What is meant by “leave everything behind and follow God”?

Relevant Words of God:

You can devote your heart and body and all of your genuine love to God, place them before Him, be completely obedient toward Him, and be absolutely considerate to His will. Not for the flesh, not for family, and not for your personal desires, but for the interests of God’s household. In everything you can take God’s word as the principle, as the foundation. That way, your intentions and your perspectives will all be in the right place, and you will be someone who gains God’s praise before Him.

from “People Who Can Be Absolutely Obedient Toward God’s Practicality Are Those Who Truly Love God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You believe in God and follow God, and so in your heart you must love God. You must cast aside your corrupt disposition, must seek to fulfill God’s desire, and must perform the duty of a creature of God. Since you believe in and follow God, you should offer everything to Him, and should not make personal choices or demands, and you should achieve the fulfillment of God’s desire. Since you were created, you should obey the Lord that created you, for you are inherently without dominion over yourself, and have no ability to control your destiny. Since you are a person that believes in God, you should seek holiness and change. Since you are a creature of God, you should adhere to your duty, and keep your place, and must not overstep your duty. This is not to constrain you, or to suppress you through doctrine, but is the path through which you can perform your duty, and can be achieved—and should be achieved—by all those who do righteousness.

from “Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

9. Your thoughts ought to be of the work of the church. You should put aside the prospects of your own flesh, be decisive about family matters, wholeheartedly devote yourself to the work of God, and put God’s work first and your own life second. This is the decency of a saint.

from “The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You must suffer hardship for the truth, you must give yourself to the truth, you must endure humiliation for the truth, and to gain more of the truth you must undergo more suffering. This is what you should do. You must not throw away the truth for the sake of a peaceful family life, and you must not lose your life’s dignity and integrity for the sake of momentary enjoyment. You should pursue all that is beautiful and good, and should pursue a path in life that is more meaningful. If you lead such a vulgar life, and do not pursue any objectives, do you not waste your life? What can you gain from such a life? You should forsake all enjoyments of the flesh for the sake of one truth, and should not throw away all truths for the sake of a little enjoyment. People like this have no integrity or dignity; there is no meaning to their existence!

from “The Experiences of Peter: His Knowledge of Chastisement and Judgment” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:

God requires this of all those who believe in Him: abandon everything to follow God. From the Age of Grace to the Age of Kingdom, there have been so many people who abandoned everything to follow God. Only these people are worthy of being called saints, who are the people of God in the Age of Kingdom. What does it mean to abandon everything and follow God? It is to offer up your whole heart, your entire being to God, and to fully immerse yourself in God’s work and expend yourself for Him. This is the true meaning of abandoning everything to follow God. There are people who believe that only those who haven’t started their own family and have nothing to worry about can abandon everything, while those who have a family, who have parents, a spouse, or children cannot do so. This perspective is incorrect. First, people must know that God’s demands on people are fair and reasonable. He does not demand that people forsake their parents, spouse, or children. Rather, He requests that people offer up their hearts and perform their duty to the fullest without being constrained by any person, event, or thing. This is tantamount to abandoning everything and following God. God does not force people to do things they are not willing to do. It is enough for a person to exert all his effort to satisfy God. It is only natural that one must cast aside some things which should be cast aside. If for the time being one cannot abandon something, all that is required is to not be constrained by that thing. If his heart is still constrained and he cannot fully perform his duty, then this does not count as abandoning everything. The issue of devotion to God lies within the practice of abandoning everything. If you truly are someone who is devoted to God, within your heart you’ll be able to avoid being constrained by your family, spouse, or children. Many brothers and sisters have family ties, but their hearts are not constrained by their families; they perform their duties very well. Though they go away occasionally to care for their families, they do not allow this to interfere with their duties at all. Can you say that they have not abandoned everything to follow God? Having a family truly is a difficulty—no one can deny this. However, if their heart can be loyal to God, they will be able to shake off all family entanglements. Though the flesh undergoes some hardship, there are great blessings from God for their growth in life. And what do those people who cling to the enjoyments of the flesh gain? Ultimately they gain nothing. And how should one deal with the hardships of the flesh? It can be said that any amount of fleshly hardship is a good thing. As long as God is satisfied, then a person’s spirit can rejoice. The greatest pain of all would be to offend God because of clinging to pleasures of the flesh. All those who abandon everything to expend themselves for God will be gratified because they have properly performed the duty of a human being and have satisfied God. Moreover, they will be commended by God, because God gives great blessings to all those who sincerely expend themselves for Him. Those who cling to the enjoyments of family and flesh and cannot abandon everything to follow God are all ones who are devoted to the devil Satan. They certainly cannot be saved by God, and particularly will not have God’s blessing.

