True Meaning of Faith in God
I
So many people believe, but so few understand what faith in God really means, what they need to do to beat with God's heart. So many know the word "God," know phrases like the "work of God," but they don't know Him, nor what He really does. No wonder their faith is blind. They're not serious about this because it's unfamiliar and strange. So they are far short of God's demands. If you don't know God and His work, can you be fit for His use? Can you fulfill the desire of God? Believing that God exists is not enough. That's too simple, it's too religious. It's not the same as real belief in Him. True faith in God means you experience His works and His words on the faith that He's sovereign over everything. Then you can free yourself from corrupt disposition and fulfill God's desires in your life and come to know Him. That's the way to true belief in God. That's the way to true belief in Him.
God Is the Beginning and the End
God is the Beginning,
God is the Beginning,
God is the Beginning,
and the End,
and the End,
and the End.
God is the Sower,
God is the Sower,
God is the Sower,
and the Reaper (the Reaper) (the Reaper).
God is the Beginning and the End; God is the Sower and the Reaper.
God is the Beginning and the End; God is the Sower and the Reaper.
God is the Beginning and the End; God is the Sower and the Reaper.
God becomes flesh expressly for the purpose of ushering in a new age,
and, of course, when He ushers in a new age, He has concluded the former age at the same time.
God is the Beginning (God is the Beginning) and the End (and the End);
it is He Himself who carries out His work and so it must be He Himself who concludes the former age.
That is the proof that He defeats Satan (defeats Satan) and conquers the world,
the proof that He conquers the world. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Each time He Himself works among man, it is the beginning of a new battle.
Without the beginning of new work, there would naturally be no conclusion of the old.
And no conclusion of the old is proof that the battle with Satan,
the battle with Satan has yet to come to a close. (Ha!)
Only if God Himself comes among man and carries out new work
can man fully break free of the domain of Satan, the domain of Satan,
and gain a new life, a new life and new beginning.
Otherwise, man shall forever live in the old age
and forever live under the old influence of Satan,
under the old influence of Satan. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
With every age led by God, a part of man is set free,
and thus man advances along with the work of God toward the new age.
The victory of God is a victory for all those who follow Him.
The victory of God is a victory, a victory for all those who follow Him.
With every age led by God, a part of man is set free,
and thus man advances along with the work of God toward the new age.
The victory of God is a victory for all those who follow Him.
The victory of God is a victory for all those who follow Him.
God is the Beginning and the End;
God is the Sower and the Reaper.
from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Cheng Huize is a co-worker at a house church in China. She has believed in the Lord for many years, and has worked for the Lord with unwavering enthusiasm. She takes on a lot of responsibilities for the church, and she has compassion for her brothers and sisters. As her church grew more and more desolate with each passing day, the wickedness in her church were more and more frequent. The pastor energetically proposed that the church should start a factory, and led the followers down the path to wealth, and also enticed them to join the Three-Self Church so they could rely on help from the Chinese Communist government. This caused a fierce debate to unfold. The pastor stubbornly acted in his own individual interests and did not hesitate to divide the church, leading the believers down the wrong path. Cheng Huize and a few others held fast to the way of the Lord, and fiercely opposed the church becoming a factory and joining the Three-Self Church. Although the elders at the church expressed that they were opposed to this, they only did so to protect their own status and livelihood. Even though the pastor and elders were all harboring secrets in their hearts, locked in constant strife for their own fame and profit, fighting out of envy, when they saw that most of the good sheep and leading sheep in the church had investigated the Eastern Lightning and turned to Almighty God one by one, they joined together with the Chinese Communist government and fought to repress the Eastern Lightning, blocking the believers from coming to study the Eastern Lightning, urging the followers to report them to the police. They set an example by reporting and arresting the brothers and sisters preaching the kingdom gospel. Cheng Huize and others saw that the pastor and the elders had deviated from the Lord's way a long time ago, and the church had already lost the work of the Holy Spirit and had degenerated into a religious place like Babylon the Great, cursed and reviled by the Lord. Because of this, they decided to investigate the Eastern Lightning to search for the manifestation and work of God. After intense debates with the preachers from the Church of Almighty God, Cheng Huize and the others finally began to see clearly that the leaders of the religious world opposed God in substance, and the reason why the religious world declined, day by day drawing nearer to its destruction: The pastors and elders of the religious world, although they could explain the Bible and hold the Bible in high esteem, they only do so for status and livelihood. They are confusing and ensnaring people. They don't hold God in high regard or bear witness for