We feel sad for their sufferings and also admire their faith and testimony, and are encouraged and resolved to head to righteousness and follow God to the end. At the same time, we detest and reject those devils who persecute them. Let's pay attention to their suffering and pass the positive energy!
In Recent years, the situation of the religious freedom in China has been worsening. More and more Christians have been forced to flee to other countries to seek political asylum because of being unable to bear the CCP government’s persecution. As the true facts of their persecution by the CCP are gradually being known by the world, some international human rights organizations start to give them attention and appeal for their status. From April 6 to 7, 2018, an annual meeting of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) was held at Gustav-Stresemann-Institut in Bonn, Germany.The theme of this annual meeting was “Focusing on the humanitarian situation and religious freedom in the Middle East.” Some human rights activists, religious figures and representatives of persecuted Christians were invited to participate in this meeting. During the meeting, some speakers discussed the situation of the religious persecution in China. The Church of Almighty God (CAG) Christians, as invited guests, also gave speeches, and introduced the main measures the CCP has applied to cruelly suppress and persecute the CAG, which aroused the attention of some participants.
๐ฑ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฑ๐ Zhao Xia Shandong Province ๐ฑ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฑ๐
My name is Zhao Xia. I was born to an ordinary family. Due to the influence of dictums like “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” and “As a tree lives for its bark, a man lives for his face,” reputation and face became particularly important to me. Everything I did was to earn other people’s praise, compliments, and admiration. After getting married, the goals I set for myself were: I will live a wealthier life than others; I must not let anyone say negative things about how I treat the elderly or about my behavior and conduct; and I will make sure my child gets into a famous university and has good prospects, so as to add more luster to my face. Therefore, I never quarreled with my in-laws. Sometimes, when they said harsh things to me, I would feel so aggrieved that I’d hide and cry rather than give them attitude. When I saw others buy clothes for their parents during Chinese New Year and other holidays, I would immediately go buy some for my mother-in-law, and it would be of the best quality too. When relatives came to visit, I would help buy food and cook. Even when it was a little tough or tiring I would still be completely willing. Afraid I would be less well off than others, I left my baby daughter behind a month after giving birth to her and went straight back to work. As a result, my daughter suffered from malnutrition and became only skin and bones because she couldn’t drink my breast milk. Her situation improved only after 100 nutritional injections, while I was so tired that I had a sore back every day. Though it was difficult and tiring, I endured the hardship and gave tirelessly for the sake of earning a good reputation. In just a few short years, I became a famous daughter-in-law in the village, and my family became wealthy and envied by people around us. As a result, my in-laws, neighbors, relatives and friends were all full of praise for me. In the face of praise and compliments from those around me, my vanity was greatly satisfied. I felt my hardships over the last few years were not in vain, and I was very flattered inside. However, my serene life was interrupted after my brother-in-law got married. His wife always spoke to me sarcastically, saying that I had ulterior motives in treating our mother-in-law well because I just wanted her assets. She always said that our mother-in-law was biased since she gave us more things than she gave them, and we often argued as a result of this. I felt very aggrieved and wanted to argue with her in public to protest my innocence, but it would ruin the good image I had built up in people’s hearts. Hence, I would force myself to hold back, and when I could bear it no longer I would have a big cry in private. Afterward, the sister-in-law pushed her luck by occupying the land distributed to my side of the family, which made me shake from anger and not eat or drink for days. I even wanted to fight it out with her. However, thinking that it would make me lose face, damage my reputation, and make those around me look down to me, I swallowed it all up, but inside I felt so suppressed that I was in torment. I looked sad and sighed all day, feeling like it was too painful and tiring to live and not knowing when there would be an end to such a life.
Man’s end really is God’s beginning. Right when I was in pain and feeling helpless, Almighty Godreached out His hands of salvation toward me. One day, my neighbor asked me: “Do you believe in the existence of God?” I answered: “Who doesn’t? I believe God exists.” She then said that the God she believes in is the one and only true God who created the universe and all things, and that in the beginning, mankind lived in God’s blessings because they worshiped God, but after they were corrupted by Satan, they no longer worshiped God and thus lived under God’s curse and in pain. Almighty God of the last days came to bestow upon people the truth and save them from the abyss of misery. In addition, she also communicated her own experience of believing in God. After listening to her communication, I felt I had found my closest confidant, and could not help but tell of all the pain in my heart. Afterward, she read a passage of God’s word to me: “When you are weary and when you begin to feel the desolation of this world, do not be perplexed, do not cry. Almighty God, the Watcher, will embrace your arrival any time. He is watching by your side, waiting for you to turn back. He is waiting for the day your memory suddenly recovers: becoming conscious of the fact that you came from God, somehow and somewhere once lost, falling unconscious on the roadside, and then, unknowingly having a ‘father.’ You further realize that the Almighty has been watching there, awaiting your return all along” (“The Sighing of the Almighty” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words flowed into my heart like a warm current, consoling my painful and sad heart, and I could not stop my tears from falling. In that moment, I felt like a wandering child in suffering who had suddenly returned to the embrace of her mother. There was an unspeakable excitement and emotion in my heart. I kept thanking God, for He took me to His house and cared for me when I had nowhere else to go. I shall follow God with my heart and soul! Since then, I read God’s words, prayed to God, and sang hymns to praise God every day, which made me feel especially relaxed in my heart. Through attending meetings, I saw that brothers and sisters were much like a big family, even though they are not related by blood. Their interactions were simple and open, full of understanding, tolerance, and patience, and without jealousy, conflict and scheming or pretension and duplicity. They did not bully the poor while loving the rich, and were all able to treat everyone with sincerity and equality. My heart would feel especially free when we sang hymns praising God together. I hence fell in love with this loving and warm, fair and joyous church life. I became convinced that Almighty God is the one true God and made up my mind that I would follow Him to the very end.
