The relationship between each 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).

    Relevant Words of God:

    “Jehovah” is the name that I took during My work in Israel, and it means the God of the Israelites (God’s chosen people) who can take pity on man, curse man, and guide the life of man. It means the God who possesses great power and is full of wisdom. … That is to say, only Jehovah is the God of the chosen people of Israel, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Moses, and the God of all the people of Israel. And so in the current age, all the Israelites apart from the tribe of Judah worship Jehovah. They make sacrifices to Him on the altar, and serve Him wearing priests’ robes in the temple. What they hope for is the reappearance of Jehovah. … 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.

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

The Way to Avoid Being a Slave to Sin

By Christopher, Philippines

    My name is Christopher, and I’m a pastor of a house church in the Philippines. In 1987, I was baptized and returned to the Lord Jesus and then by the Lord’s grace, in 1996 I became a pastor in a local church. At that time, I was not only working and preaching in many places around the Philippines, but I was also preaching in places such as Hong Kong and Malaysia. Through the work and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I felt that I had inexhaustible energy in my work for the Lord and endless inspiration for my sermons. I would often offer support to brothers and sisters who were feeling negative and weak. Sometimes when their nonbeliever family members were unfriendly toward me, I was still able to be tolerant and patient; I didn’t lose faith in the Lord and believed that the Lord could change them. So, I felt like I had changed a great deal since becoming a believer. However, starting in 2011, I was no longer able to feel the work of the Holy Spirit as strongly as before. I gradually lost new enlightenment for my sermons and lacked the strength to break free from living in sin. I could not help losing my temper with my wife and daughter when I saw them doing things I didn’t like and scolded them out of anger. I knew that this was not in keeping with the will of the Lord, but often I could not help myself. This was particularly distressing for me. In order to free myself from a life of sinning and then confessing, I put more effort into reading the Bible, fasting and praying, and looked everywhere for spiritual pastors so we could seek and explore this together. But all of my efforts came to naught; there was no change to my life of sin and the darkness within my soul.

Eastern Lightning | The Testimony of a Christian | God’s Love Strengthened My Heart

❤🙏🌺Xiao Li    Liaoning Province❤🙏🌺

　　I had a harmonious family. My husband cared for and looked after me and our son was sensible and obedient, and moreover, our family was well-off. By rights, I should be very happy, but the fact was not so. No matter how good my husband and son were to me, and no matter how well-off my family was, it couldn’t make me happy. That was because I had lung disease, arthritis, and serious insomnia. I couldn’t sleep the whole night, my brain was lack of blood supply, and my limbs were weak. I felt very distressed but was unable to be free from them. The pressure in my business and the tortures of the illnesses caused me to suffer unspeakably. Those illnesses even more made me feel extremely miserable. To get free from those sufferings, I tried many ways, but in vain.

　　In March, 1999, a friend of mine preached Almighty God’s end-time gospel to me. Through reading God’s word every day and having meetings and fellowshipping with the brothers and sisters constantly, I understood many truths and knew many mysteries that I had never heard, and I was certain that Almighty God is indeed the returned Jesus, so I was very excited. Every day, I read God’s word thirstily. I also attended the church life, and often had meetings, prayed, and sang hymns and danced to praise God with the brothers and sisters. My heart was full of peace and joy, and my mental outlook got better and better. Unknowingly, I recovered from my diseases little by little. I often offered my thanks and praises to God for that, really hoping that all people would come to enjoy God’s love and salvation. Not long afterward, the church assigned me to take charge of the gospel work, and I threw myself into it with full enthusiasm. However, I had never expected that….

Eastern Lightning | Christian Experience Articles | God’s Word Created Miracles of Life

Yang Li    Jiangxi Province

　When I was a child, my mother died. I shouldered the family burden at a young age. After getting married, I was even more loaded down with the burden of life. Having fully tasted the hardship and misery of life, I gradually became depressed and silent and fiddled my life away day by day. In 2002, when the brothers and sisters preached Almighty God’s end-time work to me, I accepted it readily and also brought my husband and children before Almighty God. From then on, the brothers and sisters often came to my home to have meetings. We fellowshipped about God’s word and sang hymns and danced to praise God together. I felt great enjoyment in my heart and no longer felt distressed or worried. My children said that I was getting younger and younger and more and more cheerful. My family often read God’s word together. From God’s word, we understood many truths and also knew that God’s eager intention is to save man. To repay God’s love and bring those who had been afflicted by satan like me before God earlier to be saved, I went out to preach the gospel. Unexpectedly, I suffered the CCP government’s cruel persecution because of that….

　It was past 7 p.m. on November 23, 2005. Two sisters and I were having a meeting. Suddenly, there was a violent knocking on the door. Realizing that it might be the police, I hurriedly put the books of God’s word away. As expected, very soon the door was kicked open and five evil cops frantically rushed in and surrounded us. The heading one shouted, “You can’t run away! Search!” Immediately, the whole house was turned upside down. Afterward, they confiscated our handbags and a hymnal, and then handcuffed us and took us to the police station. In face of such a situation, I was very afraid in the heart and desperately cried to God to keep us. At that time, I remembered a passage of God’s words, “Do you know that all the surrounding circumstances are permitted by me and arranged by me? See this clearly. Satisfy my heart in the circumstances that I have given you. Do not fear this or that. The Almighty God of hosts will surely be with you. He will be your rear guard and shield.” (from “The Twenty-sixth Piece of Word” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words gave me great faith and strength and removed my timidity, and I had courage in my heart. Yes! All matters and all things are in God’s hand. The evil cops are also controlled and manipulated in God’s hand. With Almighty God as my strong rear guard, I shall fear nothing. I should learn the lessons I ought to learn in the circumstance which comes upon me and rely on God to stand testimony.

Eastern Lightning | Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen”

Eastern Lightning | Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen”

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Let’s start our meeting. Let’s first read a passage of God’s word, “Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen.”

　　“I have sought many on earth to be My followers. Among them are those who serve as priests, those who lead, those who form the sons, those who constitute the people, and those who do service. I draw these distinctions in accordance with the loyalty man has to Me. When all men are differentiated according to kind, that is, when the nature of each kind of man has been made clear, then I shall number each man among their rightful kind and put each kind into their fitting place so that I may realize My aim of salvation for mankind. In turn, I call groups of those I wish to save to return to My house, then I ask them all to accept My work in the last days. At the same time, I differentiate man according to kind, then reward or punish each on the basis of their deeds. Such are the steps that comprise My work.