The Mystery of God’s Gospel in Every Age

The Mystery of God’s Gospel in Every Age

By Xiaoxi

What Is the Meaning of “Gospel”?

“Gospel” is an old English word, which represents “Good news.” So if we translate it literally, its meaning is good news.

Where Does Gospel Come From?

Gospel comes from God, that’s for sure. After the ancestors of our human, Adam and Eve, were tempted into sin by the snake (that is, Satan), God began the management work of saving mankind. God bestows different gospel upon man in different ages based on the needs of mankind. In the time of Noah, God revealed to Noah, asking him to spread the gospel of destroying the world with a flood. Early in the Age of Law, God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, which was a great gospel for the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt. In the Age of Law, God raised up many prophets and directly revealed to them to convey His words, which was the gospel for those who heard it. In the Age of Grace, God incarnate came to earth personally to do the redemption work, bringing the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to us mankind….

Preaching of the Gospel

In the time of Noah, men were deeply corrupted, so they lost the blessings, care and protection of God, falling into darkness. As they became increasingly depraved and evil to the extent that God didn’t bear to look, God planned to destroy the world with a flood and then told Noah to build an ark. In that time, Noah was a righteous man. He listened to God’s word, built the ark and spread the gospel for 120 years. Nevertheless, people didn’t believe his word. Eventually, only Noah’s eight family members entered the ark and survived.

As time went by, there were more and more people on earth. Satan corrupted man constantly. We mankind strayed far from God once more, degenerated. It is recorded in the Bible: People of Sodom and Gomorrah worshiped idols, engaged in sorcery, were licentious and corrupt and left no evil undone. The two cities became the cities of sin in God’s eyes, with the result that God decided to destroy them. But before the destruction, just as God always did, He gave them chances and sent messengers to arrive there. Yet people of the cities wanted to bring harm down upon the messengers. Finally, only Lot and his family accepted God’s gospel and fled from that city of sin; nevertheless the rest of people were fully exterminated by the brimstone and fire from the heaven. The Nineveh was also a city of sin in God’s eyes. But when God sent Jonah to spread the gospel to the Ninevites, they wore sackcloth and ashes, confessed and repented to God after hearing His word. Just as the Bible records, “yes, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands” (Jonah 3:8). As God saw their genuine repentance from within, He didn’t bring calamity on them. From these historical facts, we can see: When our human sins reached God’s eyes and we faced being destroyed, as long as we accept God’s gospel and act according to His word, we can survive in the disaster. Otherwise, we will be destroyed. Furthermore, there are still many such historical events recorded in the Bible. When God’s word was conveyed to people in that time by the prophets, if people accepted and followed His word, they would be preserved by Him; if they didn’t accept His word, even rebelled and resisted, they would suffer God’s punishment and curse. From this we can see that God’s righteous disposition encompasses mercy, lovingkindness, and even more so, majesty and wrath, and that God’s disposition exists everywhere and at all times.

At the end of the Age of Law, people were all entangled by sin, failed to keep the law and committed more and more sin, so that they faced the danger of being condemned and executed by the law. In line with the need of mankind, God ended the work of the Age of Law and started that of the Age of Grace. However, people at that time merely saw “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matthew 9:35). Moreover, it is written in Mark 1, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1: 14-15). Here we can see that Jesus Christ brought the gospel of repentance for the people under the law. For two thousand years, only if we mankind accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and pray in the name of Jesus Christ can we gain His salvation and be forgiven of sins by Him. Our sins are not the barrier for us to come to God any more, and Satan has no way in accusing us, for God personally became the sin offering for us mankind and redeemed us from the domain of Satan. Those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, gain the work of the Holy Spirit, living in peace and joy and enjoying an abundance of grace of God. But the Pharisees were just the opposite. They rejected the gospel, and even resisted the gospel of the kingdom of heaven preached by Jesus Christ. In the end, they not only were condemned by God to suffer “seven woes”, but also punished justly by God.

Gospel Continues Being Spread

God does His work to regain man from the domain of Satan step by step, hence we mankind come closer to Him….

