By Anna, Myanmar

I’m from Myanmar. I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days in 2019. I learned from reading God’s words that God performs His judgment work in the last days to fully save man from Satan’s influence, bringing us into a beautiful destination. I’m so grateful for God’s salvation. Since then, I have been spreading the gospel in the church. At a gathering, we read a passage of God’s words: “My final work is not only for the sake of punishing man, but also for the sake of arranging the destination of man. Moreover, it is so that all people may acknowledge My deeds and actions. I want each and every person to see that all I have done is right, and that all I have done is an expression of My disposition. It is not man’s doing, much less nature, that brought forth mankind, but I, who nourish every living being in creation. Without My existence, mankind will only perish and suffer the scourge of calamity. No human being will ever again see the beauteous sun and moon, or the verdant world; mankind shall encounter only the frigid night and the inexorable valley of the shadow of death. I am mankind’s only salvation. I am mankind’s only hope and, even more, I am He on whom the existence of all mankind rests. Without Me, mankind will immediately come to a standstill. Without Me, mankind will suffer catastrophe and be trampled underfoot by all manner of ghosts, though no one takes heed of Me. I have done work that can be done by no other, and hope only that man can repay Me with some good deeds. Though but a few have been able to repay Me, I will still conclude My journey in the human world and begin the next step of My unfolding work, because all My rushing to and fro in man’s midst these many years has been fruitful, and I am very pleased. What I care about is not the number of people, but rather their good deeds. In any case, I hope that you prepare a sufficiency of good deeds for your own destination. Then will I be satisfied; otherwise, none of you can escape the disaster that will befall you. The disaster originates with Me and is of course orchestrated by Me. If you cannot appear as good in My eyes, then you will not escape suffering the disaster” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Prepare Sufficient Good Deeds for Your Destination). I felt greatly encouraged through reading God’s words. Since disasters are growing and growing, and many people who long for God’s appearance haven’t heard His voice or accepted His last-days salvation, I was feeling anxious and had a sense of urgency. So I prayed, asking God to guide me to spread His last-days gospel to more people.

In early July 2022, I went with some brothers and sisters to a village to spread the gospel. A brother had been reported and arrested for preaching there, and the village chief told the residents they weren’t allowed to be religious every time he came back from a county government meeting. If any believers were discovered, they’d be fined a lot of money or even arrested. So, no one dared listen to what we were preaching. They wanted us to talk to the village chief first before they’d dare look into it. I was an outsider. Those who spread the gospel with me were all from neighboring villages and we didn’t know the chief. The locals wouldn’t take us to see him, either. I didn’t know how to resolve these difficulties, and we were in danger of being reported and arrested at any time. I said a prayer, asking God to show us the way. We read a passage of God’s words in a gathering: “You must believe that everything is in God’s hands, and that people are just cooperating. If you are sincere, God will see, and He will open up a way out for you in every situation. No difficulty is insurmountable; you must have this faith. Therefore, when you fulfill your duties, there is no need to have any misgivings. As long as you give it your all, with all your heart, God will not give you difficulties, nor will He give you more than you can handle” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. In Believing in God, What Is Most Important Is to Practice and Experience His Words). God’s words gave me faith and strength. Whether I could meet the village chief, or was reported and arrested was all entirely in God’s hands. Expanding the gospel is God’s directive, something that God wants completed. Although the government oppressed it and the chief impeded it, they couldn’t stop the expansion of God’s kingdom gospel. They couldn’t stop God’s sheep from returning to Him. As long as we put all we had into our work, I knew God would show the way and open up a path for us. Once we understood God’s will, we all had the confidence to go share the gospel. It turned out that a brother from a nearby village was related to the chief. He said he’d take us to see the chief the following day. That evening we got back to the village and went to preach to some locals with good humanity. As we were fellowshiping, the village deputy chief, the platoon leader, and the treasurer showed up unexpectedly, then left after listening for a bit. A resident said, “They came to see if you guys were preaching the gospel. We shouldn’t listen anymore. First go talk to the village chief, and we’ll listen more if he agrees.” We had no choice but to leave. Back at home, I was feeling pretty down. The deputy chief knew we were sharing the gospel. If he got in the way, the villagers really wouldn’t look into the true way. Also, when that brother got arrested before, it was from being reported by the treasurer. Worried about being arrested myself, too, I didn’t want to go talk to the village chief. The supervisor found out about my state and fellowshiped with me, “Faced with that sort of situation, we can’t pull back. We have to use that chance to talk to the village chief and share the gospel with them. As long as we fulfill our responsibilities, whether they accept the gospel or not, our conscience will be clear.” Right then, I thought of a passage of God’s words I’d read before: “In spreading the gospel, people must fulfill their responsibility and deal with every potential gospel recipient earnestly. God saves man to the greatest extent possible, and people must be mindful of God’s will, they must not carelessly pass over anyone who is seeking and investigating the true way. … As long as they are willing to investigate the true way and able to seek the truth, you should do all you can to read more of God’s words to them and fellowship more of the truth to them, and to testify to God’s work and resolve their notions and questions, so that you may win them over and bring them before God. This is in line with the principles of spreading the gospel. So, how can they be won over? If, in the process of engaging with them, you ascertain that this person is of good caliber and good humanity, you must do everything you can to fulfill your responsibility; you must pay a certain price, and use certain ways and means, and it doesn’t matter what ways and means you employ as long as you use them to win that person over. In sum, in order to win them over, you must fulfill your responsibility, and use love, and do everything within your power. You must fellowship on all the truths that you understand and do all the things you should do. Even if this person is not won over, you will be left with a clear conscience. You will have done all that you can” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Spreading the Gospel Is the Duty to Which All Believers Are Honor-Bound). God’s words tell us that when preaching, we have to fulfill our responsibility to have a clear conscience. As long as the person being preached to fits the principles, we should share the gospel with them in any way possible. The villagers were interested in investigating the true way. It was only because of the government’s oppression that they were scared of being fined or arrested, and wouldn’t listen. I should fulfill my responsibility and fellowship more on God’s words, resolving their issues and struggles. If the village chief was a good person who was ready to listen to God’s words, I should try everything to preach to him. That would be truly fulfilling my responsibility. But if I didn’t share the gospel out of fear of being reported and arrested, then I would owe God. Once I understood God’s will, I had the confidence to talk to the chief, and preach to the villagers.

