By Fiona, Taiwan

In 2006, I left my hometown and came to work in Taipei, where I met Pastor Huang. Pastor Huang saw that I was eager in my pursuit and said he wanted to focus on cultivating me. He often invited me to discuss the Bible together and to participate in church training sessions. I was very thankful to the Lord and felt I had met a good pastor. When the pastor preached, he often said, “The Bible 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’ (Romans 13:1). ‘Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God’ (Acts 20:28). The universe and all things were created by God, and all who hold power are also ordained by God, so we should submit to them. Pastors and elders are appointed by God to shepherd the flock, and so we should submit to them. Submitting to them is submitting to God….” After hearing the pastor’s words, I thought, “God has appointed pastors and elders to shepherd the flock, in believing in the Lord, we should listen to the pastor. Listening to the pastors and elders is submitting to God. So long as I follow the pastor in believing in the Lord, I will definitely enter the kingdom of heaven.” So, in matters big or small, such as finding a job, a house, or a partner, I would seek the pastor’s guidance on all kinds of things. Gradually, the pastor became an idol in my heart.

In October 2018, I connected with a few brothers and sisters on Facebook. I saw that they had some unique insights into the Bible, their preaching was fresh and enlightening, and I really envied them. Through studying the Bible with them, I realized that the Lord’s return isn’t just in the form of descending on clouds, and that there are many scriptures that prophesy God’s secret arrival in the last days like a “thief.” So, in welcoming the Lord, we can’t just wait for Him to descend on clouds. What’s important is to focus on hearing God’s voice and seeking His work during His secret arrival. I also learned about how God’s work, recorded in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Book of Revelation, progresses step by step, elevating and deepening. The Old Testament records the work of Jehovah God during the Age of Law, and since early humans didn’t know how to live on earth, nor how to worship God, God issued the law through Moses to guide mankind on how to live on earth. The New Testament records the redemptive work of the Age of Grace by the Lord Jesus. In the later stages of the Age of Law, because people could no longer keep the law, the sins they committed kept increasing, and they were all at risk of being condemned to death by the law. But God didn’t want humanity to perish under the law, so according to their needs of the time, God incarnated among man to preach the way of repentance. He bestowed abundant grace upon humanity, and finally, He was crucified, becoming the sin offering, and redeeming humanity from sin. So long as we sincerely accepted the Lord Jesus and confessed and repented to the Lord, our sins would be forgiven. The Book of Revelation prophesied that in the last days, God would express the truth and do the work of judgment, and completely cleanse and transform mankind’s corrupt disposition, fulfilling the prophecy of the Lord Jesus: “And if any man hears My words, and believes not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects Me, and accepts not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:47–48). What they fellowshipped about were things I had never heard before, and it all aligned with the Bible, and had a special sense of enlightenment, so I continued fellowshipping with them. When they told me the Lord Jesus has returned, and He is Almighty God incarnate, I immediately remembered that the pastor had often said, “Eastern Lightning testifies that the Lord has returned. You mustn’t listen to their teachings.” I realized they were believers from Eastern Lightning, and I couldn’t listen to any more of their fellowship after that. As soon as the fellowship ended, I quickly called the pastor, and I told him I had encountered people from The Church of Almighty God. The pastor warned me over and over again not to contact them again and told me to block them. Just like that, I gave up my first opportunity to investigate God’s work of the last days.