In modern times, we mankind live in a state of being estranged from God once again. Although we believe in Jesus Christ and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our hearts become more and more distant from God and we all live in the situation of committing sins in the day and confessing them at night, incapable of breaking free from the bondage of sins thoroughly. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death” (Roman 6:23). “holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Therefore, what we mankind need is not the gospel of repentance any more, but the everlasting gospel promised by God.

There’s a prophecy in Revelation, “And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14: 6-7). From this prophecy we know that in the last days, God will preach the final gospel to the people on earth. And this gospel tells that God will execute judgment to purify man completely in order to make man break free from the bondage of sins. We have been corrupted by Satan for thousands of years. What we need is much more than God’s mercy and love, and we are more in need of God’s righteous and majestic judgment and chastisement. It is only this ways that can snatch back us the profoundly corrupt mankind from Satan’s domain. And at that time, we will know our satanic nature, such as arrogance and haughtiness, selfishness and despicableness, treachery and perversion, as well as know our own real identity and status. Also, we will no longer pursue being supermen or great people to let others look up to and admire us, and no longer live by satanic dispositions, but will honestly obey God’s predestination and sovereignty, be grounded and forthright in conducting ourselves and doing things, and pursue being an honest man to live out the manner of a true person, to satisfy God. Just as the prophecy in Revelation goes, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). So the final gospel is the everlasting gospel, which directly involves whether we can be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven.

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The “Wolf Child” Has Returned Home

Xiaoxin

A few days ago, I read in a book a story about a wolf child, which basically said:

There was a hunter whose newly born baby was carried off by a wolf. The child was raised by the wolf and grew up gradually. One day, the hunter found the wolf child. In order to take his child home, the hunter even sliced his own flesh to feed the wolf child. With the father’s devotion, the wolf child finally went back to his parents. After being taught for a long time, the wolf child recovered his humanity and lived a normal life.

After reading this story, I was deeply moved. When the hunter found his son missing, he was sorrowful and distressed, utterly overwhelmed with grief. For so many years he had yearned desperately to find his son one day. After more than ten years, one day he spotted his son living with wolves. In order to rescue him from among the wolves and for him to live the life of a normal man, he did not hesitate to cut off a piece of his own flesh to guide him home. In the end, the wolf child recovered his humanity, and the hunter regained his son. The family lived happily ever after! This reminded me of the situation of mankind of today: Wasn’t man the lost son like the “wolf child”? Wasn’t man the unfortunate captured by Satan like that child taken away by the wolf? After we humans were tempted, deceived, and corrupted by Satan, we treated Satan as our “father” and our heart strayed further and further from God. We had no idea that God is the source of our life, neither did we know how to discern between good and evil or know anything about the laws and decrees. We became licentious and corrupt, abandoned ourselves to hideous depravity. Such an ignorant man followed Satan in doing evil, but he did not know that, and he became the same as Satan. God felt tender and protective toward man, so He started His work of saving man.

In the beginning, God used the law to lead the newborn human race, so that they could live a normal life on earth. But at the end of the Age of Law, people lost their God-fearing heart and were unable to keep the law, facing the danger of being condemned and sentenced to death by the law. God didn’t have the heart to see the mankind He created with His own hands dying under the law, so He personally became flesh on earth, endured the humiliation of being crucified, and redeemed them from the hands of Satan, giving them the chance to live. Now although we have been redeemed and forgiven of our sins by the Lord Jesus, our satanic nature still remains within us. Almighty God says, “Though man has been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it is only considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with man’s transgressions. However, when man lives in the flesh and he has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing the corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sin and forgiveness. The majority of men sin in the day only to confess in the evening. As such, even if the sin offering is forever effective for man, it would not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed …” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus did the work of redeeming man rather than the work of changing man’s corrupt disposition, so our sinful nature still remains within us. Driven by the deep-rooted satanic nature inside us, we commit sins involuntarily. For example: We are arrogant and conceited, and we always want to have the final say, and reject what we know to be the truth; we are selfish and base, and we scramble for fame and fortune, intrigue against each other, deceive others, cheat God, and guard against God at every turn; we still can judge and oppose God when encountering things that are at odds with our notions; we still can follow the trends of the world though believing in God; we are in constant danger of betraying God when faced with trials and refinements…. Controlled and manipulated by Satan, we live out nothing but the image of Satan. If our corrupt satanic disposition is not resolved, we can resist and betray God at any time and any place, and cannot at all enter into the holy kingdom of God. Therefore, to save us utterly from Satan’s camp into God’s kingdom, God needs to do a higher and deeper stage of work.

Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin to salvation.” In order to fully save man who has been deeply corrupted by Satan, God has returned to flesh, and begun the work of judgment with the word. This stage of work is to fully resolve the root of man’s sin and rid man of his satanic nature, so that he can truly know God, obey God, and worship God. Today, only by accepting the work of judgment done by Christ of the last days, Almighty God, can man redeemed by the Lord Jesus be truly set free from sin and receive God’s full salvation.

Just as Almighty God says, “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). “Through this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt substance within him, and he will be able to completely change and become clean. Only in this way can man be worthy to return before the throne of God. All the work done this day is so that man can be made clean and be changed; through judgment and chastisement by the word, as well as refinement, man can cast away his corruption and be made pure. Rather than deeming this stage of work to be that of salvation, it would be more apt to say it is the work of purification. In truth, this stage is that of conquest as well as the second stage of salvation. Man is gained by God through judgment and chastisement by the word; through the use of the word to refine, judge and disclose, all of the impurities, notions, motives, and individual hopes within man’s heart are completely revealed” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words have disclosed our satanic nature of resisting God and the true condition of our corruption, and exposed and dissected the root of our sin. Through His work of chastisement and judgment, God has manifested His righteous, holy, and unoffendable disposition. Only in the judgment of God’s word can we truly see the true condition of our corruption by Satan, begin to detest our corrupt nature and satanic disposition, be gradually set free from the bondage and domination of sin, achieve a change in our life disposition, and live out the likeness of real men, so that we will ultimately be taken to the wonderful destination prepared for us by God!

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Why Christians Spread the Gospel?

Why Christians Spread the Gospel?

Hanxiao

Many people have found such phenomena: Most of the true believers in the Lord, after believing in God, will spread the gospel, do their work and establish churches everywhere with the utmost confidence; there are even some who never get married in their entire lives so as to spread the gospel; some believers who have families even give up their enjoyments of family, conjugal affection and the attention of their children for spreading of the gospel…. Some people think these behaviors incomprehensible and don’t know why they believe in God so fervently. Believing in God at home doesn’t disrupt them making money or supporting their family, and they can also enjoy family happiness with their loved ones and moreover can enter heaven after death. Isn’t it a perfect choice? Contrarily, when spreading the gospel everywhere, they often face ridicule and slander, and even will suffer the arrest and persecution of the atheistic CCP, drifting around and unable to return to their home. Then what power impels them to run on the way of spreading the gospel?

Why Do Christians Spread the Gospel?

In fact, the reason why Christians persistently spread the gospel under various difficult environments is mainly because they have understood the Lord’s will and known their missions and duties. Thus all Christians who truly believe in God and understand God’s will can set aside their family, marriages, youth, the enjoyments of the flesh for God’s gospel.

The verses record, “And he said to them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and, see, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).

From these words of the Jesus Christ, we can see that the Jesus Christ intended to let His disciples and followers spread His gospel in order that all nations and all peoples could receive His redemption. When the Jesus Christ worked in Judea, Israel, there were only a small number of the Jews admitted that the Lord Jesus is Christ. And the disciples didn’t truly believe the Lord Jesus is Christ until He was resurrected three days after the crucifixion and then appeared to His disciples for 40 days. As we can imagine, most of the Jews at that time didn’t acknowledge that the Jesus Christ is the incarnate God. So, after the Jesus Christ finished the redemptive work, in order for more people to receive His redemption, the gospel of the Lord require His disciples and followers to be spread to the end of the earth, so that the Gentile nations can receive His salvation. Therefore, the disciples of that time, after accepting the Lord’s commission, spread the Lord’s gospel to all tribes and nations, even most of them were martyred: Matthew was hocked to death; James was beheaded; Peter was crucified upside down; Andrew was nailed onto the cross in the shape of “X” …. In this process, the Lord’s gospel was rapidly expanded. Furthermore, when the foreign missionaries preached the gospel in China, a host of them were also martyred. Under such circumstances, at last the Chinese heard the Lord Jesus’ gospel. So, after that, the Christians in China begin to rush about spreading the gospel. Obviously, it is the most righteous undertaking that the disciples and prophets of the past offered up their minds and bodies, and that the Christians of today sacrifice everything for the gospel. Just as the Jesus Christ said, “Truly I say to you, There is no man that has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundred times now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).