The next day, that brother took us to the chief’s home. The deputy chief and the treasurer were there, too. We fellowshiped on how God carries out His three stages of work to save mankind, and told them we’re now in the last days, and that Almighty God is the coming of the Savior. He is expressing truths and doing the work of judgment to purify and save man. We have to accept His judgment and cleansing to be protected by God through the disasters, and enter His kingdom. The village chief was intrigued and wanted to investigate. Both the deputy chief and the treasurer had a bad attitude, though. They said, “We’re listening to the government. They don’t allow religious beliefs, so we can’t believe. Otherwise, we’ll be arrested.” Seeing they were really firm in their stance, I prayed to God, entrusting them to God and asking Him to lead. Then, I read them a passage of Almighty God’s words: “Perhaps your country currently prospers, but if you allow your people to stray from God, then it shall find itself increasingly bereft of the blessings of God. The civilization of your country shall be increasingly trampled underfoot and, before long, the people shall rise up against God and curse Heaven. And so, unbeknownst to man, the fate of a country shall be ruined. God shall raise up powerful countries to deal with those countries that have been cursed by God, and may even wipe them from the face of the earth. The rise and fall of a country or nation is predicated upon whether its rulers worship God, and whether they lead their people to become closer to God and to worship Him” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 2: God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind). Then, I fellowshiped, “The government doesn’t allow faith now, and it even opposes God. You’re listening to them and don’t dare believe. Who can really save people—is it God, or the government? The pandemic is getting worse and worse these days. Whether rich or poor, of higher or lower station, humans are insignificant in the face of disaster. No person can save us from Satan’s power, or protect us through the disasters. Only God can save us! God has become flesh in the last days, expressing truths and working to save man. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You all are in charge of this village. If you don’t lead the villagers to worship God, but instead oppose Him, they will have been ruined by all of you.” The village chief then said, “I believe that people’s fates are in God’s hands, and I want to guide the villagers to believe in God.” The treasurer said, “I know having faith is good, but we’ll be arrested by the government if we don’t comply with them. Our hands are tied.” I read them another passage of God’s words: “We trust that no country or power can stand in the way of what God wishes to achieve. Those who obstruct God’s work, resist the word of God and disturb and impair the plan of God shall ultimately be punished by God. He who defies the work of God shall be sent to hell; any country that defies the work of God shall be destroyed; any nation that rises up to oppose the work of God shall be wiped from this earth and shall cease to exist. I urge the people of all nations, of all countries, and even of all industries to listen to the voice of God, to behold the work of God and to pay attention to the fate of mankind, in order to make God the most holy, the most honorable, the highest, and the only object of worship among mankind, and to allow the whole of mankind to live under the blessing of God, just as the descendants of Abraham lived under the promise of Jehovah, and just as Adam and Eve, whom God created first, lived in the Garden of Eden” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 2: God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind). I fellowshiped, “God’s disposition tolerates no human offense. He will punish all those who go against His work. That’s God’s righteous disposition, and no one can escape it. Disasters are continuing to grow. It is God’s reminder and warning to mankind, as well as a punishment. Take, for example, the government in the southern part of Wa State in Myanmar frequently arresting believers, and not permitting acceptance of Almighty God’s work. This is serious resistance against God. This June there was a flood there, and many houses were swept away. Offending other people won’t matter at all, but the consequences of resisting God will be serious. We’ve all done things against God before, but as long as we repent to God, and we guide the villagers to investigate the true way and turn toward God, God will have mercy and forgive us.” After my fellowship, the treasurer’s attitude didn’t seem so rigid. The chief and the others all agreed to let us share the gospel with the villagers. The next morning, we called the villagers together and gave them testimony on God’s work of the last days. After more than 10 days of fellowship, over 40 people in the village, including the chief and deputy chief, had all accepted Almighty God’s work. They longed for God’s words, eagerly participated in gatherings, and proactively got others to come listen to sermons. Later, with brothers and sisters pulling together and working hard, people in many villages accepted Almighty God’s work.