Only by emptying ourselves, can we gain God's guidance and leadership.
God does nothing meaningless. Though some things don't match our conceptions, there is God's good intention. Just these things can show whether we truly listen to God's word, and whether we have true obedience of God.
Zheng Muen is a co-worker at a Chinese Christian church in the United States. He has believed in the Lord for many years, and has worked for the Lord with unwavering enthusiasm. One day, his aunt witnessed to him that the Lord Jesus has returned and expressed the truth, and that He is performing the judgment and cleansing work of the last days. Hearing this news, Zheng Muen was very excited. Through reading Almighty God's words and watching the movies and videos of The Church of Almighty God, Zheng Muen confirmed from his heart that the words of Almighty God are the truth, and that Almighty God is quite possibly the second coming of Lord Jesus. Therefore, he and several brothers and sisters began investigating God's work of the last days. Unexpectedly, when Pastor Ma of his church learned this, he tried to disrupt and hinder Zheng Muen over and over. In order to make Zheng Muen give up examining the true way, Pastor Ma let him watch videos that the Chinese Communist government used to discredit and condemn Eastern Lightning. Zheng Muen was puzzled and couldn't understand why religious pastors and elders condemn Almighty God when it's clear that Almighty God's words are the truth and the voice of God, and why they not only do not seek and investigate the true way themselves but block other believers from accepting it. Why is this? … Afraid of being deceived and taking the wrong path, and at the same time afraid of missing the opportunity to be raptured at the Lord's return, Zheng Muen felt conflicted and confused. Just at that time, Pastor Ma sent him some negative propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party and the religious world. After reading it, Zheng Muen became doubtful. He believed the pastor's words and gave up investigating the true way. Later on, the witnesses of The Church of Almighty God fellowshiped about the truth with him, which allowed Zheng Muen to understand that the fundamental principle of investigating the true way is to see whether it possesses the truth and whether what is expressed is the voice of God. Only the appearance and work of Christ can express many truths, because no corrupt humans can express the truth. This is a manifold fact. If one does not pay attention to hearing the voice of God and only rely on their imagination to wait for the Lord Jesus to descend on a cloud, they will never be able to welcome God's appearance. Zheng Muen finally understood the mystery of the wise virgins hearing the voice of God that the Lord Jesus spoke of. He no longer believed the lies and fallacies of the Chinese Communist government and the religious world, and broke away from the control and bondage of the religious pastor. Zheng Muen deeply felt that it's not simple to investigate the true way, and that if one cannot discern things and does not seek the truth, they will never hear the voice of God or be brought before God's throne, and they will only die ensnared in Satan's net, which will fulfill these words in the Bible: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos 4:6), and "Fools die for want of wisdom" (Pro 10:21).
I was born to a poor peasant family. I have been sensible since childhood, in that I never fought with other kids and obeyed my parents, which made me a typical “good girl” in the eyes of adults. Other parents were all very envious of my parents, saying that they were lucky to have such a good daughter. And just like this, I grew up every day listening to compliments from the people around me. When I was in the elementary school, my academic record was especially good, and I was always first place in exams. One time, I received full marks in an essay contest held by my town, winning honor for my school. The headmaster not only awarded me a prize and certificate, but also complimented me in front of the entire school and called upon the students to learn from me. I suddenly became the “celebrity” of the school, and my classmates even nicknamed me “ever-victorious general.” The compliments from my teachers, the envy of my classmates, and the doting of my parents gave me a sense of superiority in my heart, and I really enjoyed the feeling of being admired by everyone. Accordingly, I firmly believed that the greatest joy in life was the admiration of others, and that the feeling of happiness came from the praise of others. I secretly told myself: No matter how difficult and exhausting it is, I must become someone with fame and status, and never be looked down upon by others. From then on, dictums such as “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies” and “Men should always strive to be better than their contemporaries” became my life mottos.
