01/06/2022
An Indonesian Christianâs Experience: How to Overcome Sinđ
The author of this article had always been looking for the way to receive cleansing, so she had listened to many sermons on the radio and read lots of books by famous preachers, but she still failed. Afterward, she heard the kingdom gospel of God and finally found the way to be cleansed and enter the heavenly kingdom.
I was born into a Christian family. In my childhood, I used to be a happy child and never missed Sunday School. After I grew up, I was busy with work to make a living, so I started to slowly grow distant from God in my heart and going to church became routine to me. Unexpectedly, in November 2010, my husband left me without saying a word. That left me with feelings of resentment and sadness, and I lost hope in life. To solve my inner pain, I started to focus on reading the Bible. I saw it said in the Bible, âCome to Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ⌠For My yoke is easy, and My burden is lightâ (Mat 11:28, 30). âIf we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnessâ (1Jn 1:9). These scriptures gave me great comfort, and had me reach a turning point in my belief in God. Since then, I often remorsefully confessed my sins to the Lord Jesus.
During the days of repentance, I prayed every morning and night, studied the Scriptures more diligently and persisted in seeking Godâs will in life. One day, I saw the Bible say, âFollow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lordâ (Heb 12:14). That meant if we were not cleansed, we would be unable to enter into the kingdom of heaven. As I read this verse I applied these words myself. Though my sins were forgiven by the Lord Jesus and I also tried hard to act based on the Lordâs words, I still often vented my anger on others. For example, in my store, sometimes when my customers complained that my goods were more expensive than othersâ or when they urged me to serve them quickly, I would get angry. In my home, when I found my mother messed up the bathroom again, I couldnât stop myself from losing my temper at her. Every time after that, I would feel full of regret, and I thought, âIâm a believer in the Lord, and I should live out the Lordâs words and have patience with others. But once something against my will happens to me, I always canât control my temper. Iâm committing sins in doing so. The Lord wonât be pleased with me.â Therefore, I often repented before the Lord, but I still failed to control my anger after then. Then, how could I, who was living in sin and wasnât cleansed at all, enter into the kingdom of God? I really desired to know how to not live in sin, because I was afraid of losing Godâs salvation and being cast down to hell for punishment when the Lord returned in the last days.
Who Can Tell Me How to Gain Purification
Afterward, when I asked my pastor how to get rid of sin, he told me to read the Bible more. But I didnât think it would be that simple. The pastors and elders had read the Bible more than I did, but they still committed many sins. For example, they took believers to hold weddings and birthday parties in exchange for money. That proved reading the Bible could not allow us to be changed. The pastor failed to solve my problem. Later, during a meeting, I heard another pastor say, âIn this world, there is no perfect man and itâs impossible to be purified. As long as we read the scriptures and pray more often, we will be lifted into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives.â I thought he was wrong. The Lord Jesus clearly requested us to seek purification, but the pastor should disregard this requirement of the Lord. Afterward, I thought that there was no new light in the pastorsâ sermons, and that they just talked about something according to the literal meaning of the Scriptures and couldnât resolve my problem. I felt I couldnât gain anything from their sermons. Therefore, I left the church.
After that, I read the Bible at home every day, and even fasted and prayed, asking God to lead me to find the path of gaining purity. Besides, I also listened to sermons on 4 or 5 radios and read many books by famous preachers from around the world. However, I discovered that what they preached was pretty much the same, and that their sermons either couldnât resolve my problem of committing sins and were of no benefit to my life. I felt disappointed about that.
Facebook Posts Brought Me Hope
Until one day in March of 2017, when I was browsing the pages of my friends, I found that a new friendâs posts were different from othersâ. These posts talked about the aspects of the truth regarding Godâs disposition and Godâs incarnation, and especially one of them talked about the reason behind the desolation in the religious world. It said, âNow is the late period of the last days. The Lord Jesus once prophesied, âAnd because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax coldâ (Mat 24:12). Nowadays, wrongdoings in the world of religion are becoming more and more common. Religious leaders donât abide by the Lordâs commandments, but only abide by human traditions. They only preach Bible knowledge to show off and testify to themselves. They donât testify to God or exalt God at all and they have wholly deviated from the Lordâs way, which is why they have been abandoned and eliminated by God. This is the main reason why the religious community has lost the work of the Holy Spirit.â I felt that was exactly how my church was. The pastors shed no new light in their preaching, and they didnât lead us to practice the Lordâs words in ordinary times, but instead took us to organize worldly activities. They even violated the words of the Lord Jesus, saying that we neednât seek to be cleansed. Their actions werenât in the least in line with the Lordâs will, and therefore the Holy Spirit abandoned them. I felt these words in this post were very good and clear.