from The Fellowship From the Above

How should one practice and enter into being an honest person?

Relevant Words of God:

Pursuing the truth is what is most important, and practicing it is actually very simple. You should begin with being an honest person and speaking truthfully, and opening up your heart. If there is something about which you are too embarrassed to speak with your brothers and sisters, then you should kneel down and tell it to God through prayer. What should you say to God? Tell God what is in your heart; do not give empty pleasantries or attempt to deceive Him.

Breaking Free From the Rumor Trap

By Xiaoyun, China

I used to be a female army officer. One day in 1999, a Korean pastor preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus to me. Because of my earnest pursuit, I soon became the focus of the pastor’s training and his primary assistant. In the summer of 2000, the pastor came to Yunnan on a short summer missionary trip with more than a dozen college students from the Korean Gospel Church. Unexpectedly, this alarmed the CCP government. We were arrested whilst having a meeting at the pastor’s home and then brought to Yunnan Province Public Security Department for questioning. The Korean university students were deported that same night and the Korean pastor was also expelled from the country. The church suffered persecution by the CCP government, and many believers became afraid and did not dare believe. A proportion of believers were also forced to go to the Three-Self Church, and this was how the church was broken up by the CCP government. I was the main co-worker in the church and the persecution by the CCP government this time also caused me to lose my job.

Disturbances From the “May 28” Rumor (Part 1)

Xingwu, France

My mother is a devout Christian. Ever since I was old enough to understand things, she would often tell me stories about the Lord Jesus, telling me that the Lord Jesus is the only true God. When I was 13 years old I went with my mom to church. At that time I really enjoyed listening to the pastors’ sermons, and I had a great deal of faith. I would actively participate in every fellowship. But I gradually discovered that there was no illumination in the sermons preached by the pastors. They always repeated some theories and knowledge of the Bible or some theological theories, and as time went on I didn’t receive the least bit of pleasure from listening to their sermons, nor did I feel I was being provided with life. Therefore, I started going to fellowships less and less frequently.

Why does accepting God’s salvation and perfection require enduring so many hardships?

The Answer from God’s Word:

How do you learn how to love God? Without torment and refinement, without painful trials—and if, furthermore, all that God gave man were grace, love, and mercy—would you be able to attain the true love of God? On one hand, during God’s trials man comes to know his deficiencies, and sees that he is insignificant, contemptible, and lowly, that he has nothing, and is nothing; on the other hand, during His trials God creates different environments for man that make man more able to experience the loveliness of God. Although the pain is great, and sometimes insurmountable—and it even reaches the level of crushing grief—having experienced it, man sees how lovely is God’s work in him, and only upon this foundation is there born in man the true love of God. Today man sees that with the grace, love, and mercy of God alone, he is incapable of truly knowing himself, much less is he able to know the essence of man. Only through both the refinement and judgment of God, only during such refinement can you know your deficiencies, and know that you have nothing. Thus, man’s love of God is built upon the foundation of the refinement and judgment of God. If you only enjoy the grace of God, with a peaceful family life or material blessings, then you have not gained God, and your belief in God has failed. God has already carried out one stage of the work of grace in the flesh, and has already bestowed material blessings upon man—but man cannot be made perfect with grace, love, and mercy alone. In man’s experiences he encounters some of God’s love, and sees the love and mercy of God, yet having experienced for a period of time, he sees that God’s grace and His love and mercy are incapable of making man perfect, and incapable of revealing that which is corrupt within man, nor are they able to rid man of his corrupt disposition, or make perfect his love and faith. God’s work of grace was the work of one period, and man cannot rely on enjoying the grace of God in order to know God.

