Saturday, March 31, 2018

๐Ÿ“’ The “Secret” to Saving a Marriage (Part 1) -Almighty God Saved My Marriage

The “Secret” to Saving a Marriage (Part 1) —Almighty God Saved My Marriage-Eastern Lightning

 Li Quan

The Church of Almighty God, Eastern Lightning, Gospel
The Picture of The Church of Almighty God
 When I was young, my mom and dad often argued, and my mom frequently suffered beatings and abuse at the hands of my dad. She carried so much rancor in her heart that she died quite young. Thereafter I promised myself: When I grow up and start a family, I will be good to my wife and create a happy and peaceful family. I would not repeat the failures of my mother and father’s marriage. 
 In 1995, I was the department director for installation engineering at a restaurant. At first, all I could think about was being an entrepreneur and making money and that I just needed to find a wife who was wise and kind so we could live happily together and that would be enough. But after a while, my work required that I go out often with other department leaders to restaurants, foot spa inn, karaoke parlors, hotels and other entertainment venues. During that time they would often say things like, “Have a wife and mistresses too!” or “‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” or “We only live for decades, so live it up while you’re young” or “This is how men are. Who doesn’t want to eat, drink, and be merry!?” or “Our nation is promoting rapid economic growth and spurring all sorts of entertainment businesses, so we should respond enthusiastically. As Chinese citizens, we would be letting the government down if we didn’t do our part in living the nightlife!” Their influence started to rub off on me and, over time, I began to follow them in their nightlife pursuits and started to think of it as enjoyable. 
 In late 2000 I got married. At the very beginning there wasn’t a deep emotional connection between me and my wife, but we got along well and understood one another. However, due to the social events for my work and the complicated personal relationships I had to maintain, I still kept the party going just like before. I lived a hedonistic life and stumbled home late every night. After two years of this, my wife finally figured out that my coming home late wasn’t because I was working so hard, but because I was out carousing; that’s when she became cold with me. We each did our own thing, never speaking with one another and never showing understanding or consideration for one another. We became estranged from one another. When I saw how awkward our relationship had become, I was worried that my marriage was broken. I hardly slept. In hopes of getting through this impasse, I asked my friends for help. One of them said, “Your guy friends are a part of you, just like your hands and feet, but women are nothing more than clothing; don’t worry too much about them. Just keep her in check and you’ll be fine.” I thought what my friend said was reasonable as I listened, so I thought I should teach my wife a lesson. I needed to establish my authority over her and get her to submit to me. That way she would never dare cast a dirty look my way ever again. So, I went and did what my friend had said. When I got home I didn’t lift a finger to help and I made my wife wait on me hand and foot. She served me food she had made, which I ate, and then I shouted at her to give me another helping. I acted as high and mighty as I could. I even made my wife track every single living expenditure for the month and I refused to give her another nickel until after I reviewed it. After some time had passed, I found that not only had I failed to establish my authority, but our relationship became even more estranged. When I saw that this method didn’t work, I tried to have a heart-to-heart talk with my wife. But before I could get two words out she laid into me to settle old scores telling me that I did nothing but go out carousing and never brought money home, etc., and we started arguing and ended up parting on bad terms. I felt racked with pain and sadness every time after we argued. If a husband and wife don’t share a common language, then being in a family together is like living with an enemy. You try to get out a few words but that just starts an argument! Those were painful days to get through. Divorce almost seemed a better alternative than going on like that and prolonging the agony. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to air my dirty laundry for all to see, so for the sake of my own self-respect and for my children—but mostly for the pursuit of the dream of a happy family I always wanted—I stayed in my bad marriage. Besides, it was me who was in the wrong in the first place, so I should be the one to fix it, right?! 
 After my friends found out about how much misery I was in, they recommended I read up on emotions and marriage so that I could emotionally connect better with my wife and children. I then started taking the time to go with my wife and two children to the bookstore, the zoo, or to the mall, and I started giving my wife money to buy things for her side of the family. I went out with my friends less and less…. I thought to myself that this was how I would save my broken marriage. However, my wife was still unhappy and cold toward me, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I asked a good friend to come talk to my wife to try and straighten things out, but my friend was at a loss and just told me: “These things take time.”
 Not long after, I started an installation company and brought in my brother-in-law to learn the ropes. I thought: Here I am, a man of status and a good earner. That should be enough to satisfy my wife’s vanity, plus I’m looking out for her younger brother; this ought to fix our relationship right up. However, we still fought often, which I did not expect. My wife even brought up my shortcomings in front of my employees, saying that I didn’t take good care of my family…. I couldn’t take this arguing anymore, so I was going to leave some money behind and take off for another construction site. When I confronted my wife about leaving, she looked bewildered and I just felt awful. I just couldn’t understand it. They always say that a husband and wife shouldn’t fret about yesterday’s troubles, but why was there so much terrible animosity between us? Why did we argue or give one another the cold shoulder every time we looked at each other? How did we make things so painful for each other and put our home in such disarray? We lived this way for four or five years; was there really nothing we could do to fix our relationship? Because our relationship as husband and wife worsened by the day and my pressures at work mounted, I couldn’t eat or sleep. I was exhausted. New wrinkles drew deep lines on my forehead, and I, once a large man, had shrunk to 143 lbs. Sometimes things would come to a boil and I’d wish for death to come and save me from my life of turmoil…. But then I’d think of my two lovely children and I couldn’t bear to throw that all away. And thus I dwelled in a life of suffering that knew no end. 
 When people have reached their limit, that’s when God begins! In March of 2008, I had the fortune to receive Almighty God’s salvation of the last days. After coming to The Church of Almighty God, I often read God’s word and started being active in the church life. I listened to brothers and sisters fellowship about the truth and the experiences they shared and thereby unwittingly came to understand some truths about family, marriage, and I came to a new understanding about the fate of mankind. The anxiety and stress weighing on my mind was greatly reduced. I began to experience a happiness I had never felt before and my whole body felt more relaxed and at ease. During one congregation I opened up and fellowshiped about the pain and confusion of the last few years, and the brothers and sisters read the following passage of God’s word to me: “Since the creation of the world I have begun to predestine and select this group of people, namely, you today. Your temperament, caliber, appearance, stature, family in which you were born, your job and your marriage, the entirety of you, even the color of your hair and your skin, and the time of your birth were all arranged by My hands. Even the things you do and the people you meet every single day are arranged by My hands, not to mention the fact that bringing you into My presence today is actually My arrangement. Do not throw yourself into disorder; you should proceed calmly” (The Word Appears in the Flesh). Through God’s word I came to understand: It turns out that God has predetermined the course and trajectory of our lives. My family, my marriage, my wife, and my children were given to me by God’s arrangement and as a being of creation, I should accept and submit to God’s ruling plan. Furthermore, the path my marriage had taken up to today was my own doing, but my trying to escape the pain of my family and marriage through divorce or thoughts of suicide. Wasn’t that just trying to escape from God’s ruling plan by applying mankind’s solutions to problems? I had been so foolish. What would happen in my marriage in the end is all in God’s hands and I need to entrust all of my family affairs to God and let God be in charge of the plan. After understanding God’s intentions I felt so much relief; the pressure and pain that had been in my heart was greatly reduced. 
 One day, I saw these words of God: “Born into such a filthy land, man has been severely blighted by society, he has been influenced by feudal ethics, and he has been taught at ‘institutes of higher learning.’ The backward thinking, corrupt morality, mean view on life, despicable philosophy, utterly worthless existence, and depraved lifestyle and customs—all of these things have severely intruded upon man’s heart, and severely undermined and attacked his conscience. As a result, man is ever more distant from God, and ever more opposed to Him. Man’s disposition becomes more vicious by the day, and there is not a single person who will willingly give up anything for God, not a single person who will willingly obey God, nor, moreover, a single person who will willingly seek the appearance of God. Instead, under the domain of Satan, man does nothing but pursue pleasure, giving himself over to the corruption of the flesh in the land of mud” (“To Have an Unchanged Disposition Is to Be in Enmity to God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The word of Almighty God lays bare the source of mankind’s pain, and it turns out the source of all my pain was Satan’s corruption. I had been under Satan’s domain and affected by the influences of evil social trends. I had been living under evil, satanic views that said to “have a wife and mistresses too.” In my enjoyment of hedonistic pleasures, I had fallen into Satan’s trap and corrupted to the point where I didn’t even seem like a real person at all. I thought back to when I had first become enticed to fall under evil social trends under the guise of having a social life, and how my debauchery and carousing had brought unending conflict between me and my wife such that we were estranged from one another. Later, in order to improve the relationship that my wife and I had, I sought out the “kind advice” of a friend who told me: “Your guy friends are a part of you, just like your hands and feet, but women are nothing more than clothing, just keep her in check and you’ll be fine.” These were nothing more than a shocking display of chauvinism with his talk of “keeping her in check.” Not only was it ineffective, it made things worse. Because I tried to handle things with these satanic views, my family life was on the verge of falling to pieces and I was physically and mentally exhausted. I had been in pain beyond description and my thoughts had even drifted to suicide. But now, I see clearly. Satan was just using these methods to trap and corrupt me, destroy my marriage and family, and make me live a life of evil and misery. Satan’s evil goal was to devour me; Satan really is full of treachery and malice! 
 Once I saw through Satan’s tricks, I resolved to completely abandon those evil and satanic thoughts and to conduct myself by God’s word. I also wanted to bring the gospel to my wife as soon as possible so that she too could gain God’s salvation.
Recommendation:The origin of the Church of Almighty God

๐Ÿ“’ The Church of Almighty God-Resolving the “Cold War” Makes My Life Even Happier!

