https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/

Wise virgins get together, Mushin Road, Lagos Harbour (2026)

08/07/2023

Why Did Jesus Christ, as God,
Do His Work in the Flesh Not in the Spirit?

By Luo Wei

Sister Zhangxun had been puzzling over something for a few days, and so she went to Sister Wang Zhen’s house to seek and fellowship. After the two of them greeted each other, Zhangxun said, “Sister Wang, a few days ago when I was giving a sermon, some brothers and sisters asked me about Jehovah coming in the Spirit to do His work of guiding the common people of Israel in the Age of Law, and about the Lord Jesus coming in the Age of Grace in the image of the Son of man to appear and do His work. They asked why the Lord Jesus didn’t come in the Spirit to do His work in the Age of Grace, but instead came to earth in the flesh to do His work of redeeming mankind, and couldn’t the Spirit have worked just the same? I don’t understand this aspect of the truth, so I was wondering if you could tell me how you understand it?”

Wang Zhen pondered this for a moment, and then said, “I’ll read you a passage that is specifically about this issue: ‘The work of the Spirit is shrouded in mystery; it is difficult for mortal beings to fathom, and even harder for them to see, and so they can only rely on hollow imaginings. The work of the flesh, however, is normal, and based on reality, and possessed of rich wisdom, and is a fact that can be beheld by the physical eye of man; man can personally experience the wisdom of the work of God, and has no need to employ his bountiful imagination. This is the accuracy and real value of the work of God in the flesh. The Spirit can only do things that are invisible to man and difficult for him to imagine, for example the enlightenment of the Spirit, the moving of the Spirit, and the guidance of the Spirit, but for man who has a mind, these do not provide any clear meaning. They only provide a moving, or a broad meaning, and cannot give an instruction with words. The work of God in the flesh, however, is greatly different: It involves the accurate guidance of words, it has clear will, and has clear required goals. And so man does not need to grope around, or employ his imagination, much less make guesses. This is the clarity of the work in the flesh, and its great difference from the work of the Spirit. The work of the Spirit is only suitable for a limited scope and cannot replace the work of the flesh. The work of the flesh gives man far more exact and necessary goals and far more real, valuable knowledge than the work of the Spirit.’”

Wang Zhen then gave fellowship, saying, “This passage explains very clearly the difference between God working in the Spirit and God working in the flesh. God’s Spirit is formless and people can neither see it nor feel it; if God appeared to mankind in the Spirit, then we would perceive Him to be shrouded in mystery and unreachable, our understanding of God would be filled with our own notions and imaginings, and we wouldn’t be able to achieve true knowledge of God. Just as the Bible says, ‘And all the people saw the thunder, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, Speak you with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die’ (Exodus 20:18-19). From this we can see that the Spirit of God speaks like thunder, and this makes people tremble in fright and makes Him difficult to get close to. If the Lord Jesus came in the Spirit to do His work and directly express the truth, then the Israelites of that time would most certainly have felt terrified and panic-stricken, and it would then have been very difficult for God’s work of redemption in Israel to achieve anything. And Jehovah said to Moses: ‘You can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live’ (Exodus 33:20). God is holy, and after mankind was corrupted by Satan, we were not able to see His face. If we were to look upon His face, God must then strike us down, and then the result of God’s work to save man would not be achieved. Only by God incarnating as an ordinary, normal man, could we come into contact with God. God incarnated and came amongst us, and according to our shortcomings and deficiencies, He truly expressed the truth to water and supply us, so that we would have a more accurate grasp of God’s will and requirements, and so that we would find the path of practice. As it is recorded in the Gospel of John, a promiscuous married woman was seized and brought before the Lord Jesus, yet the Lord forgave her sins, and enjoined her not to commit that transgression again. And in the Gospel of Matthew it is recorded that Peter asked the Lord Jesus this question: ‘Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said to him, I say not to you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven’ (Matthew 18:21-22). We can see from these examples that God becoming flesh to work was able to understand and forgive man’s weaknesses and give them the opportunity to repent. He gave people support and nurtured them at all times and in all places, and He gave them the path to practice so that they would have a clear direction in which to proceed, and so that He could better save them. Furthermore, God incarnate came into face-to-face contact with people, eating, abiding and living together with them. This made it easy for them to know God’s disposition, as well as His amiability and respectability from His every word and deed, to see with their own eyes God’s wondrousness and wisdom, to appreciate God’s almightiness and sovereignty, to close the gap between God and man, and to bring to an end the age of our faith in a vague God. These were all the practical results brought about by God becoming flesh.

