When It Comes to God, What Is Your Understanding?

People have believed in God for a long time, yet most of them have no understanding of this word “God.” They merely follow along in a muddle. They have no clue as to why exactly man should believe in God or what God is exactly. If people know only to believe in and follow God, but not what God is, nor do they understand God, then is this not the biggest joke in the world?

Promises to Those Who Have Been Perfected

What is the path through which God perfects man? Which aspects are included? Are you willing to be perfected by God? Are you willing to accept the judgment and chastisement of God? What do you know of these questions? If you cannot speak of such knowledge, then this shows that you still know not of God’s work and have not been enlightened at all by the Holy Spirit. Such kind of man cannot be perfected. They can only receive a small amount of grace to enjoy briefly and it cannot be maintained in the long term.

What exactly is someone who follows God’s will? And what is true testimony of faith in God?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:20-21).

What is the work of the Holy Spirit? How is the work of the Holy Spirit manifested?

Relevant Words of God:

When the Holy Spirit works, people are able to actively enter; they are not passive or forced, but are proactive. When the Holy Spirit works, people are glad and willing, and they are willing to obey, and happy to humble themselves, and even though they are pained and fragile inside, they have the resolve to cooperate, they suffer gladly, they are able to obey, and they are untainted by human will, untainted by the thinking of man, and are certainly untainted by human desires and motivations. When people experience the work of the Holy Spirit, they are especially holy inside.

I know that Eastern Lightning is the true way, but if I accept Almighty God’s work of the last days I shall be subjected to rejection and slander by the brothers and sisters belonging to my previous denomination. I really don’t have the courage to face that, so what should I do?

Bible Verses for Reference:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8).

Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it (Mat 7:13-14).

The Lord Jesus’ Words to His Disciples After His Resurrection

Jhn 20:26–29 And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the middle, and said, Peace be to you. Then said He to Thomas, Reach here your finger, and behold My hands; and reach here your hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, My LORD and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Someone says: On the cross, the Lord Jesus spoke the words, “It is finished.” Doesn’t that prove that God’s work of salvation has already been completed? Why would God return in the last days to do another stage of the work of judgment starting in His own house?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev 14:6-7).

Why did the Lord Jesus curse the Pharisees? What exactly is the essence of the Pharisees?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother: and, He that curses father or mother, let him die the death. But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatever you might be profited by me; And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free.

Why Did God Take the Name Jesus in the Age of Grace?

When Jesus began to perform His ministry, the Holy Spirit began to testify to the name of Jesus, and the name of Jehovah was no longer spoken of, and instead the Holy Spirit began the new work principally under the name of Jesus. The testimony of those who believed in Him was borne for Jesus Christ, and the work they did was also for Jesus Christ.The conclusion of the Old Testament Age of Law meant that the work principally conducted under the name of Jehovah had come to an end. After this, the name of God was no longer Jehovah; instead He was called Jesus, and from here on the Holy Spirit began the work principally under the name of Jesus. … Why is it that Jehovah and Jesus are one, yet They are called by different names in different ages? Is it not because the ages of Their work are different? Could a single name represent God in His entirety? In this way, God must be called by a different name in a different age, must use the name to change the age and represent the age, for no one name can fully represent God Himself. And each name can only represent God’s disposition during a certain age and needs only to represent His work. Therefore, God can choose whatever name befits His disposition to represent the entire age. Regardless of whether it is the age of Jehovah, or the age of Jesus, each age is represented by a name.

from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

During the Age of Grace, the name of God was Jesus, which means that God was a God who saved man, and that He was a compassionate and loving God. God was with man. His love, His compassion, and His salvation accompanied each and every person. Man could only gain peace and joy, receive His blessing, receive His vast and numerous graces, and receive His salvation if man accepted the name of Jesus and accepted His presence. Through the crucifixion of Jesus, all those who followed Him received salvation and were forgiven their sins. During the Age of Grace, the name of God was Jesus. In other words, the work of the Age of Grace was done principally under the name of Jesus. During the Age of Grace, God was called Jesus. He did new work beyond the Old Testament, and His work ended with the crucifixion, and that was the entirety of His work.

