We forsake everything else, spread the Lord’s gospel, and shepherd the church. This kind of labor is the way to implement the heavenly Father’s will. Is there anything wrong with our practice this way?

Answer: Spreading the Lord’s gospel and working for Him doesn’t necessarily mean you’re implementing His will. To truly implement the heavenly father’s will, you must implement the Lord’s doctrine and keep His commandments. You must do as the Lord demands. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat 22:37-39). As far as implementing the heavenly father’s will is concerned, the most important requirement is practicing Lord Jesus’s current words. This is the most basic principle. If you do not focus on following Lord Jesus’s words and instead follow those biblical figures, you are not implementing the heavenly father’s will. To implement the heavenly father’s will is to follow God’s words. People always exalt the words of the apostles contained in the Bible instead of exalting those of Lord Jesus Himself. By doing so, they are not implementing God’s will; Instead, they are resisting Him. In order to implement God’s will, you must obey Him, accept His trust and bear witness to God regardless of what He says or does. Those people, the ones that no longer rebel against God or resist Him, are the ones that He praises. Take Abraham, for example, he was able to follow God’s words. He dutifully gave his beloved only child to God. God rewarded Abraham for his loyal servitude. He blessed one of Abraham’s other children, allowing him to eventually become a great nation. Another example is Job; He revered God and stayed away from evil things. During his trials, when his wealth and children were taken away, he cursed himself instead of blaming God; he continued to bless the holy name of the Lord. Therefore, he was a perfect man in God’s eyes. Peter is yet another example. He followed Lord Jesus all his life, longing to pursue the truth. After accepting the Lord’s trust, he shepherded the church, in strict accordance with God’s requirements. Eventually he was able to serve God until death and love Him above everything else. All of these people obeyed and revered God. People like this are the ones who truly implement the heavenly father’s will. If you say that laboring for the Lord means you are implementing the heavenly father's will, then why, after the Pharisees traveled to the ends of the earth to spread the gospel and work for the Lord, were they eventually condemned and cursed by the Lord Jesus? That’s because they believed in God but did not implement His doctrines. When Lord Jesus came to do His works, not only did the Pharisees not accept it, they lead the entire Jewish faith in fanatically condemning and resisting Lord Jesus. They even beared false witness to Him in an attempt to hurt Lord Jesus. Everything they did was a betrayal of the Lord’s path; they took Lord Jesus as their enemy. Although these people looked as if they were enduring much suffering and laboring hard for the Lord, how can we say they were implementing the heavenly father’s will?

from the movie script of Stinging Memories

Classic Words on God’s Work in the Age of Kingdom—the Last Days

41. When Jesus came into the world of man, He brought the Age of Grace and ended the Age of Law. During the last days, God once more became flesh, and when He became flesh this time, He ended the Age of Grace and brought the Age of Kingdom. All those who accept the second incarnation of God will be led into the Age of Kingdom, and be able to personally accept the guidance of God. Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

After Her Husband’s Betrayal God Saved Her From the Haze of Pain

Time really flies. Hong’er grew from a naive little girl into a graceful young woman, and her budding interest in love awakened. She wasn’t interested in wealth or status, but just wanted a relationship in which, no matter what storms they weather, there is intimacy and love, they help each other in times of need, and grow old together. She was quietly awaiting the arrival of a certain moment …

The Truths About the Incarnation

1. “God does not save man directly in the form of the Spirit or in the identity of the Spirit, because his Spirit is untouchable and invisible to man and also unapproachable to man. If he saved man directly in the position of the Spirit, man could not receive his salvation. If God did not put on a shell of a created man, man could not receive this salvation either. This is because man could in no way approach him, just as no one could approach the cloud of Jehovah. Only if he becomes a created man, that is, he puts his ‘Way’ into the flesh he will become, can he personally work the ‘Way’ into all his followers and can they personally hear his way and see his way and thus gain his way. Only in this way can they be completely saved. If God were not incarnated, no fleshly man could receive this exceedingly great salvation, and no one could be saved. If God’s Spirit directly worked among men, they all would be struck down, or they would be completely taken captive by satan because they had no way to contact God.”

from “The Mystery of Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Chapter 7 Several Other Aspects of the Truths That Are the Minimum That Should Be Understood by New Believers

5. Faith in God Should Not Only Be for Seeking Peace and Blessings.

Relevant Words of God:

Today, you must set on the right track since you believe in the practical God. Having faith in God, you should not solely seek blessings, but seek to love God and know God. Through His enlightenment and your own pursuit, you can eat and drink His word, develop a true understanding of God, and have a true love of God that comes from your heart. In other words, your love for God is most genuine, such that none can destroy or stand in the way of your love for Him. Then you are on the right track of faith in God. It proves that you belong to God, for your heart has been taken possession of by God and you can then be possessed by nothing else. Owing to your experience, the price you paid, and the work of God, you are able to develop an unbidden love for God. Then you are freed from the influence of Satan and live in the light of God’s word. Only when you have broken free from the influence of darkness can you be deemed to have gained God. In your belief of God, you must seek this goal. This is the duty of each of you.

from “You Ought to Live for the Truth Since You Believe in God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

One Must Fellowship Clearly What Is Rapture and the True Meaning of Being Raised Up Before the Throne of God

2. What is true rapture?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Mat 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” (Rev 3:20).

“Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9).

Relevant Words of God:

“Being caught up” is not being taken from a low place to a high place as people imagine. This is a huge mistake. Being caught up is referring to My predetermining and selecting. It is targeted at all those I have preordained and chosen. … This is most incompatible with people’s notions. Those who have a share in My house in the future are all people who have been caught up before Me. This is absolutely true, never-changing, and cannot be refuted by anybody. This is the counterattack against Satan. Anyone I preordained shall be caught up before Me.

from “The One Hundred and Fourth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Philadelphia church has taken shape, and this has been entirely due to the grace and mercy of God. The saints have brought forth their love for God and never wavered from their spiritual path. Be firm in the belief that the one true God has become flesh, that He is the Head of the universe who commands all things—this is confirmed by the Holy Spirit and is ironclad proof! It can never change!

…………

Today You have made complete all churches—the Philadelphia church—which is the realization of Your 6,000-year management plan. The saints can now humbly be obedient in front of You; they are connected to each other in spirit and accompany each other in love. They are connected to the source of the fountain. The living water of life runs ceaselessly and it washes away and purges all the filth and sludge in the church, once again purifying Your temple. We have known the practical true God, walked within His words, recognized our own functions and duties, and done everything that we can to expend ourselves for the church. We should take every moment to be quiet in front of You and heed the work of the Holy Spirit so that Your will is not blocked in us. Among saints there is mutual love, and the strengths of some will compensate for the failings of others. Walk in the spirit at every moment and gain the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit; understand the truth and put it into practice immediately; keep up with new light and follow God’s footsteps.

…………

Actively cooperate with God, serve in coordination and become one, satisfy Almighty God’s will, hasten to become a holy spiritual body, trample on Satan, and end its destiny. The Philadelphia church has been raptured in front of God and manifests itself in the glory of God.

from “The Second Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Like hundreds of millions of other followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we abide by the laws and commandments of the Bible, enjoy the abundant grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and gather together, pray, praise, and serve in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—and all this we do under the care and protection of the Lord. We are often weak, and often strong. We believe that all of our actions are in accordance with the teachings of the Lord. It goes without saying, then, that we also believe ourselves to walk the path of obedience to the will of the Father in heaven. We long for the return of the Lord Jesus, for the glorious arrival of the Lord Jesus, for the end of our life on earth, for the appearance of the kingdom, and for everything as it was foretold in the Book of Revelation: The Lord arrives, and brings disaster, and rewards the good and punishes the wicked, and takes all those who follow Him and welcome His return into the air to meet Him. Every time we think of this, we can’t help but be overcome with emotion. We are thankful that we were born in the last days and are lucky enough to witness the coming of the Lord. Though we have suffered persecution, it is in return for “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”; what a blessing that is! All of this longing and the grace bestowed by the Lord make us often sober unto prayer, and bring us together more often. Maybe next year, maybe tomorrow, or maybe even sooner when man does not expect it, the Lord shall suddenly arrive, and shall appear among a group of people who have been attentively waiting for Him. We are all contending with each other, none wanting to fall behind, in order to be the first group to behold the appearance of the Lord, to become one of those who shall be raptured. …

…………

God is silent, and has never appeared to us, yet His work has never stopped. He looks upon all lands, and commands all things, and beholds all the words and deeds of man. His management is conducted in steps and according to His plan. It proceeds silently, without dramatic effect, yet His footsteps advance ever closer to mankind, and His judgment seat is deployed in the universe at the speed of lightning, immediately followed by the descent of His throne among us. What a majestic scene that is, what a stately and solemn tableau. Like a dove, and like a roaring lion, the Spirit arrives among us all. He is wise, He is righteous and majestic, He quietly arrives among us possessed of authority and filled with love and compassion. No one is aware of His arrival, no one welcomes His arrival, and, moreover, no one knows all that He will do. Man’s life remains unchanged; his heart is no different, and the days go by as usual. God lives among us like an ordinary person, as a most insignificant follower and an ordinary believer. He has His own pursuits, His own goals, and, moreover, He has divinity not possessed by ordinary men. No one has noticed the existence of His divinity, and no one has perceived the difference between His substance and that of man. …

