Gospel Movie Clip (3) - To Study the Lord's Return We Should Listen to the Voice of God

Basically all of the prophecies mentioned in the Bible pertaining to the Lord's return have already come true. Most people have sensed that the Lord has already returned, so, how should we investigate this to make sure about the matter of whether or not Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus? Should we make our judgment based on the prophecies of the Bible or should we directly investigate the word and work of Almighty God? How should we seize this extremely rare opportunity and greet the return of our Lord? Almighty God says, "What you ought to do is acceptance of, without the need for further substantiation from the Bible, any work so long as it is that of the Holy Spirit, for you believe in God to follow God, not to investigate Him. You should not search out further proof for Me to show that I am your God. Rather, you ought to discern whether I am of benefit to you; that is the key" (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

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 "The Eastern Lightning" has testified that the Lord Jesus has already returned, expressed the truth, and made complete a group of overcomers. Does this fulfill the prophecies from the Bible?

Are the words “being raptured in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” right?

　　Question: The Bible says, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). how do we explain this verse?

　　Answer: When anticipating the Lord’s return, we should rely on His prophecies. They’re the most accurate. In the part you read, who exactly did you quote? Is it the Lord or is it a man? “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” Where are these words from? Did the Lord Jesus speak them? He didn’t. The Lord Jesus never said that, nor has the Holy Spirit ever said it. These words you read are merely quoted. They were said by Paul. Do Paul’s words speak for the Lord Jesus? Do they speak for God? Regarding the great mystery of the Lord’s return, only God knows. If a man dares to explain and blindly define it, that’s a serious problem. Paul was not Christ. He was nothing but a corrupt man. So his words are filled with man’s imagination and impurity. His words are not truth nor the basis of rapture. We should base it on God’s words in the Bible. This accords with truth. When it comes to being raptured up, you didn’t use the Lord’s word as basis, but instead, you used man’s word, Paul’s word as the basis. This is wrong. Because only the word of Christ is truth and authority. The Lord Jesus is Christ and king of the kingdom of heaven. Since it is so, why don’t you seek the truth in the words of Lord Jesus? Why accept man’s word as truth? Is that the Lord’s will? By following this way, it’s easy to follow man. When it comes to the rapture, we haven’t been listening to the Lord but listening to man. That could be really dangerous. In the beginning, God created man with the dust on earth, allowed us to perform our duties and take care of things on earth, and asked us to obey Him, worship and glorify Him. So God’s ordained destination for man is on earth rather than in heaven. God has also told us clearly that His kingdom will be established here on the earth. And He will dwell with man here on earth and make this world His kingdom where Christ reigns. Therefore, God’s kingdom will finally be realized on earth, not in heaven. Man wants to be brought up to heaven, but this is a product of imagination and excessive desire. It goes against the truth and doesn’t accord with the work of God. And as for the rapture to the kingdom of heaven, we should find basis in God’s word. This is the most accurate way, compatible with God’s will.

Source: Daily Devotionals

Question 8: How can we believe in the Lord and gain life if we move away from the Bible?

　　Answer: The question you raised is very key. This is something all of us believers want to know. The Lord Jesus once said these words: “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” (Jhn 5:39-40). In the past, we searched the Bible repeatedly, thinking that eternal life can be gained from the Bible. In reality, the Bible is only a testimony of God. if we want to gain the truth and life from our belief in God, relying on the testimony of the Bible is not enough. 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. If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. … The steps of God’s work are vast and mighty, like surging waves and rolling thunders—yet you sit and passively await destruction, sticking to your folly and doing nothing. In this way, how can you be considered someone who follows the footsteps of the Lamb? How can you justify the God that you hold on to as a God who is always new and never old? And how can the words of your yellowed books carry you across into a new age? How can they lead you to seek the steps of God’s work? And how can they take you up to heaven? What you hold in your hands is the letters that can provide but temporary solace, not the truths that are capable of giving life. The scriptures you read are that which can only enrich your tongue, not words of wisdom that can help you know human life, much less the ways that can lead you to perfection. Does this discrepancy not give you cause for reflection? Does it not allow you to understand the mysteries contained within? Are you capable of delivering yourself to heaven to meet God on your own? Without the coming of God, can you take yourself into heaven to enjoy family happiness with God? Are you still dreaming now? I suggest, then, that you stop dreaming, and look at who is working now, at who is now carrying out the work of saving man during the last days. If you do not, you shall never gain the truth, and shall never gain life” (“Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). We understand from the word of Almighty God that only Christ can express truths to redeem and save mankind. Man must come to Christ to gain the truth and gain life. The Bible cannot replace God’s authority and power, nor can it represent God in giving life to man, and moreover it cannot substitute the work of the Holy Spirit. Only by accepting and obeying Christ of the last days can we gain the work of the Holy Spirit, gain the truth, and gain life. We cannot gain life unless we accept the words expressed by Christ of the last days, because the Bible is not God; it is merely a testimony of God’s work. From this, we can see that life does not originate from the Bible, but from Christ. Christ is the Lord of the Bible and the source of life.

