Many people believe that believing in God means never straying from the Bible and that straying from the Bible means betraying God. Is this kind of view correct?

The Answer from God’s Word:

The Jewish Pharisees used the law of Moses to condemn Jesus. They did not seek compatibility with the Jesus of that time, but diligently followed the law to the letter, to the extent that they ultimately nailed the innocent Jesus to the cross, having charged Him with not following the law of the Old Testament and not being the Messiah. What was their essence? Was it not that they didn’t seek the way of compatibility with the truth? They obsessed over each and every word of the Scripture, while paying no heed to My will and the steps and methods of My work. They were not people who sought the truth, but people who rigidly followed the words of Scripture; they were not people who believed in God, but people who believed in the Bible. Essentially, they were watchdogs of the Bible. In order to safeguard the interests of the Bible, and uphold the dignity of the Bible, and protect the reputation of the Bible, they went so far as to nail the merciful Jesus onto the cross. This they did merely for the sake of defending the Bible, and for the sake of maintaining the status of each and every word of the Bible in people’s hearts. So they preferred to forsake their future and the sin offering to condemn Jesus, who did not conform to the doctrine of Scripture, to death. …

Does God Have a Specific Gender? I Discover a New Interpretation (Part 1)

By Bao’en, Brazil

Editor’s Note: When it comes to the question, “Does God have a specific gender?” I believe that many Christians will say, “It is clearly recorded in the Bible that when the Lord Jesus was being baptized, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3:17). Also, when the Lord Jesus prayed, He called God in heaven His Father, and surely these words ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ prove that God is male.” Therefore, when we hear someone testifying that the Lord Jesus has returned and that He has incarnated into female form, many brothers and sisters cannot get their heads around it. They believe that the Lord Jesus was clearly male, so how could the second coming of the Lord be as a female? Brother Bao’en of Brazil used to cling to this view too, and it was only when he heard a sermon that he was able to come to a new interpretation on this matter …

How did the Bible take shape? What type of book is the Bible exactly?

The Answer from God’s Word:

The things recorded in the Old Testament are Jehovah’s work in Israel, and that which is recorded in the New Testament is the work of Jesus during the Age of Grace; they document the work done by God in two different ages. The Old Testament documents the work of God during the Age of Law, and thus the Old Testament is a historical book, while the New Testament is the product of the work of the Age of Grace. When the new work began, these books became out of date—and thus, the New Testament is also a historical book. Of course, the New Testament is not as systematic as the Old Testament, nor does it record as many things.

Seeing Through the CCP’s Lies, God’s Love Draws Me Back to Him (Part 1)

By Kemu, South Korea

Deceived by CCP Lies I Stand in the Way of My Wife’s Faith

“I’m telling you one more time—don’t keep talking to me about that God stuff, and you’re not allowed to have anything to do with those religious people anymore. If I see that you’ve been in touch with them again, I’ll smash your phone to pieces!”

I Finally Understand What It Means to Do the Will of God (Part Two)

By Xinshou, United States

After Sister Li listened, she smiled and said, “Thanks be to God, you’ve asked a critical question! Whether we can become people who do the Father’s will is directly related to our own endings and destination, and fellowship on this question is very necessary!

Why is God’s work of the last days done in China and not Israel?

The Answer from God’s Word:

Why is the work of the last days being done in China, the darkest, most backward of places? It is to reveal God’s holiness and righteousness. In short, the darker a place is the better His holiness can be revealed. The truth is that doing all of this is for the sake of God’s work. You only now know that God in heaven has descended to earth and stands in your midst, and He has been highlighted against your filthiness and rebelliousness, so that you have begun to have an understanding of God—isn’t this a great uplifting?

Seeing Through the CCP’s Lies, God’s Love Draws Me Back to Him (Part 2)

By Kemu, South Korea

After Seeing the Truth I No Longer Stand in the Way of My Wife’s Faith

The brothers and sisters then played a video for me, The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case. It revealed several major suspicious aspects of the case and then dissected them layer by layer. I was really engrossed in it and did my own analysis of the case along with the video to ferret out the truth, and the furrow in my brow gradually relaxed as the video went on. As I saw layer after layer of the lies exposed I let out a long breath. I realized that the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case was single-handedly concocted by the CCP to stifle religious beliefs and eradicate The Church of Almighty God. The offenders in the case, Zhang Lidong, Zhang Fan and others, denied with their own mouths that they were members of The Church of Almighty God, and said that they were completely unaffiliated with the church.