…………

And yet it is this ordinary person hidden among people who is doing the new work of saving us. He does not clarify anything for us, nor does He tell us why He has come. He merely does the work He intends to do in steps, and according to His plan. His words and utterances become ever more frequent. From consoling, exhorting, reminding, and warning, to reproaching and disciplining; from a tone that is gentle and kind, to words that are fierce and majestic—they all instill both compassion and trepidation in man. Everything that He says hits home at the secrets hidden deep within us, His words sting our hearts, sting our spirits, and leave us ashamed and humiliated. …

Unbeknownst to us, this insignificant man has led us into step after step of God’s work. We undergo countless trials, are subjected to innumerable chastenings, and tested by death. We learn of God’s righteous and majestic disposition, enjoy, too, His love and compassion, come to appreciate God’s great power and wisdom, witness the loveliness of God, and behold God’s eager desire to save man. In the words of this ordinary person, we come to know the disposition and substance of God, come to understand God’s will, come to know the nature and substance of man, and see the way of salvation and perfection. His words cause us to die, and cause us to be reborn; His words bring us comfort, yet also leave us wracked with guilt and a sense of indebtedness; His words bring us joy and peace, but also great pain. Sometimes we are as lambs to the slaughter in His hands; sometimes we are like the apple of His eye, and enjoy His love and affection; sometimes we are like His enemy, turned to ashes by His wrath in His eyes. We are the mankind saved by Him, we are the maggots in His eyes, and we are the lost lambs that He thinks of finding day and night. He is merciful toward us, He despises us, He raises us up, He comforts and exhorts us, He guides us, He enlightens us, He chastens and disciplines us, and He even curses us. He worries for us night and day, He protects and cares for us night and day, He never leaves our side, and He devotes all His care to us and pays any price for us. Among the words of this small and ordinary flesh, we have enjoyed the entirety of God, and beheld the destination that God has bestowed upon us. …

The utterance of God continues, and He employs various methods and perspectives to admonish us what to do and express His heart’s voice. His words carry life power, and show us the way we should walk, and allow us to understand what the truth is. We start to be drawn to His words, we begin to focus on the tone and manner of His speaking, and subconsciously begin to take an interest in the heart’s voice of this unremarkable person. He makes painstaking efforts for us, loses sleep and appetite for us, weeps for us, sighs for us, groans in sickness for us, suffers humiliation for the sake of our destination and salvation, and His heart bleeds and sheds tears for our numbness and rebelliousness. Such being and possessions of His are beyond an ordinary person, and cannot be possessed or attained by any of the corrupted. He has tolerance and patience possessed by no ordinary person, and His love is not possessed by any created being. No one apart from Him can know all of our thoughts, or have such a grasp of our nature and substance, or judge the rebelliousness and corruption of mankind, or speak to us and work among us like this on behalf of the God of heaven. No one except for Him can possess the authority, wisdom, and dignity of God; the disposition of God and what He has and is are issued forth, in their entirety, from Him. No one apart from Him can show us the way and bring us light. No one apart from Him can reveal the mysteries God has not disclosed from creation until today. No one apart from Him can save us from Satan’s bondage and our corrupt disposition. He represents God, and expresses the heart’s voice of God, the exhortations of God, and the words of judgment of God toward all mankind. He has begun a new age, a new era, and brought a new heaven and earth, new work, and He has brought us hope, and ended the life we led in vagueness, and allowed us to fully behold the path of salvation. He has conquered our whole being, and gained our hearts. From that moment onward, our minds become conscious, and our spirits seem to be revived: This ordinary, insignificant person, who lives among us and has long been rejected by us—is He not the Lord Jesus, who is ever in our thoughts, and whom we long for night and day? It is He! It’s really Him! He is our God! He is the truth, the way, and the life! He has allowed us to live again, to see the light, and has stopped our hearts from wandering. We have returned to the home of God, we have returned before His throne, we are face-to-face with Him, we have witnessed His countenance, and have seen the road ahead. At the time, our hearts have been completely conquered by Him; we no longer doubt who He is, and no longer oppose His work and word, and we fall down, completely, before Him. We wish for nothing except to follow the footprints of God for the rest of our lives, and to be made perfect by Him, and to repay His grace, and repay His love for us, and to obey His orchestrations and arrangements, and to cooperate with His work, and to do everything we can to complete what He entrusts to us.

…………

We are just such an ordinary group of people possessed of corrupt satanic disposition, we are the ones predestined by God before the ages, and we are the needy whom God has lifted from the dunghill. We once rejected and condemned God, yet now we have been conquered by Him. We have received life and have received the way of eternal life from God. No matter where we are on earth, despite persecution and tribulation, we cannot be apart from the salvation by Almighty God. For He is our Creator, and our only redemption!

from “Beholding the Appearance of God in His Judgment and Chastisement” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Question : We follow the example of Paul and we work very hard for the Lord, spreading the gospel and bearing witness to the Lord, and shepherding the Lord’s churches, just like Paul: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Is this not following the will of God? Practicing in this way should mean that we are qualified to be raptured and to enter into the kingdom of heaven, so why must we accept God’s work of judgment and purification in the last days before we can be brought into the kingdom of heaven?