However, when I was 13 years old, my father fell seriously ill and was admitted to the hospital, which placed our already poor family under serious debt. When I saw my father moaning in pain from illness and my mother exhausting herself for the sake of our livelihoods, I felt so bad that I wished I would grow up quickly so I could share their sorrow and pain. So I made the painful decision to drop out of school, thinking: Even if I do not go to school, I cannot perform worse than others. I will be a strong and successful woman when I grow up, and then I will still be able to live a great life! Due to my academic excellence, I was kind of a “little celebrity” in my neighborhood. Therefore, when news of me dropping out of school spread, the villagers all started talking about it, saying: “This girl is so foolish! Dropping out of school will destroy her future!” and “No one will respect people without an education. She will suffer from hardship and poverty all her life!” As someone used to receiving compliments since childhood, the dreary feeling that “The fallen phoenix is inferior to the chicken” suddenly came over me. I was afraid to go out, afraid to meet people, afraid of the feeling of being looked down on. To avoid such pain, I barely stepped foot outside my home for two entire years, and I was taciturn all the time. At the same time, my desire of becoming a strong and successful woman grew even stronger, so after another two years, I went out to start working. I worked in a lot of jobs, but I would give up shortly each time because I felt the job was either too tiring and stressful, or the salary was too low, or the boss was not nice. After having failed over and over again, I became thoroughly discouraged and felt that my dream of becoming a strong and successful woman had gotten so very far away from reality.
In 2005, I had the privilege of accepting Almighty God’s work of the last days. Since then, my lifestyle and even my entire life have completely changed. I saw in the word of God: “The fate of man is controlled by the hands of God. You are incapable of controlling yourself: Despite always rushing and busying about for himself, man remains incapable of controlling himself. If you could know your own prospects, if you could control your own fate, would you still be a creature?” (“Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s powerful words deeply touched my heart, making me understand that everyone’s fate is in His hands and not at all controlled by people themselves, and that no matter what time it is, people cannot escape God’s sovereignty and plans, and should be obedient under the authority of God. This is the only way people will have a good fate. What kind of family I was born into, how cultured I am, whether my life is poor or rich—all of these things are predetermined by God. It is not something my mind or abilities can change. I was determined to become a strong and successful woman with all my heart and soul, but despite enduring hardship and suffering, I didn’t even have a stable job. This forces me to admit that what I want is not always achievable through hard work, and must still depend on whether it is allowed by God, and whether the path I walk has been predestined by God. If not, then no matter what price I pay, it will have been in vain. After understanding God’s will, I was no longer frustrated by my experiences, and I no longer cared about what other people said. Instead, I became determined to believe in God and pursue the truth properly, and live a meaningful life. After that, I persisted in reading God’s words every day, and prayed, sang hymns, and attended meetings with sisters and brothers. Due to my relatively fast comprehension of the truth and my passionate pursuit, I won the appreciation of the sister who was watering me, which made me feel all flattered inside. After entering the church, I heard church leaders say I should be a focus of their cultivation, which made me more difficult to restrain the glee in my heart and even gave me an extra spring in my step. So I told myself: I must pursue with all my heart and soul! I cannot let the church leaders down. Even if it is just for my good reputation, I should work hard so I can win back here the fame and status that had eluded me in the outside world. At the time, I did not care about God’s will at all. The only thing on my mind was fame, fortune, and status right in front of me, like dazzling halos constantly waving at me.
๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ In a vast cosmic sky filled with stars, planets collide, and a series of complex processes give birth to new planets…. Countless celestial bodies in the cosmos all work in harmony—who directs them? The Christian musical documentary—The One Who Holds Sovereignty Over Everything—will soon reveal the true facts!
When I was three years old my father passed away. At that time my mother had just given birth to my younger brother, and my grandmother, owing to superstition, said that it was my mother and younger brother that caused my father’s death. For lack of a better option mother had to take my younger brother to her father’s house to live, so from the start of my earliest memories I was living together with my grandpa and grandma. Although my grandpa and grandma treated me well I still felt lonely and really wanted to be together with my mom and little brother. I hoped for the same kind of motherly love that other kids received. Really, what I was asking for wasn’t much, all I wanted was a true family, a mother who loved me dearly, who I could share my true feelings with. But even this small ask turned into an extravagant hope. I was only able to see my mother on the weekends. Whenever I got into trouble at school mom was never there by side either, I was like a small patch of grass by the side of the road, nobody showed any interest in me. Over time I became very self-abased, I held everything back in my heart and didn’t take initiative to interact with others. When I was sixteen there were some people in my village who were going abroad for work, and the idea tempted me. I thought to myself: My family conditions aren’t very good, if I were to go abroad then I could earn my own living, and even give some of my earnings to my family. That way I could help my family live a little better.
Man Receives God’s Blessing Because of His True Heart and His Obedience.
In order to coerce Christians to sell out the church, betray God and ruin their chances of being saved by God, the Chinese Communist Party unscrupulously threatens the family members of Christians and they use the family emotions of Christians to coerce them to betray God. Can the schemes of the Chinese Communist Party prevail? In this battle between good and evil, how will the Christians rely on God to overcome Satan's temptations and stand firm and bear witness for God?
I was born in the countryside. I came from a line of humble 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 even 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 pursue development in the army and joined easily by going through connections.
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