As more and more people accepted God’s gospel of the last days, the government’s oppression became more severe. I’d been reported a few times for spreading the gospel. Most people from my hometown knew I believed in Almighty God, and the police were looking for me everywhere. Since I wasn’t at home, they went to my parents’ house, then arrested and locked up my unbeliever mother. I was furious. My faith was right and proper, and sharing the gospel was also the right thing to do. The government hunted me everywhere because of my faith and my evangelism, and said they wouldn’t free my mom until they got me. That is incredibly evil! My family didn’t understand me, saying that it was my faith that got my mom arrested. They called me up and accused me of being heartless. My brother and sister even told me I should turn myself in. I was miserable, and really worried that my mom would suffer. I kept on sharing the gospel, but not as actively as before. In my pain, I prayed to God, “Oh God, my stature is too small. My mom was arrested and my family isn’t understanding—I’m really miserable. Please give me faith so that I can stand strong.” I read God’s words after praying: “There is not one person among you who is protected by the law—you are, instead, sanctioned by the law. Even more problematic is that people do not understand you: Be it your relatives, your parents, your friends, or your colleagues, none of them understand you. When you are abandoned by God, it is impossible for you to continue living on earth, but even so, people cannot bear to be away from God, which is the significance of God’s conquest of people, and is the glory of God” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Is the Work of God As Simple As Man Imagines?). God’s words really pulled at my heartstrings. As believers, sharing the gospel and taking the right path in life is the most righteous thing in this world. But not only do believers fail to get legal protection in anti-God countries, they’re condemned and arrested, and even their family members are implicated. The government officials say drug traffickers and murderers can be pardoned; only believers can’t be pardoned. Also, once a believer is caught, they’re fined, imprisoned, or given to an official as a laborer. Believers aren’t treated like humans at all. This is such a dark and evil country. It’s the modern-day Sodom, opposed to God. Being a believer, following God today means being persecuted, but from God’s words I saw His will. God was using those difficulties to perfect our faith, while also allowing us to gain discernment over the government’s evil essence of opposing God so I could reject and forsake Satan, and truly turn toward God. I didn’t feel as awful once I’d understood God’s will. I felt ready to rely on God and keep sharing the gospel.

Later, I brought the new believers together and gave them fellowship on God’s words to help them know God’s work and understand His will. We listened to a hymn of God’s words together, “Time Lost Will Never Come Again”: “Awaken, brothers! Awaken, sisters! My day will not be delayed; time is life, and to seize back time is to save life! The time is not far off! If you fail the college entrance examination, you can study and retake it as many times as you like. However, My day will brook no further delay. Remember! Remember! I urge you with these good words. The end of the world unfolds before your very eyes, and great disasters rapidly draw near. Which is more important: your life, or your sleep, your food and drink and clothing? The time has come for you to weigh these things” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 30). After listening to the hymn, I fellowshiped, “Some people say they’ll believe once Satan’s forces fall, and there’s no more oppression, but then, God’s work to save mankind will be over, and we will have utterly lost our chance at God’s salvation. If we’re held back by the government and we don’t dare have faith if it says not to, then can the government save us, instead? Of course not. Only God can save us. If we listen to them and don’t believe, then we’ll lose God’s salvation in the last days. When God’s work ends, we’ll be destroyed along with Satan. We’ve suffered from the government’s suppression and arrests because of our faith, but this suffering has value. We have to pay a price if we want to receive God’s salvation. And God rules over everything, so whether we’re arrested is entirely in His hands. If we are arrested, it is with God’s permission. We should submit to Him and learn our lesson.” Then I read more of Almighty God’s words: “Those whom God refers to as ‘overcomers’ are those who are still able to stand witness and maintain their confidence and devotion to God when under the influence of Satan and while being laid siege to by Satan, that is, when they find themselves amidst the forces of darkness. If you are still able to keep a pure heart before God and maintain your genuine love for God no matter what, then you are standing witness in front of God, and this is what God refers to as being an ‘overcomer’” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. You Should Maintain Your Devotion to God). “You should now see that the reason God does not destroy Satan in the time of His salvation of man is that humans may see clearly how Satan has corrupted them and the extent to which it has corrupted them, and how God purifies and saves them. Ultimately, when people have understood the truth and clearly seen Satan’s odious countenance, and beheld the monstrous sin of Satan’s corruption of them, God will destroy Satan, showing them His righteousness” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). I fellowshiped, “God allows the government’s oppression and arrests. This is testing if we truly believe in God, if we have faith or not. Through this kind of oppression and hardship, if we can maintain our faith, and do not shrink back in negativity or betray God, but instead keep following God, gathering and sharing the gospel, then that is having testimony, and Satan will be shamed and defeated. That suffering has value. Why doesn’t God just destroy Satan right now? It is to use Satan as a way to perfect a group of overcomers while also having us learn to discern good from evil. We can see how God works to save people, and how Satan corrupts and hurts people. Then one day, when God destroys Satan, we will see how righteous God is. If God just directly wiped Satan out, we’d have no discernment over Satan, and we wouldn’t hate and forsake it. Just like those anti-God regimes of Satan, and those devils who run the government—they’re really good at disguise and deception. When they appear to do some good things, it’s just so that people will adore them. Almighty God has appeared and is working in the last days to save mankind. He has exposed those regimes’ demonic essence of opposing God. They deny and condemn Almighty God, and arrest, fine, sentence and imprison His believers. They’re just like the devil Satan, which gets people to worship it, and doesn’t allow them to believe in and follow God. Ultimately they’ll all go down to hell and be punished along with it.” After fellowship, the newcomers had discernment and faith, and all actively engaged in the gathering. I was really happy.

