Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | There Is a Way to Resolve Arrogance | Eastern Lightning

There Is a Way to Resolve Arrogance

Xiaochen    Zhengzhou City, Henan Province

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Arrogance is my fatal flaw. I used to frequently reveal my arrogant disposition, always thinking that I was better than other people. Especially when I amended articles or communicated about work with a partner, I was always opinionated and did not modestly listen to other opinions. My inability to cooperate harmoniously with my partners often caused problems for work. Brothers and sisters raised this issue with me many times, and I also regularly read about God exposing people’s arrogant nature. But since I still had not achieved true understanding of my own nature and essence and also could not truly hate it, whenever I encountered a suitable environment I would lose control. Afterward, I would also feel quite disgusted, but since what’s done has been done, all I could do was to keep trying to understand it. And so it happened again and again. This made me feel very embarrassed and helpless.

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | The Bitter Fruit of Arrogance | Eastern Lightning

The Bitter Fruit of Arrogance

Hu Qing    Suzhou City, Anhui Province

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When I saw God’s words saying: “Those of you who serve as leaders always want to have greater ingenuity, to be head and shoulders above the rest, to find new tricks so that God can see how great a leader you really are. … You always want to show off; isn’t this precisely the revelation of an arrogant nature?” (“Without the Truth It Is Easy to Offend God” in Records of Christ’s Talks), I thought to myself: Who has such nerve to try to find ingenious new tricks? Who doesn’t know that God’s disposition does not tolerate man’s offense? I certainly wouldn’t dare! I personally believed that I had a heart of reverence for God, and in my work I didn’t dare to try to find tricks. However, it was only in God’s revelation of the facts that I realized that trying to find new tricks wasn’t what someone dares or doesn’t dare to do—it is entirely determined by an arrogant nature.

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | Breaking Off the Shackles | Eastern Lightning

Breaking Off the Shackles

Zhenxi    Zhengzhou City, Henan Province

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Ten years ago, driven by my arrogant nature, I was never able to completely obey the church’s arrangements. I would obey if it suited me, but if it didn’t I would choose whether or not to obey. This resulted in seriously violating work arrangements during the fulfilling of my duty. I did my own thing and offended God’s disposition, and was subsequently sent home. After several years of self-reflection, I had more or less some knowledge of my own nature, but regarding the aspect of the truth that is God’s essence I still did not have much knowledge. Later, the church gave me another chance, but when I was in charge of gospel work, I began to have suspicions about God: I’m so corrupted and had also offended God’s disposition. Why would God use me? Is He taking advantage of me? Will I be eliminated after being taken advantage of? Ah! Since the church gave me a chance I am going to cherish it, even if I have to become a service-doer. From then on, I fulfilled my duty carrying such a mentality, but without seeking a higher goal—being made perfect by God.

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | It’s Not Easy to Truly Know Yourself | Eastern Lightning

 It’s Not Easy to Truly Know Yourself

Zhang Rui    Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

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I was a deceitful person. In God’s word we can see that deceitful people will not be saved by God; only honest people will receive His praise. So, I sought to be an honest person, to consciously practice speaking accurately, to be objective and practical, and to seek the truth from facts when reporting on issues. In my work, whether it was an error or an omission, I related it in detail to the leader. I also consciously dissected and exposed my own corruption. Every time I put this into practice, I felt that I had undergone some changes and I got a little taste of being an honest person.

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | Understanding God’s Will in the Midst of Difficulties | Eastern Lightning

Understanding God’s Will in the Midst of Difficulties

Xiao Rui    Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province

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When I was preaching the gospel I encountered sectarian leaders who bore false witness to resist and disrupt, and called the police. This led to those I was preaching to not daring to come into contact with us, and those who had just accepted the gospel being unable to be confident in God’s work. When I worked very hard but the results were poor, I thought: Evangelical work is so difficult to carry out. It would be so wonderful if God just showed some miracles and punished those who bear false witness as well as those who seriously resist God to show to those who have been deceived. Then wouldn’t the work of the gospel be carried out more quickly? It wouldn’t be so difficult for us to preach the gospel…. This is why this hope came up in my heart every time I encountered these types of difficulties. Later, I saw written accounts bearing witness to examples of punishment and during fellowship heard witness of some of God’s signs and wonders, and I felt very glad in my heart. I hoped even more that God would do some things in the areas that I worked in so that the predicament of our gospel work could be resolved more quickly. But no matter how I hoped, I still didn’t see God perform any miracles here or punish people. The sectarians were still fully resisting God, and difficulties in evangelical work were still great. I became negative about this: Why doesn’t God open up a way out for us? Could it be that our faith is inadequate?