“Another aspect is that God wanted to save mankind, and redeem us from the domain of Satan. Redemption must be done by means of the incarnation, for the Spirit of God could not suffer the pain of mankind in our stead, nor could the Spirit be crucified to absolve our sins. Therefore, God Himself became flesh and was nailed to the cross for mankind’s sake, thus redeeming us from the fetters of the laws and enabling our sins to be forgiven; we would thus no longer be condemned for not being able to keep the laws, and only by this act could Satan be utterly convinced. It can therefore be seen that God becoming flesh and coming to earth to do His work was so very crucial to us corrupt mankind.”

Zhangxun said thoughtfully, “Sister Wang, your fellowship is very enlightening. Were it not for the salvation of the incarnated Lord Jesus, then we would all have been taken captive by Satan for not being able to keep the laws, we would all have died under the laws, and would have had no chance to attain God’s salvation. Moreover, we wouldn’t have been able to truly know God and there would have been no way for us to eliminate the distance between us and God; God becoming flesh to do His work was indeed much more beneficial to saving mankind.”

Sister Wang Zhen nodded her head, and continued: “We in the last days are so deeply corrupted by Satan, and swindling, cheating, stealing and murder are widespread in all parts of the world. The majority of people who believe in God also follow the wicked trends of the world, focusing only on eating, drinking and being merry, and on making money, and there is no place for the Lord in their hearts. Furthermore, there is scheming and intrigues, and competing for positions between co-workers, and we live in inescapable sin. And so even more we need God’s incarnation to save us now! The prophecy that the Lord would return has now been basically fulfilled. The Lord Jesus said, ‘Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not’ (Luke 12:40). ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (See Revelation 2-3). The Lord’s words tell us that when He returns in the last days, He will again appear, work and utter His words with the identity of the Son of man, and if someone testifies that the Lord has become flesh to do His work, then we must be as the wise virgins and go forth to seek and investigate, listen closely to God’s voice, know God from His words and follow the Lamb’s footsteps, for only then will we have the opportunity to attain God’s salvation!”

Zhangxun nodded her head in agreement, and the two of them continued their fellowship …

05/07/2023

Amen 🙏 Job is a man God loves! He is a role model for each and every one of us!

05/07/2023

Meaning of Matthew 19:24 - Why Is It Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God?