Questions and Answers on Being Saved and Being Finally Saved (9)

Question 9: If we accept Almighty God, are we guaranteed to enter the kingdom of heaven?

　　Answer: Almighty God has spoken very clearly about this problem. Let’s first take a look at what he has said.

　　“The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit.”(“When You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus Will Be When God Has Made Anew Heaven and Earth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

July 4, 2018 – Matthew 13:10-13

　　And the disciples came, and said to him, Why speak you to them in parables? He answered and said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that he has. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

– Matthew 13:10-13

Questions and Answers on Being Saved and Being Finally Saved (8)

Question 8: As to those who have believed in the Lord Jesus for many years and sacrificed for Him their entire lives, if they do not accept Almighty God’s work in the last days, they really won’t be able to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven?

　　Answer: As for this problem, Almighty God has already given us a clear answer. Almighty God says, “If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. Those who are controlled by regulations, by letters, and shackled by history will never be able to gain life, and will never be able to gain the perpetual way of life. That is because all they have is turbid water that has lain stagnant for thousands of years, instead of the water of life that flows from the throne. Those who are not supplied with the water of life will forever remain corpses, playthings of Satan, and sons of hell. How, then, can they behold God? If you only try to hold on to the past, only try to keep things as they are by standing still, and do not try to change the status quo and discard history, then will you not always be against God? The steps of God’s work are vast and mighty, like surging waves and rolling thunders—yet you sit and passively await destruction, sticking to your folly and doing nothing. In this way, how can you be considered someone who follows the footsteps of the Lamb? How can you justify the God that you hold on to as a God who is always new and never old? And how can the words of your yellowed books carry you across into a new age? How can they lead you to seek the steps of God’s work? And how can they take you up to heaven? What you hold in your hands is the letters that can provide but temporary solace, not the truths that are capable of giving life. The scriptures you read are that which can only enrich your tongue, not words of wisdom that can help you know human life, much less the ways that can lead you to perfection. Does this discrepancy not give you cause for reflection? Does it not allow you to understand the mysteries contained within? Are you capable of delivering yourself to heaven to meet God on your own? Without the coming of God, can you take yourself into heaven to enjoy family happiness with God? Are you still dreaming now? I suggest, then, that you stop dreaming, and look at who is working now, at who is now carrying out the work of saving man during the last days. If you do not, you shall never gain the truth, and shall never gain life.

What Is the Difference Between the Work of the 12 Apostles of Jesus and the Work of God?

By Liu Yi

　　The Appearance of the Apostles

　　Some people define apostles as people who undertook a mission and spread the Lord’s salvation. If we study the Bible carefully, we will easily find that those who served God in the Old Testament were called priests or prophets rather than apostles, and that the word “apostles” first appeared in the New Testament.

　　In the Age of Grace, when the Lord Jesus was doing the work of redemption, He selected the twelve disciples. He personally led, watered and shepherded them, and took them everywhere to spread the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Under the Lord Jesus’ leadership, the disciples gradually had some knowledge of His work and words and became certain that He was the coming Messiah. After the Lord Jesus was crucified and resurrected, He appeared to the disciples for forty days, and commanded them to spread His gospel of redeeming mankind to the whole world so that everyone could gain His salvation. Because they accepted the Lord Jesus’ commission, they spread His salvation far and wide; these disciples were later called apostles.

The Spreading of Almighty God’s Kingdom Gospel in China

　　In 1995, the work of testifying to the kingdom gospel of Almighty God formally began in Mainland China. Through our gratitude to God and with a love that was true, we testified to the appearance and work of Almighty God to the brothers and sisters in various denominations. Little did we expect to suffer extreme resistance and slander from their leaders. We could only come before Almighty God to pray earnestly, beseeching God to work in person. From 1997 onward, we beheld the Holy Spirit work on a great scale. There was a rapid increase in the members of churches in various locations. At the same time, many signs and wonders occurred, and many people in various denominations returned to Almighty God as a result of receiving God’s revelations or seeing these signs and wonders. If the Holy Spirit had not worked, what could man do? This made us realize: Although we understood some truths, we could not testify to Almighty God through our human strength alone. After these people from various denominations accepted Almighty God, they gradually became certain of Almighty God in their hearts through eating and drinking and enjoying the word of Almighty God, and after a period of time, there was produced in them genuine faith and obedience. People from every denomination were thus lifted before the throne, and no longer expected to “meet the Lord in the sky” as they had imagined.