from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“Jesus” is Emmanuel, and it means the sin offering that is full of love, full of compassion, and redeems man. He did the work of the Age of Grace, and represents the Age of Grace, and can only represent one part of the management plan. … Only Jesus is the Redeemer of mankind. He is the sin offering that redeemed mankind from sin. Which is to say, the name of Jesus came from the Age of Grace, and existed because of the work of redemption in the Age of Grace. The name of Jesus existed to allow the people of the Age of Grace to be reborn and saved, and is a particular name for the redemption of the whole of mankind. And so the name Jesus represents the work of redemption, and denotes the Age of Grace. The name Jehovah is a particular name for the people of Israel who lived under the law. In each age and each stage of work, My name is not baseless, but holds representative significance: Each name represents one age. “Jehovah” represents the Age of Law, and is the honorific for the God worshiped by the people of Israel. “Jesus” represents the Age of Grace, and is the name of the God of all those who were redeemed during the Age of Grace.

from “The Savior Has Already Returned Upon a ‘White Cloud’” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

What is the relationship between every stage of God’s work and His name?

(1) The significance of God taking the name Jehovah in the Age of Law

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And God said moreover to Moses, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial to all generations” (Exo 3:15).

What is God’s church? What is a religious organization?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said to them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves” (Mat 21:12-13).

How should people experience God’s judgment and chastisement in order to be saved?

Relevant Words of God:

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.

Reflect: I, Qualified Christian?

By Li Zhi

I, who have believed in God for many years, had always thought that those who believed in God’s existence, could follow God and often pray to Him for keeping them from all calamities, could receive His grace, and moreover, were able to preach the gospel and bear witness to Him—these were people who truly believed in God. However, I found recently that whenever encountering difficulties and adversities, I would have no faith in God, and even be full of misunderstanding and blame toward Him within. For instance, when I was ill yet God didn’t remove my illness because of my prayer, my faith in Him would become ever weaker, until in the end I was even unwilling to pray; when encountering various hardships and frustrations in life, I often complained about God in my heart and thought that He should keep my family peaceful and not allow these unpleasant things to come upon me since I went to meetings regularly, and prayed and read the Bible every day. And so, time after time, I was full of misunderstandings and complaints toward God. Not until then did I begin to examine myself: Am I a true Christian? Acting in this way, am I believing in God?

One who believes in God must be able to discern false shepherds and antichrists to cast off religion and return to God.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Thus said the Lord Jehovah to the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool, you kill them that are fed: but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them” (Eze 34:2-4).

Will the Lord Jesus Come as a Thief or Come Upon a Cloud?

     
     Shufen was a major co-worker of a church. During the fifteen years of believing in the Lord, she had been actively serving in the church. She thought: Now is the end of the last days. All the prophecies of the Lord’s return have been fulfilled, and even the four blood moons were fulfilled. It seems that the day of the Lord’s return should come. To welcome the Lord’s return, recently she led the brothers and sisters to discuss the way for the Lord to return. Unexpectedly, they split on this matter, and two opinions were formed. They were at a stalemate. Some brothers and sisters said that the Lord would appear publicly with clouds to all people and all nations when He came, as the Bible says, “He comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him …” (Revelation 1:7). But, some said that the Lord would come in secret to steal treasures, which was based on the prophecy in Revelation, “I will come on you as a thief …” (Revelation 3:3). And even after several gatherings, they couldn’t reach a definite conclusion. Shufen was at her wits’ end now, and she herself also couldn’t figure out how the Lord would appear to man when He returns. Since both opinions of the brothers and sisters were based on the Bible, it was really hard to judge which of them was right. She was troubled so much that she couldn’t eat or sleep well these days, totally being at a loss what to say to the brothers and sisters about this matter.

After dinner, she took out the Bible again, expecting to receive the Lord’s guidance and enlightenment on the truth concerning how the Lord would come in the last days. Her husband, as usual, was sharing and communicating with the brothers and sisters from other countries on Facebook. Suddenly, he called her, “Shufen, Come and see this quickly. Brothers and sisters are discussing the way for the Lord to return.” Hearing this, she immediately laid aside the Bible in her hands, and came up to the computer. A video The Mystery of the Coming of the Son of Man was being shown on Facebook. The brothers’ fellowship in the video was well-founded and attracted her attention all at once.