Spreading the Gospel Is Christians’ Sacred Duty

Spreading the gospel is God’s commission to us and the sacred duty given by God. In one regard, it is for the sake of rescuing souls, and in the other, it is in order for ourselves to accumulate good deeds. Just like the parable told by the Jesus Christ in Matthew 25, saying that a man would travel into a far country, and then he called his servants and delivered to them his goods according to their ability: onto one He gave five talents, to another two, and to another one. The former two servants traded with them and made money. After the master came back, he praised them as the good and faithful servants, letting them rule over many things and share his joy. But, as for the servant, who received one talent and dug in the earth to hide the money, his master called him as the wicked and lazy servant, casting him into outer darkness (See Matthew 25:14-30).

Here we know, God has given each of us a commission. Though our gifts from God are different, we should try our best to cooperate with God. Just as some brothers and sisters have the gift of preaching; some have the gift of singing; some have the gift of evangelism…. All of us ought to spare no effort for the gospel work of God. If we take believing in God as a kind of faith, only having meetings when happy, praying to God when facing difficulties, offering a little when getting God’s grace but not consecrating our own portion to the most important gospel work, then we will finally be abandoned by God, just like the wicked and lazy servant who received one talent from his master. Therefore, spreading the gospel is a great matter. As for those who forsake their youth, careers, parents, children and even are jailed and martyred for evangelical work, although they undergo the misunderstandings from many people and even are rejected and condemned, yet it’s undeniable that their efforts and sacrifice are remembered by God and worthy of emulation. They are the ones who show the most consideration for God’s will. On the other hand, God is not pleased that we merely enjoy His grace and blessings but don’t care for His will. He hopes His believers can rise up to give their all for the evangelical work.

A prophecy from Revelation says, “And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:6-7). When the Jesus Christ comes again, He will preach the everlasting gospel to man on the earth. If we accept and then spread the gospel to all nations and all peoples, we will become the ones who care about God’s will and enjoy His blessings in the kingdom of God. Ultimately we will certainly gain God’s greater care and protection when He brings down disaster, rewards the good and punishes the wicked.

Finally let’s share a hymn video “Follow God Along the Rough Path.”

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The Miracle of the Fire Awaken My Heart – A Christian Testimony

The Miracle of the Fire Awaken My Heart – A Christian Testimony

Xiaohan

In the spring of 2013, I was lucky to have accepted God’s work of the last days. Through having meetings, reading God’s words and sharing experiences of believing in God with my brothers and sisters, I felt the joy of receiving the work of the Holy Spirit, and saw that God’s words are truly necessities and tonics of our lives. Afterward, I read His words more voraciously and performed my duty as a created being to repay His love.

One day, I saw these words of God: “People always tend toward the world, harboring too many hopes, wanting too much for their future, and having too many extravagant demands. They are always thinking about and planning for their flesh and never interested in seeking the way of belief in God. Their hearts have been captured by Satan, they have lost their reverence for God, and they are devoting their heart to Satan. But man was created by God. Thus, man has lost the testimony, meaning he has lost the glory of God. The purpose of conquering mankind is to seize back the glory of man’s reverence for God. It can be put this way: There are many people who do not pursue life; even if there are some, the number can be counted on one’s fingers. People are most concerned about their future and are not paying any attention to life whatsoever”. From God’s words, it can be seen that if we can’t put aside the prospects of flesh, and if there are full of extravagant desires within, our heart will easily be captured by Satan and we will become more and more distant from God. At that time, I thought confidently: Others may stray from God for seeking the prospects of flesh, while I will absolutely not. For I’ve understood God’s thoughtful intention to save man from His words. However, in the face of facts, I had to hang my head and admit that what God’s word discloses is the truth. In my experience, I also saw that God never leaves or forsakes me but loves and saves me.