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (1)

Question 1: The Lord Jesus died on the cross for us, He forgave all our sins and redeemed us from the hands of Satan. That is to say, He did this to save us and grant us access to the kingdom of heaven. Even after this redemption, we continue to sin and we have yet to be cleansed. Nevertheless, I believe that the Lord’s forgiveness has made us righteous through our faith. As long as we sacrifice everything else to work and spend for God, as long as we are willing to endure suffering and pay the price, we’d be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. I think this is the Lord’s promise to us. However, my brothers and sisters have now questioned this belief. They say that although we labor and work for the Lord, we still sin often and then confess our sins, so we have not yet been cleansed. They have stated that the Lord is holy, so unholy people cannot meet Him. My question is: We who have sacrificed everything else and spend for the Lord, can we really be raised up into the kingdom of heaven? We really don’t know the answer to this question, so we’d like you to talk to us about it.

The Holy Spirit Works in a Principled Way

By Qin Shuting, Shandong Province

　　For some time, whenever I read the words of God, I never felt the light. I didn’t reflect on the reason for that, but just continued to pray to God, asking Him to enlighten me. But when I read God’s words after that, I still didn’t have any enlightenment. So I thought, “There is a time for God to enlighten each man, so there is no use in trying to rush it.” After that, I unhurriedly plodded along reading God’s words, patiently awaiting God’s enlightenment.

　　Until one day, I read these words of God: “Only if your heart is at peace before God will your pursuit of the truth and of changes in your disposition bear fruit. Because you come burdened before God and you always feel that you are lacking too much, that there are many truths that you need to know, much reality that you need to experience, and that you should give every care to God’s will—these things are always on your mind, and it is as if they are pressing down on you so hard that you can’t breathe, and thus you feel heavy of heart (but not in a negative state). Only people such as this are qualified to accept the enlightenment of God’s words and be moved by the Spirit of God. It is because of their burden, because they are heavy of heart, and, it can be said, because of the price they have paid and the torment they have suffered before God that they receive His enlightenment and illumination, for God does not give anyone special treatment. He is always fair in His treatment of people, but He is also not arbitrary in His provision to people, and does not give to them unconditionally. This is one aspect of His righteous disposition” (“Establishing a Proper Relationship With God Is Very Important” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). In pondering God’s words, I understood: God is a righteous God. He is never arbitrary in His provision to man, and does not give to man unconditionally. There is a principle behind God’s work. For people to receive God’s enlightenment and illumination when reading His words, they must quiet their hearts before God and have a heart that yearns for and seeks God’s words. They must bear the burden for their own lives and search for their own shortcomings according to the words of God. Bearing their burden, they must purposefully read the words of God to go ever deeper into the truth and resolve their corrupt disposition and fulfill their duties. Only by practically paying such a price to work with God can one obtain the enlightenment of God. If someone does not thirst for God’s words, but just aimlessly, mechanically reads His words, treating them lightly, they cannot possibly gain the work of the Holy Spirit. In retrospect, every time I picked up the book of the word of God, I would flick through and see that I had read this passage and read that passage, thinking that I had a rough idea about every passage. Then I would find any old one, give it a cursory read, and then I was done, perfunctorily reading the words of God in such an unconcerned way. At that time, I saw that I didn’t remotely have a heart of longing when reading God’s words. I was just going through the motions and upholding certain rules and conventions, content to just understand some literal doctrines. I placed no importance on seriously pondering God’s words and seeking to understand the truth, nor did I place importance on integrating His words to reflect on myself and resolve my problems. I shouldered no burden for my own life and I wasn’t remotely concerned about my lack of entry into the reality of the truth or a change in disposition. With such a cavalier attitude to the words of God, how would I have obtained His enlightenment and illumination? I was not realistically reflecting on my own state or seeking the truth to resolve my problems. Instead, I was relying on my own notions and imaginings, believing “There is a time for God to enlighten each man.” I continued to passively wait for God’s enlightenment. I really was being so ignorant! Only then did I recognize that, although there is a time for God to enlighten each man, this much is true, there is a principle behind the Holy Spirit’s work on man. The degree to which man cooperates is the degree to which God works; however much people work with God is however much He will bestow on them. God will not enlighten someone if they just passively wait for the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and do nothing else. The fruit of God’s work on mankind is determined by how much they cooperate. As God said: “The Holy Spirit works by this principle: Through people’s cooperation, through them actively praying, searching and coming closer to God, results can be achieved and they can be enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. It is not the case that the Holy Spirit acts unilaterally, or that man acts unilaterally. Both are indispensable, and the more that people cooperate, and the more they pursue the attainment of the standards of God’s requirements, the greater the work of the Holy Spirit. Only people’s real cooperation, added to the work of the Holy Spirit, can produce real experiences and the substantive knowledge of God’s words. Gradually, through experiencing in this way, a perfect person is ultimately produced. God does not do supernatural things; in people’s conceptions, God is almighty, and everything is done by God—with the result that people wait passively, do not read the words of God or pray, and merely await the touch of the Holy Spirit. Those with a correct understanding, however, believe this: God’s actions can only go as far as my cooperation, and the effect that God’s work has in me depends on how I cooperate. When God speaks, I should do all I can to seek and strive toward God’s words; this is what I should achieve” (“How to Know Reality” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