After watching the video, she said with surprise, “Their fellowship is rather reasonable. It’s the enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. They bear witness that the Lord will return in secret as the Son of man through incarnation to do the work of judgment starting from the house of God, make a group of overcomers before the disaster, and then appear to all people and all nations. Their fellowship is totally in line with the Bible!” Her husband nodded his approval, saying, “The Lord Jesus has said: ‘Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not’ (Luke 12:40), ‘For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation’ (Luke 17:24-25), ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him’ (Matthew 25:6), ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me’ (Revelation 3:20), ‘Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame’ (Revelation 16:15). Now all these prophecies have been fulfilled. The Lord Jesus repeatedly said ‘the Son of man’ in the prophecies. Does ‘the Son of man’ not refer to the incarnate Christ? And if the Lord comes back in His spiritual body after resurrection, then ‘But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation’ will be untenable, for only His flesh can suffer and be rejected, and His spiritual body cannot.”

Then Shufen said, “So it seems that the Lord is very likely to come in secret as the Son of man through incarnation, and then appear to the public. In this case, it doesn’t contradict the saying ‘he comes with clouds’ prophesied in the Bible. If the Lord comes in this way, it is hidden yet practical. How wise it is! But how can we know Him if the Lord Jesus becomes flesh when He comes?”

Her husband replied, “Do you remember the Lord’s prophecies? He said: ‘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’ (John 16:12-13), ‘He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day’ (John 12:48), ‘For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son….’ (John 5:22), ‘And has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man’ (John 5:27). These scriptures imply that the Lord Jesus will be incarnated as the Son of man to express the truth to do the work of judgment. And ‘the Spirit of truth,’ I think, may refer to the incarnate Christ who will speak words, so those who can hear and recognize the voice of God will behold the return of the Lord. Just as the Lord Jesus said, ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him’ (Matthew 25:6). So, that all depends on whether we are the wise virgins who can know the voice of God.”

“So let’s seek this aspect of the truth from the brothers and sisters who posted the video!” After they spoke out their wish with one voice, they smiled. Shufen’s days of gloom was finally dispelled.                                                                                                                                   

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | I See the Path to Knowing God

Knowing God must be done through reading God’s word and understanding God’s word.

I See the Path to Knowing God |

christian testimonies

Xiaocao Changzhi City, Shanxi Province

One day, I saw this following passage of God’s word in the piece “How Peter Came to Know Jesus”: “Over the time he followed Jesus, Peter observed and took to heart everything about His life: His actions, words, movements, and expressions. … From his time in contact with Jesus, Peter also realized that His character was different from that of an ordinary man. He always acted steadily and never with haste, never exaggerated nor underplayed a subject, and conducted His life in a way that was both normal and admirable. In conversation, Jesus was elegant and graceful, open and cheerful yet serene, and never lost His dignity in the execution of His work. Peter saw that Jesus was sometimes taciturn, yet other times talked incessantly. He was sometimes so happy that He became agile and lively like a dove, and yet sometimes so sad that He did not talk at all, as if He were a weather-beaten mother. At times He was filled with anger, like a brave soldier charging off to kill enemies, and sometimes even like a roaring lion. Sometimes He laughed; other times He prayed and wept. No matter how Jesus acted, Peter grew to have boundless love and respect for Him. Jesus’ laughter filled him up with happiness, His sorrow plunged him into grief, His anger frightened him, while His mercy, forgiveness, and strictness made him come to truly love Jesus, developing a true reverence and longing for Him. Of course, Peter only gradually came to realize all of this once he had lived alongside Jesus for a few years.” After reading this passage I thought: No wonder Peter could achieve knowledge of God! Turns out it was because during the time he lived alongside Jesus day and night, he personally witnessed Jesus’ every word and every move, and from that he discovered more of God’s adorableness. Now is also the era of when God becomes flesh to personally descend upon the world of man to work. If I could also have the fortune of being able to come into contact with God and spend time together like Peter had, then wouldn’t I also know God better? Oh! It’s a shame that now I can only read God’s word but cannot see the face of Christ. Then how would I be able to gain true knowledge of God?