What exactly is the connection between doing one’s duty and pursuing the truth? What does doing one’s duty have to do with achieving salvation?

The Answer from God’s Word:

It is always through the process of doing his duty that man is gradually changed, and it is through this process that he demonstrates his loyalty. As such, the more you are able to do your duty, the more truths you shall receive, and so too shall your expression become more real. Those who merely go through the motions in doing their duty and do not seek the truth shall be eliminated in the end, for such men do not do their duty in the practice of truth, and do not practice truth in the fulfillment of their duty. Such men are those who remain unchanged and will be cursed. Not only are their expressions impure, but what they express is nothing but wickedness.

Presently, I believe that God’s work of the last days is real. However, I do not know when God’s work will finish. I just want to earn some money and support my family until God’s work nearly concludes. At that point, I will believe in God once more and pursue the truth. Is my perspective on seeking is correct?

Relevant Bible Verses:

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mat 24:37-39).

“And woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” (Mat 24:19).

“Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21).

What is an unbeliever?

Relevant Words of God:

Since you believe in God, you must put faith in all of the words of God and in all of His work. Which is to say, since you believe in God, you must obey Him. If you are unable to do this, then it does not matter whether you believe in God or not. If you have believed in God for many years, and yet have never obeyed Him, and do not accept the entirety of His words, and instead ask that God submit to you and act according to your notions, then you are the most rebellious of all, you are a nonbeliever. How could such people be able to obey the work and words of God that do not conform to the notions of man?

It is clearly written in the Bible that the Lord Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, and all those who believe in the Lord also believe that the Lord Jesus is Christ and that He is the Son of God. And yet you testify that the incarnate Christ is the manifestation of God, that He is God Himself. Will you please tell us whether the incarnate Christ is really the Son of God, or God Himself?

Answer:

Is the incarnate Christ God Himself or God’s Son? This is really a problem most believers in the Lord do not understand. When the incarnate Lord Jesus came to do the work of redemption of mankind, God became the Son of man, appearing and doing work among men. He not only opened the Age of Grace, but also initiated a new age in which God came personally into the human world to live alongside man. With great adoration, the men who followed Him called the Lord Jesus as Christ, the Son of God. At that time, the Holy Spirit also bore witness to the fact that the Lord Jesus is the beloved Son of God, and the Lord Jesus called God of heaven Father. In this way, the notion of this Father-Son relationship was formed in the religious world. Now let’s think for a moment.

Christian Video | Chronicles of Religious Persecution | "Who Forced Her to the End of the Road?"

Since it came to power in mainland China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has been relentless in its persecution of religious faith. It has frantically arrested and murdered Christians, expelled and abused missionaries operating in China, confiscated and destroyed countless copies of the Bible, sealed up and demolished church buildings, and vainly attempted to eradicate all house churches. This documentary film tells the story of Gao Yufeng, a Christian in mainland China, who was arrested by the CCP police and subject to all kinds of inhuman torture that finally led to her suicide in the labor camp for believing in God and performing her duty. The film truly reflects the heinous abuses and inhumane persecution suffered by Christians in post-arrest incarceration under the CCP's evil rule, exposing the demonic essence of CCP's hatred of God and slaughter of Christians.

Recommended:Inspirational Christian Videos 

13. Destruction in the Blink of an Eye

—Qingping Township in Sichuan Province disappeared twice because of its defiance of Almighty God’s gospel of the last days

Jing Wei, Sichuan Province

During the great earthquake that occurred on May 12, 2008, a town vanished entirely: That was Qingping Township in the Mianzhu municipal area in Sichuan Province. Because of the government’s information blackout, this is not something that many people know about.

