Keeping the Commandments and Practicing the Truth

Keeping the Commandments and Practicing the Truth

 Keeping the Commandments and Practicing the Truth

In practice, the commandments should be connected with the practice of the truth. While keeping the commandments, one ought to practice the truth. When practicing the truth, one should not violate the principles of the commandments or go against the commandments. Do that which God requires you to do. Keeping to the commandments and practicing the truth are interconnected, not contradictory. The more you practice the truth, the more you keep to the essence of the commandments. The more you practice the truth, the more you will understand God’s word as expressed in the commandments. Practicing the truth and keeping the commandments are not contradictory actions, but are rather interconnected. In the beginning, only after man keeps the commandments can he practice the truth and attain enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. But this is not the original intention of God. God requires you to worship God with heart, not to just practice good behavior. But you must keep the commandments at least superficially. Gradually, through experience, man gains a clearer understanding of God. He stops rebelling against and resisting God, and he stops calling God’s work into question. In this way man may abide by the essence of the commandments. Therefore, merely keeping the commandments without practicing the truth is ineffective and does not constitute real worship of God because you have not yet attained real stature. If you keep the commandments without the truth, this amounts to just keeping rigidly to the rules. In so doing, the commandments become your law, which will not help you grow in life. On the contrary, they will become your burden, and will bind you firmly like the law of the Old Testament, causing you to lose the presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, only by practicing the truth can you effectively keep the commandments. One keeps the commandments in order to practice the truth. You practice even more truths through keeping the commandments. You gain even more understanding of the practical meaning of the commandments through practicing the truth. The purpose and meaning of God’s imperative that man ought to keep to the commandments is not to follow ordinances as man may imagine, but rather has to do with man’s entry into life. The more you grow in life, the greater the degree to which you will be able to keep the commandments. Although the commandments are for man to keep, the essence of the commandments only becomes apparent through man’s life experience. Most people think keeping the commandments well means “everything is ready, all that remains is to be caught up.” This is an extravagant imagining and is not God’s will. Those who say such things do not wish to make progress and are greedy for the flesh. This is nonsense! This is not in keeping with reality! Only practicing the truth without keeping the commandments practically is not God’s will. This kind of person is disabled and proceeds as if hobbling on one leg. However, only keeping to the commandments and sticking rigidly to the commandments without having truth is, likewise, not fulfilling God’s will—like a man who sees from one eye only, this is also a form of disability. It can be said that if you keep the commandments well and gain a clear understanding of the practical God, then you will have truth. From a relative perspective, you will have gained real stature. You practice the truth and keep to the commandments at the same time without mutual conflict. Practicing the truth and keeping the commandments are two systems, both of which are integral parts of one’s life experience. One’s experience should comprise an integration of the keeping of the commandments with the practice of the truth, not a division. However, there are both differences and connections between these two things.

Eastern Lightning | Facing Up to Our Weakness Isn’t Silly

Facing Up to Our Weakness Isn’t Silly

By Caihong

One day, I read a fable in a book. Its general content is this: There was a donkey, which was called “stupid donkey” by people for the reason that it was very silly. After hearing that, the donkey was unconvinced and always wanted to find an excuse to prove that it was not silly. Afterward, it made an article of clothing dripping with gold and wore that, fully believing that the piece of clothing could cover its foolishness and salvage its reputation. Against its expectation, when it walked on the street wearing the piece of clothing, people not only did not praise it but instead said that it became more stupid.

Eastern Lightning | A Wandering Heart Comes Home

A Wandering Heart Comes Home

My name is Novo, and I’m Filipino. I have followed my mom in her belief in God since I was little, and would go listen to sermons at church together with my siblings. Although I had believed in the Lord for many years, I felt that I had not changed, and that I was the same as an unbeliever, in my heart thinking all day about how to make more money, and about how to spend my days in comfort and enjoy the good life. Furthermore, I also often went drinking with my friends, and the moment I had any spare cash I’d go gambling. I knew that doing these things was at odds with the Lord’s will, I would often pray to the Lord and confess my sins, and I would make firm my resolution to Him that I would give up these bad habits and never sin again from that day on. But with the cajoling and enticement of my friends, I simply couldn’t control myself. And so it was that I became more and more degenerate, my heart got farther and farther away from God, there was no longer any sincerity when I prayed to the Lord, and every week I would just say a few simple prayers, and do it in a slipshod way. Sometimes I would even feel such despair, as I knew that when the Lord returned He would judge each and every person based on their actions and behavior, and then decide for each person whether they would go up to heaven or down to hell. I felt I was so degenerate that God would not forgive me again. Afterward, I married and had kids. All I thought about was my wife and my children. When it came to my faith, I pushed it to the back of my mind. In order to provide a better future for my children and to achieve my desires to become rich, I decided to go work abroad. And so I came to Taiwan. After I found a job and made some money, I’d still not changed the way I used to live my life, and in my leisure time I would go with my workmates to drink and sing karaoke, living a life of revelry; I’d long since put my belief in God to the back of my mind.

Persecution of The Church of Almighty God Was Unveiled at UN. Why CCP Persecutes Religious Beliefs?

Persecution of The Church of Almighty God Was Unveiled at UN. Why CCP Persecutes Religious Beliefs?

On June 19th, during the Thirty-eighth Session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, Mr. Thierry Valle, President of the Coordination of the Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP LC), on behalf of 7 NGOs, gave an oral statement at the Human Rights Council. This statement calls for attention on the continuous persecution of The Church of Almighty God by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and urges Chinese government to respect religious liberty and stop the persecution of The Church of Almighty God.

Eastern Lightning | The Song of Life in Tortures

The Song of Life in Tortures

Gao Jing Henan Province

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.

God’s Words Guide Me to Learn How to Educate My Children (I)

                                                       Xiaoxue, Malaysia

    I have two sons and they are one year apart. In order to raise them to be cultured, well mannered, good people who will be able to establish themselves in society and succeed, when they were two years old, I discussed finding a good kindergarten for them with my husband. After some visits, inquiries and comparison, we selected an English kindergarten because they placed importance on children’s caliber and ability, which matched my view on educating children. Although the tuition fees were a bit high, as long as the children were able to develop better and get a better education, it was worth spending a little more money.

I. The Lord has appeared in the last days and uttered words to do the work of judgment that begins with the house of God. This completely fulfills the biblical prophecies: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17). Only wise virgins can hear the voice of the Lord and welcome Him.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).

“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7).

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jhn 10:27).

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17).

Eastern Lightning | Kingdom Gospel