Resolving the “Cold War” Makes My Life Even Happier! -The Church of Almighty God

 Tian Yu


The Church of Almighty God, Eastern Lightning, happy
Picture of The Church of Almighty God


When I got married, my family advised me that “All lay loads on the willing horse,” that after marriage, I must be in charge so that I’m not taken advantage of, so that my life will be fulfilled and happy. So, after marriage, I always wanted to be in charge and that whatever I said would go. In the beginning, my husband would consult me for all matters big and small in our home. But as time went on, he would often not consult with me, but do things according to his will. Because of this, I felt rather unhappy. I felt that my husband didn’t take me seriously. I thought, “If things continue like this, I wouldn’t have a place to stand on in this family.” In order that I could be in charge, I would often sulk and ignore my husband until he softened and said nice things to me, and things only ended when I was satisfied.
One year, during the Spring Festival, my husband consulted with me to kill the pig we had at home. I said we’d feed it for a few more days. At the time, he agreed with me completely. But I didn’t expect that the next morning the pig butcher came. At the time, I pretended as if nothing was wrong and greeted him until the pig was killed, but then I complained to my husband that he didn’t consult with me beforehand. My husband kept explaining to me the reason the butcher had to come earlier, but I couldn’t listen to him at all. No matter how he explained, I ignored him. In order to get on my good side, when I was doing work, he purposefully came over to help me, but I kept my unpleasant expression. In the end, he had to leave dejectedly. Looking at him leaving helplessly, I felt very miserable too. Why are we suffering like this? Why couldn’t I have given him a way out without embarrassing him? But then I thought that there is still a long way ahead of us. If I relent easily now, then he wouldn’t take notice of me at all. How could I be in charge of the house then? No, I cannot relent so easily. So, even though I really wanted to make up with my husband and didn’t want to continue our stalemate, I still held on sternly. No matter how he apologized, I didn’t speak to him until he pleaded me and promised that next time he would definitely consult with me. Only then did I condescend to speak to him.
But in daily life, these kinds of trivial things were too many to count. Because of this, there were rarely happiness and joy in our life. Most of the time was spent waging a cold war. Seeing my cold face every day, my child spoke very carefully. My husband would sigh and groan every day, and I would feel wronged. I thought that my husband didn’t understand me and my child didn’t obey me, and because of this, I would often cry by myself until midnight…. I also felt that this life of waging a cold war is too miserable and too tiring, but I could not control my own heart.
In 2003, I believed in God. Through the fellowship of brothers and sisters and reading God’s word, I realized that these things I was doing, such as often being angry toward my husband and ignoring him because of my temper, were the corrupt disposition of Satan and the result of Satan’s poison planted deep within my heart. If I wanted to stop being controlled by these corrupt dispositions, I had to achieve transformation through reading God’s word, experiencing God’s word, and practicing God’s word. Therefore, I enthusiastically read God’s word and partook in church life, hoping that my corrupt disposition could be transformed.
One morning, my fourth big brother-in-law said to me: “Some time ago, I borrowed some money from my brother (my husband), but I’ve come to repay it today.” Saying that, he handed me the money. After he left, I thought, holding the money, that my husband had dared to lend the money to somebody else without consulting me, and my anger rose immediately. I wanted nothing more than to reason with him right then. In the evening, when he got home, I asked him sternly: “Do you even care about me anymore? You’ve lent money to somebody else without even telling me. Who do you take me for in this house? Am I invisible to you? …” I got angrier and angrier, and no matter how he explained, I would not listen to him. The following day, my husband approached me and spoke to me. I glared at him and ignored him, and he felt very awkward. Looking at his awkward expression, I felt guilty inside. I thought: This isn’t actually something too serious. Besides, the brother-in-law has already returned the money, and I am a bit overdoing it by not relenting at all. Moreover, I am a believer in God. God asks us to live out normal humanity, to have the likeness of a Christian. What I am doing do not have the likeness of a Christian. But when I thought that my husband did things without consulting me and that he didn’t care about me, I felt frustrated in my heart. I thought that if I don’t let him suffer a little this time, then he’ll ignore me more and more in the future. So, although I felt miserable, I still hardened my heart and didn’t relent.
Later, I saw God’s word say: “Cruel, brutal mankind! The conniving and intrigue, the jostling with each other, the scramble for reputation and fortune, the mutual slaughter—when will it ever end? God has spoken hundreds of thousands of words, yet no one has come to their senses. … How many do not act for the sake of their own interests? How many do not oppress and discriminate against others for the sake of maintaining their own status?” (“The Wicked Must Be Punished” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Isn’t God’s word referring to me? I recalled that, since I started this family, I always wanted to be in charge and in control. In every situation, I demanded that my husband must listen to me. Whatever he did must go through my approval. If he doesn’t do as I want him to, I treat him with the cold shoulder, and become short with him, using a “cold war” method to assert my authority and repress him, so that he submits to me and I achieve the goal of establishing myself. After reading God’s word, I had some knowledge and came to ask myself: Aren’t those my expressions of battling for power and position with my husband? Aren’t I repressing and pushing away my husband for the purpose of protecting my own position? I force my husband to submit to me by waging cold wars just to have him listen to me, so that I could be in charge in this household…. For more than ten years, I often had cold wars with my husband and we are miserable and tired, but it has all been caused by me. They are the bitter results brought about by fighting with my husband for position and power in order to be in charge. If I didn’t fight for my position, then I wouldn’t often have cold wars with my husband, and our family life wouldn’t be this painful. All of this is caused by my pursuit of position and power! The revelation in God’s word allowed me to discover the root of cold wars in our house and brought me a path to practice. Therefore, I decided to change my faulty pursuit and lower myself to make up with my husband.
In the evening, when my husband came home, I wanted to take the initiative and talk to him. But then I thought: If I relent like this, then would he still have a place for me in his heart in the future? Would he just ignore me even more? But if I don’t practice the truth, I feel my humanity is too bad, and God would be displeased…. After turning the thought over and over in my mind, in the end I still ignored him. Because my heart had hardened and I did not practice the truth, I was very tormented inside, so I came before God and prayed: “God, I wish to practice the truth and release from the bindings of Satan’s influence, but I cannot succeed in putting this into practice. I am always concerned about my position in my home. God, I hope that You would guide me and help me so that I can practice the truth.” After praying, I felt I had a bit of confidence and will to practice the truth. During dinner, I summoned up my courage and said to my husband, red-faced, “This time it’s my fault. You already explained things properly, but I’m still unrelenting….” After he listened to me, he let out a long sigh, and said: “This is so surprising. I thought that this cold war would stale for a long time. I really didn’t think it would be over so quickly.” Hearing his words, in my heart I couldn’t stop thanking God’s guidance, because without His guidance I could not have practiced this at all.

Friday, March 30, 2018

๐ŸŽค๐ŸŽผ Eastern Lightning - Hymn "Where Is My Home"

Smiley face

Hymn
Where Is My Home | The Church of Almighty God

I
With my tiny paper and brush, I paint a little house. Momma's inside the house, Daddy is inside too. My sister and I are playing in the sunlight. We all feel warm as the sun shines on us. Momma is smiling, Daddy smiles too. Sisters are grinning, we are all beaming. This is my family here, painted on my paper. A picture in my dreams. It is all in my dreams.
II
Picking up my tiny suitcase, I go to a strange place. Daddy is inside but Momma is outside. Picking up my tiny suitcase, I go to a home I once knew. Momma is inside, Daddy's outside. Holding tightly to my suitcase, I wander the roads. Feeling alone, not sure where to go. My tiny suitcase here is my only company. This is my only home, the home I can't escape.
III
Where is my home? Oh where could it be? In such a great world, yet there is nowhere for me. Who can deliver me to the home in my dreams, the one in my drawing, the one of my dreams? Where is my home? Oh where could it be? In such a great big world, there is still no home for me. Who can give me a cozy home, the home in my drawings, the home in my dreams, home in my dreams?
IV
Here, I have a home. I have a home. But it's not the one I drew on my paper. It's not my little suitcase, it's the place that I dream of. Mom and Dad are inside, my sister and I are too. It is the home where our souls can finally rest, the home full of glory, full of glory and hope. It is the home (it is the home) where our souls can finally rest (souls can finally rest), the home full of glory, full of glory and hope.
V
Da da la da la da. Da la da la da la. Da la da la da la da. Da la da la da la. Da la da la da. Da la da la da la. Da la da la da la da. Da la da la da la. Da la da la da. Da la da la da la. Da la da la da la da. Da la da la da la. It is a home full of glory, home full of glory, glory and hope.

Recommendation:
The Church of Almighty God was founded by Almighty God Personally

๐Ÿ“– Almighty God-Resolving the “Cold War” Makes My Life Even Happier!