Qingping Township was located north-west of the hard-hit area of Hanwang Town in the Mianzhu municipal area. Before the earthquake struck, situated deep in the mountains, it was a place of clean air, clear waters and blue skies, and the mountains abounded with kiwi fruit and gingko fruit. God bestowed this abundance on the people and provided them with all they needed to live; yet the people living there did not know God, and even more they were unaware that they should be grateful to God—they had only a lust for riches. Owing to this town being situated deep in the mountains, the scenery was incredibly beautiful and the air was fresh and pleasant. In summer, there was no need to use air conditioning; it was a natural oxygen bar, and even more so it was a place for leisure and relaxation. The mountain people set up rural home stays one by one and put great effort into developing the tourism industry there. It also became a place of recreation and entertainment for all levels of government officials. Many officials desired to take up government posts in Qingping Township, and many provincial-level leaders were frequent visitors to the town. As everyone knows, wherever government officials go, they fuel the economic growth of the area’s hotels, karaoke bars, health spas, foot massage spas and hair salons. So although Qingping Township was deep in the mountains, it was by no means a backward place, and it was nevertheless a place of feasting and revelry, flashing neon lights and nightly music and singing; Communist Party officials turned this Heaven-sent place of beauty into a modern-day Sodom.

Christian Testimony | God’s Guidance Allowed Me to Overcome Temptation in the Workplace (Part One) Audio Essay

Almighty God says, “A world of gaiety and splendor, one that is becoming more and more so. When people look upon the world, their hearts are drawn to it, and many are unable to extricate themselves from it; great numbers will be beguiled by those who engage in trickery and sorcery. If you do not strive for progress, and are without ideals, you will be swept away by this sinful wave” (“Practice (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words expose the evil of this hedonistic world, filled as it is with all kinds of temptations: money, fame, status, power, eroticism…. These temptations are like poppies, a “beautiful trap,” and these are also the means and methods by which Satan tempts and corrupts people. Most people can’t understand Satan’s tricks, are unable to escape these temptations, fall into these traps, and so live in sin and depravity, suffering and corrupted endlessly at the hands of Satan. I recall my own experience, and I know that if not for God’s protection and the guidance of His word, I would also have fallen inextricably into this “beautiful trap.” …

I am presently 27 years old, and I originally worked as staff in a sales department. In 2013, I had the good fortunate to accept Almighty God’s work in the last days, and afterward I worked while I lived my church life. My daily job was to give customers tea, pour water, deliver snacks, and so on, and then clean after the customers left. One could say I had a lowest-level and most inconspicuous job in the sales department, and it was a job that was essentially unsupervised and unimportant. Although I did unremarkable work every day and my salary wasn’t high, I felt very fulfilled, because I didn’t have to constantly strive to please and kiss up to the department leaders to improve my performance and interact with others wearing a mask of falseness every day. In my spare time, I could also participate in church life and read God’s words and fellowship on the truth with my brothers and sisters. I felt relaxed and free, safe and secure. But that life of calm didn’t last, because before long trouble came looking for me….

124-A-2 Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life”

The text containing the words of God entitled, “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” that we just finished is the truth pertaining to the vision. What we get first from reading God’s words should be the knowledge of Christ. In what primary respect do we know Christ? Not only do we know that Christ is the incarnate God, and that Christ is the manifestation of God, but the most importantly we should be aware that, “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life,” which is what matters most. Many have understood and admitted the fact that God has become flesh, and admitted that Christ is the real God, God’s appearance to mankind—they have confirmed this as a fact. Many people are able to follow Christ, to forsake all and do their duty to Him, which is a fact; but after years have gone by, there are those out there who are still not with the truth. Theirs is an evil heart, one that does not fear God and shun evil. So what exactly is the problem? Where is the root of it? We have read these words of God, and should see the root of the problem is that these people do not have profound understanding that “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life.” In the last days Christ came again to do the work of judgment, exactly what will be the fruits? When you have experienced the judgment before the seat of Christ, have you been made pure? Have you obtained the truth? Have you been saved? This is the fundamental question with belief in God. A lot of people, who have believed in God for many years, are still without the truth.