Him, they don't understand God at all. In the last days, when the incarnate Almighty God appears and does His work, they oppose Him without the slightest scruple, they condemn God's work, even to the point where they unite with the Chinese Communist government to arrest believers. This is enough to prove that they possess a satanic nature that hates the truth and hates God. They are modern-day Pharisees, impersonating virtuous people, antichrists who deny that God becomes flesh. The religious world has already completely become a stronghold for antichrists who are enemies of God. They will absolutely meet with God's curses and punishments. Cheng Huize and others were eventually able to differentiate the antichrist essence of the leaders of the religious world, and guided the believers to break away from the confusion and control of the Pharisees, to escape without hesitation from Babylon, the city that will be overthrown …
Almighty God says, "I gave My glory to Israel and then took it away, and afterward I brought the Israelites to the East, and all of humanity to the East. I have brought them all to the light so that they may be reunited with it, and be in association with it, and no longer have to search for it. I shall let all who are searching see the light again and see the glory I had in Israel; I shall let them see that I have long ago come down upon a white cloud into the midst of mankind, let them see the countless clouds of white and fruits in their abundant clusters, and, what is more, let them see Jehovah God of Israel. I shall let them look upon the Master of the Jews, the longed-for Messiah, and the full appearance of Me who have been persecuted by kings throughout the ages. I shall work upon the entire universe and I shall perform great work, revealing all My glory and all My deeds to man in the last days. I shall show My glorious countenance in its fullness to those who have waited many years for Me, to those who have longed for Me to come upon a white cloud, to Israel that has longed for Me to appear once again, and to all mankind who persecute Me, so that all will know that I have long ago taken away My glory and brought it to the East, so that it is no longer in Judea. For the last days have already come!"
"Throughout the universe I am doing My work, and in the East, thunderous crashes issue forth endlessly, shaking all denominations and sects. It is My voice that has led all men into the present. I shall cause all men to be conquered by My voice, to fall into this stream, and submit before Me, for I have long since reclaimed My glory from all the earth and issued it forth anew in the East. Who does not long to see My glory? Who does not anxiously await My return? Who does not thirst for My reappearance? Who does not pine for My loveliness? Who would not come to the light? Who would not look upon the richness of Canaan? Who does not long for the return of the Redeemer? Who does not adore the Great Almighty? My voice shall spread throughout the earth; I wish, facing My chosen people, to speak more words to them. Like the mighty thunders that shake the mountains and rivers, I speak My words to the whole universe and to mankind. Hence the words in My mouth have become man’s treasure, and all men cherish My words. The lightning flashes from the East all the way to the West. My words are such that man is loath to give them up and at the same time finds them unfathomable, but rejoices in them all the more. Like a newborn infant, all men are glad and joyful, celebrating My coming. By means of My voice, I shall bring all men before Me. Thenceforth, I shall formally enter into the race of men so that they will come to worship Me. With the glory that I radiate and the words in My mouth, I shall make it such that all men come before Me and see that the lightning flashes from the East and that I have also descended unto the “Mount of Olives” of the East. They will see that I have already long been on earth, no longer as the Son of the Jews but as the Lightning of the East. For I have long since been resurrected, and have departed from mankind’s midst, and then reappeared with glory among men. I am He who was worshiped countless ages before now, and I am also the infant forsaken by the Israelites countless ages before now. Moreover, I am the all-glorious Almighty God of the present age! …" (from "The Word Appears in the Flesh")
Almighty God says, "Jesus represented the Spirit of God, and was the Spirit of God working directly. He did the work of the new age, the work that no one had done before. He opened up a new way, He represented Jehovah, and He represented God Himself. Whereas with Peter, Paul, and David, regardless of what they were called, they only represented the identity of a creature of God, or were sent by Jesus or Jehovah. So no matter how much work they did, no matter how great the miracles they performed, they were still just creatures of God, and incapable of representing the Spirit of God. They worked in the name of God or after being sent by God; furthermore, they worked in the ages begun by Jesus or Jehovah, and the work they did was not separate. They were, after all, merely creatures of God."
How many religious customs do you observe? How many times have you rebelled against the word of God and gone your own way? How many times have you put into practice the word of God because you are truly considerate of His burdens and seek to fulfill His desire? Understand the word of God and put it into action. Be principled in your actions and deeds; this is not abiding by rules or to do so grudgingly just for show. Rather, this is the practice of truth and living by the word of God. Only practice such as this satisfies God. Any custom that pleases God is not a rule but the practice of truth.