Answer:

The question you raised is critical. It involves whether we can be brought into the kingdom of heaven. Most believers of the Lord think that emulating Paul by sacrificing everything and working hard for the Lord is tantamount to following the way of the Lord and the eligibility to be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns. This opinion has become the conception of most believers in the Lord. But is this opinion based on the Lord’s words? Is this pursuit of ours consistent with the Lord’s intention? By emulating Paul’s hard work, are we really following the way of the Lord? Do we really qualify to enter the kingdom of heaven? The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21-23). The Lord Jesus spoke very clearly that only the one who follows the will of God will enter into the kingdom of heaven. The Lord Jesus did not say that those who sacrifice everything and work hard for the Lord could enter the kingdom of heaven. Contrarily, many assiduous workers, who prophesied, cast out devils in the Lord’s name, and did many wonderful works, not only were they not praised by the Lord, they were even determined as wicked by the Lord. We can see that Paul’s words, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness” (2Ti 4:7-8), were contradictory to the Lord Jesus’ words. They were fundamentally inconsistent with the Lord’s intention. As far as being brought into the kingdom of heaven, there is only one way which is certain. It is what the Lord Jesus has clearly said, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Mat 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” (Rev 3:20). What it said about going to supper with the Lord referred to accepting God’s judgment work in the last days. By accepting God’s judgment and chastisement, man will understand all the truth, receive cleansing and be made perfect. These are the results of attending the feast. So we can be certain that only those who accept Almighty God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days and receive cleansing will truly enter the kingdom of heaven. Do you still have any doubt about the way to the kingdom of heaven?

Four Stages of a Change in Life Disposition

The few steps, or stages, in the process of experiencing a change in life disposition are something that everyone pursuing a change in disposition, every pursuer of salvation, must understand. The process of salvation is the process of a person being purified by entering into the truth. It is also the process of a person’s life disposition transforming from rebelling against God, resisting God, to submitting to God, and turning to God. It’s absolutely no easy matter for deeply corrupted humanity to change from people betraying God and belonging to Satan, to people submitting to God and belonging to God. In this, there is an internal process of experience that follows an objective pattern. We who are experiencing God’s work all know that salvation is the result attained by pursuing the truth. As soon as people understand the truth and grasp the truth, people’s viewpoints, their outlook on life and their values will undergo a fundamental transformation, and following this their life disposition will also inevitably undergo a fundamental change. In this way a person’s satanic nature will completely crumble and be cleansed away. It is clear that a person’s salvation and their change in life disposition are established on the basis of an understanding of the truth, and a knowledge of God. Therefore, we can define the four stages in the process of experiencing a change in disposition as understanding the truth, knowing oneself, repentance and aversion, and change and renewal. Together, we simply call these the four stages of a change in disposition. Among these four stages, understanding the truth is the first step, knowing oneself is the second step, repentance and aversion is the third step, and change and renewal is the fourth step. Every step in a person’s life experience is built on a foundation of understanding the truth. People’s life experience begins with understanding the truth, so a person’s salvation, their change in disposition, at every step is inseparable from understanding the truth. In our experience of God’s work we have all had some progress and change, we all see clearly that entering into the truth is no simple matter. Every aspect of the truth requires at least a year or two of experience before understanding and true entry into it can be reached. It takes about as much time as learning a new skill or art. Next we’ll give some examples to explain the four stage process of life experience. People’s understanding of every aspect of the truth has its process, and this process is the first step of the four stages of life experience, that is understanding the truth. God’s judgment and chastisement of corrupt humanity achieves its results via the expression of the truth. In God’s judgment and chastisement we see that the words God expresses are all the truth, that which we must enter into, and if we can enter into all the truths expressed by God, we can reach purity, reach salvation, and be perfected.

Only Those Who Truly Submit to God Shall Receive His Salvation

In words and in doctrine, we all acknowledge that God is faithful and whatever he says will be fulfilled, but many times we do not truly believe God’s word from the bottom of our heart and even often deny it in our practical experience. For example, God says: “Nothing is too difficult for me.” However, when we encounter some difficulties or when we achieve no results in the gospel work, we no longer believe this word but think that the practical difficulties are there and that even if we rely on God, we will not be able to resolve the problems or achieve the results. God says: “God perfects people according to their different functions.” But some of the brothers and sisters who preach the gospel, handle general affairs, or do hosting cannot believe this word. They always consider that only the leaders and those who water the churches are the ones to be perfected by God, while they are the serving ones, not the ones to be perfected by God. God says: “I do not care whether you have done laborious service and made great contribution, whether you have much seniority…; as long as you do not act according to my requirements, you can never receive my approval.” But some brothers and sisters cannot believe this word. And they always consider that as they have followed God for so many years, they have done hard work if not good work and God will not be so heartless as to eliminate them in the end. God says: “God’s will is to save man to the utmost.” However, some brothers and sisters do not believe this word but think that they are through and God will never forgive them, because they have brought great losses to God’s family in performing their duties or have once committed a grievous transgression. God says: “All God’s words are directed at everyone who acknowledges God and at everyone who follows God.” But we say that some of God’s words are directed at us and some not, for in us there are not those kinds of states God speaks about. Again, some people see that God always says such words as “My day has been laid before your eyes,” “my day will not be delayed,” and “my day is truly not very distant,” but so far God’s day still has not come; so they think that God’s words are without accuracy.