When I got up early in the morning, I said a prayer, then opened up the Bible and read the following: “And, behold, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said to him, Why call you Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus to His disciples, Truly I say to you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:16–24). I had read these verses many times, but I didn’t know why it is hard for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom. What did the Lord mean when He told this parable to His disciples? A camel simply cannot go through the eye of a needle, so this parable implies that the rich young man was entirely unable to enter into the kingdom of God. So, what does the Lord want us to understand through this parable?
I read that the Lord Jesus said: “Whoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he has, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). These words shone a light on all before me. The Lord told us to forsake all, including status, fame, wealth, material enjoyment, and so on, all of which can prevent us from following God.
As I contemplated this, I understood why the Lord Jesus asked the rich man to sell all that he had and give to the poor. It turned out that the Lord looked within the rich man’s heart, and knew that he attached importance to wealth in his heart, viewing it as the most important thing. If the rich man could let go of money to follow God, it meant he had a place for God in his heart, was willing to follow God and walk the path of believing in God, and treated gaining the truth and life as what he should pursue above all in his life. However, the rich man went away sorrowful. This proved that in his opinion, it was all right if he didn’t walk the path of faith all his life, follow the Lord’s way, or even enter into the heavenly kingdom, but to be without money was absolutely impossible. He thought that having money meant having living capital, and that with money he would not have any worries about future consequences, so he put wealth before everything else. He believed: “Money isn’t everything, but without it, you can do nothing” and “Money is first.” Therefore, faced with the Lord’s requirement, the rich man chose wealth rather than following the Lord. The rich man’s giving up his life instead of money showed us that for him to enter the heavenly kingdom was indeed as difficult as a camel getting through the eye of a needle.
I then read where the Lord Jesus said: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–37). A passage of Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life also says: “What’s the most important thing that people (including unbelievers) should gain in life? Is it important to gain money? If you’ve earned lots of money, an illness befalls you, and you die of the illness, then what’s the use of money? What if you buy a nice villa or condominium? If you fall sick and die, who will live there? You may have a good husband (or a good wife) and good children, but if you meet your unfortunate death, what’s the point of having them? All of these are empty. Everything of the material world is empty. To be able to finally obtain God’s praise and a good destination in life—this is the most precious, valuable and important. Tell me, when those who are wealthy have a fatal illness, can they be comforted? (No.) Why do they have no comfort after having so much money? The main reason is because money can’t save their lives. ‘Will man really go to heaven or hell after death?’ This is what they will think about. When someone is dying, what will he ponder? Destination! As a man is in his twilight years, he’ll be able to realize that having a good destination is so important and it’s more precious than anything. Even if he suffers all his life, as long as he can have a good destination, he will smile at the moment of his death. On the contrary, when he is close to death, if he’s enjoyed all the blessings in the world but can’t have a good destination and will go down to hell, he will feel he has wasted his life and taken the wrong path because he fails to gain a good destination. Destination is the most important thing for man. Everything else is not important and is worldly thing.”
After reading the Lord’s words and this passage of fellowship, I came to have some knowledge of God’s will. People, who live in this world, often take fame and money as life and treasure, believing that acquiring them can enable them to live comfortably, leisurely and freely, and that with money life will not be in vain, so many people long for a great fortune. But when their lives are almost over, they come to realize that money cannot extend their lives and that exhausting their lives for wealth is really not worth it. So, God hopes that through the parable of the rich man, we can grasp the importance of seeking life, escape from the bonds of money, come before Him with one heart and mind to accept His salvation and guidance, and thus have a beautiful destination. God examined the innermost heart of the rich man, who attached importance to money and sought profits. The rich man only wanted to obtain greater interests from God, intending to pursue money while believing in God and hoping to enter the kingdom of heaven by doing so. That was why when God asked him to lay aside all he possessed and distribute them to the poor and then follow God and pursue life, he chose to leave God. The rich man valued property more than the truth, so though he knew clearly what the true way was, he was unwilling to pursue it. Therefore, the Lord Jesus said: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” These words were said about the essence of the rich man. Through this parable, the Lord Jesus wanted us humans to know this: If we cannot give up everything to pursue the truth, and seek to know God and be gained by God, then we will never be fit for God’s kingdom. Contrarily, if our intention in following God and serving God is to love God and satisfy God, and to gain the truth and live out a meaningful life, then we will be able to please the Lord and have the opportunity to enter into God’s kingdom. By means of this parable, God wants to let us set the motives for our following Him aright, have the faith to follow Him, and finally gain life.
The Lord Jesus said: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). From the text, we can see that the Lord asks us to serve Him with a single-minded heart, not to worry about our personal future, but to dedicate and expend ourselves in order to care for and satisfy His will. Actually, what the Lord has bestowed upon us is enough for us to enjoy. His intentions are that we can be content with food and clothes, and focus on seeking the truth, spreading the gospel, bearing witness to Him, and following His will. Take Peter, the disciple of the Lord Jesus, for example. During the time he followed the Lord, he focused on pursuing truth and practicing the Lord’s words. After he received the Lord’s commission, he shepherded and nourished the church with all his heart and soul. He never thought of his own future, but only sought to love God all his life, so the Lord Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to him. In the end, Peter was martyred for preaching the gospel and lived out a life of meaning.
From this parable, I came to realize that nowadays, many believers’ perspectives on belief in God are just the same as that of the rich young man. After believing in God and reading God’s words, they know that pursuing and gaining the truth is important and has to do with their destinations, yet they still fail to let go of money, fame and gain, and only wish to be wealthy in the world. To this end, they work desperately hard to make money, with the result that they aren’t able to say prayers, practice spiritual devotions or attend meetings in a normal way, and their hearts drift away from God. As a matter of fact, we only live once, and if we give up on the opportunity to believe in God and get the truth and life for the sake of money, or we pursue money while maintaining our faith in God, desiring both of them, our lives will only be forfeited.
The Lord Jesus said: “Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:25–26). God’s words carry authority and power, as well as His compassion and care for man, allowing us to know that as God created all things on earth and in heaven, He also controls and rules them, needless to say. God has arranged the basic necessities suitably for us, so we need only believe in Him and follow Him. Besides, these words brim with God’s painstaking care and thought, enabling us to understand that we are above any other created being in God’s heart and that He will take responsibility for our lives.
Thanks to the Lord’s guiding me, I came to understand these truths. I believe we now know in our hearts which is actually important: Life, or fame and fortune. The Bible says: “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Timothy 6:8). In our lives, we should not seek riches or a wealthy life, but instead we should be content with sufficient clothing and food. Apart from working normally, for the rest of our time, we should read God’s words more, spread His gospel more, work more in the ministry of the church, and seek to understand the truth. This is what we should enter into.

