate all in the universe with His glory.

from “The Nineteenth Utterance” of God’s Utterance to the Entire Universe

in The Word Appears in the Flesh