Only Being an Honest Person Is a True Human Likeness

The Principles and Baseline Standards of Being a Person

On the principles of being a person one must remember: While in church, no matter your duty or what has befallen you, you must stand on the side of truth, which is to stand on the side of God. Do not ever stand on the side of some person or some leader. Whoever’s words conform with the truth, whoever’s words mean to protect the interests of God’s house, you should stand with them, and that is to stand on the side of truth and justice. Isn’t this the principle behind being a person? If you are first and foremost a correct person who stands on the side of truth and who stands with God as an upholder of His work, then you are the type of person who brings joy to God, who shall receive His salvation and who is in accordance with God’s intentions. Your ability to put this into practice indicates that your heart is upstanding, your loving heart for God is true, and your heart upholds the truth, and so God’s blessings will be upon you, the Holy Spirit will follow you and you will be enlightened and made perfect. You will then be guided to understand and enter all truths. However, if all you do is stand on the side of people and thus in opposition to God and in opposition to truth, then you are muddleheaded and you are the devil, and a follower of Satan. You are then standing on the side of evil powers. If you want to see who in church is able to achieve salvation, you should pay attention to who are standing on the side of truth, justice. Those who stand with truth are guaranteed salvation. If you see that a person stands with power and position and always works to uphold power and influence no matter whether the leader is right or wrong, this is someone who sides with those who have power and they are following Satan. This is a very typical representative of Satan’s influence. Those who stand with the wrong group are not correct people, but those who stand with the correct group are correct people and this is a principle of being a person. If you first resolve the issue where you have stood with the wrong group and wrong people and if you are then able to stand on the side of truth and on the side of the correct people and justice, then later you will surely receive God’s salvation. Do you believe what I am saying? When I go to a church and hear people speaking, I will see where they stand, and if anyone is suppressed for upholding the truth, I will see who stands with them and I will say that such people are good ones. There is a saying in China: “One who lies with dogs will rise with fleas.” If you are always standing with Satan, can you avoid being tainted by it? Perhaps in your church you have someone who upholds truth, who sincerely expends themselves to God, who is honest and is often suppressed and who is looked down upon by others who say he is foolish. However, this person believes in God with a true heart and sincerely expends himself for God, so whoever stands with a person like this is a good person and they possess a sense of justice, they have integrity, and they are walking the right path. What situation are most people in now? They go wherever the wind blows, no matter who the leader is they stand with them with persistence. Are there many people like this? What are they doing? They are choosing to stand with power and position! You will see that there are always a few good people standing in opposition to those who stand on the side of power and position; they have honest thoughts and feelings and they speak the truth. These people are often rejected by the church and are treated with indifference. They are often the focus of jealousy and suppression by the leaders. Yet these people will be guaranteed to be liked by God and they will be saved by God. God will not save those who stand with power and position, He does not save those who are easily swayed, because these people can betray the truth and they can be disloyal and stand with those who are against the truth; they can betray and deny God. There are many people who will passionately defend the false leaders and workers and antichrists, so whose side are they on? They stand on the side of Satan and not with truth; they are devils whose faith is in vain. They are blind indeed! If you believe in God but don’t stand with truth, don’t stand with God, and don’t uphold God’s work, isn’t your faith confused? You are choosing to stand with power and position! …

Only Being an Honest Person Is a True Human Likeness

We have had a lot of fellowship on how to be an honest person, and the significance of being an honest person. Now do you have an understanding that only by being an honest person can one have proper humanity, and that only an honest person can be in line with God’s will? This is a crucial issue in changing your life disposition. We’ve communicated in the past that only being an honest person is true repentance. What do you think of this understanding? Why is that said? Do you have an understanding of what that means? How can we measure whether a person has had a change in their life disposition? To put it correctly, it’s to measure it according to whether or not you’re an honest person: If you are an honest person, then there will be a change in your life disposition. If you are not an honest person, there will be no change. Some people say: “I’m not really qualified to be an honest person, but I can obey God and devotedly expend myself for Him. This means that I’ve had a change in my life disposition.” Would you say that this holds water? If someone has believed in God for many years, can expend himself for Him and really engage in pursuit, but is not an honest person, does he really have love for, obedience of, and devotion toward God? He says that he’s devoted and obedient to God. Does that hold water? How about saying that he has been saved, or that he understands the truth, and has entered into reality? If he is not an honest person, then he doesn’t have even a drop of reality. First, he is not someone who is obedient to God. Second, there are certainly a lot of other things mixed in to how he expends himself for God and performs his duty, because he himself is not honest. And if he’s not an honest person, then can he possess proper humanity? (No.) So only being an honest person is genuine repentance, and only a genuinely honest person can have a change in their life disposition. Now can you understand this? (Yes.) Now reflect on this: How many years you’ve believed in God, and if you actually are an honest person.

