Blogroll

This is default featured slide 1 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 2 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 3 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 4 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 5 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Stepping Onto the Right Path of Life

Stepping Onto the Right Path of Life
Tandang
Since childhood, I had been influenced by the socially circulated viewpoints of “Making money is the absolute principle” and “No pain, no gain.” I thought that as long as I worked hard and made a fortune, I would gain status in society, and would live a life with dignity and integrity. Under the rule of this view, I had persistently been striving hard for money and fame. Furthermore, I was competitive by nature and hated to lose in whatever I did. So, along my life’s journey, I indeed suffered a lot.
When I got married, my family was in a poor financial situation, and it went even heavily indebted after the births of my two sons. However, this didn’t discourage me. Instead, I discussed hopefully with my husband how to make money. In the beginning, we found that breeding the seedlings of sweet potatoes was a profitable business, so we bought books and materials to study that, and tried to breed the seedlings with scientific technology. Several years later, we did earn some money, but hard labor left me with many illnesses. Even so, in order to be someone of importance and to change my home for the better, I, who was born ambitious, didn’t back off. When we noticed some people around us became rich by raising pigs, we immediately followed. We bought diverse materials on pig farming, and began to learn scientific methods of it. After the first piglets were purchased, we carefully produced the feed, observed and fed them, and did the cleaning, completely as the materials instructed. I put all my energy into raising pigs, and became a pig breeder through and through. Another several years passed. I found that despite my painstaking care and efforts, our pigs were always not so fattened up as others’ at the time of sale. Besides, the market was down. So for those years, we made little money and were barely able to make ends meet. Thus I gradually felt that pig farming was not a lucrative investment. Yet people of the same trade with me built their houses, ate and dressed well, and enjoyed abundant material comforts. This bothered me immensely: We all raise pigs, but why are my pigs always thinner than theirs? We are faced with the same market condition, but why did they all make a profit except for me?
childhood, money, heavily, Bible, Focus, Judgment, Jesus Christ, Once, I went to a store to buy feed for my pigs nearly ready for sale. There, I met one of my peers. We bought the last batch of piglets together, and his practice later resolved my puzzlement and showed me the trick of the trade. The growth of pigs can be divided into three stages: the first, middle, and last stage, each of which goes with corresponding feed. And there is a big difference between the toxic residues of pig feeds in the first and last stage. In accordance with the rules, pigs in the last growing stage shall never be fed with the first stage feed, lest the toxic substances contained in it be absorbed by human bodies. At that time, according to the growth time and maturity of that batch of pigs, they should be fed with the last stage feed. However, my peer said to the seller, “I’d like the first stage pig feed.” This bewildered me, and I hurriedly said to him, “No, no. Your pigs need the last stage feed now. You had it wrong.” Hearing my words, my peer gave me a smile and said, “You look smart, but why are you so naive? Pigs fed with the first stage feed grow fatter. So we all use the first stage feed. It’s something known to every pig breeder. Only if fed with the first stage feed will pigs grow fast, and we can thus make more money. Making Money is the absolute principle.” His words brought me to my senses: It’s no wonder that they always make more money than me, though we all raise pigs. So the trick lies here. However, the first stage feed contains lots of drugs. If the pigs nearly ready for sale are fed with that, won’t the drug residues remain within the meat? If such meat is put on the market, won’t it be harming people’s health? This is doing evil. How dare they do that? But I then thought, “They have made such a good profit that way. How come I didn’t know the trick before? If I continue with my own way, I will earn much less than them….” “Hey, which kind of feed do you want?” Just when I was struggling in mind, the seller cried out at me, which interrupted my musings. Looking at the first stage feed in my peer’s van, I felt uneasy. Nonetheless, when I thought of how my peers had made handsome profits whereas I didn’t earn much money despite my assiduous efforts over these years, just acting as a foil in the trade, I was somewhat unwilling to reconcile myself to that. They can do such things; why must I be that rigid? After the hesitation, I replied to the seller, “I want the first stage feed.” Just like this, I crossed the moral baseline for the first time.
Although I carried the first stage feed back home, I still felt disturbed and afraid inwardly. Every time I fed the pigs, a feeling of reproach would well up in my heart, and I felt as if I was harming others and that my practice was really immoral. But when I saw the fast growing pigs, my uneasiness within turned to happiness. Soon, the pigs became fully grown and were ready for sale. This time it turned out as I wished. The profit was really a lot higher than before. As such, I was even more certain of the law for survival “Making money is the absolute principle.” I followed the hidden rule of this market, no longer fed pigs with the last stage feed, and thereby became a black-hearted pig farmer. At that point, money lessened the guilt and uneasiness in my conscience.