My family ran a transportation business. As the business was more and more prosperous, I became distant from God involuntarily. I thought: Our business is booming and we become well-off. Today people treat others by appearances. If we change our private car for a deluxe one and drive it to talk business, it will not only make us more distinguished, but also help us drum up more business and make greater profits. As people say, “People struggle to go upward, but water flows downward.” As soon as I shared my opinion with my husband, he agreed, “You are right. It’ll be highly advantageous to us if I drive a luxury car to negotiate business with others. For example, since one of my friends bought a Benz car, it has given him considerable advantages in business. Now more partners are willing to cooperate with him.” Thereupon, we began to rush about to all kinds of vehicle dealer’s shops to see cars, like BMWs, Bens, minivans, cross-country cars, etc. In addition, we also searched the Internet for all sorts of luxury cars and their prices.

As I put my whole heart into purchasing a car during that period of time, I couldn’t calm down when reading God’s words in the meeting. I said to myself, “I might as well stop having meetings. After purchasing a car, I’ll continue having meetings and performing my duty. However, as I carefully planned for having a luxury car, something unexpected happened.

One day in March of 2016, I was cleaning my rented house. In the yard, there was a small house built with wood and glass, which was used for storing some wooden articles for daily use as well as some sundries of the landlord. Since we had moved to the city, I decided to give the yard a spring clean and burn up the junk and garbage before leaving. Then I piled the garbage and lit a fire. After that, I kept on the cleaning in the room. A dozen or so minutes later, I heard some explosions from the yard all of a sudden, and then I ran out hastily. At the sight of the scene in the yard, I was petrified. The flames spread straightly to the small house of the landlord, and its glass had been burned to shatters. Then the fire spread into the small house, so the wood and sundries all caught fire. The fire was so strong that part of the roof was burned away and the tongues of fire kept leaping from the burning house. My legs trembled with fear at the sight of such a scene. I thought: The neighbor on the left raised many chickens and ducks in the yard. If the fire spreads to the neighboring houses, I can’t afford to pay even with all my properties. I wanted to call a fire engine immediately, but I found I had forgotten my cellphone. At the time, my forehead sweated profusely with anxiety. In desperation, I rushed out of the yard and shouted, “Help! Fire! Fire! Help!” Nevertheless, as it was around nine o’clock in the morning, neighbors were not at home. The fire was getting stronger and stronger, and moreover, combustibles were around the burning house. Frightened, I was at a loss what to do. In a panic, I hurried to carry water with a tub to douse the flames. However, when I turned the tap on, the water came out slowly, which made me extremely anxious. There was no enough water and no people helping me put out the fire. Besides, I couldn’t make an emergency call. Seeing the brisk fire, I was utterly desperate. Will I forfeit all my savings? Thinking of the serious consequences, I was terrified and started to cry. Suddenly, I thought of God I believe in: God has authority and power. I cannot rely on others; I can only rely on God.

I cried while praying to God, “O God, please help me! God, no one can help me now. I realize that I’ve turned away from You for the enjoyment of the flesh recently. I’m too disobedient. Oh, God! If the fire continues to burn, I’m willing to obey. God, please have mercy on me and help me.” After the prayer, I saw the water began to flow faster and for a short while, the tub was filled. I knew God heard my prayer. I couldn’t stop thanking Him. Promptly, I threw the tub of water to the roof. After that, I turned on the three taps in the room, filled every tub with water and threw it to the flames one by one. I didn’t know how many tubs of water I poured upon the fire in this way. By then my clothes were wet through, my face and hands were covered with dust, and my arms as well as legs numbed because of’ overexertion. At that time, the neighbor’s chickens and ducks were scared by the fire and explosion, quacking loudly. The fire was still burning; however, I was exhausted. I could only cry to God in tears without ceasing, “Oh, God! I can do nothing and I’m almost exhausted. Please help me. God! Help! …” After a while, the flames, which had been burning high, burned down a lot. I thought: “Man’s end is God’s beginning!” Consequently, I went on pouring water. The fire in the house burned down slowly, and later became white smoke, so did the flames above. I saw God’s almightiness and sovereignty, for I had used up all my strength to throw water, but the flames were not put out; however, after I prayed to God, they became white smoke miraculously. Seeing the scene before my eyes, I wept for joy and kept praising God’s great power and marvelousness in my heart. After the last flame was extinguished, my heart was finally released. At that moment, I was weak and limp, without any strength. When thinking about what happened at that time, I had palpitations. If not for God’s salvation, I didn’t know how to clean up the mess.