What Is Genuinely Following God

Pursuing the truth can let us know God and live an authentic life. That is to say, after we understand some truths, we will have true faith in God and will be able to genuinely follow, obey and serve God. If we do not have any truths, can we genuinely follow God? We cannot. There are many people who believe in God, live a church life and attend meetings, but if they have no one to lead them, they will fall back. Some people will not read the words of God anymore, shun God, lose their faith in God and eventually fall in the darkness. If there were no good people leading, who are genuinely in pursuit of the truth, could you continue to keep the words of God? Could you stand witness? Could you still do your duty as usual? I am afraid that some people cannot. So are such people genuinely following God? These people just believe in God but do not follow God. The main reason why people believe in God but do not follow God is that they do not have the truth and they do not pursue the truth. People who do not have the truth do not have a new life and do not have God’s words as the reality of their life. Such people cannot follow God’s path, the real path of life. What are the signs of people who follow God? Firstly, they have to pursue the truth, they are eager to understand and know the words of God and to get the truth for their own lives, so they are particularly interested in communicating the truth and eating and drinking the words of God. No matter what environment they are in, they feel that they can only depend on eating and drinking the words of God and pursuing the truth to live and never leave the words of God. This kind of person is really following God. Some people often talk about their own experiences, but have no truth as the reality of their life and just understand some doctrines. Although they can make high-sounding speeches and speak about their own small experiences, when they face a trial, they collapse; when they face life constraints, they do not have faith and collapse and when they face specific difficulties, they have no belief. So are such people following God? Such people are not following God. When there is a good person leading them, they can go along for the ride and as soon as they see the benefits for them in pursuing the truth, they understand in principle, so they continue to attend meetings for this interest and hope to get real blessings, but because they do not desire the truth, when they are faced with some particular circumstances, they cannot carry on and come to a standstill. Because this kind of person hasn’t got the truth, they have no real faith in God. So how do they do their duty and communicate their experience? They also want to get the truth and to be saved, but because in their heart they are not too fond of the truth, just a little interested, when people speak they listen, they understand some of it so feel a little excited, but when they encounter some setbacks and difficulties, they have no enthusiasm. So when they do not have a good leader, they cannot follow God and cannot live a normal church life and they shun God. Do you have such a person in your midst? If there is no one to lead you and to nourish you, how many people can stay standing? How many people can continue to pursue the truth, live out the reality of God’s word, bear witness to God as before and follow God? Are you sure of yourself? Some people can talk about small experiences and small witnesses, but does this count as getting the truth? Does this count as entering into life in reality? What kind of people count as getting the truth and really having reality? The truth cannot be achieved by a little bit of plain experience. Getting the truth is not a simple matter. Tell me, how many years of experiencing God’s words is enough to truly understand them? God wants us to be honest. And how many years do we need to experience it before we truly become an honest man? Is having a little experience and witness enough? A little is not enough. People’s experience of the words of God goes from the superficial to the deep. It is not a case of having a little experience and immediately being able to completely understand the essence of the truth of God’s words. Some people face trials and outwardly, by depending on God, they seem to be victorious. Does this count as real life experience? This does not count because they do not have the truth. This is the most superficial experience. Real life experience is experience to a certain level. Only an experience where you have a real understanding of the truth, completely figure out God’s will, understand the essence of the truth, are able to live by the words of God and completely according to the words of God and act in accordance with God’s will is a real experience of entering into life. Some small experiences are experiences of keeping rules, the surface of the words and the most shallow experiences that are not related to the essence of the truth. It is like when some people who wish to be honest people are facing some issue and say, “Should I lie or tell the truth?” After praying, they say, “This time in spite of face, I will speak honestly.” In a spurt of energy they speak honestly. When they speak of experiencing bearing witness, they say, “I have now experienced it and tasted the taste of being an honest man and I am now an honest man.” Is this correct? That is being an honest man one time, the one practice of being an honest man. So do you dare promise that you can be an honest person in many situations in the future? Why can it not be guaranteed? You have not got the truth. You have not entered into the truth. Wait until one day when you do not need prayer but you always speak honestly and to speak a lie is an effort and painful, when you can be an honest person very easily and can speak honestly, only then can this be called having the reality of being an honest man. It makes so many people who come into contact with you say, “This person is an honest man; that is true.” No matter whether it is someone who believes in God or a nonbeliever, when they get along and speak with you for a while, they can discover that you are an honest person and a good person. Wait until this happens; that is then called completely entering into the reality of the truth. ... Do we have any honest people around us now? Now we have a lot of corruption that has been revealed and even though some people can become honest people later, now they have too little entry into life experience and have not yet had any major changes and must continue their pursuit for a few more years. After a few years’ pursuit, you will see those people have really changed. The more they believe, the more they have human likeness, the more they believe, the more honest and the less deceitful they become. The more they believe, the more simple and open they become, the more they believe, the wiser they become and the more they are able to get along with people. This kind of person has got the truth and has really entered into reality. Now people have not yet got the truth and you cannot see major changes in people, only a few small changes in behavior and no changes in their life disposition, so you want to find honest people, but they are not easy to find. Wait until you have been in pursuit of the truth for a few years and you will see that some people really have changed: “This person is worth associating with. This person is an honest man. This person truly believes in God. He is a follower of God.” There are some people who hope to eat their fill and are always longing for blessings. Because they do not love the truth and have lived a church life for a long time, they begin to get bored and feel that the pursuit of the truth is boring. The more they believe, the more bored they get until eventually they leave and after leaving, they become more dark and their condition becomes worse and worse. Once they return to the nonbelievers they find that the nonbelievers are so difficult to deal with and that they are so dark, and they recall their time in God’s family, but they can do nothing about that either. People who do not love the truth cannot continue on this path and cannot persevere. Now there are some people who are very dangerous, if they do not have good people to lead them, they may unwittingly dismiss themselves. Is this not the case? You unwittingly dismiss yourself and are unable to persevere despite wanting to. Although you say, “I still believe. In my heart I will always believe.” But your church life becomes less and less, you eat and drink the words of God less and less, your inner faith becomes less and less and you even unconsciously no longer pray. Have you not already retreated? What’s the point of just being stubborn and reluctant to admit your retreat? Does every church have this kind of person in it? They have pursued the truth for one or two years but no matter how they pursue, they feel bored, uninterested and feel tired and spiritless and eventually have no energy. They feel that believing in God is pursuing the truth and that it is meaningless.