Later, I found out that the content of most of these posts was from a book entitled âThe Word Appears in the Flesh.â I was a little curious, and I thought, âHow does the author of this book know so much about God? Whatâs more, these words are full of light.â In the following days, whenever I had time I would browse the new friendâs posts on his timeline, and I even had some posts printed so as to reread them later. And I wanted to learn more from this friend, so I decided to have a talk with him.
After I got in contact with him, I learned that his name was Qiao Moor and he was from The Church of Almighty God. I frankly said to him, âI like to read your posts very much. I have never before seen or heard such meaningful and clear words from others. Honestly speaking, I truly hope that there can be someone who fellowships the truth so well in my hometown. If so, we can fellowship together.â The brother replied happily, âThank God! We can frequently have meetings on the internet to fellowship Godâs words if youâd like. May God lead us.â Hearing this, I agreed willingly.
What âthe Salvation of the Last Daysâ Refers to
Afterward, I started to gather together with Brother Qiao on the internet to fellowship Godâs words. In the beginning, he fellowshiped with me on the manner of the Lordâs return, the meaning of Godâs incarnation, and other aspects of the truth. After several meetings, I noticed that he often referred to âthe salvation of the last days.â I couldnât help but wonder, âWhatâs the meaning of this? It sounds new and important.â So I asked, âBrother, I only know the salvation of the Lord Jesus, and I have never before heard about the salvation of the last days that you mentioned. Could you fellowship to me what it refers to?â
Brother Qiao said, âThatâs a great question, Ana. Actually, the salvation of the last days refers to Godâs salvation that appears in the last days. Just as the Bible says, âWho are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last timeâ (1Pe 1:5). This verse tells us that when the Lord returns in the last days, He will prepare a complete salvation. The salvation of the Lord Jesus you mentioned just now is different from the salvation of the last days. Letâs recall when the Lord Jesusâ salvation was granted to man. As is known to us, in the end of the Age of Law, mankind couldnât abide by the laws and was in danger of being condemned to death by the laws. In order to save man from being punished by those laws, God was incarnated for the first time, and began the work of redemption of the Age of Grace under the name of Jesus. He brought the way of repentance, healed the sick and cast out demons, and bestowed abundant grace for man to enjoy. As long as people accepted and obeyed the work of the Lord Jesus, confessed their sins and repented to the Lord, then they would receive Godâs salvation and no longer be condemned by the law. This is the salvation God prepared for man in the Age of Grace. Then what does the salvation of the last days refer to? First letâs read a couple of passages.