In one’s faith in God one must not stray from the Bible; anything straying from the Bible is fake and heretical. Is this tenable?

Bible Reference:

“Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (Jhn 5:39-40).

Finding a Church With the Spirit’s Work Resolved My Spiritual Hunger (Part One)

By Li Yinghua, South Korea

Editor’s Note: In recent years lots of brothers and sisters who are genuine believers in the Lord have very clearly felt that their churches have become more and more desolate, and that their pastors are always preaching about the same old things that can’t resolve people’s practical difficulties. Brothers and sisters are becoming weak and negative, and living in sin; they can’t feel the presence of the Lord, and thus quite a few of them wish to seek out a church with the work of the Holy Spirit. So then, what kind of church really does possess the Holy Spirit’s work, and how can we find one? I believe that Sister Li Yinghua’s experience can show us the way.

Some people, in their study of the Lord Jesus’ return, only base their studies on the Bible’s prophecies, but they do not seek to listen to God’s voice. What is the problem with this practice?

The Answer from God’s Word:

“First, let us not verify each statement. Instead, let us look at how the Holy Spirit works. Let us take the path we walk and compare it with the truth to see if this path is in line with the work of the Holy Spirit, and use the work of the Holy Spirit to check whether such path is correct. As for whether this statement or that statement has come to pass as foretold, we humans should not stick our noses into it. It is better for us to speak instead of the work of the Holy Spirit and the latest work that God has been doing. The Bible comprises the words of God told by the prophets and the words written by the men God used at the time; only God Himself can explain those words, only the Holy Spirit can make known the meaning of those words, and only God Himself can break the seven seals and open the scroll. You are not God, and neither am I, so who dares lightly to explain the words of God? Do you dare to explain those words? Even if the prophets Jeremiah, John and Elijah were to come, they would not dare to try and explain those words, for they are not the Lamb. Only the Lamb can break the seven seals and open the scroll, and none other can explain His words. …”

Christian Reflections: I No Longer Struggle With Sin

By Anna, Germany

Editor’s Note: Are you still struggling in the agony of sin? Are you discouraged and disappointed because you live trapped in a cycle of sinning and repentance? What must we do to escape the bondage of sin? I hope reading this article will be of some help to you.

What exactly is the relationship between God’s work and the Bible? Did God’s work come first or did the Bible come first?

The Answer from God’s Word:

It is nothing more than a historical record of God’s work, and a testament to the previous two stages of God’s work, and offers you no understanding of the aims of God’s work. Everyone who has read the Bible knows that it documents the two stages of God’s work during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. The Old Testament chronicles the history of Israel and Jehovah’s work from the time of creation until the end of the Age of Law. The New Testament records Jesus’ work on earth, which is in the Four Gospels, as well as the work of Paul; are they not historical records? …

The Fruits of Obeying God

Xie Cheng

A few days ago, my leader Sister Cheng told me that the church had a new work that required some manpower, and asked me whether I’d be willing to do it. Hearing my leader say this, I was beside myself with joy, and I thought: “For three months now, I’ve been reflecting on how I was replaced because my striving for fame and gain in my duties interrupted and disturbed the church’s work. Now, at last, I can perform my duty again! If my brothers and sisters knew this, they’d definitely pay special regard to me, and would think that I’ve made progress by experiencing this failure.” I agreed to do it there and then. After my leader had gone, every day I looked forward to receiving notice of my new duty, but the days went by and no notice arrived. What did arrive was a stack of paper documents, and my leader asked me to type them up.

There are many people that believe that despite the Bible being written by man, all of the words come from the Holy Spirit and are the words of God. Is this correct?

The Answer from God’s Word:

Today, people believe the Bible is God, and that God is the Bible. So, too, do they believe that all the words of the Bible were the only words God spoke, and that they were all said by God. Those who believe in God even think that although all of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament were written by people, they were all given by inspiration of God, and a record of the utterances of the Holy Spirit. This is the erroneous interpretation of people, and it does not completely accord with the facts. In fact, apart from the books of prophecy, most of the Old Testament is historical record.

What Does It Mean to Have Humanity?

