Lessons From the Lord Jesus’ Appearance to Thomas the Apostle

By Li Bian, China

The Bible records, “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the middle, and said, Peace be to you. Then said he to Thomas, Reach here your finger, and behold my hands; and reach here your hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, My LORD and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:26–29).

These passages talk about the Lord Jesus’ appearing to His disciples after He was resurrected. But what made me confused was why the Lord Jesus only allowed Thomas to touch His hands with nail marks and even the wound in His side among His many disciples. I believed there must be a mystery here for God does not get involved with matters that do not have meaning. Thereupon, I began to consult the Bible, and saw that when Thomas heard the news that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, he did not believe it at all, and said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). When Thomas said this, the Lord was not near. However, the Lord is omnipotent and scrutinizes all, and He knew what Thomas said, so He fulfilled his requirements and eliminated his doubts toward Him. Later, I inadvertently read a passage on a gospel website, which gave me a deeper understanding about the Lord’s appearing to Thomas and allowing him to touch His hands and rib.

Human Rights Day: Chinese Christians Abroad Express Support for Persecuted Mainland Groups

Seventy years ago as the gunpowder smoke from the Second World War was just dissipating, from the tragic cost exacted by the war people began to reflect and realize the importance of upholding basic rights for humanity. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, establishing that everyone is equal in dignity and human rights. In spite of the fact that China signed this U.N. declaration, in practice, the Chinese Communist Party has never implemented a single article, all the while proclaiming China’s human rights and freedom of religion as well as doing its utmost to cover up the truth of its persecution of religious beliefs and violations of human rights in order to deceive the people of the world. On December 10, 2018 at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights across Italy, Christians from The Church of Almighty God, which has been most seriously persecuted by the CCP, expressed their support for all persecuted groups in mainland China.

The Sermon on the Mount, the Parables of the Lord Jesus, and the Commandments

1. The Sermon on the Mount

1) The Beatitudes (Mat 5:3-12)

2) Salt and Light (Mat 5:13-16)

3) Law (Mat 5:17-20)

4) Anger (Mat 5:21-26)

5) Adultery (Mat 5:27-30)

6) Divorce (Mat 5:31-32)

7) Vows (Mat 5:33-37)

8) Eye for Eye (Mat 5:38-42)

9) Love Your Enemies (Mat 5:43-48)

10) Instruction About Giving (Mat 6:1-4)

11) Prayer (Mat 6:5-8)

1. The Parables of the Lord Jesus

1) The Parable of the Sower (Mat 13:1-9)

2) The Parable of the Tares (Mat 13:24-30)

3) The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mat 13:31-32)

4) The Parable of the Leaven (Mat 13:33)

5) The Parable of the Tares Explained (Mat 13:36-43)

6) The Parable of the Treasure (Mat 13:44)

7) The Parable of the Pearl (Mat 13:45-46)

8) The Parable of the Net (Mat 13:47-50)

1. The Commandments

(Mat 22:37-39) Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Let’s first look at each part of “The Sermon on the Mount.” What are all of these related to? It can be said with certainty that these are all more elevated, more concrete, and closer to people’s lives than the regulations of the Age of Law. To speak in modern terms, it’s more relevant to people’s actual practice.

Understanding the grace of God: The Great Fear and Greater Grace Found When My Children Became Ill

By Dan Chun, Malaysia

I stood at the door of the hospital, for a long moment not daring to go in. Scenes of the past came into my mind: It was at this hospital that my parents and husband entered and never came out! I hesitated for a long time at the hospital entrance, and I was very scared. I didn’t have the courage to walk in. In case my son … I dared not think about it anymore …

Happily Welcoming the Lord’s Return

I am a single mother, and a Christian. In June of 2017, a sister told me about God’s gospel of kingdom. Through reading God’s words, I learned about the root of mankind’s corruption by Satan and God’s six-thousand-year management plan to save mankind, and I also learned that only by accepting God’s work of judgment in the last days can we escape our corrupt satanic dispositions and gain a perfect destination, so I gladly accepted God’s work of the last days. Afterward, I yearned for God’s word, and in my daily life and at work, whenever I had faced a problem I didn’t know how to resolve, I prayed to God and found a path to practice in God’s word, which allowed me to realize that God’s word is the lamp to my feet, and the light to my path. But just when I had developed a degree of faith in God, Satan’s temptation came to me …

Put Aside Vanity, and We’ll Be Released and Free in Fellowshiping in Gatherings

By Arong, Hong Kong

In the past, I often actively fellowshiped about my experience and knowledge of God’s words at meetings. But my emotions often swung because of my brothers’ and sisters’ different reactions. Whenever I saw them attentively listening to my fellowshiping and frequently nodding their approval, I would feel elated, whereas when I saw they didn’t respond to my fellowshiping, my heart would sink. However, I didn’t notice these revelations until one meeting.