But unexpectedly, just a few days before Christmas, I came across some sisters from The Church of Almighty God again. I remembered their fellowship had been quite enlightening, but the pastor had forbidden me from listening, so I thought I’d just watch for a bit and listen first. But the more I listened, the more I felt that what they were fellowshipping about was completely aligned with the Bible, and I couldn’t find any flaws. It left me unable to refute them, especially when they said, “Many people believe the idea that ‘since we’ve received forgiveness for our sins by believing in the Lord, we can go straight into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes.’ But is this view correct? Why do we still sin and confess every day, and often lie and deceive others? Although we can pay a price and expend ourselves for the Lord at times, when something unfavorable happens or we encounter disaster, we complain about God and even resist Him. Moreover, when we have some gifts or talents, we think highly of ourselves, we become arrogant and conceited, look down on others, and can’t even accept anyone’s advice. Sometimes we even scold and belittle others. This shows that while our sins have been forgiven, our sinful nature hasn’t been resolved, and we haven’t yet escaped the bondage of sin. The Bible says: ‘You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy’ (Leviticus 11:45). ‘Without holiness no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14). God is righteous and holy. If our sinful nature isn’t removed, we’ll never be worthy of seeing God’s face or entering God’s kingdom. In order to completely save us from sin, God has returned in the flesh in the last days. On the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ redemption work, He has expressed the truth and begun the work of judgment starting from the house of God. Only by experiencing God’s work of judgment of the last days can we cast off our corrupt disposition, completely break free from sin, and be cleansed, thereby becoming people who truly submit to and fear God.” At this point, they read me a few passages from Almighty God’s words: “Though Jesus came among man and did much work, He only completed the work of redeeming all mankind and served as man’s sin offering; He did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to become the sin offering and bear the sins of man, but it also required God to do even greater work to rid man completely of his satanically corrupted disposition. And so, after man was forgiven of his sins, God returned to the flesh to lead man into the new age, and began the work of chastisement and judgment. This work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and they shall gain the truth, the way, and the life” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface). “If people remain stuck in the Age of Grace, then they shall never be rid of their corrupt disposition, let alone know the inherent disposition of God. If people always live in the midst of an abundance of grace, but do not have the way of life that allows them to know God or to satisfy Him, then they will never truly gain Him in their belief in Him. This type of belief is pitiful indeed” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface). “God’s work in the present incarnation is to express His disposition primarily through chastisement and judgment. Building on this foundation, He brings more truth to man and points out to him more ways of practice, thereby achieving His objective of conquering man and saving him from his own corrupt disposition. This is what lies behind the work of God in the Age of Kingdom” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface). After hearing these words, I was completely convinced. I reflected on how even though I’d tried so hard to practice the Lord’s teachings, often, when my family or colleagues did something that displeased me, I couldn’t help but reveal my hotheadedness. Sometimes, in order to protect my interests and pride, I would lie and deceive people…. I was truly still living in sin, and unable to free myself. I needed God to come again to perform His work of judgment and cleanse my sins. But when I thought about how the pastor kept telling us not to engage with people from The Church of Almighty God, I hesitated a little, thinking, “The pastors and elders have believed in the Lord for many years, are well-versed in the Bible, and have studied theology. They even teach the Bible at seminaries. Should I ask them about this once more?” So I decided to turn to the pastor to gatekeep for me again. But to my surprise, the pastor sternly said to me, “How many times have I told you not to interact with people from The Church of Almighty God? Why don’t you listen to me? Many pastors and elders in the religious community are resisting Eastern Lightning. Why are you still looking into it? Don’t have any more contact with them! If you have any questions, I’ll answer them for you. Don’t you believe what I say?” After hearing the pastor say this, I couldn’t help but think, “According to the pastor, I shouldn’t listen to Eastern Lightning’s preaching anymore. But they testify that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned, and that He has expressed the truth and begun the work of judgment starting from the house of God to thoroughly cleanse and save humanity, fulfilling the prophecy of the Lord Jesus: ‘He that rejects Me, and accepts not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day’ (John 12:48). Also, what they fellowshipped about aligns well with the Bible, as if it were from God Himself. This is completely different from what the pastor said. This is puzzling. Why doesn’t the pastor investigate whether Eastern Lightning is truly the return of the Lord? Why does he just blindly condemn it, forbidding us from listening? Should I really refuse to listen just like that?” I was feeling very conflicted. But then I thought of what the Bible says: “Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God” (Acts 20:28). Pastors and elders are chosen and appointed by God, they are God’s servants, and if we don’t obey pastors and elders, we are resisting God. After much consideration, I decided to listen to the pastor.

Later, I told the sister from The Church of Almighty God that I would stop investigating. The sister said to me, “If you don’t investigate, you’ll miss your chance to welcome the Lord. The Lord Jesus said: ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him’ (Matthew 25:6). To know if Almighty God is truly the Lord returned, the key is to listen for God’s voice. If you don’t investigate and just reject it, can you really welcome the Lord?” After hearing the sister’s words, I was moved, thinking, “She’s right, I already gave up the opportunity to investigate once, and now I’ve heard the gospel of Almighty God again. Could this truly be God’s arrangement? If Almighty God is truly the Lord Jesus returned, if I don’t accept it, won’t I miss the chance to welcome the Lord and be raptured into the kingdom of heaven? Moreover, they testified about Almighty God’s words and work fulfilling the Lord Jesus’ prophecy. The fellowship of those brothers and sisters is also very edifying for me. I should continue investigating. But pastors and elders are appointed by God, wouldn’t I be resisting God if I didn’t obey them?” I was in turmoil, not knowing whom to listen to. At that moment, the sister sent me a movie titled Deadly Ignorance, and urged me to watch it before deciding whether to continue investigating. In my confusion, I prayed to the Lord, “Lord, have You truly returned? If Almighty God is truly Your return, please guide me to recognize You.” After praying, with an attitude of seeking, I watched the movie Deadly Ignorance in its entirety. The film conveyed an important message to me, which was that in the matter of welcoming the Lord, if we don’t seek the truth or follow the Lord’s words, but only listen to man’s words, we will foolishly miss the great opportunity to welcome the Lord. Also, what impressed me most was that the foolish virgins always listened to man’s words, and were constrained by Satan’s fallacies and devilish words, while the wise virgins only listened to God’s voice and thus welcomed the Lord. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:8). So long as we humbly seek and listen to God’s voice, God will surely guide us. If we blindly listen to the words of pastors and elders, and don’t seek or investigate when someone testifies that the Lord has returned, we will never hear God’s voice, nor will we be able to welcome the Lord. This is foolishness and ignorance that brings harm upon ourselves. I had to carefully investigate whether Almighty God’s words were the voice of God. I couldn’t blindly listen to the words of pastors or elders anymore.