One year, the market prices of pork were quite good, so I raised more than twenty piglets in attempt to make a big profit that year. Just when the pigs were thriving, a plague struck. It was so fierce, and I was caught totally off guard. Within a few days, several pigs died one after another, and some others looked ill. In the face of the dead pigs and the other sick ones, I felt scared, fearing that I might lose both capital and interest this time. I was extremely distressed, and couldn’t help but look to the sky and sigh deeply, “Heavens! Why is this so? I’ve raised pigs for years, and there’re seldom good market prices like this year’s. Why do my pigs suffer from such severe illness? Why am I so unfortunate? Why is my life so difficult?” In helplessness, I could do nothing but get rid of the dead pigs. At that time, I was already depressed and deflated, without any strength at all, and could by no means cheer up. A peer learned of my situation and then introduced to me a man who specially bought dead and sick pigs. When that man came, however, he gave a very low price for each pig. Anyway, that was better than those pigs dying for nothing. So I sold all the sick pigs to him. When I asked what those sick pigs were meant for, he only gave me an ambiguous answer. With that, I had a bad feeing and wanted to figure it out all along. So, later I asked my peer the same question, and he told me, “Those pigs will be made into minced meat, and it will then be sold to those who are in the business of Rougamo and meat stuffing.” The news was a hard blow to me indeed. Isn’t that harming people blatantly? The pigs have been so seriously ill. Can their meat be edible? For that little bit of money, how many people will be harmed? Isn’t it something wicked? Isn’t it doing evil? The more I thought about it, the more I felt frightened. I made up my mind to never sell sick pigs again to harm people. A few days later, another pig turned critically ill. I thought, “This time I mustn’t call that man who buys sick and dead pigs. Since the pig is dying, just let it die.” However, looking at the white fat pig, thinking of how much money and energy I had spent on it, I began to waver in my resolution: If the pig dies for nothing, won’t I suffer quite a big loss? Where will I get money for my two sons’ school fees? On the other hand, even if I sell it to that man, I won’t gain any profits, but just suffer fewer losses. But he will harm others if he buys my sick pig. What should I do? I mulled it over, tentative and halting. Just at that moment, a thought flashed through my mind: Anyway, it’s not me who sells the meat to people who are in the meat stuffing business. Since I don’t profit from this, whatever he does will be his own business and have nothing to do with me. At the thought of this, I picked up my phone and made a call to him. That man came soon and took away the sick pig. Though uneasy, I made an excuse to justify myself: I’m forced to do so, for the sake of survival.
Just like this, I had been working and struggling for a better life. However, years later, I was still what I used to be, and my family’s living standard didn’t improve a lot. My wish to be an important person fell through, and my desire to be highly regarded by others was also shattered. At that point, I, who never admitted defeat, felt perplexed about my future: Why do I still not get what I want after so many years of striving? I even felt such a life was too hard and tiring…. Just when I was in distress and despair, Almighty God’s gospel of the last days came to me.
In 2012, I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days. In Almighty God’s words I found the answer why I had been struggling in misery all those years. Almighty God says, “One exhausts a lifetime’s worth of energy fighting against fate, spends all of one’s time bustling about trying to feed one’s family and shuttling back and forth between wealth and status. The things that people treasure are family, money, and fame; they view these as the most valuable things in life. All people complain about their fates, yet still they push to the back of their minds the questions that it is most imperative to examine and understand: why man is alive, how man should live, what the value and meaning of life is. All of their lives, however many years that may be, they just rush about seeking fame and fortune, until their youth has fled, until they become gray and wrinkled; until they see that fame and fortune cannot stop one’s slide toward senility, that money cannot fill the emptiness of the heart; until they understand that no one is exempt from the law of birth, aging, sickness, and death, that no one can escape what fate has in store” (“God Himself, the Unique III” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh). After reading God’s words, I nodded repeatedly: God’s words are so right! This exactly is the real situation of man’s life. In retrospect, I had been shuttling back and forth between fame and fortune, and I also established my outlook on life and values according to that. I believed that money was everything, and thereby had been fighting for it. However, what did I receive in the end? Nothing but endless misery and the exhaustion of body and mind. It was not until then that I realized my sufferings resulted neither from God’s ordination nor from my being born unlucky; rather, it was the path I took that determined my life in constant misery. I had no obedience to the Creator’s arrangement, and always attempted to change my fate and live a life of an important person by earning more money. My erroneous outlook upon life doomed me to live in endless suffering. Then I thought of people around me. Every one of them were always keeping up with the Joneses, but what did they get eventually? They all complained that life was too painful and tiring. Indeed, God’s words gave a faithful depiction of man’s life. Then I went on to read.