The Testimony of a Christian | Resolving Persistent Concerns

Max, USA

      I was born in the USA in 1994 and my mom and dad were both Chinese. My mother was a typical successful career woman and was very independent and capable. I loved my mom very much. When I started second grade, my parents brought me back to China so I could learn Chinese, and I also began to learn about the Lord Jesus at that time. I remember it was one day in 2004, I got out of class and went home to discover that we had a guest. My mom introduced her as a pastor who had come from America. I was really happy, because I knew that my mom had already believed in the Lord Jesus for a while. On that same day, this American pastor told me some stories about the Lord Jesus. Shortly after, I was led to the bathroom, and without even waiting for my response, the pastor dunked my head into the bath with a splash. In an instant I was again pulled out of the water by the pastor. I just heard my mom and the pastor saying to me at the same time: “Welcome to the embrace of the Lord Jesus. We are all the lost sheep.” Just like that, I became a believer in the Lord in a way that was unfathomable. After that, I went to the church every week to attend services, to hear the pastor tell stories from the Bible, and to read the scripture. I was always happy, and was very steadfast in my heart, feeling that the Lord Jesus was truly good.

      In 2008, I came to America to study, and my dad went with me to accompany me. The whole time I was there I kept going to the church to take part in gatherings. In 2012, when I graduated from high school I returned to China to visit my mom. When I was about to leave, my father talked to me in a heartfelt and meaningful way. He told me that my mom back in our home country had begun to believe in something called “Eastern Lightning,” and hoped that after I went back I would talk to my mom about it and get her to give up her belief in Eastern Lightning. As someone who was about to begin university, I of course could not just hear my father’s side of the story. So, after that, I got online and searched a little for information about Eastern Lightning, wanting to really understand it a little bit. As a result, I found some remarks spread by the Chinese Communist Party and the religious pastors and elders accusing and slandering Eastern Lightning. I was a little worried about my mom while I was preparing to go back to China and see my mother’s recent situation. After I got back, I saw that everything was normal, and she hadn’t changed at all in her love and care for me. She had especially grown in her faith in God, and had become even more pious than before. I set aside my worries about my mom.

Principles of Practice for Church Life

1. Church Meetings Must Always Be for Eating, Drinking and Enjoying God’s Words

All people who accept the judgment and chastisement work of Almighty God should eat, drink, and enjoy all of Almighty God’s words. This is the unalterable duty of God’s created beings, something no one can interfere with. One can only be saved by eating, drinking, and enjoying Almighty God’s words, obeying all of God’s work, and accepting all truths expressed by God. That’s why church life only permits eating, drinking and enjoying God’s words, and prohibits reading texts outside of God’s words. This is the first principle of church life, and it must not be altered by anyone. If any church leader at different levels violates this principle in their work and insists on reading texts outside of God’s words, then they have betrayed God’s will and are someone who resists and forsakes God. Regardless of the local circumstances of the church, meetings must always be for eating, drinking and enjoying God’s words. Eating and drinking the words of Almighty God must always be the heart of meetings at any time. That is, the main focus must be on eating and drinking God’s words that are in The Word Appears in the Flesh. Man’s preachings should only be spare-time reading, and learning hymns at meetings also shouldn’t take up the time of enjoying God’s words. If, during meetings, a person reads the Bible or any texts that analyze the Bible, or other spiritual books, then that is completely deviating from the current work of the Holy Spirit. If someone leads others to fellowship about man’s preachings and communications, that is also betraying God’s will. Anyone in the church has the right to restrict this from happening. The Bible and other spiritual texts of religion are already outdated and should only be regarded as spare-time reading. Bringing them into meetings to read is disrupting God’s work, is resisting and betraying God, and must be strictly restricted. If someone insists on reading the Bible or spiritual texts at meetings, then that proves they resist God and disrupt God’s work, and are surely antichrists. God’s chosen people must reject such a person and remove them. All meetings of Almighty God’s believers must be for eating, drinking and enjoying the words of Almighty God—this is an administrative decree of the church that can’t be changed by anyone.