Just when I was sad and disappointed over this and losing my confidence in God, His words enlightened me: “Knowing God must be done through reading God’s word and understanding God’s word. Some people say: ‘I haven’t seen God incarnate, so how can I know God?’ God’s word is actually an expression of God’s disposition. From God’s word you can see God’s love for mankind, His salvation of mankind, and the way He saves them … because God’s word is expressed by God as opposed to God using man to write it out. It is personally expressed by God. It is God Himself expressing His own words and His inner voice. … expressing His disposition, His will, His thoughts, His love for mankind, His salvation of mankind, and His expectations of mankind. Among God’s words.… Sometimes God speaks from a gentle and compassionate perspective, and people see God’s love for mankind; sometimes He speaks from a strict perspective, and people see God’s unoffendable disposition. Man is deplorably filthy and is not worthy of seeing God’s face, and is not worthy of coming before God. People’s coming before God now is purely out of God’s grace. God’s wisdom can be seen from the way God works and the meaning of His work. Even if people don’t come into contact with God, they will still be able to see these things in God’s word” (“Knowledge of the Incarnation” in Records of Christ’s Talks). God’s words made me suddenly see the light. Yes! God in the flesh of the last days has already used His word to express all His disposition to man, allowing man to see through God’s word His great power, His supremacy, His humility and hiddenness, and His adorableness, and moreover understand His joys and sorrows, and know all He has and is. This is sufficient to show that reading God’s word and experiencing God’s word is the only path to knowing God. If I move away from God’s word, then so what even if I see God in the flesh? Didn’t the Pharisees also see Jesus back then? So why did they nail Jesus to the cross? Wasn’t it because they didn’t listen to Jesus’ words, they were arrogant and stubbornly held on to their own conceptions and imaginations, and resisted and condemned the Lord Jesus based on that little bit of the scriptures they understood? On the other hand, Peter was able to know Jesus because he could let go of his own conceptions and imaginations, listen closely to the words of Lord Jesus, and was good at carefully contemplating every word and sentence uttered by Jesus. Through Lord Jesus’ utterances and work he got to know God’s disposition and all He has and is, ultimately gaining true knowledge of God. Doesn’t this ironclad fact sufficiently explain that man can only know God through His word? Moreover, given that the main work of God in the flesh of the last days is the work of the word, doesn’t this benefit me in getting to know God?

The more I thought back to my logical reasoning the more I felt my own wretchedness, foolishness, and childishness. Every day I held God’s word in my hands, ate and drank God’s word, read God’s word, and experienced God’s word, but I did not love God’s word dearly, thinking that I could only know God by seeing the face of Christ. I really was living a blessed life without appreciating it! Oh God! Thank You for revealing and turning around my wrong way of knowing and making me see the path to knowing God. From now on, I will long to read Your word, contemplate Your word, seek to understand Your joys and sorrows through Your word, and through discovering more of Your adorableness get to know You even deeper.

Almighty God Has Given Me a Second Chance at Life

Almighty God Has Given Me a Second Chance at Life

Two ordinary brothers and sisters, Beijing

August 15, 2012

July 21, 2012 was a most unforgettable day for me, as well as the most important day of my life.

That day, a heavy rain was falling in Fangshan District in Beijing—the heaviest we had seen there in sixty-one years. A little after 4:00 p.m., I walked out onto the street to have a look and saw that water was everywhere. Our family car was already afloat, and the only reason it had not been carried away by the current yet was that something in front of it was blocking it from moving. The sight made me quite anxious, so I quickly called my husband, who is also a believer, but could not get through no matter how many times I tried. Then, rather than seek God’s will, I instead hurried home to call out for him.