After that, I continued to fellowship at gatherings with the sisters from The Church of Almighty God, and watched sketches and crosstalks produced by the Church. The more I watched, the clearer I felt inside, and I sensed that The Church of Almighty God is truly guided by God. One day, I opened YouTube, and came across a crosstalk called Our Pastor Said … I was immediately drawn to it and quickly clicked to watch.

Yu Shunfu: But doesn’t it say this in the Bible? “Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God” (Acts 20:28). God established the pastors and elders, so where the Lord’s return is concerned, I think we have to listen to them first.

Zheng Yang: Those were the words of the Apostle Paul?

Yu Shunfu: That’s right, the Apostle Paul!

Zheng Yang: You say God established them as pastors and elders based on Paul’s words. Everyone, do Paul’s words represent the Lord? (No!) Does the Lord Jesus acknowledge these words? (No!) Does the Holy Spirit testify these words? (No!)

Liu Xin: So, that idea—it doesn’t stand up!

…………

Zheng Yang: It’s no simple matter for God to establish someone. It has to be someone God favors, who God Himself testifies, and at least there needs to be evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work.

Liu Xin: Hey, yeah! Someone like Moses! Moses was established by God, and there’s proof of that!

Yu Shunfu: Then tell me.

Liu Xin: Jehovah God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and said, “I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). So Moses was personally established by God!

Zheng Yang: Right. And in the Age of Grace, Peter was personally established by God, and the Lord Jesus’ words are there to prove it! The Lord Jesus said: “And I say also to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Liu Xin: The Lord Jesus’ words are proof!

Yu Shunfu: Well, our pastor has “proof” too!

Zheng Yang and Liu Xin: What proof?

Yu Shunfu: A pastor’s diploma from a seminary.

Zheng Yang: Hah! A pastor’s diploma doesn’t represent God’s approval or that he has the work of the Holy Spirit.

Liu Xin: Yeah.

Yu Shunfu: That is true.

Zheng Yang: The work and sermons of pastors and elders today relies purely on caliber and gift. They preach biblical knowledge and theological theories, and exalt themselves and show off at every turn. They never talk about the Lord’s intentions or God’s requirements, and when believers have problems, they never seek what the Lord has to say. So, you can guess what happens!

Liu Xin: “Our pastor said …”

Zheng Yang: So you see? Isn’t this taking God’s place in people’s hearts?

Liu Xin: That’s absolutely right! People believe in God and these pastors go and ruin it! It’s leading God’s chosen people to worship him instead. It’s nothing but misleading people, cheating them, and hurting them. Do you think God would use someone like that?

Zheng Yang: God establishes and uses people to carry out His will and accomplish His work. They should be people who fear God, submit to God, who can carry out God’s will, and who are completely loyal to God. Isn’t that the case, folks? (Yeah!)

Yu Shunfu: Wait … why do I suddenly feel like my pastor is tricking me?

Liu Xin: You don’t just feel like it! He is!

After watching this video, I felt a mix of emotions. I couldn’t describe what I was feeling. I felt that I had been so foolishly obedient. The two sisters had fellowshipped very clearly, those whom God has appointed have God’s words as their testimony and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Although pastors and elders have studied theology and have diplomas from seminaries, they don’t have God’s words as evidence, and the Holy Spirit doesn’t testify to them or use them, so how can they be considered to be appointed by God? Moreover, pastors’ sermons always exalt the words of humans in the Bible, rarely fellowshipping God’s words in the Bible, and almost never talking about God’s intentions or requirements. Also, the content of their sermons is the same old platitudes and lacks light, leaving believers unable to gain sustenance in their lives, many of whom are weak in spirit and cling to the world, which shows that pastors clearly don’t have the Holy Spirit’s work, and can’t possibly have the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. With this being the case, pastors still make use of the Bible verse “to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” to justify their own authority, proclaiming themselves as appointed by God so that people obey them. Wasn’t this a misinterpretation of the Bible to mislead people?