ââFor all that man may have been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it can only be considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with his transgressions. However, when man, who lives in a body of flesh, has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing his corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sinning and being forgiven. The majority of mankind sin in the day only to confess in the evening. This way, even though the sin offering is forever effective for man, it will not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed, for man still has a corrupt disposition.â âThe sins of man were forgiven, and this is because of the work of Godâs crucifixion, but man continued to live within his corrupt satanic disposition of old. This being so, man must be completely saved from his corrupt satanic disposition, so that his sinful nature may be completely extirpated, never to develop again, thus enabling the disposition of man to be transformed. This would require man to grasp the path of growth in life, to grasp the way of life, and to grasp the way to change his disposition. Furthermore, it would require man to act in accordance with this path, so that his disposition may gradually be changed and he may live under the shining of the light, so that all that he does may be in accord with the will of God, so that he may cast away his corrupt satanic disposition, and so that he may break free from Satanâs influence of darkness, thereby emerging fully from sin. Only then will man receive complete salvation.â
âFrom these two passages, we can know that although the redemption work of the Lord Jesus is done and our sins are forgiven, that doesnât mean Godâs work of salvation for mankind is over. Thatâs because our sinful nature hasnât been resolved and the satanic disposition is deeply rooted in us, such as arrogance, despicableness, crookedness, deceitfulness, evil and greed. Controlled by these corrupt dispositions, we often commit sins. For example, no matter what we do, we always want to have the final say, and when others say or do things that donât accord with our will, we will develop prejudices against them; we still often tell lies in life, and deceive and cheat others for some little gain; when seeing worldly people pursue wining, dining and gaming, we also want to seek physical pleasures; when we face hardships, we will blame and misunderstand God and even betray God. And so on. These facts show that we havenât extricated ourselves from the bo***ge and control of sin and havenât truly been cleansed. The Lord Jesus said, âWhoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays everâ (Jhn 8:34â35). God is holy and He will never allow any filthy and corrupt people to enter His kingdom. This is decided by Godâs righteous disposition. In the last days, according to our needs, God will express the truth and perform a stage of the work of judgment and purification, showing us the way of getting rid of our corruption and achieving purification. This exactly fulfills the prophecies of the Lord Jesus, âI have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to comeâ (Jhn 16:12â13). âFor the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of Godâ (1Pe 4:17). From these verses we can see that the salvation of the last days refers to Godâs work of the last days. Only by accepting Godâs work in the last days and having our corrupt dispositions cleansed can we receive Godâs complete salvation. From this we can see that the salvation of the last days is very important to us.â
I said, âBrother, what you fellowship is the true conditions of us believers and conforms with the facts. Although we believe in the Lord Jesus, we still often commit sins. Take me for example. After putting faith in the Lord, I still often get angry and lose my temper, and I canât free myself from this state even after repenting and confessing my sins to the Lord. The pastors also commit sins frequently. I have never figured out the reason before, and the pastors and elders either canât explain clearly. Now I understand. Although our sins are forgiven because of the Lord Jesusâ salvation, our sinful nature hasnât been forgiven, so we continue to commit sins. Only by accepting Godâs work in the last days can we break free of the bo***ge of sin and achieve Godâs complete salvation. The salvation of the last days is indeed very important to us.â
After I finished, Brother Qiao said happily, âThank God! That you can recognize things like this is all thanks to His guidance.â
We had wanted to continue our fellowship, but it was too late, so we arranged a time for us to gather again.
The Salvation of the Last Days Has Appeared
In the next meeting, Brother Qiao said with excitement, âGreat news! Godâs salvation of the last days has already appeared to us. The Lord Jesus has returned; He has expressed many truths and is performing the work of judgment and purification amongst men. Those words that I read to you are the words Almighty God expresses in the last days. As long as we accept Almighty Godâs work of the last days and accept the judgment and chastisement of Godâs words, we will have the opportunity to be cleansed and enter into the kingdom of heaven.â
Hearing that the Lord Jesus had returned, I felt surprised and curious, and I couldnât help but ask, âIf God has been incarnated on earth again, has anyone seen Him?â Then Brother Qiao fellowshiped this to me, âWeâve never seen God, but it is not important in gaining the true way. Most crucial is to have a heart that yearns for the truth. When we hear the news of the Lordâs return, we should seek and investigate it, and see whether or not this way has the truth and whether it is the expression of God. Just as the Bible says, âSo then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Godâ (Rom 10:17). We had never seen the Lord Jesus before we started believing in Him, so why did we believe in the Lord? Itâs because through hearing the word of the Lord Jesus, we understood His work and saw that the Lord Jesus is the truth, the way and the life, so we are willing to follow Him. The same goes for today. Nowadays, Almighty God has expressed millions of words, most of which are recorded in the book The Word Appears in the Flesh. Godâs disposition and what He has and is are all expressed in His words. Through reading the word of Almighty God, we feel as if we have seen the face of God and thus we recognize that these words are Godâs voice.â
Hearing his fellowship, I thought, âRight! I had never seen the Lordâs face, but I started to believe in Him when I knew His existence through reading the Bible. So if I want to confirm whether the Lord has arrived, I should read the book The Word Appears in the Flesh and see whether these words are Godâs words. This way, I can determine whether the Lord Jesus has truly come back.â Therefore, I asked the brother if he could give me a copy of the book The Word Appears in the Flesh, and he readily agreed to it.
