I Was Not Following Peter’s Path

By Wuxin, Shanxi Province

Something we have always discussed in previous gatherings is the paths walked by Peter and Paul. It is said that Peter focused on pursuing the truth, knowing himself and God, and his pursuit was approved by God, while Paul only focused on his work, sought reputation and status, he set foot upon the path of the antichrists of the Pharisees, and he was someone God despised. I have always been afraid of walking Paul’s path, which is why I normally often read God’s words, as well as sermons on entering into life, that concern Peter’s experiences, in order to see how he pursued the truth and experienced God’s work. Then I consciously imitate Peter in my practice and entering. After practicing like this for a while, I felt I had become more obedient than before, my desire for reputation and status had dimmed, and that I had gotten to know myself a little. I believed that even though I was not completely on Peter’s path, it could be said that I had come pretty close to following it, and at least it meant I was not heading down Paul’s path.

(3) - Go Beyond the Bible: Attend the Feast of the Kingdom of Heaven With the Lord

Many people who have faith in the Lord feel that God's words and work are all in the Bible, that God's salvation as described in the Bible is already full, that faith in God must be based on the Bible and that if our faith in God is based on the Bible, then we will surely be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. These religious conceptions act as invisible ropes that firmly bind and constrict our thoughts such that we do not seek out the work of the Holy Spirit and make us unable to submit to the present work of God. How then do we understand the connection between the Bible and God and the Bible and God's work? The Lord Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life" (John 5:39-40). Almighty God says, "Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God" (The Word Appears in the Flesh). It is only through leaving the Bible that we are able to come before God and accept His salvation and attend the feast of the kingdom of heaven with Him.

A Christian’s Diary: The Misunderstanding Between My Mother and Me Has Finally Been Resolved II

January 19, 2018 Friday Clear Skies

When I thought about my interactions with my mother during this time, I realized that because of my corrupt disposition, I had suffered quite a lot and also made her feel restrained in all respects. I felt it was time to resolve this situation. Today, I went up to my mother’s side and finally had the courage to tell her something straight from my heart, “Mother, these days I have not properly communicated God’s words with you. I have relied on my corrupt disposition to interact with you. I have not treated you as a sister. I have always treated you as my mother. I thought no matter what tone of voice I used to tell you things, you would not take it to heart, you would not become angry at me, you would not hold a grudge against me and you would not turn your back on me. I was not considerate of your feelings when speaking to you. I have hurt you. Only after I had read God’s words did I realize that I was lacking in humanity. I know I was wrong. From now on, I will not demand that you listen to me. I must forsake my flesh, put the truth into practice and live out a normal humanity. Let us treat each other as if we were sisters. When we encounter a situation, we should seek the truth and principles. We should point out each other’s problems and help each other …”

A Christian’s Diary: The Misunderstanding Between My Mother and Me Has Finally Been Resolved

Su Ping

January 8, 2018 Monday Cloudy

Recently, my mother’s health has not been good. It is not very convenient for her to leave the house. Our church leader was afraid that this would interfere with her attending meetings. As a result, he asked me to have meetings with my mother at home. Even though I did not say anything when I heard him say this, inside, I was not very happy. In a flash, the unhappy incidences between my mother and me that occurred in the past appeared in my mind like scenes from a movie.

God’s Words Have Awakened Me

By Miao Xiao, Shandong Province

In the past, I used to always think that God’s words “a puppet and traitor who flees from the great white throne” were referring to those who accept God’s work in the last days but who then retreat; to me, they were all people who weren’t willing to endure the pain of being judged and chastised. Therefore, whenever I saw brothers and sisters retreat for whatever reason, my heart would be filled with contempt toward them, thinking: “There goes another puppet and traitor fleeing from the great white throne who shall receive God’s punishment!” Each time this happened, I felt I was behaving properly in accepting God’s judgment and was not far from receiving God’s salvation.

The Work of God Is So Wise

Christian Testimonies-The Work of God Is So Wise

By Shiji, Anhui Province

Normally, when attending co-workers’ meetings, my leader would often preach about the experiences of people who failed in their service to God, and would ask us to learn lessons from their experiences and to take them as a warning. For example, some leaders always preached letters and doctrines when they gave sermons or fellowshiped. They were unable to preach real knowledge of the truth and they were unable to perform practical work, with the result that they served as leaders for years without moving the work of the church forward; the church work almost came to a complete standstill, and they became false leaders and were sifted out by God. When performing their duties, some leaders always showed themselves off, exalted themselves and testified to themselves, and worked to protect their status, and in the end, such leaders led people before themselves, and became antichrists to be expelled. Some leaders showed too great a consideration for their own flesh, coveting comforts and never doing any real work. Such leaders were like parasites in the church who coveted the blessings of status, and in the end, they were exposed and weeded out. Hearing these examples of failure, I couldn’t help but question: “Is God not almighty? Given that these leaders were perpetrating evil and resisting God as they worked and were causing loss to the church’s work, why didn’t God step in sooner to expose and weed them out? In this way, would not the life of the brothers and sisters and the church’s work suffer less loss?” I was beset with this question.