Then I recalled my actions and deeds during that period. I ran around for the sake of my own flesh and extravagant desires. Not only did my heart stray from God, but I even wanted to give up having meetings and performing duties, intending to make more money in the world. Though I treated God in that way, He didn’t abandon me. When I reached an impasse, He still listened to my prayer. Thinking of these, I was overwhelmed with regrets. Thank God for His another mercy on me! He used His love to awaken my numb heart. Without His salvation, all would have come to nothing due to the fire, such as buying a luxury car, making a fortune, and making others look up to me. Now I saw clearly that we are so impotent in the face of disaster, and money and materials I pursuit have no significance or value.

God says, “Whether you can gain life before God, and what your ultimate end will be, depends on how you carry out your rebellion against the flesh. God has saved you, and chosen and predestined you, yet if today you are unwilling to satisfy Him, you are unwilling to put the truth into practice, you are unwilling to rebel against your own flesh with a heart that truly loves God, ultimately you will ruin yourself, and will thus endure extreme pain”. “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?”. From God’s words, I understood that how much money I can earn and what my fate will be are in God’s hand. I should obey His sovereignty and arrangements. However, I was too greedy and my desires were too great. I was possessed for the flesh, living in Satan’s snare and becoming distant from God, with the result that I nearly ruined myself. I will forsake my flesh, keep my feet on the ground, have meetings and perform my duty properly. In this way, I can live securely. This is the most meaningful life.

In the afternoon, when I related the story of the fire accident to my husband, he was astonished. I talked to him with emotion, “If God didn’t save me, we would have been finished. We can’t afford the loss even with all our properties.” He said repeatedly, “Yeah, that’s right!” Right after that, I spoke to him seriously, “As to purchasing a car, I’ll leave it up to you. I’ll keep my mind on gatherings and perform my duty properly in the church to repay God’s love.” Hearing my words, he nodded and said, “All right, I’ll deal with the business myself. Don’t worry about it any longer.” At that moment, I felt so relaxed and happy from the bottom of my heart.

Though the fire accident befell me, I have truly experienced God never leaves or forsakes me but loves and saves me. I even more saw His almightiness and sovereignty. Today in the last days, various disasters occur frequently. If we can’t give up our fleshly hopes to follow God steadily, once we miss the opportunity to be saved by God, we will live in remorse till the end of our days. For God says, “I am mankind’s only salvation. I am mankind’s only hope and even more, I am He on whom the existence of all mankind rests. Without Me, mankind will immediately become stagnant. Without Me, mankind will suffer catastrophe and be trod upon by all manner of ghosts, even though none take heed of Me. I have done work that can be done by no other only in the hope that man repay Me with good deeds. … If you cannot work for good in My presence, then you will not escape suffering the disaster”.

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Daily Bible Devotions: Which Is Greater in Your Heart, God or the Temple?

Daily Bible Devotions: Which Is Greater in Your Heart, God or the Temple?

By Lin Lin

The Bible records, “But I say to you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:6-8). When I was a new believer, I read these verses. At that time, I only knew the Lord Jesus was saying this to remind people who lived under the law that He is greater than the temple and that He is Lord of the Sabbath day. Therefore, He could heal patients on that day, and He didn’t condemn His disciples who plucked and ate the ears of corn when they went through the corn fields on the Sabbath. Yesterday I read these verses again. From the fact that He worked on the Sabbath day, I clearly realized the Lord was reminding people who lived under the law that He had done new work outside the temple, and that everyone should depart from the temple to accept His new work.