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, peace be with you! The majority of us understand “normal humanity” as, if nothing else but, living harmoniously with others, having a loving heart, tolerance and acceptance for others or being kind and charitable. Now, do you know how we should live out a normal humanity as God requests us to? As Christians, how can we practice and gain entry so that we can live out a genuine humanity in accordance with God’s will? The essay that will be shared today will provide us with a new understanding about this topic. Please listen …

In the Bible’s Book of Revelation it says, “If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Rev 22:18-19). What is the relationship between God’s work of the last days and the prophecies of the Book of Revelation? Does God’s work fulfill all of the prophecies of Revelation?

The Answer from God’s Word:

When you have finished reading this book, when you have experienced each step of the work of God incarnate in the Age of Kingdom, you will feel that the hopes of many years have finally been realized. You will feel that only now have you truly seen God face-to-face; only now have you gazed upon the face of God, heard the personal utterance of God, appreciated the wisdom of God’s work, and truly sensed how real and Almighty God is. You will sense that you have gained many things that people of times past have never seen or possessed. At this time, you will clearly know what it is to believe in God, and what it is to be after God’s heart.

Finding a Church With the Spirit’s Work Resolved My Spiritual Hunger (Part Two)

By Li Yinghua, South Korea

Investigating The Church of Almighty God Opened My Eyes

A few days later Brother Zhongcheng invited me to the church and only then did I know that it was called The Church of Almighty God. He read many of Almighty God’s words for me and showed me the church’s website, which has videos of recitations of Almighty God’s words, choral videos, all sorts of videos of singing and dancing, gospel films, crosstalks, short sketches, and testimonies of personal experiences written by brothers and sisters—all these works bear witness to God. It really opened my eyes. Brother Zhongcheng also said that branches of The Church of Almighty God are being established in many countries all over the world and that Almighty God’s words have been translated into more than 20 languages so that those who hunger for God’s appearance from all over the world can get onto their site to seek and investigate. Seeing all this content, I felt that without God’s guidance there’s no way they could have produced so many great works bearing witness to God. I became even more certain that this church does have the Holy Spirit’s work and I really gave thanks to the Lord for guiding me to meet brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God. Brother Zhongcheng then said to me happily, “Sister,

In the Book of Zechariah in the Bible, it is prophesied: “And his feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east….” The Lord’s return will most certainly be on the Mount of Olives in Judea, and yet you testify that the Lord Jesus has already returned, appearing and working in China. China is an atheist nation and it is the darkest, most backward nation which defies God most severely, so how can the Lord’s return be in China? We really cannot figure this out, so please answer this for us.

Answer:

It has been nearly two thousand years since the Lord Jesus walked out of Judea. Now the last days have arrived, and all kinds of famines, plagues, earthquakes, floods and droughts are appearing more frequently, more widely and more intensively. Various nations around the world are volatile and unstable, with terrorist activities, ethnic conflicts, and all kinds of wars occurring constantly.

Christian Life: How to Appropriately Deal With Other People?

One day, Brother Chen in the church came to me. He said he wanted to practice spreading the gospel in his spare time and offer some of his strength to the gospel work. Due to my past interactions with Brother Chen, I knew that he had a very arrogant disposition. I had some prejudices and biases against him. Furthermore, I thought that those that spread the gospel must have a certain level of knowledge of the Bible. They must be able to communicate the truth clearly and be able to answer the questions of the gospel targets. I felt that he did not possess these qualities, and so I did not agree to it. When he saw this, he said, “Based on my abilities, do you think that I can be trained to spread the gospel? Wouldn’t I be wasting my talent if I do not spread the gospel?” When I heard this, I felt very fed up and I thought, “Do you think that spreading the gospel is something that is very easy? If you do not have genuine talent, do you think that you can fulfill this duty well? You think too highly of yourself.

If we have faith in Almighty God with a true heart, continue gathering, read His word, actively perform our duty, and follow Him to the end, is that enough to achieve salvation?

The Answer from God’s Word:

People say that God is a righteous God, and that as long as man follows Him to the very end, He will surely be impartial toward man, for He is most righteous. If man follows Him to the very end, could He cast aside man? I am impartial toward all men, and judge all men with My righteous disposition, yet there are suitable conditions to the requirements I make of man, and that which I require must be accomplished by all men, regardless of who they are. I care not how extensive or venerable are your qualifications; I care only whether you walk in My way, and whether or not you love and thirst for the truth.