Evidential Briefing: Chinese Authorities’ Persecution of Christians with The Church of Almighty God

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General Introduction

15 Cases of Death by Persecution

5 Cases of Torture Resulting in Disability

8 Cases of Imprisonment

General Introduction

The Origin and Development of The Church of Almighty God

The Church of Almighty God (CAG) is a Christian Church founded in China in 1991. The Church came into being due to the appearance of Almighty God—the second coming of the Lord Jesus—and the truths He expressed in The Word Appears in the Flesh, fulfilling the prophecy of the Lord Jesus, “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27). Accordingly, the Church is referred to by various Christian denominations as “Eastern Lightning.” The name “Almighty God” fulfills the prophecy in the Book of Revelation, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, said the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

Why can the “Eastern Lightning” spread all over Mainland China despite bitter opposition?

When it comes to the Eastern Lightning, many brothers and sisters in the Lord will look upset and feel afraid. Yet most of them have such doubt in the heart: why has the Eastern Lightning spread all over Mainland China like mightily overwhelming surging waves rather than falling into desolation and decay even despite the strong defense and condemnation and rejection against it from all denominations and sects? The fact completely baffles the religious people. Actually, the reason is very simple. The Eastern Lightning, called by all denominations and sects, is no other than the Savior Lord Jesus returning upon a white cloud in the last days, the real and true God Himself who has become flesh again. Almighty God—Christ of the last days—has brought the work of judgment by which to change man’s disposition and purify, save, and perfect man, and expressed the truth that can be new life of man. Therefore, even if all denominations and sects in the whole world oppose, attack, persecute, blaspheme, and condemn the incarnate God of the last days and His work, what God wishes to achieve can never be thwarted or oppressed by anyone. God’s almightiness and wisdom can never be surpassed by any forces of Satan.

Why Should We Pray? Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Hello brothers and sisters of Grow in Christ,

Good day! Not long ago my elder sister preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus to me. After joining the church, I was told by my elder sister that every day we need to pray to the Lord. At that time I was confused: Why do we need to pray in belief in the Lord? Does God listen to my prayer? Could you please fellowship those questions with me?

Gospel Testimonies—The Transformation of a Fallen Man

By Tong Xin, Fujian Province

I was born in the countryside. I came from a line of honest farmers and on top of that our family was few in number, so we were often bullied. When I was 13 years old, there was a child beaten by someone from outside of our village. The villagers falsely accused my father of instigating it and they said they were going to search our house and confiscate our property, take away our pigs and beat my father. There was also a time when another villager took our fishing net and kept it as his own. When my father went to get it back, the villager actually hit my father, relying on his own power and influence. My father had to just eat humble pie as he knew that he had neither money nor power. My mother told my brothers and me that we must fight for ourselves in the future, and never live a life of oppression like this. Being young and detesting the injustice in society, I was determined that in the future I would stand out from the crowd and earn their respect, and never be oppressed. So I studied very hard, but I wasn’t smart enough and I couldn’t get into any universities, so I chose to seek good prospects in the army and joined easily by going through connections.

What Names Does God Have? And What’s the Meaning of Them?

There are many verses in the Bible about God’s names. The names God takes all hold significance. Let’s see God’s names in the Old Testament:

Jehovah: Exodus 3:15 states, “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.”

Word of God | "Religious Way of Service Must Be Banned" | How to Serve in the Church to Please God?

Word of God | "Religious Way of Service Must Be Banned" | How to Serve in the Church to Please God?

God's salvation-Witnessing a Miracle Amidst Despair

By Zhao Zhihan, China

As we journey through life, every one of us will experience some extraordinary events which become inscribed on our memory and will never be forgotten. The experience that has left me with the deepest impression was the time my husband was involved in a car accident, when no one knew whether he would pull through or not, and the days that followed, during which I felt at a complete loss and was at the end of my tether. But what was different for me was that, because God was with me and I had His guidance, I thus had a support, and through praying to God and relying on Him, I witnessed a miracle in the midst of my despair. During that disastrous time, what I gained more was understanding of God’s authority and sovereignty, and a true appreciation of God’s love …