(1) How to get the Holy Spirit’s working?
I live in a remote mountainous area where few strangers come. Recently, thanks to the great love of God, over ten brothers and sisters who preached well from another church came to our village. They helped us do farm work during the day, and had meetings with us in the evening, which made us taste the Lord’s love. Later, they came a second time, and it was already 9 p.m. when they arrived. I shook hands with Brother Zheng and said in a moving voice, “When you came here last time, in addition to fellowshipping with us in meetings, you helped us do farm work. What you did helped us a lot and aroused our enthusiasm. But after you left, we were weak again, and brothers and sisters were again busy with their own farm work and went after the world. We really do not know what to do. You give up your comfortable city life and come to our mountain village. You really can bear hardships and have love, thank the Lord!” Brother Zheng said, “It’s because of the strength and love God gives us. We can’t live out love by ourselves. May God bless us so that we can love and support each other.” Then, we went to a host home, had dinner and then went to bed.
The next day, at the news that there came some strangers, many brothers and sisters came one after another. Finding that they were Brother Zheng and several others, the brothers and sisters were particularly pleased. A brother said gladly, “Brother, we are negative and have no enthusiasm again after you left last time. Every day I hope that you can come again to fellowship with us. Now, more than a month later, you really come again. Talk more to us this time, please.” Another brother said in a hurry, “I heard that you believed in the Lord later than us, but your faith and love are greater than ours. You buoyed our faith when you came last time. This time you’d better stay here for a few more days, and we’d like to get more.” Brother Zheng said smilingly, “Thank God, we also miss you. You have faith because of God’s blessing, and our faith is brought about by God’s work and leading. We also pray to God often for preparing for us so that we can come and meet you early, and make progress together.”
When brothers and sisters gathered together, I led them to sing some hymns. After the prayer, I began to preach. Because I had no enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, I could only talk about the scriptures literally, and couldn’t solve the practical difficulties of brothers and sisters. Then, I said to Brother Zheng, “Brother, I find you are quite vigorous, full of faith. You do have the working of the Holy Spirit. Could you tell us how to get the Holy Spirit’s working?” Brothers and sisters all cast envious eyes to Brother Zheng. He stood up and said in a touching tone, “I read such a passage from a book: ‘The Holy Spirit works by this principle: Through people’s cooperation, through them actively praying, searching and coming closer to God, results can be achieved and they can be enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. It is not the case that the Holy Spirit acts unilaterally, or that man acts unilaterally. Both are indispensable, and the more that people cooperate, and the more they pursue the attainment of the standards of God’s requirements, the greater the work of the Holy Spirit’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). If we want to get the Holy Spirit’s working, we need to pray to God more, be open with God more, speak our mind to God, and tell God our difficulties, because the Lord once promised us: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened the door to you’ (Matthew 7:7). Below is one of my experiences. One day, when we three or four brothers and sisters were having spiritual devotion together, we read such words of the Lord, ‘Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity’ (Matthew 7:21-23). At that time, we sought and fellowshipped about this chapter with each other, and talked about our own understanding. A sister shared her knowledge with us that ‘those who said to God, Lord, Lord’ not only referred to people of other denominations, but also to ourselves. At that time, we all felt the light was good, and then prayed, ‘Lord, we thank You. Through reading Your words, we see the light You give us. We’re willing to continue to pray to You. Please illuminate us. We indeed don’t do Your will in some things and do evil, because what You say is the truth. May You lead us!’ Later, we continued to ponder and reflect on ourselves. A brother said, ‘Our leader told us not to associate and fellowship with people of other denominations. This is against God’s will. The Scripture says that we should entertain travelers with love. God also requires us to pursue peace with all men and holiness. So, God won’t delight in our listening to the leader’s word instead of God’s word!’ Another sister said, ‘Yes, aren’t we looking up to man and believing in man?’ At that time, all of us felt it was very good to draw near to God in that way, and we also recognized the deviation in our previous practice. We all felt that this was the enlightenment and illumination from the Holy Spirit. Through reading God’s words and checking ourselves in that way, we had the way to practice in future. Brothers and sisters, our condition of several years ago was the same with yours. We were also weak and passive, and did not know the cause at that time. Later, by seeking and fellowshipping, we realized that it was because we did not listen to the word of God but always looked up to man and listened to man’s word. We thought the leaders who could talk much and the preachers who preached the gospel were the ones with a high stature and the ones used by God. But we never tried to distinguish whether they were the ones who did the will of the heavenly Father. We listened to whatever the leaders said and obeyed whatever they did in the church, and we simply treated their words as the words of God. We obeyed and looked up to the leaders so much, and that’s why we gradually lost the Holy Spirit’s working. After that, I read the words of the Lord, ‘Woe to you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets’ (Luke 6:26). By reading this word, I realized that I looked up to my leader, and brothers and sisters looked up to me. They complimented us leaders. Whatever happened, they all came to ask us, sought help from us, and opened their hearts to us, but never prayed to God or associated with God. Haven’t I brought brothers and sisters before me? Isn’t it a woe? Brothers and sisters did not rely on God or look up to God when they met with difficulties. Haven’t I offended the Lord? Haven’t I infuriated God greatly? After I realized that, I shared the light with other co-workers, and they all agreed with me. Then we made a prayer of repentance to the Lord together. Afterward, we told brothers and sisters in the church: We believers in God cannot look up to men but should follow God alone. When we practiced that way, we saw God’s deeds: Brothers’ and sisters’ faith was gradually aroused, and they also had love for each other. Hence, today when we believe in God, we should rely on and look up to God more, pray more, seek the truth in God’s word more, and act according to God’s requirement. No matter whether it is from the workers or from brothers and sisters, as long as what they fellowship about is God’s word and after God’s heart, we shall obey. If the leaders and workers talk about their own ideas that go against the Lord’s words, we shall not accept or obey. This is the only way of practice for us to get the Holy Spirit’s working.”