Resolving the “Cold War” Makes My Life Even Happier! -Eastern Lightning


 Tian Yu 

Eastern Lightning,The Church of Almighty God,the church
Almighty God-Resolving the “Cold War” Makes My Life Even Happier!



 When I got married, my family advised me that “All lay loads on the willing horse,” that after marriage, I must be in charge so that I’m not taken advantage of, so that my life will be fulfilled and happy. So, after marriage, I always wanted to be in charge and that whatever I said would go. In the beginning, my husband would consult me for all matters big and small in our home. But as time went on, he would often not consult with me, but do things according to his will. Because of this, I felt rather unhappy. I felt that my husband didn’t take me seriously. I thought, “If things continue like this, I wouldn’t have a place to stand on in this family.” In order that I could be in charge, I would often sulk and ignore my husband until he softened and said nice things to me, and things only ended when I was satisfied.
 One year, during the Spring Festival, my husband consulted with me to kill the pig we had at home. I said we’d feed it for a few more days. At the time, he agreed with me completely. But I didn’t expect that the next morning the pig butcher came. At the time, I pretended as if nothing was wrong and greeted him until the pig was killed, but then I complained to my husband that he didn’t consult with me beforehand. My husband kept explaining to me the reason the butcher had to come earlier, but I couldn’t listen to him at all. No matter how he explained, I ignored him. In order to get on my good side, when I was doing work, he purposefully came over to help me, but I kept my unpleasant expression. In the end, he had to leave dejectedly. Looking at him leaving helplessly, I felt very miserable too. Why are we suffering like this? Why couldn’t I have given him a way out without embarrassing him? But then I thought that there is still a long way ahead of us. If I relent easily now, then he wouldn’t take notice of me at all. How could I be in charge of the house then? No, I cannot relent so easily. So, even though I really wanted to make up with my husband and didn’t want to continue our stalemate, I still held on sternly. No matter how he apologized, I didn’t speak to him until he pleaded me and promised that next time he would definitely consult with me. Only then did I condescend to speak to him. 
 But in daily life, these kinds of trivial things were too many to count. Because of this, there were rarely happiness and joy in our life. Most of the time was spent waging a cold war. Seeing my cold face every day, my child spoke very carefully. My husband would sigh and groan every day, and I would feel wronged. I thought that my husband didn’t understand me and my child didn’t obey me, and because of this, I would often cry by myself until midnight…. I also felt that this life of waging a cold war is too miserable and too tiring, but I could not control my own heart. 
 In 2003, I believed in God. Through the fellowship of brothers and sisters and reading God’s word, I realized that these things I was doing, such as often being angry toward my husband and ignoring him because of my temper, were the corrupt disposition of Satan and the result of Satan’s poison planted deep within my heart. If I wanted to stop being controlled by these corrupt dispositions, I had to achieve transformation through reading God’s word, experiencing God’s word, and practicing God’s word. Therefore, I enthusiastically read God’s word and partook in church life, hoping that my corrupt disposition could be transformed. 
 One morning, my fourth big brother-in-law said to me: “Some time ago, I borrowed some money from my brother (my husband), but I’ve come to repay it today.” Saying that, he handed me the money. After he left, I thought, holding the money, that my husband had dared to lend the money to somebody else without consulting me, and my anger rose immediately. I wanted nothing more than to reason with him right then.
 In the evening, when he got home, I asked him sternly: “Do you even care about me anymore? You’ve lent money to somebody else without even telling me. Who do you take me for in this house? Am I invisible to you? …” I got angrier and angrier, and no matter how he explained, I would not listen to him. The following day, my husband approached me and spoke to me. I glared at him and ignored him, and he felt very awkward. Looking at his awkward expression, I felt guilty inside. I thought: This isn’t actually something too serious. Besides, the brother-in-law has already returned the money, and I am a bit overdoing it by not relenting at all. Moreover, I am a believer in God. God asks us to live out normal humanity, to have the likeness of a Christian. What I am doing do not have the likeness of a Christian. But when I thought that my husband did things without consulting me and that he didn’t care about me, I felt frustrated in my heart. I thought that if I don’t let him suffer a little this time, then he’ll ignore me more and more in the future. So, although I felt miserable, I still hardened my heart and didn’t relent. 
Later, I saw God’s word say: “Cruel, brutal mankind! The conniving and intrigue, the jostling with each other, the scramble for reputation and fortune, the mutual slaughter—when will it ever end? God has spoken hundreds of thousands of words, yet no one has come to their senses. … How many do not act for the sake of their own interests? How many do not oppress and discriminate against others for the sake of maintaining their own status?” (“The Wicked Must Be Punished” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Isn’t God’s word referring to me? I recalled that, since I started this family, I always wanted to be in charge and in control. In every situation, I demanded that my husband must listen to me. Whatever he did must go through my approval. If he doesn’t do as I want him to, I treat him with the cold shoulder, and become short with him, using a “cold war” method to assert my authority and repress him, so that he submits to me and I achieve the goal of establishing myself. After reading God’s word, I had some knowledge and came to ask myself: Aren’t those my expressions of battling for power and position with my husband? Aren’t I repressing and pushing away my husband for the purpose of protecting my own position? I force my husband to submit to me by waging cold wars just to have him listen to me, so that I could be in charge in this household…. For more than ten years, I often had cold wars with my husband and we are miserable and tired, but it has all been caused by me. They are the bitter results brought about by fighting with my husband for position and power in order to be in charge. If I didn’t fight for my position, then I wouldn’t often have cold wars with my husband, and our family life wouldn’t be this painful. All of this is caused by my pursuit of position and power! The revelation in God’s word allowed me to discover the root of cold wars in our house and brought me a path to practice. Therefore, I decided to change my faulty pursuit and lower myself to make up with my husband.
 In the evening, when my husband came home, I wanted to take the initiative and talk to him. But then I thought: If I relent like this, then would he still have a place for me in his heart in the future? Would he just ignore me even more? But if I don’t practice the truth, I feel my humanity is too bad, and God would be displeased…. After turning the thought over and over in my mind, in the end I still ignored him. Because my heart had hardened and I did not practice the truth, I was very tormented inside, so I came before God and prayed: “God, I wish to practice the truth and release from the bindings of Satan’s influence, but I cannot succeed in putting this into practice. I am always concerned about my position in my home. God, I hope that You would guide me and help me so that I can practice the truth.” After praying, I felt I had a bit of confidence and will to practice the truth. During dinner, I summoned up my courage and said to my husband, red-faced, “This time it’s my fault. You already explained things properly, but I’m still unrelenting….” After he listened to me, he let out a long sigh, and said: “This is so surprising. I thought that this cold war would stale for a long time. I really didn’t think it would be over so quickly.” Hearing his words, in my heart I couldn’t stop thanking God’s guidance, because without His guidance I could not have practiced this at all.

Recommendation: The brief introduction of the Church of Almighty God




Thursday, March 29, 2018

๐ŸŽต๐ŸŽง 2018 Christian Music Video "The True Love of God" Praise Almighty God (Korean Song English Subtitle)


The True Love of God

Today I come before God again, I see His lovely face.
Today I come before God again, I’ve left my wandering past behind.
Today I come before God again, enjoying His word fills me with joy.
Today I come before God again, my heart has so much to say.
It’s His tender words that water and nourish me to grow up.
It’s His stern words that encourage me to stand up again.
Oh God! We can praise You for You have raised us!
We can sing to You today all because of Your blessing and mercy.

The Church of Almighty God, Eastern Lightning, Hymn
"The True Love of God" Praise Almighty God

Oh God, You truly love us so! You make us relish Your words every day!
Oh God, You truly love us so! You enlighten us every day!
Oh God, You truly love us so! You water and nourish Your people.
You lead us away from Satan’s influence.
Brothers and sisters! Hurry and rise! Let’s praise our God!
Let’s cherish how He’s gathered us here today.
Be free from all burdens of the flesh! Praise onto Almighty God earnestly!
Fulfill our duty with all our heart and might, show our love for God with action.
We will love You forever, almighty true God!

from Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs



Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.

๐Ÿ“–The Church of Almighty God-How Can My Young, Brash, and Arrogant Self Get Along With My Grandmother?