139-B-7 Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” (V)

What do we gain by submitting to God’s judgment and chastisement? We gain the truth expressed by God, we see the complete revelation of God’s disposition; we see all that God has and is being displayed, revealed in Christ. So, if we experience the work of Christ of the last days, and by the end we come to know the practical God incarnate, then we will have seen the disposition of the God in heaven, all that the God in heaven has and is, in other words, His essence. All these things are revealed in the incarnate God and the words that He has expressed, and these are the fruits and effects that we gain from our faith in the practical God. Aren’t these rewards tremendous? They are tremendous. If you believe in the practical God and experience His work, if you believe in Him for two, three decades, and you gain the truth, the way, and the life, if you live out a meaningful life and become a witness for Christ of the last days, then this is the greatest honor in life. It is even more honorable and meaningful than being a president or a scientist. Is that not the case? As I fellowship and chat with you here today, many of you have become somewhat edified in your lives, and is this not something meaningful? What do I feel in my heart? That I have not lived in vain, that I am somewhat useful, that I have contributed my insignificant part in the work of God and therefore I have not lived in vain. This is what I feel in this regard. Also, we see that so many people are able to gather together to eat and drink God’s words in this way, and if this is not the work of the Holy Spirit, who else has this ability to have all of you listen, with such concentration and seriousness, to someone like me chatting? Could a president’s speech get so many people to listen to it with such seriousness? No, it could not, for people would only listen to such a speech on a superficial level. Today, God’s chosen people have gathered together like this, listening to the fellowship about God’s words with such earnestness to gain some practical edification. Is this not the work performed by the Holy Spirit? This is the enlightenment and illumination from the Holy Spirit, this is the result achieved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has led me, this man, and trained this man so many years to achieve this. Of course I am not satisfied with that which I have gained. I want to gain even more, to strive to edify God’s chosen people even more. Isn’t that even better? We cannot compare ourselves with Christ, for Christ is God while we are human beings. But we must strive for better results. There are now many who have put a lot of effort into seeking the truth.

139-B-5 Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” (V)

Now, let me ask a question: When people read the word of God, why are they content to feel like they understand it on a conscious level and that if there are no difficulties in doing that, they think it’s all done and they’ve gotten through? Why are they able to produce these kinds of notions? How do these notions come to be? Isn’t this the root of the problem?

Almighty God Rescued Me from the Desperate Situations

Wang Cheng    Hebei Province

When I believed in Jesus, I was persecuted by the CCP government.

You testify that the Lord Jesus has already returned as the incarnate Almighty God, who expresses the entire truth that purifies and saves mankind and who does the work of judgment beginning with God’s family, so how should we discern the voice of God and how should we confirm that Almighty God is indeed the returned Lord Jesus?

Answer:

This question is of the utmost importance! To accept God’s work of the last days and behold the appearance of God, we must know how to identify the voice of God. In fact, identifying the voice of God means recognizing the words and utterances of God and recognizing the characteristics of the Creator’s words.

Shaking Off the Shackles of the Spirit

Wu Wen Zhengzhou City, Henan Province

I was a weak person with a sensitive character. When I didn’t believe in God, I would frequently feel down and distressed from things that came up in life.

139-B-1 Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” (V)

“The work of the last days is to separate all according to their kind, to conclude the management plan of God, for the time is near and the day of God has come. God brings all who have entered His kingdom, that is, all those who have been loyal to Him to the end, into the age of God Himself. However, before the coming of the age of God Himself, the work that God desires to do is not to observe the deeds of man or to inquire about the lives of man, but to judge his rebellion, for God shall purify all those who come before His throne. All those who have followed the footsteps of God to this day are those who have come before the throne of God, hence all who accept the last of God’s work are those to be purified by God. In other words, all those who accept the last of God’s work are those who will be judged by God.

The Guide of the Child’s Future – Christian Articles

Yang Huan’ai

As parents, we all hope to provide a better learning environment for our children, so that they can become successful and live a comfortable life in the future. However, in today’s society, it’s difficult for those parents who are not powerful or rich to send their children to prestigious schools. As a result, choosing schools for children has been a worry to many parents, including me.