Then a sister said, “Yes, no wonder we are negative and weak. So it’s because we listen to the leaders but not God. We act on whatever our leader says, and never measure them against the words of the Lord to see whether their doings are after the Lord’s heart. We need to repent in this regard.” A brother suddenly rose to his feet and said angrily, “Brother Zheng, you are wrong. Our leader Brother Liu said that leaders are established by God, because Romans 13: 1 says: ‘Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.’ So I shall listen to our leader.” Brother Zheng said calmly, “What you read was said by man, not by God. I remember such a passage: ‘People who believe in God should obey God and worship Him. Do not exalt or look up to any person; do not put God first, the people you look up to second, and yourself third. No person should hold a place in your heart, and you should not consider people—particularly those you venerate—to be on a par with God or to be His equal. This is intolerable to God’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). Brothers and sisters, God is a jealous God, and He doesn’t live in a filthy temple. To worship a corrupt man is to exalt Satan and worship the idol. If we believe that way, we will not have a good outcome, and our believing in God will be in vain. We are all men corrupted by Satan, so we have nothing worthy of compliment, and even less do we deserve others’ worship. We believers in God should magnify God and be absolutely obedient to God. Only this is after God’s heart. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we need to repent.”
When hearing that, brothers and sisters said, “The consequence is so serious. So we are believing in men in the church, not God. We are worshiping Satan!” I sighed, “Ay, I don’t know it before you fellowship about it. Previously, I never realized this error but thought that listening to the leader was obeying God. We have committed a great sin and offended God. We cannot look up to man when believing in God. We must read and hear God’s word more!” A sister said with emotion, “Thank and praise God. God loves us so much. Through your fellowship, we know the way to repent! We also have hope!” An old sister said, “Brother Zheng, we understand too little. Fellowship more with us, please.” At that time, brothers and sisters moved their chairs closer to Brother Zheng. Brother Zheng said, “All the work today is done by the Holy Spirit. Do not think we are capable of fellowshipping. All is entirely enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit. God works on us, and He also works on you. Today He works in this church, and tomorrow He may work in that church. The working of the Holy Spirit moves. So we believers in God should be obedient to God’s guidance. Do not fix our eyes on man, for God will not lead us if we act like that.” Brothers and sisters all nodded, and said happily, “Yes, yes, thank God! All is done by God!” I was surprised and asked, “Why does the working of the Holy Spirit move?”
(2) How to seek God’s new work?
I curiously asked, “Why has God’s work moved?” Brother Zheng answered, “Brothers and sisters, let’s read the Bible, ‘And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have you not returned to Me, said Jehovah. And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city: one piece was rained on, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered to one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have you not returned to Me, said Jehovah’ (Amos 4: 6–8). Here is our understanding: ‘Cleanness of teeth’ means that there is nothing to eat or drink, and nothing to preach; ‘want of bread’ means that there is no supply of God’s present words and no guidance of new light, yet man still doesn’t pray or seek the direction of God’s work; that ‘I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest’ refers to the change in God’s work; that ‘I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city’ means that some churches have God’s work while some don’t. From these we see that God’s work will transfer.” I surprisedly said, “Brother, there is enlightenment in your understanding of the scriptures. Although we can recite these scriptures and they are even printed on our calendars, we don’t understand their meaning. Brother Zheng, brothers and sisters in our church are always passive and weak. So, God’s work has really moved? And He no longer worked in our church?” Other brothers and sisters echoed, “Yeah, has it really moved?” A young sister categorically said, “They indeed gave a clear and well-founded fellowship. God’s work has moved!”