Questions and Answers on the Inside Story of the Bible(3)

Question 3: The Lord Jesus said it Himself that the Bible is His testimony. That’s why our belief in the Lord must be based on the Bible. The Bible is our only path to knowing the Lord.

Answer: Then let’s see whether one can truly know the Lord based on the Bible. The answer to this question can be found in the word of Almighty God. Allow me to read it to everyone! “The Jews of the time all read from the Old Testament and knew of Isaiah’s prophecy that a male infant would be born in a manger. Why then, with this knowledge, did they still persecute Jesus? Is this not because of their rebellious nature and ignorance of the work of the Holy Spirit? At that time, the Pharisees believed that the work of Jesus was unlike what they knew of the prophesied male infant; man of today rejects God because the work of the incarnate God does not conform to the Bible. Is not the substance of their rebelliousness against God one and the same? … What you ought to do is accept, without the need for further substantiation from the Bible, any work so long as it is that of the Holy Spirit, for you believe in God to follow God, not to investigate Him. You should not search out further proof for Me to show that I am your God. Rather, you ought to discern whether I am of benefit to you; that is the key. Even if you have found out much irrefutable proof within the Bible, it cannot bring you fully before Me. You are one who lives within the confines of the Bible, and not before Me; the Bible cannot help you know Me, nor can it deepen your love for Me. Though the Bible prophesied that a male infant would be born, none could fathom upon whom the prophecy would come to pass, for man did not know the work of God, and this is what caused the Pharisees to stand against Jesus” (“How Can Man Who Has Defined God in His Conceptions Receive the Revelations of God?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). People in the Age of Law held on to the Scriptures and did not seek or investigate God’s new work. In the end, they crucified the Lord Jesus. We can see from these facts that we cannot get to know God or God’s work merely based on the Bible. we all know that back in the day, the people who followed the Lord Jesus sought to know God based on the actual work and word of the Lord Jesus and the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Not one person got to know God based on the Bible. This is a fact. Brothers and sisters, we also cannot use only the Bible as our basis to measure the work of Almighty God today. The Bible can only be used as a reference. The main thing is to confirm it based on whether or not there is the truth and the work of the Holy Spirit. Only then can the correct decision be made.

Questions and Answers on the Inside Story of the Bible (7)

Question 7: I have studied the Bible for more than 20 years. I discovered that the Bible was written by more than 40 different authors during different times, but the content of what they wrote had no errors whatsoever. This shows that God is the true author of the Bible and that the Bible comes from the Holy Spirit.

Answer: The Bible was written by more than 40 authors and that there were no errors. Are there really no errors? Let’s communicate on this issue specifically. Actually, Almighty God—Christ of the last days—has already opened up these mysteries for us. Almighty God says, “The Gospel of Matthew of the New Testament documents Jesus’ genealogy. At the start, it says that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, the son of David, and the son of Joseph; next it says that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin—which would mean He was not the son of Joseph or the descendant of Abraham, that He was not the son of David. The genealogy, though, insists on associating Jesus with Joseph. Next, the genealogy begins to record the process by which Jesus was born. It says Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that He was born of a virgin, and not the son of Joseph. Yet in the genealogy it is clearly written that Jesus was the son of Joseph, and because the genealogy is written for Jesus, it records forty-two generations. When it goes to the generation of Joseph, it hurriedly says that Joseph was the husband of Mary, words which are in order to prove that Jesus was the descendant of Abraham. Is this not a contradiction? The genealogy clearly documents Joseph’s ancestry, it is obviously the genealogy of Joseph, but Matthew insists that it is the genealogy of Jesus. Does this not deny the fact of Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit? Thus, is the genealogy by Matthew not a human idea? It is ridiculous! In this way, you know that this book did not come entirely from the Holy Spirit” (“Concerning the Bible (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Through God’s word we understand that the genealogy by Matthew was not God’s idea. How could God have a genealogy? Matthew knew that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and yet he gave Him a genealogy saying that Jesus was the son of David and the son of Joseph. Isn’t this denying that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus and Joseph are not related. Matthew’s words are contradictory. Clearly, this genealogy did not come from the Holy Spirit and was man’s idea. Then how do you explain John 8:58: “Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am”? From here we can see that the genealogy of the Lord Jesus was man’s idea. It was written by Matthew around AD 50, and was not written at the direct instruction of the Holy Spirit.