Some men have a penchant for drawing attention to themselves. In the presence of his brothers and sisters, he says he is indebted to God, but behind their backs, he does not practice the truth and does entirely otherwise. Is this not as those religious Pharisees? A man who truly loves God and has the truth is one who is loyal to God, but does not outwardly reveal so. He is willing to practice the truth when matters arise and does not speak or act in a manner going against his conscience. He demonstrates wisdom when matters arise and is principled in his deeds, no matter the circumstances. A man such as this is one who truly serves. There are some who often pay lip service to their indebtedness to God. They spend their days with brows locked in worry, put on an affected air, and feign a wretched countenance. How despicable! And if you were to ask him, “In what ways are you indebted to God? Please tell me!” he would be rendered speechless. If you are loyal to God, then speak not of it in public, but use your actual practice to show your love for God, and pray to Him with a true heart. Those who use only words to deal with God are all hypocrites! Some speak of indebtedness to God with each prayer, and begin to weep whenever they pray, even without the moving of the Holy Spirit. Men such as this are possessed by religious rituals and notions; they live by such rituals and notions, always believing that such actions please God, and that superficial godliness or sorrowful tears are that which God favors. What good can come of such absurd ones? In order to demonstrate their humility, some feign graciousness when speaking in the presence of others. Some are deliberately servile in the presence of others, like a lamb without any strength at all. Is this the manner of people of the kingdom? A person of the kingdom should be lively and free, innocent and open, honest and lovely; one who lives in a state of freedom. He has character and dignity, and can stand witness wherever he goes; he is one beloved by both God and man. Those who are novice in the faith have too many outward practices; they must first undergo a period of dealing and breaking. Those who have faith in God in their hearts are not outwardly distinguishable to others, but their actions and deeds are commendable to others. Only such men can be deemed to be living out the word of God. If you preach the gospel every day to this person and that, bringing them to salvation, yet in the end, you are still living in rules and doctrines, then you cannot bring glory to God. Such manner of men are religious people, and hypocrites too.
Whenever such religious people congregate, they ask, “Sister, how have you been these days?” She replies, “I feel indebted to God and that I am unable to fulfill His heart’s desire.” Another says, “I, too, am indebted to God and unable to satisfy Him.” These few sentences and words alone express the vile things deep within their hearts. Such words are the most loathsome and exceedingly repugnant. The nature of such men opposes God. Those who focus on reality communicate whatever is in their hearts and open their hearts in communication. There is not a single false exercise, no civilities or empty pleasantries. They are always straightforward and observe no earthly rules. There are those who have a penchant for outward display, even without any sense. When another sings, he begins to dance, not even realizing that the rice in his pot has already burned. Such manner of men are not godly or honorable, and are far too frivolous. These are all manifestations of the lack of reality! Some gather to commune about the matters of life in the spirit, and though they speak not of indebtedness to God, they retain a true love for Him within their hearts. Your indebtedness to God has nothing to do with others; you are indebted to God, not man. So what use is it for you to constantly speak of this to others? You must place importance on entering into reality, not outward zeal or display.
What do the superficial good deeds of man represent? They represent the flesh, and even the best of outward practices do not represent life, only your own individual temperament. The outward practices of man cannot fulfill the desire of God. You constantly speak of your indebtedness to God, yet you cannot supply the life of others or provoke others to love God. Do you believe that such actions will satisfy God? You believe that this is God’s heart’s desire, that this is of the spirit, but in truth this is absurd! You believe that what pleases you and what you wish is that which God delights in. Can what pleases you represent that of God? Can the character of man represent God? What pleases you is precisely that which God abhors, and your habits are that which God loathes and rejects. If you feel indebted, then go and pray before God. There is no need to speak of it to others. If you do not pray before God and instead constantly draw attention to yourself in the presence of others, can this fulfill the desire of God’s heart? If your actions are always in appearance only, this means that you are the most vain of men. What manner of man is he who only has superficial good deeds but is devoid of reality? Such men are hypocritical Pharisees and religious people! If you do not put off your outward practices and cannot make changes, then the elements of hypocrisy in you will grow even more. The greater the elements of hypocrisy, the more resistance there is to God, and in the end, such manner of men will surely be cast away!
Almighty God says, "Do you wish to see Jesus? Do you wish to live with Jesus? Do you wish to hear the words spoken by Jesus? If so, then how will you welcome the return of Jesus? ...In what manner will Jesus return? You believe that Jesus will return upon a white cloud, but I ask you: To what does this white cloud refer? With so many followers of Jesus awaiting His return, among which people shall He descend?...when you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. ...It will herald the end of God’s management plan, and will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth" (The Word Appears in the Flesh).