childhood, money, heavily, Bible, Focus, Judgment, Jesus Christ,
Almighty God says, “… the ideas that social trends bring about for people, the way they cause people to conduct themselves in the world, the life goals and outlook that they bring about in people. These are very important; they can control and influence man’s state of mind. … But with man’s demand for ever increasing amounts of money, people unknowingly came to love money, love gain and love enjoyment more and more. So did people come to view money as more important? When people view money as more important, they unknowingly neglect their reputation, their renown, prestige, and integrity; they neglect all these things, don’t they? When you engage in business, you see someone else taking different approaches and using various means to swindle people and get rich. Although the money earned is ill-gotten gains, they get richer and richer. Their whole family engages in the same business as you, but they enjoy life more than you do, and you feel bad, saying: ‘Why can’t I do that? Why can’t I earn as much as they do? I must think of a way to get more money, to make my business prosper.’ You then ponder this through. … However, under the urge to make a profit, your thinking undergoes a gradual transformation. During this transformation, your principles of conduct also begin to change. When you first cheat someone, when you first defraud someone, you have your reservations, saying ‘This is the last time I cheat someone and I will not do it again. I cannot cheat people. Cheating people will only earn retribution and bring disaster upon me! This is the last time I cheat someone and I will not do it again.’ When you first deceive someone, your heart has some scruples; this is the function of man’s conscience—to have scruples and to reproach you, so that it feels unnatural when you cheat someone. But after you have successfully deceived someone you see that you now have more money than you did before, and you think this method can be very beneficial for you. Despite the dull ache in your heart, you still feel like congratulating yourself on your ‘success,’ and you feel a little pleased with yourself. For the first time, you approve of your own behavior and approve of your own deception. Afterward, once man has been contaminated by this cheating, it is the same as someone who gets involved in gambling and then becomes a gambler. In unawareness, he approves of his cheating behavior and accepts it. In unawareness, he takes cheating to be a legitimate commercial behavior, and takes cheating to be the most useful means for his survival and his life; he thinks that by doing this he can get rich quick. At the beginning of this process people cannot accept this type of behavior, they look down on this behavior and this way of going about things, until they try it out and experiment with it in their own way, personally and firsthand, and then their hearts begin to gradually transform. So what is this transformation? It is an approval and admission of this trend, an admission and approval of this type of idea instilled in you by the social trend. … This change puts you further and further from God, and you become more and more in conformity with Satan, more and more similar to it” (“God Himself, the Unique VI” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh).
The revelation in God’s words woke me up. All those years, I had been living by the satanic philosophy “Making money is the absolute principle,” and had spared no effort to make money. At that time, I had finally understood that Satan uses this fallacy to seduce man into esteeming money, and mislead them into believing that the more money they make, the better they will enjoy and the higher they will rank than others. Indoctrinated with this thought, man gradually attaches no importance to the ways and means of earning money; what counts most in their hearts is to get rich so as to be looked up to and endorsed by others. Consequently, they start to follow the trend of this world, betraying their conscience and stopping at nothing to make money. Not only do they not consider such life shameful, but instead they think those who rely on honest and legal ways to make money cannot survive in this world, and deem such people incompetent. As time goes on, man grows accustomed to such evil trend. The Satan’s rule of survival “Making money is the absolute principle” brings about a fundamental change in man’s thoughts, so that man has lost their conscience, humanity and moral sense, becoming increasingly selfish and mean, greedy and malicious. They fall under the spell of money and get ever more snared in it. In fact, I was such a person myself, wasn’t I? Just for money and gain, I betrayed my conscience and abandoned the moral baseline: feeding the pigs nearly ready for sale with the first stage feed and selling the sick pigs, making huge profits and protecting my own interests at the cost of others’ health. As such, I fell into the trap set by Satan and degenerated step by step. I then recalled that people were all enticed and deceived by the evil trend of Satan. For the sake of money, they wiped out the morality and humanity, ignoring the life of others. For the sake of money, they used various means of deception to damage people’s body and mind, harming each other. For example, in order to make a tidy profit, people added all kinds of additives and toxic substances, which would cause