How Can My Young, Brash, and Arrogant Self Get Along With My Grandmother? -EasternLightning

 An Qi 

The Church of Almighty God,Almighty God,the truth
Picture of The Church of Almighty God


 My name is An Qi. Before the age of six, I was living at my grandmother’s house. At the time, my grandmother was the person with whom I felt closest to. Each day when I went to the kindergarten, my grandmother decided which clothes I would wear and how I would comb my hair. I felt that my grandmother did these things the best. Gradually, I grew up and I started to disapprove of some of the things that my grandmother did. My grandmother also started to disapprove of me as well. Each time I went to her house, she would scold me. If she wasn’t nagging me on one thing, she would be nagging me about something else. I felt very upset. 
 In 2016, it became very popular to wear a necklace around one’s collarbone. I had also bought one of these necklaces. One day, after school, I went happily to my grandmother’s home. When I got there, she squinted at me and disapprovingly said, “Look at what kind of gadget you have around your neck. It’s like a dog collar. Do you feel comfortable with it so tight around your neck?” Originally, I was feeling quite happy but after hearing her say this, I was no longer happy at all. I disgruntledly replied, “You’re so old. What do you understand? This is called fashion. Even if I explained it, you would not understand!” For this reason, I was still moody in the evening. 
 The next day, I told my grandmother, “Grandma, you haven’t combed my hair in a long time. Can you comb it?” When she heard me say this, she happily combed my hair for me. After she finished combing my hair I took a look: My goodness! My hair was bunched up so tightly that it was lifting my eyes up. On top of that, she moistened my hair with water, so it started to look greasy.” I could not help but yell, “What did you do? Who combs their hair like this now? It’s hideous! Look how when you comb it with water, it looks like a cow licked my hair.” My grandmother said, “This doesn’t look great? A young girl looks good when her hair is combed neatly and elegantly! In the past, you used to be happy with the way I combed your hair. Now, you just seem to have your own notions about what is fashionable!” When I heard my grandmother say this, I became even more angry. I thought: “How can you keep up with the times if you look at things with your old eyes? In the past, you did not even have a cell phone, but now you can use one. Can your past compare to the present time?” I left my grandmother’s house in a fit of fury. 
 From then on, I did not like going to my grandmother’s house because each time I went, she would find something to nag about. One time, I wore baggy jeans when I went to my grandmother’s house. When she saw me, she said, “Look at those pants. They are so baggy. And you rolled up your pant legs. You look like a little hoodlum!” Another time, I put on beggar pants and went to my grandmother’s house. When she saw that my pants were a little dirty, she washed them for me. The result was that the next day I put on those pants, I saw that the hole in the pants was missing. Puzzled, I asked, “What happened to the hole in these pants?” My grandmother unhappily grumbled, “I sewed it up! There was a hole in your own pants, but you did not even know to give it to your mother to sew. How can you wear worn out pants so enthusiastically?” At that time, I was furious and I angrily told my grandmother, “These pants were originally like this. When I bought them, there was already a hole. They are called ‘beggar pants’!” My grandmother said, “Do you think it is easy for your mother to make money? How can you spend money on worn out pants? You have money yet you do not know what you should spend it on. If it’s not your entire ankle then it’s your entire knee….” Afterward, she started to rant a lot. Before she could finish, in a huff, I said, “Are you finished yet? Whenever I come over to your house, you will nag me. Perhaps I won’t come over from now on. Look at some of the people on TV. Aren’t they wearing the same thing? You really should change your old-fashioned view, otherwise I won’t have anything to talk to you about!” When my grandmother heard this, she was angry. She mumbled to herself, “You only know how to give me a nasty look.” 
 When I returned home, I told my mother, “From now on, I will no longer go to my grandmother’s house!” My mother asked, “Why? Didn’t you use to like going to your grandmother’s house?” I told my mother what happened at my grandmother’s house. My mother said, “You’re so picky. Now, you start ignoring your grandmother. When you were twelve years old, you started attending gatherings and reading God’s word. You have already believed in God for a few years. You must view this situation in accordance with God’s words. Do not always look down on your grandmother.” I did not say anything, yet, in my mind, I thought, “You two are the same. Your thoughts are outdated!” 
 Afterward, I opened up God’s words and read what God said: “What aspect of disposition does the manifestation of ‘the brashness and arrogance of youth’ refer to? Why do I say those of about 16 or 17 and those in their twenties are young, brash and arrogant? Why do I use these words to describe the young people in this age group? It’s not because I am prejudiced toward those in this age group, or that I look down upon them. It’s because the people in this age group have a certain kind of disposition within them. Because the people in this age group are inexperienced in the matters of the world and have little understanding of the affairs of human life, when they just begin to come into contact with the affairs of the world and of human life, they think, ‘I understand. I understand thoroughly. I know it all! I can understand what adults talk about and I can keep up with all the fashionable things in society. Now mobile phones are developing quickly, with functions that are so complicated—I know how to use it all! You bunch of old women don’t understand anything. You even can’t turn on the TV, and if you do manage to turn it on, you can’t switch it off again.’ There are some young people, when their grandmothers speak to them and say: ‘Do this for granny,’ who reply: ‘Humph, you can’t even do this. Old people really are useless!’ What kind of way is that to talk? Don’t forget, you will also grow old one day. Can being able to do some things like this be considered a skill? Can it be considered an ability? People may say no, but when they encounter some issue, they will express this kind of disposition. What is this? This is what is meant by ‘the young are brash and arrogant.’ This is what people express” (“Young People Should See Through the Evil Trends of the World” in Records of Christ’s Talks). After I finished reading God’s words, I thought: Aren’t these words of God describing me? This is exactly how I am. I always ignore my grandmother and think that she is stupid. She gets me to help her do many things. When she can’t find a number on her phone, she needs me to help her find it. When she puts her phone on silent, she makes a big fuss and gets me to check whether her phone is broken or not. I remember one instance that made me even more embarrassed. I wanted to connect to the neighbor’s WiFi but I did not know the password. I asked my grandmother to go and ask. In the end, she asked the neighbor, “What is the password for your take-out[a]?” When my grandmother came back, I scolded her. Also, my grandmother has no clue about society’s popular trends and as a result, I view her as foolish. … In fact, this is the manifestation of the brashness and arrogance of youth! If I did not read God’s words, I would still believe that what I was doing was correct and that my grandmother’s thoughts were too outdated and that she was unable to keep up with the times. Today, I believe in God. I cannot be as arrogant and unruly as I was in the past. I must change! Thereupon, I prayed to God, “God. I always look down on my grandmother and think that she is foolish. When she nags me, I become angry. I always feel that my grandmother is unable to understand my thoughts. God, I do not want to be like this. However, I really cannot rely on myself to change. God, please help me!” 
Afterward, there was another time when I went to my grandmother’s house and since there was nobody there to play with me, I played with my cell phone. However, the battery level of my smart phone was very low and after a while, it ran out of power. As a result, when I wasn’t playing with my cell phone, I would charge its batteries. Who would have thought that after charging my cell phone for only ten minutes that my grandmother pulled the plug. At first, I believed that perhaps my grandmother thought the cell phone was already fully charged. I did not say anything and I simply plugged it back in. The result was that my grandmother pulled the plug once more. This happened two or three times. Finally, I became impatient and angrily told my grandmother, “My cell phone hasn’t finished charging. Why do you keep unplugging it?” My grandmother grumbled, “I know that it hasn’t finished charging. How much electricity do you need to waste in order to fully charge it? What’s more, why do you always have to charge your cell phone? My cell phone can last an entire week on a full charge!” After I heard my grandmother say this, I could not help but shout at her, “Your cell phone is for old people and it is completely outdated! Mine is a smart phone. Can you even compare your cell phone to mine? My cell phone does not require a lot of electricity to charge. What’s more, your living expenses are paid by my mother, so I am not wasting your money! You are so miserly!” After my grandmother heard me tell her off, she unhappily said, “You truly are an ungrateful brat! How dare you talk back to me! When you were little, I carried you and held you. Have you forgotten?” After she finished saying this, my grandmother left in an angry rage. After my grandmother left, I felt a little unwell. Meanwhile, I became very depressed: I did not want to yell at you, but why do you always try to make me conform to your generation’s rules? You are so outdated!
 After I went home, I told my mother about this situation. My mother said, “You must not always rant at your grandmother. She is very old and you should speak to her nicely. Moreover, you are a Christian. You must not be so arrogant that you lose your sense. You can only honor God by living out a normal humanity!” My mother spoke at the same time as she opened up God’s words, “Take a look at what God has said about it!” 
 I took the book of God’s words and started reading what God said, “When some young people are talking, they keep rolling their eyes, they hold everyone in contempt, and everything they say is filled with a note of disdain. If you have a word with them but it’s not to their liking, they will just ignore you. It is rather hard to be a parent nowadays and very hard to get to know the mentality of young people. If they say one wrong word, their child will throw a tantrum and storm off, and it is very difficult for them to communicate with adults. This is to say that there are problems with the thinking of many young people today. Is this situation not created by evil trends and this evil society? The things of people’s normal humanity are becoming fewer and fewer” (“Young People Should See Through the Evil Trends of the World” in Records of Christ’s Talks). After I finished reading God’s words, it was very difficult for me to bear. I felt like I was receiving chastisement. God’s words were referring to me. This was the way I interacted with my grandmother. When she said that I was wrong, I would throw a tantrum. When she did something that was not to my liking, if I did not rant at her, I would embarrass her. My temper is quite bad. I thought about how my grandmother loved me all along. When there was something good to eat, she was not willing to eat it. She would wait for me and let me have it. However, if I was not hostile toward her about this, I would be hostile toward her about that. If we switched positions and I was the grandmother and my granddaughter treated me like this, I would feel very awful! The more I thought about this, the more I felt regret. At this time, my mother said to me, “People nowadays follow the trends of the world. They seek material enjoyment. They seek whatever is popular in society. The trends of society are not the truth and they are not positive things. If we become influenced and manipulated by the trends of society, our life perspectives and the way we see things will become seriously distorted. It would be in complete violation of God’s words, the truth and normal humanity. This would cause God to loathe us. However, we believe that we are following precisely with society’s trends and that we are standing in the forefront of our age. It is as if we understand everything. We know everything and there is nothing that can stop us. We believe that we ourselves are very capable. Gradually, our dispositions become more and more arrogant, conceited and condescending. We look down upon everyone and nobody dares to provoke us. These are the consequences which result when people nowadays are secretly influenced by societal trends.” After my mother said this, I could see that my own manifestations were exactly the same as that which God’s words revealed. Just as God said, “The things of normal humanity are becoming fewer and fewer.” I felt it extremely difficult to bear. I started hating myself: How could I be so wretched? My grandmother was correct when she said that I was an ungrateful little brat! When I thought back to how I talked to my own grandmother, I started to wonder whether it made her very sad. I really am corrupt and ignorant! Consequently, I prayed to God, “God, I feel really awful about getting angry at my grandmother this time. I no longer want to be this kind of a child. I must change my arrogant disposition, live out a normal humanity and be a well-behaved and sensible child. God, please guide me!” 
 During that time, I frequently prayed about this situation. When I went to my grandmother’s house, I would pay particular attention to putting this aspect into practice. At times when my grandmother talked with me in a wordy way and made me feel bothered, I prayed to God in my heart. After I finished praying, I did not feel as angry. There was one time when I was getting ready to go out with my grandmother. My grandmother was searching through her wardrobe but could not find anything she likes to wear. She asked me, “What should I wear?” I wanted to say: You’re so old that it doesn’t matter what you wear! Right as I was about to blurt it out, I became aware that this was wrong and that I was revealing an arrogant disposition. At that moment, I recalled God’s words regarding “the brashness and arrogance of youth.” As a result, I said, “Actually, these clothes look quite good. However, today’s weather is quite hot. Perhaps you shouldn’t wear too much. Wear this, it is thinner.” From then on, each time I wanted to throw a tantrum in front of my grandmother, I would recall God’s words of revealing and judgment. Consequently, I consciously forsook the flesh and put the truth into practice. When I started to put the truth into practice in this manner, I felt very relaxed. I was no longer felt as stifled as I did in the past when I was angry at my grandmother. In the past, because of some small matter, I would get angry at my grandmother. I seldom got the opportunity to return to her house, but when I was back, both of us were unhappy because of my anger. Especially when I reflected on my grandmother’s helpless eyes each time I finished ranting, I felt a lot of grief. I saw that I was so arrogant that I no longer had humanity. From now on, I must no longer be so incredibly arrogant. I must live in accordance with God’s words. I must live out a normal humanity and please other people and God! 
 Afterward, as long as I was together with my grandmother, my heart would not dare leave God because I knew that if I relied on myself, I would not be able to conquer my corrupt disposition. There was one time when my grandmother came over to my place to visit. During lunchtime when we were cooking, she added too much rice. The three of us basically could not eat so much rice. I thought: You’ve cooked for so many years. You do not know how much rice to put in? Just as I was about to give my grandmother an earful, suddenly, I thought of God’s words: “Don’t forget, you will also grow old one day. Can being able to do some things like this be considered a skill? Can it be considered an ability?” (“Young People Should See Through the Evil Trends of the World” in Records of Christ’s Talks). At this moment, I knew that my arrogant nature was a recurring disease. In my heart, I said to God, “God, once again I want to throw a tantrum and scold my grandmother. I know that this is my arrogant nature flaring up and that it is wrong. This is not Your intention. Please, help me let go of my arrogance and live out a normal humanity!” After I finished praying, my heart quieted down and I half-jokingly said to my grandmother, “You put too much rice. With so much rice in this pot, I do not know how much water needs to be added. If I add too much water, then we will just have congee.” When my grandmother heard me say this, she started to laugh. She praised me saying that I had changed a lot. Not only did I know how to do housework, my temper was no longer as foul as it used to be in the past. She said that I had now grown up and become sensible. I know that now, I no longer say things in accordance with an arrogant disposition. I am a little more wise and a little more sensible. This is all due to God’s words changing me. If I had to rely on myself, I would never have changed. 
Afterward, I would frequently get my grandmother to tell me stories about her past. Gradually, I began to understand that my grandmother’s life habits in the present were related to her life in the past. If I were born during my grandmother’s time, I would have been the same as her. When I thought from my grandmother’s perspective, I began to understand her. When I changed the way I viewed things, let go of my own arrogance and started to treat my grandmother appropriately, the generation gap between my grandmother and me disappeared bit by bit. Now, I no longer say that my grandmother is outdated. On the contrary, I can learn a few positive things from my grandmother that people of my generation do not possess. I am thankful to God for changing me. May all the honor be to Almighty God!