After this, I saw fellowship from brothers and sisters on The Church of Almighty God’s website, which said: “Many people, who believe in the Lord, don’t honor Him as great, and instead, they blindly worship gifts, status, and authority, and they also worship pastors and elders and believe in them blindly. They can’t discern whether people have the Holy Spirit’s work or possess the truth reality. They believe that as long as someone has a certificate as a pastor, possesses gifts, and can explain the Bible, they are appointed by God and should be obeyed. Some people are even more absurd, believing that submitting to pastors and elders is the same as submitting to God, and that opposing pastors and elders means resisting God. If we follow these kinds of human notions, then what of the Jewish chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees of old? They were well-versed in the Bible and often explained it to others, but when the Lord Jesus appeared and worked, they opposed and condemned Him, and even crucified Him. Could it be that they were appointed and used by God? Those who followed them in opposing the Lord Jesus, can they be said to have been following and submitting to God? Therefore, the view that ‘submitting to pastors and elders is submitting to God’ is truly absurd and delusional!” The fellowship also mentioned, “If pastors and elders are people who pursue and love the truth, and have the Holy Spirit’s work, they can lead us to practice and experience God’s words, fear God, and shun evil, and we should respect such people. This is in accordance with God’s intention. But if pastors and elders don’t exalt God or testify to Him, and don’t lead us to practice and experience God’s words, but only explain biblical knowledge and theological theories to show off and establish themselves, even making people worship and follow them, then how could such pastors and elders have the Holy Spirit’s work? They deviate from the Lord’s way and are enemies of God. Can God appoint and use such false shepherds? If we still worship, emulate, and obey such people, this means being an enemy of God and completely going against His intention.” After reading this, I understood that pastors and elders aren’t appointed by God, and that submitting to them doesn’t equate to submitting to God. Though I’d believed in the Lord, I hadn’t focused on the Lord’s words nor sought the Holy Spirit’s work, and I’d just blindly trusted the words of pastors and elders, worshiped their gifts and biblical knowledge, and followed their words unquestioningly. Even though I confirmed in my heart that Almighty God’s words and work were authoritative and powerful, and from God, and that the fellowship of those from the Church was enlightening and had the work of the Holy Spirit, I didn’t seek or investigate, and kept turning to the pastor for gatekeeping. What kind of belief was this? I essentially believed in the pastor as if he were God. I was so foolish! I remembered that the Bible says: “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Jehovah” (Jeremiah 17:5). God’s disposition doesn’t tolerate offense. Ostensibly, I believed in God, but in my heart, I worshiped and followed man. This was idolatry, and this is truly hated and abhorred by God, and condemned by Him. Realizing this, I felt somewhat afraid and deeply regretful and guilty, so I searched for the words “following God” on The Church of Almighty God’s website, and came across a passage of Almighty God’s words: “Of principal importance in following God is that everything should be according to the words of God today: Whether you are pursuing life entry or the satisfaction of God’s intentions, everything should be centered around the words of God today. If what you fellowship about and seek to enter are not centered around the words of God today, then you are a stranger to the words of God, and totally bereft of the work of the Holy Spirit. What God wants are people who follow His footsteps. No matter how wonderful and pure what you understood before is, God does not want it, and if you are unable to put aside such things, then they will be a tremendous obstacle to your entry in the future. All those who are able to follow the present light of the Holy Spirit are blessed. The people of ages past also followed the footsteps of God, yet they could not follow until today; this is the blessing of the people of the last days. Those who can follow the present work of the Holy Spirit, and who are able to follow the footsteps of God, such that they follow God wherever He leads them—these are people who are blessed by God. Those who do not follow the present work of the Holy Spirit have not entered into the work of God’s words, and no matter how much they work, or how great their suffering, or how much they run about, none of it means anything to God, and He will not approve of them. … ‘Following the work of the Holy Spirit’ means understanding the intentions of God today, being able to act in accordance with the present requirements of God, being able to submit to and follow the God of today, and entering in accordance with the newest utterances of God. Only this is someone who follows the work of the Holy Spirit and is in the stream of the Holy Spirit. Such people are not only capable of receiving God’s praise and seeing God, but can also know God’s disposition from the latest work of God, and can know man’s notions and rebellion, and man’s nature and essence, from His latest work; furthermore, they are able to gradually achieve changes in their