serious threat to health, to the food of man. More specifically, they added toxic substances to rice, flour, oil, milk powder, and so on, and used the growth stimulator forchlorfenuron, coloring agents for vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, they used feeds produced with scientific technology in raising pigs, chickens, fish, and so on. As a result, people who ate those things were subjected to diverse strange diseases and cancers, suffering devastating affliction physically and mentally. It’s true that people made their fortunes by betraying their conscience and taking a whole variety of measures, that they ate and enjoyed better, obtained the high regard of others, and that their backs straightened and their words became weighty. However, their hearts went black, and they lost humanity, cheating and harming each other, living like demons without any human likeness. Man had been unable to extricate themselves from this situation. And if things continued the way they were going, man would only end up ravaging one another, murdering in cold blood and seeking their own destruction. The more I thought, the more I became frightened. I prayed to God in my heart, “Oh God! I give You thanks for Your salvation to me, or I would even be unaware of what an evil world I’m living in. I don’t want to be teased by Satan any more, nor get more entrenched in the mire of sin. I wish to receive Your salvation and to be a true person.”
Later, I started working in a factory to support our family and ceased to only seek fortunes. To my surprise, when I gave up pursuing such things and began to work in a down-to-earth manner, I felt very relaxed and the misery in my heart was gone. Besides, thanks to the frequent meetings with my brothers and sisters and our fellowship about God’s words, I gained some knowledge of God’s work of saving man, as well as some discernment of the evil of this world. I could see through many things in daily life, and knew how to practice and deal with them. I felt this was precisely the life man should live. Without Almighty God’s words, no one could manage to resist the seduction of fame, gain, and money. Only God possesses the authority and power to grant man a life with freedom and relieve us from the bondage of Satan’s influence.
At the end of that year, my boss gave me my pay slip and asked me to see if there was any mistake. I read it over and over, checking it carefully, and finally I was certain that my boss paid me an extra 400 yuan. Looking at the extra 400 yuan, I was churned up inside: The 400 yuan is not what I deserve, but I really need money as my two sons are still in school. Since my boss has given it to me as my salary, why don’t I take it? What’s more, he will not take any notice even if I take it. But on second thought, I realized that was not after God’s heart. If I did that, I would not only act like an unbeliever, but fail to stand testimony for God. At that time, I thought of God’s words, “Human nature remains unchanged. What is in their hearts is not in accordance with My will—it is not what I need. What I detest the most is man’s stubbornness and recidivism, but what force would there be provoking them to continue being a stranger to Me, to always keep a distance, to never act in accordance to My will before Me and oppose Me behind My back instead? Is this their loyalty? Is this their love for Me? Why can’t they repent and be born again?” (“The Twenty-seventh Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words of judgment pierced my heart and left me ashamed all at once. I felt as if God was right by my side, observing my words and deeds. Then I remembered that I once prayed to God and made a resolution to start anew. At this point, however, confronted with the temptation of money, I fell into my old ways once again. No, I could not act as Satan’s tool or the slave of money any more for the interests of my flesh, nor do anything that opposed and shamed God. However much God bestowed upon me, that was how much I should enjoy. Though it was merely 400 yuan, it could be seen as a temptation and test of me in the spiritual realm. Therefore, I made an explanation to my boss and returned the extra money to him. With the rest of the money that I deserved, I left the factory relaxed.
That I forsook the flesh and practiced the truth was all the result achieved by God’s words on me. It was the guidance of God’s words that allowed me to be an upright person. Moreover, I saw that God is at our sides whatever circumstances we are in, and that He will surely use His words and work to lead us step by step to walk out of the camp of Satan, to break free from Satan’s shackles and become free. Just as Almighty God says, “If people experience until the day comes when their outlook on life and the significance and the basis of their existence have entirely changed, when they have been altered to their very bones, and have become someone else, won’t this be incredible? This is a great change, an earth-shattering change. Only when you are disinterested in the fame and fortune, status, money, pleasure, and luxuries of the world, and can easily forgo them, will you have the likeness of a human being. Those who will ultimately be made complete are a group such as this; they live for the truth, live for God, and live for that which is just. This is the likeness of a human being” (“You Must Know That There Are Similarities and Differences in People’s Natures” in Records of Christ’s Talks With Leaders and Workers of the Church).
The End.
Disclaimer: This article on our website is original. If you wish to reproduce it, please indicate that we are the source.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Will You Still Be Negative When Seeing Your Flaws From a Different Angle?