However, during that time, the Pharisees who slavishly abided by the laws and rules saw the temple as greater than God. Apparently, they served God in the temple and explained the laws to the people, but they only talked about some letters, rules and restrictions. They themselves never complied with the law. Worse still, they renounced God’s law, killing prophets and devouring widows’ houses. Hence, in the eyes of God, all they did had nothing to do with His will and requirements; their service was merely going through the process of sacrificing, and was idol worship. They had no place for God in their hearts for they valued the temple, their status and livelihood above God and the truth He expressed. As a result, though having heard the Lord Jesus’ preaching, seen various signs and wonders He manifested, and perceived His power and authority and wonderful deeds, they did not at all have the heart to seek the truth or look for a way to be compatible with God. Besides, they judged the Lord Jesus, saying that He was just an ordinary person, condemned Him, and blasphemed that He cast out devils by the prince of the devils. They even joined hands with the Roman government to crucify the Lord Jesus. Ultimately, they were subjected to God’s righteous punishment and curse and were destroyed in hell because they offended His disposition.

Then let’s turn to the followers of Judaism who were deceived by the Pharisees. They too saw the “temple” as greater than God. For example, they viewed those chief priests, scribes and Pharisees as greater than God. So, when deceived and incited by the chief priests, they lost the rationality and ground that a believer in God should have. Not only did they fail to stand on the side of the Lord but they blindly followed the chief priests and yelled out to nail the Lord Jesus to the cross. They lacked penetration into the truth of the hypocrisy of the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, and didn’t know these people who served God saw their own status and the words of the Bible as greater than the Lord. These so-called “God’s servants,” taking “defending the true way” as camouflage, fabricated various rumors and made up lies to deceive the people. They controlled the people firmly in their hands, frantically disturbed and impaired God’s work, and competed with God for people. Therefore, the Jews who followed them also perished and were destroyed in the end.

So, what kind of people are those who honor God as great? I thought of Job. When all his children died and all his properties were taken from him, grieved as he was, he didn’t sin with his lips against God but still extolled His name. Job said, “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Job had a place for God in his heart. For Job, his sheep and cattle, wealth and children couldn’t compare with God, because God was the only One in his heart. Job could honor God as great in his heart, so he received greater blessings from God after he underwent the trials. Peter was another example. As he followed the Lord Jesus, he carefully obeyed His voice and acted in accordance with what He demanded. At a critical time, when the soldiers tried to seize the Lord Jesus, Peter rushed over and cut off a soldier’s ear, disregarding his own life to protect the Lord Jesus. From this I saw Peter loved the Lord more than himself, which cannot be reached by ordinary people. Peter’s actions gained the Lord’s approval. Therefore, the Lord Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven to Peter and entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of shepherding the churches.

When thinking of this, I prayed to God and reflected: Which is greater in my heart, the “temple” or God? The fact that the Pharisees resisted God gave me a warning. That is, if I believe in God but in my heart I don’t honor Him as great, nor do I know, obey or worship Christ incarnate, then all that I have done will be in vain in His eyes no matter how I believe in Him, follow Him, and sacrifice and expend for Him. I should emulate Job and Peter: No matter what trials I encounter, I shall believe in God’s sovereignty and have true faith in Him; no matter how God’s work and word do not conform to my own conceptions and imaginations, I shall put myself aside to obey Him. Only in this way can I become someone who genuinely follows God and honors Him as great in his heart. Brothers and sisters, let’s honor God as great in our hearts in everything. Then God’s blessings and grace will surely be with us!

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At the Critical Moment, God Demonstrates His Mighty Power – A Christian Testimony

At the Critical Moment, God Demonstrates His Mighty Power – A Christian Testimony

Chengjing

I’m a Christian, who deals in breakfast. I built a cooking range in the backyard. At 5 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2016, I was busy getting ready to fry small fish. I poured about fifteen kilos of cooking oil into the wok of 70cm diameter, turned on the blower and then hastened to prepare other things. After a short while, I suddenly heard a bang from the backyard. Realizing something was wrong with the wok of oil, I rushed to the backyard and saw it on a roaring fire, with flames shooting into the ceiling. Immediately, there was thick black clouds of smoke billowing out from it. Oil buckets and water pipes near it were ignited by splashed flames. The light bulb hanging from the ceiling was on fire as well, and the fire was climbing along the electric wire with a “sputtering” sound. And a great cloud of smoke was flying up the ceiling. … At the scene, I was dumbfounded trembling in legs traitorously. I hurried to call my husband, but he said to me, “As long as you’re all right, nothing is serious. My leaders are in the hospital for an examination now. I’m tied up. Call the fire brigade quickly. …” Before he finished, I flung the phone on the ground angrily. At that moment, my tears instantly rolling down, I felt when the disaster befell me, even my closest relative couldn’t help me. Having no choice, I quickly picked up my phone and called the fire brigade, only to find it broken and unresponsive. I thought to myself: What should I do? Even if they arrive here, it will be at least half an hour later. Then it will be too late. Faced with the emergency, I burned with anxiety and thought: I have to put out the fire quickly. Otherwise, it will spread to the whole building. The consequence will be disastrous.