Questions and Answers on the Inside Story of the Bible(6)

Question 6: Since Paul stated that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” it is not wrong, because he was an apostle of God. God was telling mankind through Paul that scriptures were all inspired by God and are all the word of God. Do you dare deny this?

Answer: This issue is highly representative. Next, let us communicate on whether these epistles written by Paul and other apostles were really inspired by God and whether they can represent the word of God. That way we will know how to treat these epistles of the apostles. Before we continue communicating, allow us to first read two passages of Almighty God’s word! Almighty God says, “And thus, the Pauline epistles of the New Testament are epistles that Paul wrote for the churches, and not inspirations from the Holy Spirit, nor are they the direct utterances of the Holy Spirit. They are merely words of exhortation, comfort, and encouragement that he wrote for the churches during the course of his work. So, too, are they a record of much of Paul’s work at the time. They were written for all of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, and were in order to make the brothers and sisters of all of the churches at the time follow his advice and abide by all of the ways of the Lord Jesus. By no means did Paul say that, be they the churches of that time or of the future, all must eat and drink the things of him, nor did he say that his words all came from God. According to the circumstances of the church at that time, he simply communed with the brothers and sisters, and exhorted them, and inspired belief in them; and he simply preached or reminded people and exhorted them. His words were based upon his own burden, and he supported the people through these words. … All he said that was edifying and positive to people was right, but it did not represent the utterances of the Holy Spirit, and he could not represent God. It is an egregious understanding, and a tremendous blasphemy, for people to treat the records of a man’s experiences and a man’s epistles as the words spoken by the Holy Spirit to the churches! … His identity was merely that of a working apostle, and he was merely an apostle who was sent by God; he was not a prophet, nor a foreteller. So to him, his own work and the lives of the brothers and sisters were of the utmost importance. Thus, he could not speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit. His words were not the words of the Holy Spirit, much less could they be said to be the words of God, for Paul was nothing more than a creature of God, and was certainly not the incarnation of God. … If people see the epistles or words like Paul’s as the utterances of the Holy Spirit, and worship them as God, then it can only be said that they are too indiscriminating. To speak more harshly, isn’t this nothing but blasphemy? How could a man talk on behalf of God? And how could people bow down before the records of his epistles and of the words he spoke as if they were a holy book, or a heavenly book? Could the words of God be casually uttered by a man? How could a man talk on behalf of God? And so, what say you—could the epistles that he wrote for the churches not be tainted with his own ideas? How could they not be tainted with human ideas? He wrote epistles for the churches based on his personal experiences and the extent of his own life. For instance, Paul wrote an epistle to the Galatian churches which contained a certain opinion, and Peter wrote another, which had another view. Which of them came from the Holy Spirit? No one can say for sure. Thus, it can only be said that they both bore a burden for the churches, yet their letters represent their stature, they represent their provision and support for the brothers and sisters, and their burden toward the churches, and they only represent human work; they were not entirely of the Holy Spirit. If you say that his epistles are the words of the Holy Spirit, then you are absurd, and you are committing blasphemy! The Pauline epistles and the other epistles of the New Testament are equivalent to the memoirs of the more recent spiritual figures. They are on a par with the books of Watchman Nee or the experiences of Lawrence, and so on. It’s simply that the books of recent spiritual figures are not compiled into the New Testament, yet the substance of these people is the same: They were people who were used by the Holy Spirit during a certain period, and they could not directly represent God.” (“Concerning the Bible (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Footsteps of the Holy Spirit | God's Word "Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God"

Almighty God says, "Knowing the work of God is no simple matter: You should have standards and an objective in your pursuit, you should know how to seek the true way, and how to measure whether or not it is the true way, and whether or not it is the work of God. What is the most basic principle in seeking the true way? You have to look at whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit, whether or not these words are the expression of the truth, who is testified to, and what it can bring you. Distinguishing between the true way and the false way requires several aspects of basic knowledge, the most fundamental of which is to tell whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit."

Footsteps of the Holy Spirit | God's Word "Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God"

Almighty God says, "Knowing the work of God is no simple matter: You should have standards and an objective in your pursuit, you should know how to seek the true way, and how to measure whether or not it is the true way, and whether or not it is the work of God. What is the most basic principle in seeking the true way? You have to look at whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit, whether or not these words are the expression of the truth, who is testified to, and what it can bring you. Distinguishing between the true way and the false way requires several aspects of basic knowledge, the most fundamental of which is to tell whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit."

