On the night of July 21, 2012, we had a huge flood here, which seldom happens. I would like to tell everyone who thirsts for God what I actually experienced and saw then.
The Church of Almighty God,Eastern Lightning,Church
I was once a believer of the “Praise Church.” At the end of 1998, our leader warned us again and again in a meeting, “Now some people are preaching that the Lord has returned in the flesh. You must never believe it. It’s precisely a false way! It’s a false Christ, a deceiver! Because the Lord will come on the white cloud, and we all can see Him. Just as Revelation 1:7 says, ‘Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him….’” Hearing this, I thought, “Leader Liu has believed in the Lord for a long time and knows much about the Bible. It must be right to listen to him.” Since then, I strictly observed the leader’s words. I shut the door on the brothers and sisters time after time who came to preach Almighty God to me. Leader Liu showed more “care” for me than before and often came to my home to “water” me. So I assured him, “Brother Liu, you can rest assured! I only listen to you and follow you to the end. I will never believe in the false way! …”
I Woke Up Under Almighty God’s Discipline and Was Convinced by His Word
Li Qiang
Zhumadian City, Henan Province
Picture of the Church of Almighty God
I used to be a leader of the preaching group of the “Praise Church.” As I was good at preaching and singing, was equipped with a great deal of biblical knowledge, and had the gift of “healing the sick and driving out demons,” the brothers and sisters looked up to me very much. In February of 1997, at a co-workers’ meeting, the pastor told us, “Now, there has arisen a sect called the ‘Eastern Lightning.’ They claim that God has done a new work, believers needn’t read the Bible anymore, and the Lord Jesus’ name has changed to Almighty God. They are deluding the Lord’s lambs everywhere. If you join them, you cannot possibly get out. You must be on your guard and keep a good watch on the churches! … ” Hearing that, I made a judgment rashly: They, as believers in the Lord, don’t read the Bible and dare to change the Lord Jesus’ name. It’s definitely a heresy, a cult. After I came back, I immediately called the important co-workers of the churches together and had a three-day meeting. I injected into them all that the pastor said and fabricated rumors to seal off the churches, “The ‘Eastern Lightning’ is a cult joined with a mafia. If you want to withdraw from it after joining it, they will gouge your eyes, cut off your ears, or even kill your whole family…” Because of my frenzied resistance, God’s work was seriously hindered in our area.
Man walked through the ages with God, yet man knows not that God rules the fate of all things and living beings or how God orchestrates and directs all things. This is something that has eluded man since time immemorial to the present day. As for the reason why, it is not because the ways of God are too elusive, or because the plan of God has yet to be realized, but because the heart and spirit of man are too distant from God. Therefore, even as man follows God, he unknowingly remains in the service of Satan.
I
I wanted to cry, but no place felt right.
I wanted to sing, but no song was found.
I wanted to express the love of a created being.
Searching high and low, but no words could say, could say just how I feel.
Practical and true God, the love inside my heart.
I lift my hands in praise, I rejoice that You came into this world.
II
Man came from dust, and God gave him life.
Satan came down to corrupt mankind.
Lost are their humanity and reason.
Generation after generation, fallen since that day.
But You are … the practical and true God, the love inside my heart.
I am dust but I can see Your face. How can I not worship?
The practical and true God, the love inside my heart.
I am dust but I can see Your face. How can I not worship You?
III
God created man and loves him so, that He became flesh again,
bore good and bad, adversity and sorrow,
saving us and bringing us to a beautiful place.
We will always thank You.
The practical and true God, the love inside my heart.
Corrupt, but You have saved me! How can I not worship?
The practical and true God, the love inside my heart.
Corrupt, but You have saved me! How can I not worship You?
How can I not worship You? How can I not worship You?
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.
In 1999, I was fortunate to accept Almighty God’s end-time work. Through reading God’s word, I felt God’s holy, honorable, and righteous disposition, and knew that all these words are the expression of God’s life being. I had inexpressible moving in my heart. For the first time I felt the security and joy in the bottom of my heart brought by the working of the Holy Spirit. Since then, I desired more and more to gain these truths. After entering the Church of Almighty God, I saw that it was a new world completely different from the society. The brothers and sisters were all simple, kind-hearted, pure, and lively. Though we were from different places and had different social backgrounds and statuses, we were as dear as a family and loved and sustained each other, happily staying together. That made me truly feel that the life of worshiping God was so happy, joyful, wonderful, and sweet. Later, I read these words of God, “As a member of mankind and as one of the godly Christians, we all have the responsibility and obligation to offer up our body and heart for the accomplishment of God’s commission, because our whole being comes from God and exists because of God’s sovereignty. If our body and heart are not for God’s commission and not for the just cause of mankind, then our soul will be ashamed to face those who were martyred for God’s commission and will be even more ashamed to face God who provides us with everything.” (from “God Is Sovereign over the Destiny of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) From God’s words, I understood that as a created being, I should live for the Creator and consecrate and spend my whole being for God, and only this is the most worthy and meaningful life. Thus, when I heard that in the remote areas there were still many people who hadn’t heard Almighty God’s end-time gospel, I resolutely said goodbye to the brothers and sisters in my hometown and took the train going afar.
Rumors Nearly Made Me Become Satan’s Sacrificial Object
Picture of the Church of Almighty God
Su Xing
Zhumadian City, Henan Province
In 1986, I turned to the Lord Jesus and became a believer in the “PraiseChurch.” But later, because of my adoration for my leader and blind belief in her rumors, I rejected Almighty God’s salvation of the last days and nearly became Satan’s sacrificial object. I’m less than an ant, but God uplifted me and brought me to His throne. Whenever I think of this, I shed tears uncontrollably, feeling that I owe God too much…
One night in 1997, my leader told me, “Now a group of people are preaching the ‘Eastern Lightning.’ They say the Lord has done a new work, a purifying work. It’s absolutely impossible! Because the Lord has cleansed our sins with His precious blood. They specially preach to believers in Jesus. If they convert one believer, they will be paid 500 yuan. If you don’t accept their way after listening to their message, they will disable you even if they do not kill you. Brother Ma, Sister Zhang, and several others in the eastern village didn’t accept their way after listening to their message. So on their way back, they caught them, and broke their legs, cut off their ears, and gouged their eyes…” After hearing this, I felt very frightened and prayed in my heart, “Lord, these people are too cruel. They dare to do anything for the sake of money. May You keep me from meeting them.” From then on, the leader repeated those words in every meeting. And she told us again and again not to receive any strangers…
God says, “You should know that without the existence of this flesh, all mankind would face an inevitable calamity and find it difficult to escape God’s more severe punishment of mankind in the last days. … without the existence of this flesh, then this day you would not be able to receive the truth and come before the throne of God. Rather, you would be punished by God because of your grievous sins” (The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Under a starry, quiet and peaceful night sky, a group of Christians earnestly awaiting the return of the Savior sing and dance to cheerful music. When they hear the joyful news “God has returned” and “God has uttered new words”, they are surprised and excited.