02/07/2023

✨Whether the words spoken by God be plain or profound in outward appearance, they are all truths indispensable to man as he enters into life; they are the fount of living waters that enables man to survive in both spirit and flesh. They provide what man needs to stay alive; the principles and creed for conducting his daily life; the path, goal, and direction through which he must pass in order to receive salvation; every truth that he should possess as a created being before God; and every truth about how man obeys and worships God. They are the guarantee that ensures man’s survival, they are man’s daily bread, and they are also the sturdy support that enables man to be strong and stand up. They are rich in the truth reality of normal humanity as it is lived out by created mankind, rich in the truth by which mankind breaks free from corruption and eludes Satan’s snares, rich in the tireless teaching, exhortation, encouragement, and solace that the Creator gives to created humanity. They are the beacon that guides and enlightens men to understand all that is positive, the guarantee which ensures that men will live out and come into possession of all that is righteous and good, the criterion by which all people, events, and objects are measured, and also the navigation marker that leads men toward salvation and the path of light.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. Prefac

01/07/2023

21:2–3, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven…. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
John 3:13 says, “And no man has ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” The Lord Jesus clearly told us that no one can ascend up to heaven except for the Son of man, for heaven is God’s dwelling place. So how can we mankind deserve to ascend up to heaven? And let’s give it some more thought. If we are really raised up into the air, well, there’s no food and no place to live there, how will we survive? Thus, it is clear that the view that God’s kingdom is in heaven is indeed our conceptions and imagination.
As we all know, when God first created man, He made them live on earth, and allowed them to obey, worship and honor Him on earth. And Satan corrupts mankind, also on earth. Moreover, after man sinned, God carries out His work of the salvation of man also on earth. For example: In the Age of Law, Jehovah God used Moses to proclaim His laws and commandments to guide man to live a normal life on earth. Thus mankind could know what kind of people God blesses and what kind of people God curses, and at the same time they could know what is righteous and what is sinful. However, during the later period of the Age of Law, since the human race had become more and more deeply corrupted by Satan, man all lived in sin. They were unable to abide by the laws and faced the danger of being convicted and cursed by these laws. That is why the Lord Jesus became flesh and came to earth to do the work of redemption in the Age of Grace. He served as a sin offering for man, exempting man from the conviction and the curse of the law, so we could be qualified to come before God and pray to Him, and enjoy His abundant grace and truth. The Lord Jesus taught us to be tolerant and patient and to confess our sins and repent, so that we can have the chance to gain God’s salvation and survive on earth. From this we can see that God first created man on earth and that His work in the Age of Law and the Age of Grace was also carried out on earth. Revelation 21:2-3 say, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven…. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation prophesied that the new Jerusalem shall come down out of heaven. So when the Lord Jesus comes back again, the kingdom of Christ will be realized among man. In other words, the kingdom of God will be established on earth and will last forever. Thus it can be seen that God does the work of the salvation of man on earth all along.
About mankind’s future destination that is on earth, God’s words say, “God will return to His original place, and each person will return to their respective place. These are the destinations in which God and humans will reside once God’s entire management is finished. God has God’s destination, and humanity has humanity’s destination. While resting, God will continue to guide all humans in their lives upon earth, and while in His light, they will worship the one true God in heaven. … When humans enter into rest, it means that they have become true objects of creation; they will worship God from upon the earth, and live normal human lives. People will no longer be disobedient to God or resist Him, and will return to the original life of Adam and Eve. These will be the respective lives and destinations of God and humans after they enter into rest. Satan’s defeat is an inevitable trend in the war between it and God. As such, God’s entering into rest after the completion of His management work and humanity’s complete salvation and entrance into rest have likewise become inevitable trends. Humanity’s place of rest is on earth, and God’s place of rest is in heaven. While humans worship God in rest, they will live upon the earth, and while God leads the rest of humanity in rest, He will lead them from heaven, not from earth.”
From God’s words, we can see that God and humanity will enter into rest together after the completion of God’s management work. God’s resting place is in heaven, while man’s place of rest is still on earth. By then, we humans will live on earth as if in heaven. This is the beautiful destination that God has prepared for us. When God accomplishes His work of salvation and completely saves us from the influence of Satan, our filth and corruption will have been cleansed, and we will be able to act according to God’s words and obey, love and satisfy Him in all things. After we have been able to live out what God requires of us and witness for and glorify Him, the kingdoms of the world will then become a God-worshiping kingdom. This way, God’s kingdom will be realized on earth.
Read more on our Bible Study Topics page about Enter the Kingdom of God, or in the recommended articles below.