Then Sister Wang, who came together with Brother Zheng, fellowshipped, “Do the words ‘I have withheld’ in the scripture ‘I have withheld the rain from you….’ mean that it is God who withholds the rain?” Brothers and sisters said in unison, “Yeah.” Sister Wang continued, “Well, that is God’s plan. Jehovah God issued the laws to make man know what sins are. But at the end of the Age of Law, people of Israel committed more and more sins, so much so that there were not enough sin offerings. Therefore, the Israelites offered blind or crippled animals. If that had continued, man would have been condemned by the laws and died under the laws. God knew that mankind needed an eternal sin offering, so the Lord Jesus was incarnated to end the Age of Law, bring the Age of Grace, and begin the work of redemption. Thus it can be seen that Jehovah God left the Temple because of the needs of mankind and the needs of the work. God’s work is always moving forward, and God will not remain in one age all the time, because God is always new and never old. Just as a passage of words says, ‘History is always moving forward, and the work of God is always moving forward. For His six-thousand-year management plan to reach its end, it must keep progressing in a forward direction. Each day He must do new work, each year He must do new work; He must launch new paths, launch new eras, begin new and greater work, and along with these, bring new names and new work. From moment to moment, the Spirit of God is doing new work, never clinging to old ways or rules. Nor has His work ever stopped, but is coming to pass with each passing moment’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s work is done by God Himself. His work advances from the old age to a new one for the purpose that people will be brought into a higher realm and will receive a greater salvation from Him. Today we should look up to and pray to God together to seek the new work of God and search for the footsteps of God. I believe that God will not abandon us.” I said, “Thank the Lord. Through your fellowship, I understand that the reason why God’s work has moved is that God’s management plan goes forward. Then how shall we seek the new work of God and the footsteps of God?” Sister Wang said, “Follow the Lamb wherever He goes. The word ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,’ which is mentioned several times in Revelation chapter 2 and 3, tells us that God will definitely utter words in the last days, that is, God will work and save us with His words. If we find the new words of God, we find the new work of God and catch up with the footsteps of God. There is such a passage of words, “Since we are searching for the footprints of God, it behooves us to search for God’s will, for the words of God, for His utterances—because wherever there are new words spoken by God, the voice of God is there, and wherever there are the footsteps of God, God’s deeds are there. Wherever there is the expression of God, there God appears, and wherever God appears, there the truth, the way, and the life exist” (The Word Appears in the Flesh). So, if we find the new words of God, we find God and find the truth, the way, and the life!”
I said excitedly, “Sister, through your fellowship, we understand that in the last days, God will still speak and will continue to save us. That’s great. We must pray for God’s salvation coming upon us.” Brother Zheng said, “Apart from prayer, we shall go out to seek more. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing.” At that time, Brother Sun, who looked up to leaders, suddenly said in anger, “No, we can’t go out to seek. Our leader Brother Liu says that only our way is the true way while the others are not, so we shouldn’t go out to seek. Brother Liu also tells me that if someone comes to our church to preach, we should drive him away, and if he doesn’t leave, we should knock him out.” I hastened to say, “No, we can’t treat preachers from other places like that, for the Bible says, ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Hebrews 13:2) If what they preach is the true way yet we don’t entertain them, then we reject God and we’ll be thrown by God into the bottomless pit. The consequence is unimaginable. But if what they preach is the true way and we entertain them, then we’ll be blessed by God, for they can bring us the supply of God’s life and then we’ll have a good destination. This is an important thing involving our outcome! So we shall treat it with a heart of reverence for God.” Everyone looked at Brother Sun, and someone whispered, “Brother Sun shouldn’t have said that.” Another said, “How could we, believers in God, say that word and do that thing?” Still someone said, “Don’t listen to him.” Brother Sun was a little embarrassed, and glanced his eye around the brothers and sisters with the hope that someone would speak for him, yet failed. So he lowered his head and stared at the Bible, speechless.