I Finally Found the Way to Be Purified
In the following days, Sister Samantha attended our meetings. She fellowshiped with me about how God performed the work of judgment in the last days, and read me a passage of Almighty Godâs words, âChrist of the last days uses a variety of truths to teach man, to expose the substance of man, and to dissect the words and deeds of man. These words comprise various truths, such as manâs duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and the disposition of God, and so on. These words are all directed at the substance of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, the words that expose how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan, and an enemy force against God. In undertaking His work of judgment, God does not simply make clear the nature of man with a few words; He exposes, deals with, and prunes over the long term. All these different methods of exposure, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words, but with the truth of which man is utterly bereft. Only methods such as these can be called judgment; only through judgment of this kind can man be subdued and thoroughly convinced about God, and moreover gain true knowledge of God. What the work of judgment brings about is manâs understanding of the true face of God and the truth about his own rebelliousness. The work of judgment allows man to gain much understanding of the will of God, of the purpose of Godâs work, and of the mysteries that are incomprehensible to him. It also allows man to recognize and know his corrupt essence and the roots of his corruption, as well as to discover the ugliness of man. These effects are all brought about by the work of judgment, for the essence of this work is actually the work of opening up the truth, the way, and the life of God to all those who have faith in Him. This work is the work of judgment done by God.â
After reading Godâs words, Sister Samantha fellowshiped, âIn the last days, Almighty God mainly expresses the truth to purify and change our corrupt dispositions. Godâs words penetratingly expose our nature and essence, and thoroughly reveal the truth of our corruption by Satan and the source of our resistance to God. Through reading Godâs words, we see how deeply we have been corrupted by Satan: We are full of satanic dispositions, such as arrogance, selfishness, crookedness and deceitfulness, and we have long ago lost all human likeness. Once we see all these things, we begin to loath ourselves and feel disgusted with ourselves, thinking that we are not worthy of living before God, and we become willing to accept Godâs salvation. At the same time, God also shows us His will and the way in which we ought to practice, allowing us to know who He loves, who He loathes, who He perfects, who He eliminates, and how to pursue the truth to be after His will, etc. From this we see Godâs righteous and holy disposition and we desire even more to live out a human likeness to satisfy God. When we act based on Godâs words and understand more and more truth, our views on life and values start to change. We no longer rely on Satanâs thoughts and ideas to live, but rather live according to Godâs words, and we gradually have genuine obedience to and worship for God. This way, we will be truly purified. Nowadays, through experiencing the judgment and chastisement of Godâs words, many brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God have attained changes in their life dispositions to varying degrees. The articles and movies of the experience and testimony of them have been posted on the internet, so that people in every country and every place who love the truth can investigate and seek. Weâve truly seen that Godâs work of judgment in the last days can indeed cleanse and transform man. Godâs salvation work is so practical!â
After hearing Almighty Godâs words and the sisterâs fellowship, I felt that only God was able to expose our corrupt nature and point the way for us to be purified. These words were so clear. They were the voice of God. Almighty God was indeed the Lordâs return! I had never thought I would be able to welcome the second coming of the Lord, but now I truly heard Godâs voice. I felt as if I was face to face with God. I was too lucky, just like those disciples who followed the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace and could directly listen to the Lordâs voice. Thinking of this, I couldnât help but pray to God, âOh God! Thank You for allowing me to hear Your voice! Having the chance to welcome Your return is the happiest and most fortunate thing in my life.â
Not long after, I received the book that Brother Qiao sent to me. I started to read Almighty Godâs words with eagerness. I felt Godâs words were like the living water of life watering my parched heart. I was certain in my heart that Almighty God was indeed the Lord Jesus returned, and I happily accepted Godâs new work. Thank God for choosing me and showing me the way to achieve purification and salvation. My long-held wish has come true. I donât know what I can say to express my gratitude to God. From now on, I am willing to seek Godâs will in every circumstance, and practice the truth to repay Godâs love.
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