Why Does God Do the Work of Saving Mankind?

Why must the person that God perfects be one who loves Him? This is because man has a spirit, and there is a substantial difference between whether the spirit is that of a man or the devil. The spirit that is of man has love and he is able to love God. If a man loved God, he would obey God in all that he does and would care for God’s will. He would be able to bear with hardship and forsake everything in order to satisfy God. Such true love is very important to God. You see, when a woman chooses her partner, she would ask of the partner’s true love and a sincere heart. She would never choose the man if he did not have true love. Why is it so? This is because he would surely have hate if he did not have love. If he had hate in him, disputes would easily arise between them and they two would always be at daggers drawn. He would betray her readily. Such love and hate is thus too important. In the course of experiencing God’s work, as man is not able to penetrate the spiritual world directly, he is not able to understand God’s will. However, he would not begrudge God when he has love; he is able to understand God when he has love, and he would be able to treat all that God does in the right way. When he understands God’s love and that all that God does is the truth, his love for God would become stronger. Therefore, the man who loves God can be perfected more easily, and he would not betray God easily. It is very dangerous if he does not have love. He who does not have love would surely have hate, and he would begrudge easily. A man with hate makes enemies and betrays easily. We see that if a husband and a wife did not have true love betwen them, they would not understand each other easily. They will always doubt, suspect and complain about each other. They cannot get along with each other, and their conflicts deepen in the end. When the conflicts come to a boil, they would go their separate ways. Therefore, if a person has a heart that truly loves God, no matter what God does and no matter how much pain he goes through, he would not begrudge God. He believes firmly in one thing, that all that God does is love. He believes firmly that God is the truth. He believes firmly that all that God does is for the salvation of man and to perfect man. You can see that his heart is pure and that he would not have any conceptions on any matters. He has no misunderstandings about God, and is able to submit to God instead. He would conversely comfort God when he sees that God is suffering. He would spare no effort in satisfying God when He needs him. Such a person has a heart that truly loves God. He can be perfected by God easily because he understands God. He is a man with the greatest conscience and the most rationality before God. A person without conscience and rationality has no true love for God. If he does indeed show a little love for God, what do you think his love is built on? He would only show a little love for God when he really sees that God has benefited and blessed him in some ways, when he really sees that he has gained something from God and achieved his objectives. Such love is totally built on the basis of a transaction and can exist completely with the purpose of satisfying oneself. Such love is therefore neither pure nor true. The more conscience and rationality a person has, the truer his love is. A person without conscience and rationality has no love. God is thus willing to perfect the person who loves Him. … Why doesn’t He perfect those who do not love Him? Why is a person who does not love God not perfected by Him? Because such a person is inhuman and is without conscience and rationality. A person without conscience and rationality would not have a heart that loves God, and a person without a heart that loves God is one who does not have conscience and rationality. Such a person is not fit to be human. A person who does not have a heart of love for God has hatred for God. A person who has hatred for God is an enemy of God and is one whom He punishes. Can God perfect His enemy? A person who has a heart of hatred of God is an evil person. An evil person is an object of God’s punishment and destruction. A person who truly loves God is one who has conscience and is rational. He is one who is truly a human. Therefore, only a person who truly loves God can be perfected by Him. Those who do not love God are the evil ones, God’s enemies, people without conscience and rationality, and people who are inhuman. God thus does not perfect them. People without conscience and rationality have no love in them. They know only to seek their own interest and selfish gains and have never known what love is. Don’t you see that some people only seek their own selfish gains? They operate on the principle of doing something only if it benefits them in