Will You Still Be Negative When Seeing Your Flaws From a Different Angle?

Cao Jie
Late at night, two pots, which were put in the corner by their master, started talking.
The perfect pot laughed at the other pot, and said, “We came to the master’s house at the same time. Now I’m still perfect. But look at you, so many cracks in you.”
It’s not my fault,” the cracked pot refuted. “It’s because the young master broke me carelessly that I have become like this.”
The perfect pot then said, “Anyway, I’m better than you. You see, every time we went out to carry water, I always delivered a full portion at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, but what about you? You arrived only half full.”
The cracked pot was rendered speechless and then burst into tears with grievance. Hearing the cry, the master who had just fallen asleep got up hastily to locate the source, only to find that it came from a pot that he used to carry water. So he bent down and asked, “Why are you crying, little pot?”
I am ashamed of myself and feeling very miserable,” replied the little pot.
Why? What are you ashamed of and miserable about?” asked the master.
For the past two years, every time you use me to carry water, I have been able to deliver only half my load because these cracks in me cause water to leak out all the way back to your house. You have done your utmost but don’t get full value from your efforts because of my flaws,” the little pot replied.
Hearing this, the master laughed loudly. “How can you think so? Do you know in my heart you’re the same as the perfect pot and even more adorable than it?” said the master, pointing with his finger to the perfect pot.
What? Really?” said the little pot with its eyes popping in surprise. “Why is that?”
The master rose up and fetched a vase of flowers from the table. Then he let the little pot smell them and asked it, “Do they smell sweet?”
Yes, they do,” the little pot replied cheerfully.
But without you, they wouldn’t be so sweet,” said the master.
Me?” The little pot was confused.
Yeah, didn’t you notice that there were various flowers on both sides of the path from the stream to our house? It was the water you leaked out that made them grow and blossom. For two years I have been able to pick these flowers to decorate my house. It’s all thanks to you,” said the master with a smile.
After hearing these remarks, immediately the little pot’s heart was filled with joy.
From then on, whenever the master carried water, the little pot would observe these flowers and grass along the path, and feel warm with pride: Though I’m not perfect, I’m still useful.
From the Internet
The little pot in the story was despondent because it had cracks in its side and could do nothing for its master. Are we any different in real life? When we see some flaw or weakness in us, we become negative and weak. And as we think that we’re incapable of doing anything, we often give up ourselves, and even lose hope in life or faith in the future. … Actually, whatever God has done is good. For example, compared with the bee, the eagle is powerful, yet the bee can spread pollen and make the nature multicolored. Whatever differences in their life structure and form, all things are good in God’s eyes, and God has a special arrangement and plan for each of them. So never should we despise ourselves. Sometimes, when we see our flaws from a different angle, we can find there is also God’s good will in them. So if we deny ourselves completely, and collapse and abandon ourselves to depravity after a setback, aren’t we troubled about unnecessary fuss?
Almighty God says: “When God saw that all that He had done and achieved was good, everything made by God was set by His words, which is to say that, when ‘God saw that it was good,’ all that He had made assumed a permanent form, was classed according to type, and was given a fixed position, purpose, and function, once and for all eternity. Moreover, their role among all things, and the journey that they must take during God’s management of all things, had already been ordained by God, and were immutable. This was the heavenly law given by the Creator to all things.” Since “God saw that it was good,” why do we live in pessimism and disappointment and bring so much suffering on ourselves? If you look at yourself from a different angle, you might receive unexpected results. For example, perhaps you don’t have the gift of gab like others, but your guileless remarks can make people feel your sincerity; perhaps you’re not so brilliant as others, but you are a down-to-earth person, and you might get more windfalls; perhaps you feel yourself inferior because you’re not good-looking, but when you treat others with all sincerity, your beauty can also be seen…. Therefore, no matter how many unpleasant things, failures and frustrations we experience in our life, don’t be discouraged or disappointed, but instead view ourselves correctly. Only thus can we find the position that suits us and know the direction of our progress in the big world.