At that time, I said to Brother Zheng, “Brother, we really don’t know how to discern the true way from false ways. Could you tell us?” Brother Zheng said, “It’s right that we should keep alert and pray to guard against false ways. But we need a way and a principle of discernment, so that we won’t resist God. In fact, it is not difficult to discern the true way from false ways. I read such a passage of words in a book, ‘In distinguishing whether or not it is the true way, above all you must look at whether or not it has the work of the Holy Spirit, after which you must look at whether or not there is truth in this way. The truth is the life disposition of normal humanity, which is to say, that which was required of man when God created him in the beginning, namely, normal humanity in its entirety (including human sense, insight, wisdom, and the basic knowledge of being man). That is, you need to look at whether or not this way can lead people into a life of normal humanity, whether or not the truth that is spoken of is required according to the reality of normal humanity, whether or not this truth is practical and real, and whether or not it is most timely. If there is truth, then it is able to lead people into normal and real experiences; people, furthermore, become ever more normal, their human sense becomes ever more complete, their life in the flesh and the spiritual life become ever more orderly, and their emotions become ever more normal. This is the second principle. There is one other principle, which is whether or not people have an increasing knowledge of God, and whether or not experiencing such work and truth can inspire a love of God in them and bring them ever closer to God. In this it can be measured whether or not this way is the true way. Most fundamental is whether this way is realistic rather than supernatural, and whether or not it is able to provide for the life of man. If it conforms to these principles, the conclusion can be drawn that this way is the true way’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). If a way is the true way, it will have the work of the Holy Spirit so that people’s negative states can be reversed, and they will be willing to strive for progress and satisfy God’s will. With the work of the Holy Spirit, we’ll understand many truths. For example, we’ll understand the purpose of God’s work, how Satan corrupts man, and how God saves mankind, and will know what is looking up to God and what is looking up to man. If it is the true way, it will make our humanity more and more normal, make us have love for brothers and sisters and not reject people of other churches; it will cause us to truly know ourselves, seek a transformation of our disposition, and pursue to practice the truth according to God’s word. No matter what kind of tribulation we encounter, we won’t complain against God. We can get along with brothers and sisters without barriers and without distinction of position. All of our actions can benefit brothers and sisters….” I gladly said, “This way is really good. If we try to distinguish this way, we will have discernment and can reject the false ways and accept the true one. We will not be afraid of being deceived when we go out seeking!” A sister said in admiration, “Brother, your stature is really great, and you understand more than us. You pursue the truth, so God inspires you. God is truly righteous! We are too lazy and do not understand the words of God, but your fellowship shows the way to us.” One brother said, “Thank God, when you come to our church and fellowship with us this time, we understand more and our faith increases.” Brother Zheng said, “Thank God, it’s God’s blessing. It is not because we pursue well, but because of God’s grace and exaltation and even more because of the working of the Holy Spirit, that our meeting has achieved a good result. All the glory be to God!”
The atmosphere of the meeting was very active, and we were all immersed in the joy of the Holy Spirit’s working! At that time, some brothers and sisters proposed to sing hymns, so we took turns singing. They taught us a hymn “Pure and Unblemished Love,” which sounded good and was very touching. I said, “In the past when we sang hymns we were not moved. But we were moved and encouraged when singing hymns with you. Especially your hymn is really touching! Now we have energy, enjoyment, and faith after hearing your hymn.” Brothers and sisters echoed, “Right, right, these hymns are really touching! They make us appreciate the love of God and inspire us to love God.” One sister said, “I’m unwilling to go home. If only we would have such a meeting every day.” Later, they also taught us to dance. Brothers and sisters were quite pleased to learn, and every one of us was released and very happy.
Two days later, we had a gathering together, Sister Wang took out a book from her bag and said tenderly, “It so happens that I have the book with me. This is the utterance of Almighty God—the return of the Lord Jesus. God has already been incarnated the second time among us and done the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. Only by accepting Almighty God’s work of judgment and purification, can we get rid of corrupt dispositions, become sanctified, and be brought into the good destination by God.” All brothers and sisters were very surprised, “The Lord has returned to flesh to do the work of judgment and purification?” Brother Zheng said, “Yes, because the Lord Jesus just did the redemptive work and didn’t do the work of changing man’s corrupt dispositions, the root of man committing sins is still embedded within. And therefore, this requires God to do another stage of work—the work of judgment—to completely rid us of our corrupt dispositions, so that man can become sanctified, and be brought into the by Him. The knowledge and experiences we fellowshipped about with you these days are all from Almighty God’s word. Facts have proved that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus and Almighty God’s work is the last stage of work in God’s six-thousand-year management plan. That’s unquestionably true. Blessed are those who accept Almighty God’s end-time work, while all those who reject Almighty God’s work are detested by God!” Brother Zheng took the book from Sister Wang, and read a passage of Almighty God’s words, “The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit” (The Word Appears in the Flesh). Then he continued, “Brothers and sisters, God hopes we all can receive His salvation, enter His kingdom, and enjoy the He bestows upon us. We should be the ones who obey the work of the Holy Spirit, and thirst for and seek the truth; only in this way will we not miss God’s work in the last days or miss the once-in-life opportunity of being saved.” Brothers and sisters all nodded in agreement.
In the following days, we began to formally investigate Almighty God’s work in the last days. Through one-week fellowship about the truth, those among us who truly believe in God accepted God’s end-time gospel.