some ways. Can such people have love? Who can they love? They love whoever benefits them, and the love they show is not true at all. You benefit them today and they love you today. They will kick you aside tomorrow when you no longer benefit them. They love you for a day today when you are of use to them and kick you aside tomorrow when you are no longer of use to him. Such are mercenary people. Can such people have love? What is your basis for making friends? You have to base it on whether the person has conscience and rationality and whether he has humanity. This is key. Do not be acquainted with an inhuman person without conscience and rationality because he seeks only his own interest and selfish gains. He goes with whoever benefits him. Do any of you have such friends? Can you be friends with such people? It is of no use to be friends with such people as they cannot be a close friend. He has a transactional motive in making friends with people. He makes friends with you when you are of use to him and walks out on you when you are no longer of use to him and kicks you aside. He cares nothing about conscience and friendship and has even less credibility to speak of. All that he seeks is selfish gains. There are too many of such people around! Very few people care about conscience and rationality, and thus very few are perfected by God even though there are many who believe in Him. Why is this so? It is because very few have conscience, rationality and humanity. Most of the people who believe in God want to make use of Him and seek to gain something from Him. They seek to use God to achieve their objectives. Such a person leaves and forsakes God when he sees that God no longer blesses or perfects him. See, does such a person have a heart that truly loves God? God reveals this kind of person in His work and the person’s ugliness would be exposed. “So, he is such a person.” Therefore, a person who loves God is a man after His heart. God is pleased with him because he has humanity and has conscience and rationality. Those who cannot love God are inhuman because they have no conscience and rationality. A person who is inhuman is an evil person. An evil person is an object of God’s punishment rather than one of God’s salvation, much less an object of His perfection. This is the most crucial point.

How Can My Young, Brash, and Arrogant Self Get Along With My Grandmother?

                    
My name is An Qi. Before the age of six, I was living at my grandmother’s house. At the time, my grandmother was the person with whom I felt closest to. Each day when I went to the kindergarten, my grandmother decided which clothes I would wear and how I would comb my hair. I felt that my grandmother did these things the best. Gradually, I grew up and I started to disapprove of some of the things that my grandmother did. My grandmother also started to disapprove of me as well. Each time I went to her house, she would scold me. If she wasn’t nagging me on one thing, she would be nagging me about something else. I felt very upset.

Knowing the purpose of the three stages of work of God’s management of mankind

Relevant Words of God:

My entire management plan, a plan that spans six thousand years, consists of three stages, or three ages: the Age of Law in the beginning; the Age of Grace (which is also the Age of Redemption); and the Age of Kingdom in the last days. My work in these three ages differs in content according to the nature of each age, but at each stage it accords with man’s needs—or, to be more precise, it is done according to the tricks that Satan employs in the war that I wage against it. The purpose of My work is to defeat Satan, to make manifest My wisdom and omnipotence, to expose all of Satan’s tricks, and thereby to save the entire human race, which lives under its domain. It is to show My wisdom and omnipotence while at the same time revealing the unbearable hideousness of Satan. Even more, it is to teach My creations to discriminate between good and evil, to know that I am the Ruler of all things, to see clearly that Satan is humanity’s foe, the lowest of the low, the evil one, and to tell, with absolute certainty, the difference between good and evil, truth and falsehood, holiness and filth, and what is great and what is ignoble. This way, ignorant humanity will become able to bear witness to Me that it is not I who corrupt humanity, and only I—the Lord of creation—can save humanity, can bestow upon man things for their enjoyment; and they will come to know that I am the Ruler of all things and Satan is merely one of the beings that I created and that later turned against Me. My six-thousand-year management plan is divided into three stages so as to achieve the following effect: to enable My creations to become My witnesses, to comprehend My will, and to know that I am the truth.