Afterward, my husband and I went to look at the car, umbrellas in hand. When we got up next to the vehicle, he was just about to get in it to drive it away when it started moving by itself, before he’d even had time to touch it. He rushed after it a couple of steps, but the car got washed away by the current, and he was pulled in along with it. In my urgency I wanted to run over and grab him, but before I could move, I was sucked into the current, too. In the blink of an eye, we were pushed along by this roaring torrent for more than sixty meters. Just then, a minivan taxi suddenly floated up broadside in front of us. My husband wanted to stand up by bracing against the taxi, but before he could, it surged away and we were swept along a few meters as well. At a place where the current took a turn, my husband was finally able to force himself upright. He said, “Quick! Get into that raised pavilion!” Hand in hand, the two of us climbed with difficulty into the little pavilion. Just then the flood swelled higher. We held on to the pillars tightly, terrified of being swept away again. Only now, in this life-and-death crisis, did I remember to rely on God. In my heart, I continuously prayed to Him and beseeched, “God! Whether I live or die today is in Your hands; even my death will be Your righteousness!” I kept praying to God over and over, without daring to leave Him for even a moment. Suddenly, a miracle happened: Many sticks blocked the current from flowing toward us, and we stopped feeling any pain when the flood continued to pummel our bodies. As the water kept rising, both of us continuously prayed and sang hymns in praise of God. Later, as the current got stronger and stronger, I was already completely drained of strength and it started looking like I wouldn’t be able to hold on to the column much longer. Urgently, I shouted to my husband, “I can’t hold on much longer. I’m done for!” Suddenly, the flood took me. My husband hurriedly grabbed for me, and in that instant, life and death hung in the balance. Just then a car floated up in front of us and just happened to get stuck between the columns. The torrent rushed around both sides of the car, and we were safe and sound! God is so wonderful! God is so almighty! If God had not saved me that day, I would have been swept away by the flood, and died who knows where. It was Almighty God who had given me a second chance at life. As Almighty God said, “God uses His life to supply all things both living and lifeless, bringing all to good order by virtue of His power and authority. This is a truth which none can conceive or easily comprehend, and these incomprehensible truths are the very manifestation of and testament to the life force of God” (“God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

And so it was that we were in the rain for five hours straight. Actually, by then a few rescuers had already seen us, but seeing how strong the current was, they worried about being swept away, so instead just looked on from afar without coming over to save us. Apparently, when faced with disaster, everyone is selfish and helpless; people absolutely cannot save each other. Only Almighty God is our source of life; what’s more, He is the only One who can save us in time. To leave Almighty God is to die. Now I have personally tasted God’s love, I wish to make an oath before Him: From this day forward, I want to determinedly follow Almighty God; I wish to use my personal experiences to spread the gospel, bringing even more people before God, so that I can repay the debt of kindness I owe Him for His salvation!

God’s Best Protection for Mankind

God’s Best Protection for Mankind

Kuiqian Rizhao City, Shandong Province

My station in life, or status, was something I could never let go of, and when God created an environment that exposed me, I was only negative, complaining, and despairing. Only through refinement after refinement did I come to understand God’s good intentions, and that His testing of me was not to torment me. Rather, it was to cleanse me and make me perfect, to allow me to understand that believing in God for the sake of a station can only ruin me, thus allowing me to let go of improper views of pursuit, and to have a proper goal to pursue.

After some time of serving as a leader in the church, I was promoted to be a district leader’s partner. Before long, I was promoted again and entrusted with being a district leader. This linear “rise” made me work even harder to perform my duty, looking forward to the day that even more would be entrusted to me. This hope became the impetus for my pursuits. However, just as I was dreaming of my step-by-step “ascent,” I was replaced! At the time I was crushed—I felt that I had lost my station and my path of faith in God had come to its end. I was in pain to the point that I considered leaving the church. I even thought about dying. Later, through enlightenment from God’s words, I gradually came out of that negativity. His words were: “When the mountains move, could they make a detour for the sake of your station? When the waters flow, could they cease before your station? Could the heavens and the earth be reversed by your station?” (“The Twenty-second Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). At the time, although I realized that my desire for status was too strong and that faith in God should not be a pursuit of status, I didn’t have any real understanding of myself, and I thought to myself: I won’t pursue status anymore; no matter what duties are arranged for me, I’ll obey and that’s it. Later, the church arranged for me to preach the gospel and to look after new believers. I accepted all of this. So, I believed that I had let go of my desire for status.