Seeing that the fire was burning increasingly strong and was going to spread to the other houses along the electric wire, I hastily carried a stool and wanted to turn off the switch. But the fire was so strong that I couldn’t approach it. Seeing that the fire would come to the second floor soon, I thought in my heart: There is a gas pipe by it. If the gas explodes, that will involve human life. I didn’t dare to think further. Watching the roaring fire, I felt as if the death was to come upon me in a second. Dread, helplessness and anxiety occupied my heart with bad thoughts passing through my mind continuously. I thought, “This day next year will probably be my death day. If I die, how shall my child live? …” Then tears burst out of my eyes.

At that time, I heard someone shouting at the gate, “Her house is on fire! Call the fire brigade, now.” Another one said fiercely, “My son is to get married the day after tomorrow. My balcony is filled with fireworks and firecrackers. If something terrible happens, they should take the responsibility. …” Without going outside, I knew there were many people gathering at the gate. I thought: Anyway, I can’t get others into trouble. I have to think quickly and put out the fire to minimize the losses. Then I saw a water tank on a roof and hurriedly ran to the roof. Out of nervousness and fear, I suddenly knelt on the step with trembling before mounting two steps. At that moment, God’s words popped into my mind, “… that everything man possesses comes from the Creator and will return to Him some day not far in the future; such a person understands that the Creator arranges man’s birth and has sovereignty over man’s death, and that both life and death are predestined by the Creator’s authority”. God’s words woke me up all at once: Yes, my life and everything come from God. My life and death are ruled by His hands. Why can’t I defer to the authority and sovereignty of the Creator? Ever since I believed in God, I have been busy making money every day, and I have never been truly considerate of His intentions or fulfilled my duty of a creation well. If my life ends in this way, won’t I miss God’s salvation? Thinking of this, I realized that how precious life is. Kneeling on the step, I prayed to God, “O Almighty God! You are righteous and holy. You control all things in the universe. The calamity has befallen me. I’m willing to hand over everything to You and obey Your arrangement.” When I prayed to God with complete sincerity thus, I found that the “sputtering” sound fell and the smoke almost disappeared. Furthermore, my legs had strength again. I sped down the step and saw: The wok of oil was no longer on fire; the flames spreading to the second floor were out; the air conditioner upstairs was still smoking but seemed not to be dangerous; the gas pipe stood just a few steps away from the flames, blackened but safe. I took a deep breath and kept thanking God for His wonderful deed in my heart.

I saw the backyard in a complete mess. I could hardly imagine that the fire, which was roaring just now, was out silently in this way. It was really God’s authority and great power. I remembered these words of God, “Man was created by God, and it is perfectly justified that God rules and arranges everything of man; this is the responsibility of God …”. God’s motherly words comforted my heart. I couldn’t help but pray to Him in tears, “Oh Almighty God! Thanks be to You. You can’t bear to allow me to live under the bondage of money, and to be fooled to death by Satan. You bestowed Your salvation upon me in time, so that I can see clearly money is so insignificant and powerless in the face of disaster. It cannot save my life, but only make me more degenerate, further away from You. Also it can only afflict me, and finally makes me go to hell. O God, I see the authority of Your word and Your almightiness and sovereignty. At that critical moment, no one could save me. It was You who cared and protected me. Thank and praise You for Your mighty power!”

The fire thoroughly awakened my numb heart. From now on, I’m willing to do my best to pursue the truth. No matter how busy I am, I must diligently arm myself with the truth and put them into practice in order to satisfy God. Because I have truly experienced that His word has authority and power and is the supply of my life. He is my only reliance and redemption. I can’t leave Him.

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