Related Posts:

Do Not Miss the Opportunity to Know the Creator’s Sovereignty

All Things Show Forth God’s Authority

Monday, August 14, 2017

Lifting the Veil of Mystery on Death – How to Face Death

Lifting the Veil of Mystery on Death – How to Face Death

Huigai
For every one of us born into this world, our birth and death are unavoidable, and no one can escape death. Although we all know the life course of the cycle of life and death, yet no matter who we are, we are all afraid of death unaccountably. The Lord Jesus once promised His believers that He would bestow the blessings of the kingdom of heaven upon the true believers in Him. The Scripture reads: “And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Except for God, no one knows whether our soul shall enter heaven or be sent down to the lake of fire and brimstone after our death. As I grew older, I heard more news of sudden deaths of my relatives and friends. The vague dread and indescribable fear about death in my heart, just like a shadow, bothered me all the time, leaving me unable to get released, even though I am a Christian.
Job died full of days
Later, when visiting a friend, I talked about my worry unwittingly. My friend opened the Bible and read me the words in the Book of Job, “So Job died, being old and full of days” (Job 42:17). Then he said, “Having read the Book of Job, we know that Job was blessed by God after enduring trials, living a hundred and forty years more and dying full of days. From this we can see that Job passed away with no pain. He feared God and shunned evil all his life. In particular, when his property was stolen, his children died and he himself had painful sores all over, in such trials, he did not sin with his lips but praised God. Finally, he stood witness, put Satan to shame and was called righteous by God; thereby God blessed him. From Job’s conduct in these trials, we can see that he had a great knowledge of God’s sovereignty, and he knew that all he had, including his wealth and lifespan, are ruled over by God. When he was old and faced death, he had no regrets or worries in his life. So he did not fear death but felt peaceful in his heart. …”
My friend’s fellowship made me realize the real reason why Job could face death with no suffering. Under the circumstances that Job had never seen God, nor heard His words, he was convinced of God’s existence in his heart. Furthermore, from the fact that God rules over all things, he appreciated that God’s deeds are everywhere and saw His sovereignty; moreover, he felt God’s authority and power. Therefore, he stayed true to his belief and kept his responsibility and obligation that a creature of God should have, which is to say, he pursued walking the God-fearing, evil-shunning way and being upright. Because he believed in, submitted as well as had personally experienced God’s sovereignty, he could commit himself into God’s hands completely; because his pursuits and life goals were in accord with God’s will, he could walk the God-fearing, evil-shunning way, living out a meaningful life. Therefore, when he was old and confronted death, he could drop everything in the world. Besides, Job was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” in the eyes of God. He walked in the God-fearing, evil-shunning way for his whole life and never sinned against God. Because he knew that, after death, he would come back to the Creator, he faced death calmly and fearlessly and felt a sense of belonging in the depths of his heart.
By comparing Job’s experience, I found the source of my fear of death: It is because I do not understand God’s sovereignty, authority and power, much less am I willing to commit my future and destination into His hand completely and obey His sovereignty, ordination, orchestrations and arrangements. I always want to rule over my own fate. What’s more, with regard to my future and destiny, I have my personal motive and desire: I want to take my sacrifice and suffering as the bargaining stock for the glorious crown and wonderful blessings of heaven, fearing that I cannot gain God’s blessings after my sacrifices. Hence my heart invariably filled with fear and restlessness of death.
Afterward, my friend continued, “If we want to avoid leaving regrets and face death calmly, we should, like Job, seek to know and completely obey the Creator’s sovereignty and authority. Only in this way can we receive God’s blessings and guidance and live in a released and straightforward way. Even though we are faced with death, we can accept it calmly without any pain, worry or regrets.” At my friend’s words, I felt greatly relieved and also had the way to practice. In the following days, I will seek to live like Job and take walking in God’s way as my lifelong goal of pursuit. Such life is of significance. Only if we become a man who fears God and shuns evil, can we transcend the bondage of death, living calmly and fearlessly, freely and unrestrainedly in God’s presence.

Recommended:

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Walk Out of the Wilderness and Enter the Good Land of Canaan