Before long, I moved from looking after new believers to once again being a church leader. At that time, that desire deep in my heart to “make a comeback” was stirring. Under the reign of that desire, I put everything into showing off, hoping that the leadership would see my “change.” When it was time to plot out church districts, I couldn’t help but think: This time they’ll probably let me be a district leader’s partner. However, God’s plan once again broke my dream of status, and I ended up becoming the deacon liaison for another church. Faced with this reality, I misunderstood it, complained, and a struggle suddenly welled up in my heart: Oh God, others also have their corruption and make mistakes in their work, but they’re still working as leaders. I have given no less than others in every aspect—why won’t God use me? Why am I so unlucky? Once again, I descended into the pain of being refined. Amidst the darkness, it was God’s words that guided me: “You do not see blow after blow and discipline after discipline as the best protection, but you see it as unreasonable provocations from Heaven or suitable retribution for you. You are so ignorant! … The chastening that you see as ruthless has not changed your heart at all, nor has it occupied your heart. Instead, it has just injured it. You have only seen this ‘ruthless chastisement’ as your enemy in this life but you have gained nothing. You are so self-righteous! You rarely believe that you are subject to these kinds of trials because you are so despicable, rather, you believe that you are too unfortunate and moreover, you say that I’m always nitpicking at you” (“Aren’t Those Who Do Not Learn and Know Nothing but Beasts?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words pierced my heart like a sharp sword. It was true! All those times of stumbling—I had not gained anything from them. Every time I lost my station, I felt like I was hovering between life and death, as if by losing my station, I had lost the meaning of life. Status had become my mortal wound. But from these several chastenings, I had not really understood myself, and I had understood even less of God’s earnest intentions. I had not understood that God’s testing of me was to counteract my desire for status, so that I could have a proper pursuit. Instead, I misunderstood God, complained, and believed that He was purposely tormenting me, trying to make things difficult for me, and believed that I was so unlucky. I really was so unreasonable, so absurd!

Later, I saw in the fellowship from God: “Corruption within human nature must be resolved through trials…. In whichever aspects you do not pass, it is in these aspects that you must be refined—this is God’s arrangement. God creates an environment for you, forcing you to be refined there to know your own corruption. … In whichever aspects you are still subject to Satan’s bondage, in whichever aspects you still have your own desires, your own demands—it is in these aspects that you should suffer” (“How to Satisfy God in the Midst of Trials” in Records of Christ’s Talks). Looking at God’s words, thinking of refinement after refinement that came upon me, I finally understood God’s kind intentions, and could taste God’s great love and salvation. Although I was arrogant and ignorant and had no understanding of God’s heart, He created an environment to test me time after time, forcing me, amidst the pain of being refined, to recognize my own corruption, my own arrogance and unreasonableness, and that my desire for status was too great. He led me to shake off being ruled by my station, He led me to no longer pursue status. The more I tried to fathom it, the more I felt that God’s love for me was truly great, while I was blind and ignorant. I misunderstood and blamed God, and truly wounded His heart. At the time, I couldn’t help but shed tears of regret and fall down in front of God in prayer: Oh God! Thank You for Your love and salvation for me. If I did not have these chastisements and judgments from You, I would be on a one-way path to my own ruin because of my pursuit of status. Your trials and refinements of me are a great protection and salvation for me. Oh God! I have understood Your good intentions for me, and I am willing to let go of these barriers to pursuit of the truth, to seek out more of Your will in the environment You create, to pursue the truth, to pursue a change in disposition, to be a conscientious, rational creation, to not allow Your work to be in vain within me.

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Line

Reddit

分享

Gospel Testimonies

Previous：Return of a Prodigal Son

After Losing My Status

After Losing My Status

Huimin Jiaozuo City, Henan Province

Every time I saw or heard of someone having been replaced and them feeling down, weak or sulky, and not wanting to follow anymore, then I looked down on them. I thought it was nothing more than different people having different functions within the church, that there was no distinction between high or low, that we were all God’s creations and there was nothing to feel down about.

So whether I was taking care of new believers or leading a district, I never thought I focused much on my status, that I was that sort of person. I never would have thought in a million years that I would display such shameful behavior when I myself was replaced …

As my work had not brought about any results for some time, my leader replaced me. At that time, I thought even if my character wasn’t made out to be a district leader, I must surely still be allowed to do the watering or safeguarding work. I never expected for my leader to get me taking care of the routine stuff. I was surprised then, thinking of such a dignified district leader as myself being today made to run errands, and that anyone in the church who could run or who had a little intelligence could do this job. Wasn’t getting me to do this job an obvious waste of my talents? But I kept my feelings to myself, afraid that my sisters would say I was disobedient, that I cared about my status. But as soon as I got home, I fell flat on the bed and felt awful. Thoughts of having no status from now on and wondering how my brothers and sisters would see me filled my head. And to make me run errands—how would I ever be able to have my day again? The more I thought about it, the more awful I felt.