30/06/2023

If you lost everything would you still worship God!!!

29/06/2023

💖❤️God said:“I am the way, the truth, and the life
(John 14:6 )
❤️For this reason, 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. In seeking God’s footprints, you have ignored the words “God is the truth, the way, and the life.”—from The Appearance and Work of God

27/06/2023

🤔Do You Know How to Understand and Do the Will of God?

After eating breakfast, Yeqi turned on her computer and logged on to Facebook. She looked up her friend Lina’s account, and as her fingers clattered across the keyboard, she asked, “Are you online? There’s a question I’d like to talk to you about. This morning, as I read my devotional, I came across this verse, ‘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 7:22–23). I’ve been thinking about the Lord’s words, and I’m a little confused. Why did the Lord say that those who prayed, preached, cast out devils, and did wonderful works in His name not only didn’t have the Lord’s approval, but that the Lord actually called them workers of iniquity? What’s going on here? I realize that, in the past, just like these people, I’ve traveled to spread the gospel through wind and rain, enthusiastically expended for the Lord, and given a tenth of my earnings as tithes. I thought this was doing God’s will, and that I would ultimately receive the Lord’s approval. But now, I’m really not sure about these questions, and I don’t know how I should look at the issue.”

Shortly, a notification sounded on the computer, and Yeqi saw that Lina had sent a message. She quickly opened it. It said, “I just came online and saw your message. You’ve asked a very important question, one directly related to whether we can gain the Lord’s approval and enter the kingdom of heaven. But, my understanding is very limited, so here I can only tell you a little about my own views, and then we can discuss them.

“Many brothers and sisters in the Lord hold the view that if they can forsake everything to expend for the Lord, suffer and pay a price to spread the Lord’s gospel, and persist in these things to the end, they will gain the Lord’s approval, and when the Lord returns, they will be lifted up to enter the kingdom of heaven. But does this view fit with the Lord’s will? Recall that the Pharisees traveled to the far corners of the earth to spread the gospel, served God in the temple regardless of season, heat, or cold, and did many good deeds. Did they receive the Lord’s approval? It seems not! We all know that even though the Pharisees appeared to suffer greatly and pay a steep price to spread God’s gospel, when God came incarnate in the form of the Lord Jesus to do the work of redeeming mankind, they stood by their own notions and imaginings, resisted and condemned God, and even incited the masses to crucify the Lord Jesus to protect their own status and incomes. This proves that although someone may appear to suffer, pay a price, and do good deeds, it does not represent that they do God’s will, nor does it represent that they know or obey God!

“Then look among we believers in God today. Although many of us forsake our homes and careers, labor and work, travel through wind and rain, and suffer much, are we truly after God’s heart and doing these things out of love for God? Some people believe that if they work for the Lord, He will grant them peace and joy, and ensure their families are safe and well-off. Because their intention is to gain blessings, when they encounter difficulties, trials, and disasters, they misunderstand and blame the Lord, or in serious cases even leave or betray Him. There are others who, as they expend for God, also indulge their fleshly desires, lie and deceive to serve their own interests, only speak about the good aspects of themselves in front of their brothers and sisters, and never tell their true state to anyone, presenting a false, confusing, and deceptive image of themselves. Still others work and give sermons to erect an image and position for themselves. They pursue making others look up to themselves, with the result that they bring others before themselves, and brothers and sisters worship them while having no place for God in their hearts…. How could such people be in accord with God’s will? There are so many impurities within us, yet we still claim to be doing God’s will. Isn’t this hypocrisy? Isn’t it deceiving and blaspheming God? So, the Lord Jesus said, ‘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 7:22–23). By this the Lord means to clearly tell us His will, that He detests the appearance of expending and paying a price which carries all variety of incorrect intentions and impurities.”