A Sister’s Words Causing Me to Sink Into Passivity

At a meeting, both a sister and I were just about to fellowship. Just then, the sister beside me touched me on my hand and said to me, “Let’s speak less and listen more. They fellowshiped wonderfully. We can receive the light more.” At that time, I didn’t mind her words and thought that it was right to receive more new light from others’ fellowship. However, after I got back home, her words kept echoing in my mind. I thought the reason why she said so was certainly because my fellowship was deficient and thus she didn’t like to listen to me. Thinking of that, I immediately became very depressed in my spirit.

During the following meetings, whenever I wanted to start my fellowship, I would remember her words, and then I would wimp out with the thought that “I don’t know whether there is light in my understanding. If not, how will my sisters see me?” Especially when I saw my sisters were responsive to the fellowship of a sister, who has not believed in God for as long as I have, my spirit became more depressed. I thought, “My fellowshiping never won such approval. It must be that I didn’t fellowship as wonderfully as she. Forget it, I had best not speak, otherwise they will see that. It’s better to go home and equip myself with the truth. I should only fellowship when I have received much illumination at home.”

Afterward, as long as I was free I would read God’s words. Yet for some unknown reason, I simply could not quiet myself and I even felt increasingly muddle-headed when I read. Every time when I was on my way to attend meetings, I would tell myself in my heart, “This time I must start communicating, no matter what. Otherwise, how will my sisters see me?” But after I arrived at the meeting place, I would get very nervous. My whole mind would be occupied with thoughts of what I was supposed to say when it was my turn to fellowship. When I thought about that, I couldn’t receive any enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. So even if I read God’s words I didn’t understand anything. Once, a sister suddenly said to me, “Arong, we haven’t heard you fellowship of late. Please fellowship what you know. Let’s learn from each other.” Hearing that, I felt so embarrassed that my face was burning and my mind was blank. As a result, I was unable to say anything. So, I hurriedly found an excuse and left.

On my way home, I felt very upset and ill at ease. I thought, “Recently, my state has become increasingly worse. And I couldn’t receive the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit during the meetings. This time, I was even unable to communicate the truth. If this continues, what will my sisters think of me?” The more I thought of that, the more afraid I became, to the point that I was afraid to attend the following meetings.

So, after arriving home, I hurriedly came before God and prayed to Him, “O God! I don’t know what’s happening to me. When I read Your word, I was unable to absorb any of it. And I was unable to communicate any truths in today’s meeting. Now, I’m even afraid of attending meetings. O God! Please inspire and guide me, to have me understand Your will, and to know where I went wrong. May You help me. Amen!”

God’s Protection: A Son’s Miraculous Recovery After Being “Sentenced to Death”

By Xiaotu, China

It was early morning, just after a rain, and thin mist shrouded the village at the foot of the mountain. The village was only sometimes visible through the fog, like a fairyland on earth. In a warm, ordinary-looking farmhouse, Molian brought a muddy hoe to the gate, and urged her daughter-in-law inside the house, “Xiaoqing, hurry up, if we plant just after the spring rain, the seedlings are sure to grow up strong!”

“Coming!”

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked across the brown soil into the fields …

A creaking bicycle raced toward them and suddenly stopped in front of them. “Are you relatives of Zhihui?” anxiously gasped a flat-headed young man as he brushed sweat from his forehead. Molian nodded lightly, but before she could answer, he said frantically, “Hurry! Your son was hurt, and he’s lying in the hospital!” Molian immediately felt nervous: Lying in the hospital? Was the injury serious? Before they could think further, Molian and her daughter-in-law quickly found a taxi and rushed to the town hospital.

The Key Points of the Samaritan Woman Recognizing the Lord Jesus Was the Messiah

By Zhang Yiping

Presumably many of us believers are familiar with the story of the Samaritan woman recorded in the Bible. When she drew water, she met the Lord Jesus, who asked her for a drink. From her exchange with the Lord Jesus, she recognized that He was the Messiah foretold in the prophecies.

She was just an ordinary woman and didn’t have much Bible knowledge, but she was able to do so. This is really amazing. All of us know that, within those three and a half years that the Lord Jesus worked on earth, many people once contacted Him for a short time, and moreover, there were many who heard Him speak. However, there were too few who were able to recognize that He was the Messiah. Then, how did the Samaritan woman do it? Was it because of the Lord Jesus’ special grace? Or was there any secret behind it? Let’s read her story to look for answers to these questions together.