A few days later, I saw the sister who had arranged the job for me. As soon as I saw her, she gave me fellowship, saying, “Doing this job looks easy, but it must still be done with devotion,” then went on to talk about the truth of such aspects as wisdom and obedience. I murmured noncommittally, while my heart was like a seething fire, thinking, “You’re giving me fellowship? Like I know nothing! Wasn’t it I who gave you fellowship at the start? Now you’re telling it to me in turn.” Not one word of what my sister was fellowshiping sunk in; instead I just resented her verbosity. In the end I said impatiently, “Anything else? If not, then I’m off!” Once I got back, I kept wondering why I had such an attitude toward my sister. If her status had always been higher than mine or equal to it, would I have treated her this way? No, I wouldn’t have. Absolutely not! Wasn’t it because I had always led her, and now she in her turn was pointing things out to me that it left me unconvinced? Didn’t this show that I was dominated by thoughts of status? I suddenly felt awful about my own shameful behavior and God’s words of judgment came to me: “The more you seek this way the less you will reap. The greater a person’s desire for status, the more seriously they will have to be dealt with and the more they must undergo great refinement. That kind of person is too worthless! They must be dealt with and judged adequately in order for them to thoroughly let go of that. If you pursue this way until the end, you will reap nothing. Those who do not pursue life cannot be transformed; those who do not thirst for the truth cannot gain the truth. You don’t focus on pursuing personal transformation and entering in; you always focus on those extravagant desires, and things that constrain your love for God and restrain you from getting close to Him. Can those things transform you? Can they bring you into the kingdom? If the object of your pursuit isn’t to seek the truth, then you may as well take advantage of this opportunity and return to the world to make a go of it. Wasting your time this way is really not worth it—why torture yourself?” (“Why Aren’t You Willing to Be a Foil?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Looking at God’s words and thinking about myself, I realized that what I was pursuing was not truth at all, nor was I seeking to satisfy God, but instead it was fame, gain and status. With status, my confidence was multiplied a hundred-fold; without it, I felt completely deflated, grumpy and so down that I couldn’t be bothered to work. I got really carried away with my status, bustling around concerning myself all day with these insignificant and worthless things and wasting so much time; and what did it get me in the end? The shameful behavior I showed today? Thinking of all that God had done for me, not only had I not comforted God’s heart with the trust He’d placed in me, but on the contrary, I resented the duty He had given me as being too lowly and I didn’t want to do it. So was I living up to my own conscience? I thanked God for His disclosure that allowed me to see the shame of my pursuit of my own fame, gain and status, and to recognize that I was being too haughty, too arrogant and was placing far too much importance on status. Then there came to mind a song of God’s words: “Oh God! Whether I have status or not, I now know myself. If my status is high, it is You who raised me up; if my status is low, it is as You will it to be. All is in Your hands; it is not up to me. I need only obey completely under Your dominion, because all is as You will it. … Use me, I am Your creation. If You make me perfect, I am still Your creation; if You do not make me perfect, I will still love You, because I am only Your creation” (“I Am Only Your Tiny Creation” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). I sang this song over and over, tears pouring from my eyes, and I came to pray before God: Oh God! Through Your words I have come to understand Your intentions. Regardless of whether my status is high or low, I am Your creation and must completely obey the arrangements You make, must do my utmost to perform the duty expected of one of Your creations and not be choosy with what You have entrusted me to do. Oh God! I wish to obey Your arrangements, to be before You working like an ox and be at Your disposal, never again to do things that cause myself suffering or that hurt You for the sake of status. Oh God! I only wish for You to deal with me and judge me all the more, to make me able to lay down my pursuit of status, to give up those things that restrict my getting close to You and loving You, and to do my utmost to perform my duty in all honesty.