Yeqi was very moved when she read Lina’s understanding. Appearing to expend, pay a price, and suffer greatly for the Lord, while having many impurities and incorrect intentions within us—this is our true state! She thought of how she had enthusiastically expended for the Lord and borne much suffering, but she did it to gain the Lord’s blessings, so that the Lord would ensure her family was safe and her career smooth, and that when the Lord returned, she would be lifted up into the kingdom of heaven. When things that went against her wishes happened or her family encountered difficulties, she used the price she had paid as capital to argue conditions with the Lord, blamed the Lord, and rebelled against the Lord. Paying a price and expending this way truly would never gain the Lord’s approval! What the Lord condemned wasn’t the price we paid externally, it was the incorrect intentions in our hearts. Those are what the Lord detests.

After thinking for a while, Yeqi sent Lina a message, “After I read your answer, I was very moved. Now I finally understand why preaching and work for the Lord only brought down His loathing and curses. It’s because there are too many incorrect intentions and impurities within us. When we serve God with intentions and impurities within us, God loathes it, and it doesn’t accord with His will at all. So, how should we practice to gain the Lord’s approval?

Lina answered, “Let’s look at several Bible verses with regard to this question. The Lord Jesus said, ‘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’ (Matthew 7:21). ‘If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed’ (John 8:31). ‘If a man love Me, he will keep My words…. He that loves Me not keeps not My sayings’ (John 14:23–24). ‘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’ (Matthew 22:37–38). From the Lord’s words, we see that only those who do the Father’s will can enter God’s kingdom. Truly doing the Father’s will means practicing the Lord’s words, carrying out the Lord’s commandments, expending and working according to the Lord’s requirements, and pursuing love of God and satisfying God in all things. Those who truly do the Father’s will, regardless of whether God’s work and words accord with their own notions, can obey God absolutely, practice according to God’s words, offer up their loyalty to finish what God entrusts to them, not seek to further their personal interests with God, not attempt to trade with God, and risk even their lives to testify God. People like this are in accord with God’s will, and are the people who gain God’s approval.

It’s just like when God asked Abraham to offer up his beloved son to Him as a sacrifice, even though this requirement didn’t fit with his notions, Abraham still obeyed God’s words, didn’t argue, and sincerely offered to return Isaac to God. Abraham had absolute obedience for God. Also like Job, who not only was someone who feared God and shunned evil in his everyday life. When his wealth and children were taken from him during his trials, and he didn’t understand God’s will, he still would rather curse the day of his birth than blame God, and he still glorified God’s holy name. There was no trading or exchange in Job’s worship of God. No matter what God granted or took away, Job was able to continue carrying out God’s teachings—to fear God and shun evil. There was also Peter, who followed the Lord Jesus his entire life, and carried out what the Lord entrusted to him, “Simon, son of Jonas, love you Me? … Feed My sheep” (John 21:16). He remembered the Lord Jesus’ words, pursued love of God and satisfying God in all things, strictly carried out the work of shepherding the church according to the Lord’s will and requirements, and was finally crucified hanging upside-down, obeying unto death and loving God to the utmost. They were all people who genuinely feared and obeyed God, and such people are the ones who truly do the Father’s will. So, doing the Father’s will doesn’t refer to appearing to forsake and expend for God, it means practicing according to God’s words in all things, pursuing love of God and satisfying God, and having absolute obedience and loyalty for God. This is what we should practice and enter into as well.”

Yeqi stared at her computer screen, trapped in thought for a long time. She had never imagined that despite all her years of belief, only today would she discover what it means to do the Father’s will. She was happy to be able to understand this aspect of the truth, but also recognized that there were too many impurities in her work for the Lord. She wishes to betray her incorrect intentions, follow the examples of Job and Peter, seek God’s will in all things, practice according to God’s word, pursue obedience and love of God, and become someone who does the Father’s will. When that thought occurred to her, she sent a big smiley face to Lina …

Wise virgins get together

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