Walk Out of the Wilderness and Enter the Good Land of Canaan

Jedidiah Villan    Philippines
In 1985, I was hired by an employment agency in Hong Kong. Soon after I began working, I met a lady, who introduced me to the International Christian Life Center in Hong Kong. It was the first time that I joined in the Lord’s Day meeting. That day, the pastor said to me, “If you receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He will help you overcome all the difficulties. Men are all sinners, so the world is full of unfairness and unrighteousness. Only the Lord Jesus is the Savior of mankind. Because the innocent Lord Jesus was crucified to take on man’s sins, as long as we believe in Him, we will be forgiven of our sins and then enjoy His care and protection. Only by believing in the Lord Jesus and obeying His teachings can we be saved. Just as the Bible recorded, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ (John 3:3).” As I had experienced many vicissitudes of life, at that time I firmly believed that I was a sinner who needed to receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. Thus, I said, “I am willing to accept the Lord Jesus as my Savior.” Thanks be to the Lord! Just at that very moment, I felt the peace, comfort and joy that I had never had before. All my worries vanished at that instant. I felt I had found the direction of my life. Through the preaching and fellowshiping of the pastor, I tasted the Lord’s love more deeply and began to serve in the church.
As I served in the church more often, gradually, I had a strong desire in my heart that I would devote myself to the Lord’s work. Later, seeing that I was pious and zealous, my pastor encouraged me to return to Philippines to build a church and start my ministry, and he promised that he would help me fulfill this great commission. Therefore, I returned to Philippines in 1990, busying myself with preaching the gospel and building the church. In March of 1991, I formally became a pastor and started to serve the Lord in our local church. I knew my responsibilities were greater. So, I followed the path of Paul to fervently work and began to widely preach the gospel. I preached the gospel from town to town and from house to house. Every Tuesday, I would bring my microphone to the market place to share the word of the Lord Jesus. When I heard people say, “Thank the Lord for giving us these words. We are so blessed,” I felt very happy. Thank the Lord for letting people in my hometown understand His word. During the great work of the Holy Spirit, we enjoyed so much of the Lord’s grace and blessing. Our families became harmonious, the production of rice increased, and various illnesses were healed. Because of the Lord’s bountiful grace, everyone had great faith and was fervent within. At that time, when I was preaching, I spoke unceasingly and all brothers and sisters could obtain provision and benefit. When they felt weak and passive, I also knew how to sustain them and resolve their problems.
Christian, Lord, mankind, the kingdom, Lord Jesus, last day
Then it was 1995. I felt more and more that I had nothing to preach. I lived in sin and was unable to extricate myself. I often lost my temper and lectured others. My heart was often full of opinions about my brothers and sisters, and my desire to love the Lord Jesus was not so strong as it was before. There were disputes and even adultery in the church. The brothers and sisters were unwilling to spend for the Lord. They all followed worldly trends and seldom attended church unless there were dinner meetings. I began to worry about such conditions of our church, so I prayed more often and led those brothers and sisters who still had a little faith to join in all kinds of prayers, such as half-day prayers, team prayers and overnight prayers. We hoped that through these prayers, the Lord could help us to revive the church, and even more, could forgive our sins and make us get rid of sins soon. However, no matter how hard we prayed, the desolate situation of our church did not change a bit. Later, in order to feed the spiritual needs of my brothers and sisters, I went to various places to attend revival meetings, but I received nothing but clichés that could not benefit them at all. Then, for the sake of reviving our church, I spent a lot of money sending the youth of our church to attend all kinds of training courses every year. In that period, I also bought many spiritual books, trying to rely on those books to improve my preaching, so that I could supply my brothers and sisters. But no matter what I did, it was of no avail. Facing the desolation of our church, I felt confused and dark and was at a loss. I felt despaired. I often wept at this and prayed to the Lord, “Oh Lord, why do You allow all these things to happen to the church? My brothers and sisters and I are unable to practice Your teachings, we live in sins, and there is no growth in our life. Now I feel it difficult to support this church. Lord, You selected me to serve You, but now why can’t I feel Your presence? Lord, I know I cannot do anything without You. I am helpless. Lord, please help me, and guide me the way I should walk.”
Until one day in July of 2016, Christopher, a pastor of Tondo Church, invited me to a sermon at his church. I had sought from many pastors and had gone to many churches, but I did not find out any solution to the desolation of our church. But this time, I still hoped I could gain something from the sermon because I knew Christopher was a pastor who truly believed in the Lord and had been seeking the path to achieving purity and entering the kingdom of heaven. In the sermon, Christopher preached on the platform, “I have believed in the Lord Jesus for many years. I often preached to the believers and subdued my body, but I could hardly keep the Lord’s way, living in sins and being unable to get rid of sins. I felt pained and distressed every day. But now I’ve found the way to purify myself. I want to read out two passages of Almighty God’s words to you:A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be afterChristian, Lord, mankind, the kingdom, Lord Jesus, last day God’s heart? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as sinners because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance’ (“Concerning Appellations and Identity” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). ‘Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life’ (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh).”