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

๐Ÿ“– Eastern Lightning -Almighty God’s Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife


Almighty God’s Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife

Liu Xue, Henan Province

Eastern Lightning,Almighty God,I am fierce emperor

Eastern Lightning -Almighty God’s Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife

In 1991, since we were enduring the hardships of family conflict, my husband and I believed in the Lord Jesus together. From then on, we no longer quarreled. We read the Bible and attended gatherings together very zealously. Not long afterward, my husband left the Three-Self Church and switched over to the Stream of Recovery. In regards to the matter of my husband switching denominations, I did not mind. I believed that as long as we believed in one God, it did not matter which denomination we belonged to.

In 1995, my husband started to persuade me by every possible means to enter the Stream of Recovery. If I did not go, he would not be happy. Afterward, he once again allowed the leaders and fellow workers to come and persuade me. However, I was unable to accept the doctrines that they were teaching and I remained a member of the Three-Self Church. Since our doctrines of faith were not the same, my husband and I no longer spoke the same language and we started to grow distant. When my husband brought fellow workers from the Stream of Recovery upstairs to host gatherings, I did not participate. When my brothers and sisters from the Three-Self Church came to our place to attend gatherings, my husband did not join. In our daily lives, I sold glass frames and my husband produced art layouts. We worked on our own businesses, kept our own accounts and earned our own money. I cooked my own food and ate it myself, and so did my husband. It was as if there were two separate families in our household. In the spring of 1997, I moved elsewhere and I told my 11-year-old son, “From now on, your father is not allowed to come into the house. If someone asks about your father, you must tell them that he is dead!” I suffered a lot due to the fact that the churches my husband and I attended were incompatible. At this time, I discovered that the elders and leaders of the Three-Self Church that had believed for decades were in fact the same as common people. In public, they mocked and satirized each other, formed gangs and fomented dispute and jealousy. In light of this situation, all I could do was come before the Lord with tears in my eyes and pray, “Lord! Why is it that those who believe in You must separate into so many different denominations? Moreover, even those that are in the same denomination cannot coexist together. Why is this the case? Lord! When can all these denominations unite? When will my husband and I reunite and serve You with one heart? …” Afterward, in order to search for the way of unification, I visited other denominations such as the Justification by Faith Church, the Born Again Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, and the Praise Church. The result was that I saw that at the same time as each denomination boasted about being the denomination that was most in accordance with God’s intentions, its own members were clearly fighting and competing and excluding each other. After I visited these denominations, not only was I unable to find the way of unification, on the contrary, I lost the faith that I originally had. In the dead of the night, when I reflected on the few years that I believed in God and this situation, I shed silent tears and my heart felt intense despair and pain. I did not know where my path was taking me.

I am thankful that God noticed how painfully I was struggling in the dark. One night, my husband suddenly came to find me. He was even smiling as he was talking to me. However, my anger toward him had not subsided at all. I persistently told him to leave. When he saw that I was getting angry, he stopped talking to me. The next night, he calmly told me, “Even though we both have turned toward the Lord, all these years, all along, we have adhered to our own separate doctrines and have been unable to unite. The situation has been in this kind of a deadlock all along and our days have been spent fighting this cold war. It is all because we do not understand God’s intentions. When Jesus came to do His redemption work on earth, there was only one denomination. Why is it that, 2000 years later, there are so many different denominations? Moreover, each denomination claims that their beliefs are the most correct and in accordance with the Lord’s intentions. They all believe that when the Lord returns, He will descend upon their own denomination first. If it really happened according to people’s imaginations: When the Lord returned, He would first descend upon a certain denomination, isn’t this unfair toward other people?” What my husband was saying was completely beyond what I had anticipated. I never thought my husband could speak so objectively about such a realistic and penetrating problem. Wasn’t this exactly the riddle that I had been struggling with for so many years? I was captivated by what he had to say. He continued to elaborate, “Actually, all those under the Lord Jesus’ name, regardless of which denomination, they all look upon Jesus’ salvation of the cross. They all put into practice baptism, breaking bread, humbleness, patience, tolerance, love…. The paths that they walk were all started by Jesus. This is all true. However, because the founders of each denomination viewed the Bible differently and their understanding and acceptance was different, the doctrines that they drew up differ only on minor points. Some emphasize the truth of justification by faith alone, while others stress the teaching of ‘once saved always saved.’ Some advocate praising God through drum and dance while others focus on rebirth, confession and repentance. Furthermore, others say to submit to authority and others focus on adhering to the laws and decrees…. There are all sorts of doctrines. Actually, much of each denomination’s teachings originate from man’s imaginations and notions. Their teachings interpret the Bible out of context and they only work within that denomination. They are basically unable to win over the brothers and sisters in other denominations. That is why the members of each and every denomination say that what they adhere to is the truth but they are unable to do the work of unification. This is because the founders and leaders of each denomination are man and not God. Only God Himself can do the work of unification.” I was won over by what my husband said. This was the pure and unadulterated truth. I could not help but ask, “How will God do the work of unification?” My husband happily replied, “Right now, it is already the last days. God has already returned in the flesh and spoken. He has clearly expressed His intentions to mankind. Moreover, He has opened up the secret of His 6,000-year management plan for mankind. He wants to bring all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination that genuinely believe in Him and thirst for the truth before Him. All the brothers and sisters who have heard God of the last days speak out will leave their different denominations and unite with God. This is the unification work of God of the last days and it fulfills the following words from the Bible, ‘That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him’ (Eph 1:10). ‘And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd’ (Jhn 10:16). The unification work of God of the last days also fulfills the predictions of the prophet from the Book of Isaiah: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. … And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Isa 2:2, 4). Presently, God’s work of the last days has already caused many brothers and sisters from different denominations to come together. I have also started following Almighty God’s work of the last days. I have returned this time specifically to tell you this good news.”