disposition during their service. Only people such as this are those who are able to gain God, and who have genuinely found the true way” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Know God’s Newest Work and Follow His Footsteps). Then, I read a passage of the fellowship of brothers and sisters that said, “Following God mainly refers to following God’s current work, submitting to and practicing God’s current words, being able to keep God’s commandments, seeking God’s intentions in all things, practicing according to God’s words, absolutely submitting to the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and ultimately becoming a person who practices the truth and follows God’s will. This is what it means to be a person who follows God and gains His salvation. If we only practice according to the human words in the Bible but don’t submit to and practice God’s words or grasp God’s intentions, and only adhere to religious rituals and regulations, this is following man. If we regard the words of people in the Bible as God’s words to obey and practice, neglect and sideline the words of the Lord Jesus, and don’t keep the commandments of the Lord at all, we will end up like the hypocritical Pharisees and be spurned and cursed by the Lord Jesus. Just like today, people believe in the Lord but worship and idolize pastors and elders, seeking advice and consulting pastors and elders for every problem, even seeking pastors and elders in investigating the true way. As a result, they are deceived and misled by hypocritical Pharisees and religious leaders, and end up on the path of resisting God. This is the consequence and outcome of following man. Just as when the Lord Jesus was working, many Jewish believers only followed the teachings of the chief priests and Pharisees and didn’t accept the words and work of the Lord Jesus, and as a result, they lost the Lord’s salvation. Ostensibly, they believed in God, but in reality, they followed the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees. But Peter and John saw that the words and work of the Lord Jesus had authority and power, and were from God, and they immediately followed the Lord Jesus, without being constrained by the Pharisees. They were the ones who truly followed and submitted to God.” The fellowship also mentioned: “A person is only truly following God in their faith if they submit to the work of the Holy Spirit, accept God’s current words, and follow God’s footsteps. Especially in the last days, when God has carried out the work of judgment, the entire religious world has lost the work of the Holy Spirit and has become desolate, and people are forced to seek the true way. At this time, we should pay more attention to seeking the work of the Holy Spirit, searching for the words the Holy Spirit speaks to the churches and keeping up with God’s new work. Just as stated in the Book of Revelation: ‘These are they which follow the Lamb wherever He goes’ (Revelation 14:4). If one only listens to the words of pastors and elders, without seeking the work and words of the Holy Spirit, and doesn’t listen to God’s voice, they will be abandoned and eliminated by God’s work, and they will ultimately fall into great disasters, as they wail and gnash their teeth. When people are misled and follow man in their belief in God, they have already deviated from the Lord’s way. This is serious opposition to and betrayal of God, and if they don’t repent, they will certainly be abandoned and eliminated by God.” After reading this, I suddenly understood that truly following God means being able to listen to God’s words in all things and practice according to God’s requirements, and most importantly, to keep up with God’s current work, submit to God’s current words, and closely follow the footsteps of the Lamb. I reflected on how Peter and John were able to follow the Lord Jesus. They were able to do this because they saw that the words and work of the Lord Jesus were from God. They recognized God’s voice and left everything to follow the Lord, and they were the ones who truly followed God and listened to His words. At that moment, I resolved that I could no longer blindly listen to the pastors anymore, and that I needed to seek the work of the Holy Spirit, listen to God’s voice, and be a person who follows God. During the Spring Festival holiday, I watched many gospel films produced by The Church of Almighty God, as eager as a person dying of thirst, such as Waiting, Disclose the Mystery About the Bible, The Mystery of Godliness, and My Dream of the Heavenly Kingdom. I saw that the words of Almighty God disclosed many mysteries of truth, such as the mystery of incarnation, the mystery of God’s name, how God judges and purifies people in the last days, and how God determines the outcome and destination of various kinds of people…. Who but God Himself could disclose these mysteries? Who else could express the truth to purify and change people? In my heart, I became increasingly certain that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned, and I gladly accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days.

Looking back now, I was claiming to believe in and submit to God, but I constantly consulted pastors and listened to them, walking the path of following man and resisting God, and I nearly missed the Lord’s salvation of the last days. I was truly foolish and ignorant! It was God’s mercy upon me that He gradually led me to understand the truth, and allowed me to follow the footsteps of the Lamb. Thanks be to Almighty God!