How to Pray in Accordance With God’s Will

The Outcomes and the Content of Prayer

What can be effected through prayer? We have to be clear on this. First of all, prayer can enable man to understand God’s word, to understand the truth of His word. This is the first outcome. Secondly, prayer can enable us to understand God’s will, to understand what He requires of us. Thirdly, prayer can increase our faith; in times of trial and tribulation, in particular, prayer enables us to confidently walk the road ahead. Fourthly, prayer enables us to feel God as dear and beloved, and to grow a heart that loves God and satisfies Him. Finally, prayer enables us to truly know God, especially His disposition, His loveliness, and His wondrous works. The more we pray, the more we sense the wonder of God, the more we touch Him. Hence, the more we pray, the more we come to know God. Prayer is the only way for man to come into contact with God’s Spirit. Without prayer, you have no means to contact God’s Spirit. God sees into man’s heart, yet man cannot see Him. But through prayer we touch the work of the Holy Spirit, we understand the work of the Holy Spirit and know what the Holy Spirit does upon us and with what effects. This produces real knowledge of God. Prayer can effect so many outcomes upon us, and has then an immeasurable effect on our salvation through belief in God, on our entering the truth to our final perfection by God. A heart that truly loves God is won through prayer. When man does not pray or prays little, he does not know God, and even should he wish to love God he will fail. Through prayer we are able to know something of how God’s Spirit acts, what it is to be moved by God’s Spirit; we are able to know something of God. In this way, we can see His wondrousness, and a heart is born within us that loves Him. Thus, contacting God’s Spirit through prayer results in a genuine knowledge of God. Now, many people know how to pray, and have some experience of it. It is through this experience that they have learned how to have their prayers heard, and what kind of prayers God will not answer. I believe all of us have some experience and knowledge of this. What is the nature of prayers that God hears? It must be a prayer that accords with His will. If we pray to God to understand the truth, do you think this accords with His will? If we pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit, does this accord with His will? Such prayers are all in accordance with His will. Praying to seek out God’s will, to seek out what He requires of us, accords too with His will. Praying for God to deal with real difficulties within our family accords with His will: When we seek to entrust the unbelievers in our family to God for Him to save them, that accords too with His will. When we pray for our brothers and sisters, when we pray for those religious people to return to God, this all accords with God’s will. When we meet with persecution, with adversity or are faced with all kinds of disasters and we pray for God’s deliverance, this too accords with His will. You can say that all prayers that accord with His will, will be heard. Then what might you pray for that does not accord with His will? Some pray to be rich; do you think that accords with God’s will? Some pray for their children to get into university; does that accord with His will? Some pray for God to find them a good job with more money; does that accord with His will? Or some pray for God to find them a suitable spouse; does that accord with His will? None of these prayers accord with God’s will. It is clear now too what kind of prayers do not accord with His will, isn’t it? How should we then distinguish between those things we pray for that are in accordance with God’s will and those that are not? We must be able to distinguish. We have to figure out in our own hearts the things we encounter that can be brought before God in prayer. Since the work of God is to save man, if what we pray for is in contradiction to our seeking salvation from God, if it conflicts with that, and is not beneficial to our salvation, then we need not pray for such a thing. For example, if you wish to go among the unbelievers to get rich, is this not rebellion? Does praying for this accord with God’s will? For certain, it does not. Do not pray or ask for anything that betrays God, or that offends Him. So, we have to distinguish which things accord with God’s will and should be put in our prayers, and which things do not. Furthermore, there are times we encounter something, and we are faced with a choice: Do we choose to care for God’s will or care for and submit to the flesh? These are times when man is tested, and we see which road man will take; this is temptation coming upon us. Therefore, in praying we must make distinction; we should pray for whatever things we ought to. How do we judge which things we should pray for, according to what do we ascertain them? We discern them on the basis of God’s work, on the basis of His word. Judging from what the work is that God does, do the things we pray for conflict with God’s work? Do they interrupt His work, are they beneficial to our seeking salvation? We ascertain the things we should pray for on these grounds. And what problem does this touch upon? In praying before God man must possess conscience and reason, he must possess a pure and open, an honest heart; you cannot be deceitful with God, you must be pure and open. You must possess a heart that seeks the truth, a heart that thirsts for the truth. Most importantly, you must possess a heart that genuinely loves God, a heart obedient to God. Only in this way, when coming before Him to pray, are we pleasing to God. If the heart you bear within does not love God, is not obedient to Him, and yet you pray, saying “God, what am I to do in this matter?”, and you are not willing to obey, then you are seeking God’s agreement to your rebelling against Him, to contravening Him. Is this not an expression of blasphemy? Such prayer will not be pleasing to God, and He will say, “When you pray you still are disobeying Me, you still are going against Me, you are not seeking the truth at all, you have not an iota of obedience in you.” So, there are prayers that do not accord with God’s will, that go against God, that disobey Him, prayers that you must not pray to Him. If you pray thus, you are going against God; to put it seriously, this is blasphemy. What we bring before God to pray for must accord with His will; we must be genuinely seeking truth, and not testing God. There are some whose prayers are testing in nature; they are only too eager for God to fulfill their wishes, to satisfy their needs of the flesh, to satisfy their extravagant desires. If man comes before God to pray with such a heart, this is utterly unacceptable to Him for this is an expression of going against Him, of opposing Him. In addition, there are some meaningless things we need not pray for. What are the meaningless things? Some will pray to God as to whether they should read His word, or whether they should meet together; there are even some who will pray to Him as to whether they should eat, or whether they should go shopping. They ask God whether He agrees, whether He permits. I ask you, does such prayer have any meaning? Such people appear a little crazy; they’re not too normal. I have observed that some people who are afflicted by evil spirits pray much this way: They even pray to God about going to the restroom, about whether they’re allowed; when they go to eat, they ask Him whether they’re allowed. Even more absurd are those who when they go to do any little thing, have God do it for them: When they go out the door, they have God watch over their home, protect their property and keep thieves away. Don’t you think praying for these kinds of things is absurd? What kind of prayers a person puts before God proves what kind of person they are. What someone absurd prays for is also absurd.