The Church of Almighty God, Eastern Lightning, Gospel
The Picutre of The Church of Almighty God
As we continued talking, my husband took a book out and said, “These are the words that came out of Almighty God’s mouth, let’s read them together!” So, we began to read God’s words together, “Regardless of what religion you belong to, ultimately you will all submit under the dominion of God. Only God Himself can carry out this work; it cannot be done by any religious head. There are several major religions in the world, and each has its own head, or leader, and the followers are spread across different countries and regions all over the world; every country, be it large or small, has different religions within it. However, regardless of how many religions there are across the world, all people within the universe ultimately exist under the guidance of one God, and their existence is not guided by religious heads or leaders. Which is to say that mankind is not guided by a particular religious head or leader; instead the whole of mankind is led by the Creator, who created the heavens and earth, and all things, and also created mankind—and this is a fact. Although the world has several major religions, regardless of how great they are, they all exist under the dominion of the Creator, and none of them can exceed the scope of this dominion. The development of mankind, social progress, the development of natural sciences—each is inseparable from the arrangements of the Creator, and this work is not something that can be done by a particular religious head. Religious heads are merely the leaders of a particular religion, and cannot represent God, or the One who created the heavens and earth and all things. Religious heads can lead all those within the entire religion, but cannot command all creatures beneath the heavens—this is a universally acknowledged fact. Religious heads are mere leaders, and cannot stand equal to God (the Creator). All things are in the hands of the Creator, and in the end they will all return to the hands of the Creator. Mankind was originally made by God, and regardless of the religion, every person will return under the dominion of God—this is inevitable” (“Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I silently listened to God’s words. A warm feeling rushed into my heart. This really was God’s voice. Jesus really had returned. I prayed silently, “Almighty God, You really do know what man needs. I desire unity. Certainly, my husband and I have not been able to unite, let alone all the different denominations. Only You can do the work of unification. Nobody can substitute You. God! You are truly lovable! From now on, all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination will submit under Your dominion and live in harmony. There will no longer be any estrangement and disputes…. I have waited so long for this day.” Seeing how happy my husband was at this time, my bellyful of complaints vanished like smoke in the air. When I thought of the attitude I treated him with, I started feeling very remorseful. All these years, he had suffered, yet he did not haggle with me. He still told the good news of God’s work of the last days to me. I emotionally told my son, “From now on, do not blame your father anymore. I must also accept God’s new work.” When he heard what I had to say, my son smiled. My husband and I smiled at each other knowingly.

From then on, it was like my husband was a different person. He was happy throughout the entire day. Each time brothers and sisters came to our house, he would take the initiative to go buy groceries and cook. We would frequently pray together, read God’s words together and communicate our understanding of God’s words with each other. He even taught me to sing some new songs. Through reading God’s words, I understood some truths and I understood that God’s intention is to save people to the greatest extent possible. As a result, my husband and I joined the ranks of those who spread and bore witness to the good news of God of the last days. There was one time when my husband was riding a bicycle and bringing me along to spread the gospel to one of the elders of the Three-Self Church. That elder said in a very surprised tone, “It seems like this really is God’s unification work, otherwise you basically would not be sitting on his bicycle.” In the end, that elder also accepted God’s work of the last days. Nowadays, in this family of The Church of Almighty God, there are brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations such as the Stream of Recovery, the Justification by Faith Church, the Praise Church, the Way of Life Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Three Grades of Servants Church. They have abandoned their past conceptions and prejudices and together, they eat, drink and enjoy God’s words. Everyone uses other’s strengths to make up for their own weaknesses and they all harmoniously coexist. Everyone cooperatively fulfills duties and there are shared ambitions and goals. They all work hard in seeking the truth and seeking an understanding of God so that they can become people who obey and worship God. When I see my brothers and sisters experience the work of God together, my heart is unspeakably happy. It is God’s unification work that has caused my husband and me to reconcile and reunite and allowed brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations that previously differed in opinions and had no contact with one another to gather together in one place. Thank Almighty God! I wish that all honor returns to Almighty God!

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Eastern Lightning

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

๐ŸŽต๐ŸŽถ A Hymn of God's Words God's Humbleness Is So Lovable

The Church of Almighty God, Eastern Lightning, Hymn

A Hymn of God's Words
God's Humbleness Is So Lovable | The Church of Almighty God

I
God humbles Himself and does His work on the filthy and corrupt man to make them perfect. God becomes man. He shepherds and attends to them, comes to the great red dragon's heart to save and to conquer those corrupt, doing the task of changing and making them new. He humbles Himself to be man and endures the hardship it brings. It's the supreme Spirit's great humiliation. God, great and lofty. Man, mean and lowly. Yet God speaks, provides, lives among them. He is so humble, so lovable.
II
God living in flesh with normal life and needs, proves He's lowered to a degree. God's Spirit, high and great, comes as common man to carry out His Spirit's work. You are unworthy of His work, of such hardships He has suffered. It shows in your qualities, insights and sense. You are unworthy of His work, of such hardships He has suffered. It shows in your humanity and your lives. God, great and lofty. Man, mean and lowly. Yet God speaks, provides, lives among them. He is so humble, so lovable.
from in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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The Church of Almighty God was founded by Almighty God personally

๐Ÿ“–Eastern Lightning-Only God’s Love Is Real



Only God’s Love Is Real | The Church of Almighty God

Xiaodong Sichuan Province

The Church of Almighty God, Eastern Lightning,judgment
Eastern Lightning-Only God’s Love Is Real