After reading God’s words, Christopher said, “These words let us understand what the Lord Jesus did was the work of redemption. His flesh was innocent, but He was crucified for redeeming mankind. However, the Lord Jesus just forgave man’s sins, not their sinful satanic natures, so they still sin in spite of themselves. Therefore, the Lord returns to flesh in the world of men, and does the work of judgement of the last days under the name of Almighty God. The work of the Lord’s second coming is aimed to solve man’s sinful nature thoroughly. When man has understood and gained the truth from God’s work of judgement, they will completely break free from their sinful natures and be saved by God. Only such people can obtain God’s blessings and inherit His promises. Now we all have seen the desolation of the churches. This is because God’s work has risen higher. In the last days, God has been incarnated and expressed the words to do the work of judgement. However, we are still holding onto the Lord Jesus’ work and have not kept up with the pace of the Holy Spirit’s work. Only when we walk out of the Age of Grace and accept God’s work of judgement in the last days can we be purified and enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Hearing what Christopher read and preached, I felt they were very new and true. I had been a pastor for more than twenty years, but I never heard such words and such good preaching. It was true that we still lived in sin and were unable to free ourselves. Though our sins had been forgiven and God no longer treated us as sinners, we had not changed and God had not gained us completely. In the last days, God comes to purify and save us through the judgement and chastisement of His word. This was reasonable and practical. At that moment, I finally understood the reason why I’d been living in sin, continually sinning and confessing, though I had read the Bible for more than thirty years was that I didn’t accept God’s work of the last days. Then, Christopher testified to many truths expressed by Almighty God to us. Sister Anna, who sit next to me, asked, “When you hear that the Lord Jesus has returned and done the work of judgement, what do you think? Can you accept it?” I said, “Yes, I can. Because God is almighty and He can do anything He wants. When He intends to do something, He will surely accomplish it. I am willing to investigate what Christopher preached because I’ve benefited from it. Now I know why we’ve been living in sin and cannot get out of it. The Lord Jesus redeemed us but there is still the root of sin within us, so we need the judgement and chastisement of God’s words to cleanse us. This is totally reasonable.”
When I got home, my heart couldn’t calm down for a long time and I felt I had learned so much. I understood that Almighty God has done a stage of work of judging and purifying man built upon the Lord Jesus’ redemptive work. At the same time, the problem of the desolation of our church, which had bothered me for many years, was solved. It turned out that these years all my efforts to revive our church were in vain because I didn’t keep up with the work of judgement and purification God has done. I should seek and investigate Almighty God’s work carefully to avoid missing the opportunity to welcome the return of the Lord.
A few days later, Christopher invited me to Manila to attend a meeting, and I was quick to agree. However, there were some misgivings inside me. I had attended many revival meetings and got many teachings before, but I could not discern which of those teachings conformed with the truth. Therefore, before going out for each meeting I would come before the Lord to pray, and this time was no exception. I prayed, “Lord Jesus Christ, I do not want to be deceived by false teachings. Please give me the truth, help and guide me no matter what meetings I am going to attend….” After the prayer, I felt God was with me because I was very grounded and peaceful inside. And these words of the Lord Jesus came across my mind, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). I knew God was guiding me. That day, I asked why God changes His name to Almighty God and why He doesn’t perform signs and wonders in this stage of work. Regarding these issues, Sister Anna read some of Almighty God’s words to me. Through those words, I understood the significance of God’s names and the reason why God saves man in the last days by using His word to judge and purify man instead of performing signs and wonders.
After dinner, I continued to read God’s words and I felt the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I was greatly joyful and my tears couldn’t help but drop down. When I woke up in the morning, I strongly felt I had been too deeply corrupted by Satan. I realized I had sinful nature, and that satanic things had occupied my life. It was the first time I had recognized there was sinful nature inside me because I was convinced before that the Lord Jesus had redeemed us from sin so we were free from sins. I had been considering how to tell my brothers and sisters this news after I went back to my church, but I was comforted this morning. I felt God was wonderful, so I no longer worried about it. I prayed to Almighty God, “Almighty God, I believe You are exactly the return of the Lord Jesus and that You have done the work of judgment and purification in China. You are almighty and You can do whatever You like. I am convinced that You come to purify us filthy and corrupt man, and I am willing to make You my life.”
After staying in Manila for two weeks, I returned to my church and brought the good news that the Lord Jesus has returned. Since then, because of the work of Almighty God, all things in our church had changed. More and more brothers and sisters began to read Almighty God’s words, and kept up with God’s work of the last days. A sister said that when she read Almighty God’s words, she no longer felt sleepy as she used to do when reading the Bible. The more she read them, the more she enjoyed it. An old believer who had been extremely passive and seldom attended meetings began to gather with us and fellowship about Almighty God’s words with full confidence. Before, I would feel tired after reading the Bible for half an hour in the morning, but after accepting Almighty God’s work in the last days, I could tirelessly read His words for more than five hours. Like my brothers and sisters, I recovered my faith, love and the will to expend for God. I knew that all these were the results of the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the days hereafter, I read many more of Almighty God’s words, such as “The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Work of Satan End Religious Service” “How to Serve in Harmony With God’s Will” “Only Those Who Know the Work of God Today Can Serve God” “The Age of Kingdom Is the Age of Word” “All Is Achieved by the Word of God” “Only Those Who Know God Can Bear Testimony to God” “Only Loving God Is Truly Believing in God” “Those Who Love God Will Forever Live Within His Light.” Thanks be to God. I have gained so much from Almighty God. Almighty God is the wellspring of living water of life, who provides the ever-flowing living water for everyone who comes before His throne. Thank Almighty God for bringing me to the good land of Canaan so that I’ve gained access to the watering of the truth and found the path to changes in life disposition. All the glory be to Almighty God!