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | There Is No Special Treatment in the Church | Eastern Lightning

There Is No Special Treatment in the Church

Liu Xin    Liaocheng City, Shandong Province

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After following God over these years, I felt I had endured some suffering and paid a certain price, so I gradually started living off my past gains and flaunting my seniority. I thought: I’ve left home for so many years and my family hasn’t heard from me in a long time. Under these circumstances, the church will surely look after me. Even if I don’t perform my work well they won’t send me home. At most they’ll just dismiss me and get me to do some other work. Due to such thinking, I did not have any burden at all in my work. I turned a blind eye to everything, and I even viewed gospel work as an encumbrance, always living in difficulties and excuses. Even though I felt my heart accused and my conscience blamed because I was owing God too much through my perfunctory behavior, and that I would be eliminated sooner or later, I still just drifted along with the mentality of hoping to luck out, dawdling away my days in the church.

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | The Essence of Personal Revenge | Eastern Lightning

The Essence of Personal Revenge

Zhou Li    Xintai City, Shandong Province

Some time ago, we needed to plot out districts within our area, and based on our principles for the selection of leaders, there was one brother who was a relatively suitable candidate. I prepared to promote him to district leader. One day when I was chatting with this brother, he mentioned that he felt I was overbearing in my work, too intense, and that in a gathering with me there wasn’t much enjoyment…. When I heard this, I felt that I had been belittled. I felt terrible; I immediately developed a certain opinion of this brother, and no longer planned to promote him to district leader.

When I returned to my host family, I was still stewing and I could not calm down. At that time, I thought of something from “Reckless Leaders Who Do Not Carry Out Their Proper Work Must Be Dismissed” in the man’s fellowship: “How leaders treat brothers and sisters who they find disagreeable, who oppose them, who hold completely different views than them—this is a very serious issue and should be handled with caution. If they do not enter into the truth, they will certainly discriminate and strike against this person when met with this kind of issue. This type of action is precisely revealing the nature of the great red dragon resisting and betraying God. If the leader is someone who pursues the truth, who possesses a conscience, and sense, they will seek the truth and handle it correctly. … As people, we need to be just and fair. As leaders, we must handle things according to God’s words in order to stand witness. If we do things according to our own will, giving free rein to our own corrupt disposition, then that will be a terrible failure.” I couldn’t help but compare my two entirely different attitudes from before and after my chat with that brother. I was originally prepared to promote him to district leader, but he said some things that caused me to lose face when I spoke with him, so I immediately changed my opinion of him and no longer planned to make that promotion. Wasn’t this exploiting my power to take personal revenge? What’s the difference between this and the great red dragon discriminating and striking against those who dissent? Isn’t this type of action despicable? The church is not the same as society. The church needs every level of its leaders to be people with humanity, who love the truth, and can accept the truth. It does not need people who are sycophants, who do not recognize the truth. But what I was doing was entirely contrary to God’s will. When selecting a candidate I only thought of my own interest and as soon as the other person didn’t support me, when he said something disagreeable to me, I discriminated against and resented him. Wasn’t my acting like this precisely revealing the nature of the great red dragon resisting and betraying God? Wasn’t it precisely an exposure of the disposition of Satan, “Those who submit will prosper; those who resist shall perish”? Wasn’t behaving this way being a servant of Satan, disrupting God’s work and being His enemy? Isn’t my heart so wicked? The church was about to select someone for a position, and that brother was a suitable candidate for district leader. His assessment of me was disagreeable to me; I should have sought out the truth on this matter and accepted his opinion. I should have examined myself and known myself, and made up for the deficiencies in my work. However, not only did I not look for the reason within myself, but I gave free rein to the nature of Satan in me to discriminate against him and take revenge on him. I am so arrogant, so lacking in humanity! This disposition of mine is so disgusting to God! If I had continued giving free rein to this type of corrupt nature, I would eventually have gone to my ruin as an arrogant servant of evil who is blind to God. I truly was in peril. At that time I couldn’t help but shudder at my thoughts and actions, seeing myself full of the poison of the great red dragon, that what was exposed was all enmity against God. God truly hates this, and is disgusted by it.

Oh God, thank You for Your quick enlightenment, for preventing my discriminatory behavior, for allowing me to better see my own evil nature and my face of Satan acting as Your enemy. From this day forward, I am willing to pursue a change in disposition, and when I encounter people or things that are disagreeable to me, I will learn to put myself aside, to forsake the flesh, and in all things safeguard the interests of the church, to do my utmost to fulfill my duties.

Recommended ：Second Coming，the last days，Lord Jesus

Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment | A Haughty Spirit Before a Fall | Eastern Lightning

A Haughty Spirit Before a Fall

Baixue    Shenyang City

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Because of a work requirement, I was transferred to another work area. At that time, I was very grateful to God. I felt that I was lacking so much, yet through God’s divine promotion, I was given the opportunity to fulfill my duty in such a wonderful work area. I made a vow to God in my heart: I would do my very best to repay God.