 God said, “The Chinese nation which has been corrupted for thousands of years has continued on until today. All sorts of viruses continue to expand and are spreading everywhere like the plague; just looking at people’s relationships is enough to see how many viruses are in people. It’s extremely difficult for God to develop His work in such a tightly closed and virus-infected area. People’s personalities, habits, the way they do things, everything they express in their lives and their interpersonal relationships are all broken beyond belief …” (“The Path … (6)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The revelation in God’s words made me see how Satan’s corruption makes all relationships between people abnormal, because all are based on Satan’s philosophy of life, without containing even a shred of truth. Without God’s salvation, my eyes would still be covered and my emotions entrapped, but experiencing the work of God made me understand the essence of what it means to “help one another” and showed me the truth of friendship, love, and familial affection. I saw that only God’s words are the truth, and that only by living by God’s words could we escape the influence of Satan, and that only by comporting oneself according to the truth could one live out a meaningful life.
 My parents were both Christians, and at the time our faith in Jesus brought us a great deal of grace. Especially in business, God blessed us with much in the way of material comforts. Most of my relatives weren’t as well off as our family, and my parents took good care of them financially and materially. My relatives had a great deal of respect for my parents, and naturally they looked at me with the same eye. That was the kind of advantageous environment I grew up in. I thought my friends and relatives were wonderful, and no matter what our family needed, they would be willing to help. 
 In 1998, my entire family accepted Almighty God’s work, and because of our desire for gaining blessings as well as because it was a difficult field, we stopped our family business. Some of our friends and relatives tried to persuade us otherwise, saying, “It’s such a shame to stop a business you spent so many years building.” There were others who mocked us behind our back, saying we’d earned enough to not need any more. Hearing these things made us sad, but we still decided to stop the business. Even though I had accepted Almighty God’s work, I still understood nothing about the corruption in mankind, so my heart still yearned for this world. I spent my days eating, drinking, and carousing with my close friends and relatives, and because I spent generously, I got more and more friends, and more and more classmate reunions, parties, classmates’ and friends’ birthdays and weddings, and other occasions couldn’t be held without inviting me, because I was too “important.” Beyond that, every Sunday I had to pick up and see off my girlfriend, and we often went out together. At that time, even though I never missed one of my three meetings a week at the church, I still had absolutely no understanding of God’s words, my heart still wandered in the world outside, and my belief in God felt like a yoke of rules. But God used environments to make me understand the truth. He showed me that relationships between people are based on nothing but mutual interest, and that there is no such thing as true feeling or love in them. 
 After the business stopped, my parents repaired our house and had to pay tuition for my sister and me, such that our family’s savings were almost gone after a few years, and because I depended on them for my income, there was a reduction in my own spending. I avoided weddings and gatherings, large or small, whenever I could, so my circle of friends began to shrink, and my status in the eyes of my friends became lower and lower. As the fortunes of my poorer friends and relatives improved, they associated less with us as well. This period was refining for me, because I felt I had no status in the hearts of others. Especially my girlfriend, who became more distant because I didn’t spend money as generously as I had in the past, and finally left me for someone else in 2001. When I learned of it, I couldn’t accept that it was real. I didn’t show it on the outside, but the knowledge was like a knife in my heart. I was loyal to her, my efforts for her were sincere, so why did I get her betrayal in return? That’s how our five-year relationship ended. I didn’t know how to forget her, so all I could do was bury the pain deep in my heart. After that, I hated it when others mentioned the incident. I couldn’t understand how something like this could happen to me. Then one day, I saw this passage of God’s word, “Most people live in the foul place of Satan, and suffer its derision; it teases them this way and that till they are half alive, enduring every vicissitude, every hardship in the human world. After toying with them, Satan puts an end to their destiny. And so people go through their whole lives in a daze of confusion, never once enjoying the good things that God has prepared for them, but instead being damaged by Satan and left in tatters. Today they have become so enervated and listless that they simply have no inclination to take notice of God’s work” (“Work and Entry (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The revelation in God’s words is a true portrayal of human life. Thinking back on how I spent my days drowning in lovesickness, living in an imaginary world of “romantic love.” I was inextricably trapped, and I had no idea at all that these things were Satan’s tricks to fool people, ruses designed to trap people and make them live without any goals and without inclination to take notice of God’s work. Although I called myself a believer in God, I spent my days worrying and laboring over friendship and love, and if circumstances hadn’t changed for me, I would still believe in those “pledges of eternal love” and “loyal friends,” and I would never have escaped it. Because of the breakup with my girlfriend, I cut off all my relationships with my classmates; without such a noisy environment I could still my heart and devote myself to my faith in God. At meetings, I fellowshiped with my brothers and sisters, and slowly, my wounded heart began to heal. I felt the long-forgotten joy, no longer lost or living in my pain. Because there were no interruptions from the outside world, I was able to still my mind and focus on meetings. I became more and more interested in faith in God, and from then on I began fulfilling my duties. 
 When my relatives learned I believed in God, there was no end to their disturbances. They thought I had no business believing in God at such a young age. My maternal aunt often asked me for favors, my paternal aunt asked me to do business with her, even my foster mother pushed me to get married, saying she would take care of my child after it was born (because she had no son of her own), and my grandmother cried, saying, “I have absolutely no objection to your parents believing in God, because they worked half their lifetimes and gave all they have to pave the way for you, so it’s time to let them rest. You should focus on starting a family and a career.” She then went on to describe how my father grew up in poverty, how he started from nothing, how much he suffered, how hard he worked, and said that I was in such a good environment, and that I had no ideals. Their sudden “concern” for me was very flattering. I was confused, because it seemed like what every one of them was saying was right, they all wanted the best for me, and since they were my closest relatives, of course they wouldn’t hurt me. If I didn’t do something when I was young, what would happen to me when I’m older? I was living in refinement, and even though I knew this was a spiritual battle, I didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. At a meeting, a leader showed me this passage from God’s word, “For thousands of years, the Chinese people have led the life of slaves, and this has so constrained their thoughts, concepts, life, language, behavior, and actions that they have been left without the slightest freedom. Several thousand years of history have turned vital people possessed of a spirit into something akin to corpses bereft of a spirit. Many are those who live under the butcher’s knife of Satan…. Outwardly, they appear to be higher ‘animals’; in fact, they live and reside with filthy demons. Without anyone to tend to them, people live in the hidden trap of Satan, and are so caught up in it that escape has become impossible. They don’t gather with their loved ones in cozy homes, living happy and fulfilling lives, but live in Hades, dealing with demons and associating with devils” (“Work and Entry (5)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Through the revelation in God’s word and fellowship with my brothers and sisters, I realized that while they appear to be my relatives from the outside, and their words are in accord with the needs of my flesh, their thoughts, concepts, life, language, behavior, and actions are constrained because of Satan’s corruption. They are all unbelievers, all of their viewpoints and all they discuss come from Satan, and what they pursue are all the evil desires of the flesh, none of which are in accord with the truth, and because I have none of the truth and no discernment, further contact with them would only make me more degenerate. I would gain nothing from it, they could only bring me to ruination. At that time, I had some understanding of the saying “All unbelievers are the devil,” about which my brothers and sisters often fellowshiped, but I still didn’t fully grasp it. Later, God arranged circumstances that showed me the true essence of family ties. 
 Our family has always been a host family, and one day in 2005, thanks to an evildoer’s report, my parents and several brothers and sisters were arrested by the great red dragon. My birth sister fortunately survived a near-drowning as she fled, only escaping with her life because God protected her. My parents and the brothers and sisters at my family’s house were detained and fined, and all were tortured, all came out with injuries. When I heard the news, I couldn’t control my emotions. I didn’t have the heart to fulfill my duties. I thought, “At a time like this I should go home no matter what. My parents raised me, and now that they’re in trouble, even if I can’t do anything, I should at least be there to check up on them and comfort them.” So, I took the train home and went straight to my paternal aunt’s house (who also believes in God) to see my parents. At that time I saw their wounds had not healed, I felt horrible inside, and tears burst from my eyes. It felt like my parents had been humiliated. That’s when my parents told me: During the escape from the great red dragon, my birth sister dove into the river (this happened in December, after dark). The water was up to her neck, and the river currents were strong, wild plants were found caught on her pant leg, her shoes were stuck in the mud, and she didn’t know how to swim, so it was an utter mystery how she got to the other side. God must have miraculously protected her, or the results would have been too terrible to contemplate (the deep water and strong currents had taken the life of a man in his 40’s several days before). Later, my birth sister hid at the house of an older sister who gave my sister a change of clothes while crying as she dried her wet clothes over the fire, and otherwise took very good care of her. Several days after that she learned that this older sister’s house was no longer safe, so my birth sister went to hide at my maternal aunt’s home. She came out during the day to bring a letter to our church informing our leader of my family’s situation, but when she returned, my maternal aunt’s younger daughter said to her, “Hey cousin, why did you come back? I thought you left. We’ve already folded up the bed.” My sister realized my maternal aunt was afraid of getting involved and didn’t want to let her stay there, so crying, she left their home, and risked arrest to come home because she had nowhere else to go. After my parents were released, when they learned about my sister’s near-drowning and how she was kicked out by my maternal aunt, they were very angry, but my maternal aunt, in a tone convinced she was right, answered with, “That’s right, we are afraid of getting involved. You brought these arrests on yourselves. You had a perfectly good life, but you had to go and screw it up, and now you almost got someone killed!” I never imagined that my closest relatives, the people closest to me in the past, at a time when the great red dragon was arresting my family and their lives were in danger, at a time when comfort is needed most of all, would actually say such inhumane words or do such cruel things. To know that they could made me very sad. None of the people we helped most in the past came to check in on us or comfort us. Those who had the best relationships with us not only didn’t speak to my parents when they met on the street, they moved out of my parents’ path. Some who used to nod and say hello to us now turned their backs to us and gossiped. Only our brothers and sisters came to visit us and fellowship in the evenings. I never believed our family could come to such an abject state. I was again trapped in refinement, with thoughts of betraying God forming in my heart. Later, after receiving a revelation from God, I experienced what my brothers and sisters had fellowshiped about, “Relationships between people are based on nothing but mutual interest, family and friends merely help one another, being relationships built on a foundation of mutual use.” I also thought back to my parents’ talk about what they gained from their experience of being arrested by the great red dragon, for example: When the great red