From Classic Selections From Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life

The Mystery of the Incarnation (4) (Selection)

　　

　　In the Age of Grace, Jesus did much of that work, such as healing sickness, casting out demons, laying His hands upon man to pray for man, and blessing man. However, to continue to do so would serve no purpose in the present day. The Holy Spirit worked in that way at the time, for it was the Age of Grace, and man was shown enough grace for enjoyment. Man did not have to pay any price and could receive grace as long as he had faith. All were treated very graciously. Now, the age has changed, and the work of God has progressed further; through His chastisement and judgment, the rebelliousness of man and the unclean things within man will be cast away. As it was the stage of redemption, God had to do such work, showing man enough grace for man to enjoy, so that He could redeem man from sin, and through grace forgive man their sins. This stage is done to reveal the iniquities within man through chastisement, judgment, the smiting of words, as well as the discipline and revelation of words, so that they may afterward be saved. This is work more in-depth than redemption. In the Age of Grace, man enjoyed enough grace and has already experienced this grace, and so it is no longer to be enjoyed by man. Such work is now out-of-date and is no longer to be done. Now, man is saved through judgment by the word. After man is judged, chastised and refined, his disposition is thereby changed. Is this not because of the words I have spoken? Each stage of work is done in line with the progress of all mankind and with the age. All work has its significance; it is done for the final salvation, for mankind to have a good destination in the future, and for man to be divided according to their kind in the end.

The Minimum Reason That Ought to Be Possessed in Serving God

People who serve God all ought to know that if those who serve God are not people who have been perfected by God, then they are not suitable for being used by God. That’s because corrupt humanity all has the nature of resisting and betraying God, and they all have arrogant, conceited, self-important, and self-righteous dispositions. When they perform their duties, they are willing to do it according to their own will, but they are not willing to search for the will of God, and they are even more unwilling to seek fellowship. They do not have true obedience to God, yet they greedily enjoy the benefits of their positions without any reason at all. If they do a few days of work, they will start getting arrogant, and they will start asking God for crown and blessing, and they will prepare to rule together with God. Once they receive being pruned or dealt with or God’s elimination, they start complaining and are shamed into anger, thinking that serving God is like the perilous condition of serving a wild tiger. They have not recognized that God is righteous, good, and beautiful, but people are too corrupt and too lacking in humanity, deserving punishment for their crimes. In people’s hearts, God is not fair to humans, as if God has treated them wrongfully. This kind of people serve God for several years, but they become God’s enemies, openly resisting and judging God. How could this kind of people be suited to God’s use? If people who serve God are truly people who pursue the truth, they should recognize the source of corrupt humanity’s resistance of God, they should recognize their own nature of resisting God, they should recognize that when corrupt humanity serves God they ought to receive pruning and dealing, and especially they ought to receive God’s judgment and chastisement. If in their service they disrupt God’s work by mixing in human will or diverting the work onto their own paths, then they should even receive God’s punishments and curses and obey God’s work. Only in this way can people achieve changes in life disposition through service and walk on the right track of serving God.