dragon used a leather whip to beat my father, he said he didn’t feel too much pain, and that the belt broke into three pieces as they hit him. My sister said she didn’t feel any fear at all during her experience, and even though it was December, she said she never felt cold coming out of the water. God gave her extra strength and confidence. Arrest by the great red dragon had actually made their faith more steadfast. It had made them stronger. My father said that he hadn’t believed God’s words in the past, and that he was an admirer of the great red dragon, but this incident had shown him the great red dragon was merely a gang of thugs, bandits who would take away anything in our house worth money and would rather arrest law-abiding believers in God than murderers and arsonists. I was ashamed when I understood that we all live under God’s leadership, everything we experience is part of God’s sovereignty and arrangement, no person has the power to help another, familial affection will only drive us away from God, and that the things people can help each other with only accord with the flesh, not with the truth. Thoughts like “not wanting my parents’ flesh to suffer” not only bring no benefit to their life, they bring no benefit to their salvation. Only God knows what man needs, and God loves man the most. I saw a passage of God’s word that said, “From when He created the world, God has done much work involving the vitality of life, has done much work that brings life to man, and has paid a great price so that man might gain life, for God Himself is eternal life, and God Himself is the way by which man is resurrected. God is never absent from the heart of man, and lives among man at all times. He has been the driving force of man’s living, the fundament of man’s existence, and a rich deposit for man’s existence after birth. He causes man to be reborn, and enables him to tenaciously live in his every role. Thanks to His power, and His inextinguishable life force, man has lived for generation after generation, throughout which the power of God’s life has been the mainstay of man’s existence, and for which God has paid a price that no ordinary man has ever paid. God’s life force can prevail over any power; moreover, it exceeds any power. His life is eternal, His power extraordinary, and His life force not easily overwhelmed by any created being or enemy force. The life force of God exists, and shines its brilliant radiance, regardless of time or place. God’s life remains forever unchanged throughout the upheavals of heaven and earth. All things pass away, but God’s life still remains, for God is the source of the existence of all things, and the root of their existence. Man’s life originates from God, the existence of the heaven is because of God, and the existence of the earth stems from the power of God’s life. No object possessed of vitality can transcend the sovereignty of God, and no thing with vigor can break away from the ambit of God’s authority. In this way, regardless of who they are, everyone must submit under the dominion of God, everyone must live under God’s command, and no one can escape from His control” (“Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Through God’s words and reality, I experienced the extraordinariness and greatness of God’s life force, that He lives among man at all times, at all times guides mankind and displays His power, and that every person lives in arrangements masterminded by God. Facing God’s word, I saw how tiny I was and how insignificant emotional ties are. What could I have done against the difficulties my family faced? Wasn’t God the one who protected them, cared for them, and led them through the crisis? Can man’s love of another man be greater than God’s love for man? At the same time, God’s words judged me, “Who among you can truly expend wholly for Me and offer up their all for Me? You are all half-hearted, your thoughts go round and round, thinking of home, the outside world, food and clothing. Despite the fact that you are before Me doing things for Me, in your heart you still think of your wife, children and parents at home—are all these your property? Why don’t you commit them into My hands? Do you not believe in Me enough? Or is it that you’re afraid I will make inappropriate arrangements for you? Why do you always miss your home? And miss other people! Do I occupy a certain position in your heart? And you still talk about letting Me have dominion within you and occupy your whole being—these are all deceptive lies! How many of you are for the church with all your hearts? And who among you think not of yourselves, but are for the kingdom of today? Think very carefully about this” (“The Fifty-ninth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I saw that what I cared for in my heart was still my family, because I didn’t have true faith in God, I still couldn’t entrust them completely to God’s hands; I saw that I did not live in the truth, and even though I was performing my duties in God’s house, I often worried about my family, and did not let God occupy my heart. I could not respect God above all others and faithfully perform my duties. I had been fooled and afflicted by Satan. If not for these “unfortunate” things happening to me, I never would have seen things clearly. It’s just as this hymn of God’s word says, “When it comes to the state of man’s life, man has yet to find the real life, he still hasn’t seen through to the desolation and miserable conditions of the world; were it not for the advent of disaster, people would still embrace Mother Nature, and would still engross themselves in the flavor of ‘life.’ Is this not the voice of salvation that God speaks forth to man? Why, among mankind, has no one ever truly loved God? Why does man love God only in the midst of chastisement, yet no one loves God under His protection?” (“Mankind Does Not Know God’s Salvation” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). If not for what these circumstances revealed to me, I never would have truly understood the relationships between people, and I would still be controlled by family ties, love, and friendship, inextricably trapped in the pursuit of these things, deceived and made to suffer by them, happy in my ignorance; if not for the “disaster” that befell me, I would still be pursuing evil worldly trends, unable to see my own lowliness; if not for the chastisement and judgment , I never would have received the truth, never would have taken the correct path of life, and it was God’s salvation that allowed me to never taste the flavor of “life” again. When I understood all this, I decided that I would wholeheartedly believe in God and pursue the truth to repay God’s love for me. 
 In 2007, when I returned to my hometown to perform my duties, I learned that a brother who joined the faith with me, because he couldn’t see through the darkness and evil in society, surrendered to the temptations of the world, betrayed God, and left God’s family. His parents and the brothers and sisters repeatedly fellowshiped with him to convince him to stay, but he stubbornly turned his head and refused to look back, choosing instead to return to the world. Before long his entrapment in these worldly trends became deeper. He was a handsome man and had made quite a lot of money, so he started involving himself with many women. Eventually he was murdered, and we heard his organs were sold. His parents never saw his body. I felt sorry for him when I heard the story, but I also saw the tragic result of pursuing worldly trends, and even more so I saw how God used my parents’ urging to stop my return to the world, which made me experience God’s care and protection of me, and made me understand that having money in this world is a downhill path that ends in ruination of the self. God said, “Poor mankind—how could they know that the land upon which they were raised is the land of the devil, that the one who raised them is actually an enemy who hurts them. Yet man does not awaken at all; having sated his hunger and thirst, he prepares to repay the ‘kindness’ of his parents in bringing him up. That is how man is. Today, he still doesn’t know that the ‘king’ who raised him is his enemy. The earth is littered with the bones of the dead, the devil makes manic merry without cease, and carries on devouring the flesh of man in the ‘netherworld,’ sharing a grave with human skeletons and vainly attempting to consume the last remnants of the tattered body of man. Yet man is ever ignorant, and has never treated the devil as his enemy, but instead serves it with all his heart” (“Work and Entry (9)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Through God’s words I saw the truth, that this is how Satan corrupts mankind, I saw that its malicious essence will eventually swallow men, and that without God’s timely salvation, I too would have been swallowed by this evil worldly trend and been buried with it. Upon understanding this, I offered my sincerest thanks and praise to God! It was God’s mercy, grace, and protection that carried me to this day. 
 I have now performed my duties in God’s family for several years, and in God’s family I have experienced God’s love. No matter where I perform my duties, God is always there to take care of me. I get along with my brothers and sisters as if they were family, we don’t use each other, and there is no exchange of benefits. My brothers and sisters are so sincere that even if our corruption shows through to each other at times, through opening our hearts and communicating about our understanding of ourselves, there are no grudges or guardedness. We help each other and offer one another love, everyone is viewed equally, and no one is treated differently because they are poor or rich. I have health problems, so I often get sick, but my brothers and sisters are very considerate and take very good care of me, which made me experience that even without blood ties among my brothers and sisters, they can be even closer than relatives. I get along well with my brothers and sisters, and with God’s guidance, we all pursue the truth and strive to perform our duties. 
 My experiences throughout these years have also helped me gradually come to understand God’s will, as well as to see that the work God has done upon me is the work of salvation and love, the words expressed by God are the truth, but more so that they are the words which save our lives. These truths have become God’s best care and protection for me. If I departed from these words or did not view things from the basis these words provide, I would ruin myself. I was deeply corrupted by Satan and unable to directly grasp the meaning of God’s words, so God arranged many different circumstances, people, matters, and things, designed for my needs, to benefit and perfect me, to help me understand His words. Amid my hardships and trials, I unwittingly came to see that these words expressed by God are all truth, that they are things that mankind needs. Not only do they grant mankind life and allow him to live out the life of a normal man, they also point out the correct path in life, because God is the truth, the way, and the life. As the word of God says, “I do not need man to do anything but accept the reality of My words and the original meaning of My words. Though My words are simple, in substance they are complex, for you are too small, and have grown too numb. When I reveal My mysteries directly and make plain My will in the flesh, you take no notice; you listen to My voice, but do not understand the meaning. I am overcome with sadness. Although I am in the flesh, I am unable to do the work of the ministry of the flesh” (“The Ninth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). In God’s word I saw both the urgency and sadness in God’s heart. All the words God expresses are the truth, but mankind is too small in stature and too numb, and so pays no notice of God’s will, which fills God with melancholy. I want to comfort God and cooperate with Him, and even though there is much of the truth I don’t understand, through my continuing pursuit of the truth and fulfilling my duties, God will provide me enlightenment and illumination so that I may understand His words. There is still much corruption in me that must be purified, and I need to experience much more of God’s work as well as God’s judgment and chastisement and the accompanying hardships and refinements, but God’s demands of man are not high. He asks only that I accept the reality of His words. 
 In the past, when I had just started believing in God, I did not love and treasure these words of His, but the circumstances God arranged for me and years of refinement made me see these words of God as riches, but without those circumstances I never would have gained a true understanding of God’s words. I offer my praise and thanks to God! It was God who saved me, and it was the words of life from God that awakened me and rescued me from a life of being deceived under Satan’s influence. In God’s words, I came to know the true meaning of life, etc. I came to know that God has always cared for mankind, and has always watched over and protected mankind, understand that mankind cannot leave the supply, nourishment, watering, and support of God’s words, that only God is the truth, the way, and the life, and know that there is no salvation but through Him. God’s words carried me to today, and I want to make God’s words my motto, my marker on the path forward, and a guide for my conduct. Oh God! You saved me, Your words awakened me, keeping me from going astray. I want to follow You along this path all my life and never leave You, and no matter what trouble or difficulties my decision may bring me, in any situation, I wish to follow in Your footsteps to accompany You and comfort You, and I will follow You to the end of the road, always and forever!
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