After that, those new believers brought some of their loved ones to come listen to sermons. After a few days, over 80 people from that village had accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days. I saw God’s wisdom exercised based on Satan’s trickery. Satan played all sorts of tricks to stop the gospel work, to leave us frustrated and depressed, but God’s words gave us faith and strength. We put all we had into sharing the gospel, and saw God’s guidance. I was really grateful to God. I saw that no human can stop what God wants to complete, and I gained even more faith for sharing the gospel.

In September 2022, a new believer brought us to her parents’ village to preach the gospel, where over 40 people were interested in the true way. I was really happy, and started sharing testimony with them on God’s work of the last days. Then I received news that the regional government officials showed my photo at their meeting, saying I was wanted, and told people to report me if they saw me preaching the gospel. The police were also stopping cars with roadblocks, searching for me. I was thinking, with the police looking for me everywhere, if they did get me someday, they’d probably kill me. Should I keep sharing the gospel? If I stopped, what about the villagers in the middle of investigating God’s work? They wouldn’t be able to hear God’s voice and accept His new work. I wouldn’t be fulfilling my responsibility. The brothers and sisters wanted to send me away, out of consideration for my safety. I was afraid, so I went ahead and left. I felt pretty guilty after that. I wanted to go back and keep preaching the gospel to those villagers. So I prayed to God, “God, the police are looking for me everywhere, and I’m afraid. But I know whether I’m arrested or not is fully in Your hands. I want to entrust You with everything. Please guide me so I have the faith to keep preaching and bearing witness to You.” I read something in God’s words later: “Are you aware of the burden on your shoulders, your commission, and your responsibility? Where is your sense of historic mission? How will you adequately serve as a master in the next age? Do you have a strong sense of masterhood? How would you explain the master of all things? Is it really the master of all living creatures and of all physical things in the world? What plans do you have for the progress of the next phase of the work? How many people are waiting for you to be their shepherd? Is your task a heavy one? They are poor, pitiable, blind, and at a loss, wailing in the darkness—where is the way? How they yearn for the light, like a shooting star, to suddenly descend and dispel the forces of darkness that have oppressed man for so many years. Who can know the full extent to which they anxiously hope, and how they pine, day and night, for this? Even on a day when the light flashes past, these deeply suffering people remain imprisoned in a dark dungeon without hope of release; when will they weep no longer? Terrible is the misfortune of these fragile spirits who have never been granted rest, and long have they been kept bound in this state by merciless bonds and frozen history. And who has heard the sound of their wailing? Who has looked upon their miserable state? Has it ever occurred to you how grieved and anxious God’s heart is? How can He bear to see innocent mankind, whom He created with His own hands, suffering such torment? Human beings, after all, are the victims who have been poisoned. And although man has survived to this day, who would have known that mankind has long been poisoned by the evil one? Have you forgotten that you are one of the victims? Are you not willing to strive, out of your love for God, to save these survivors? Are you not willing to devote all of your energy to repaying God, who loves mankind like His own flesh and blood? When all is said and done, how would you interpret being used by God to live your extraordinary life? Do you really have the resolve and confidence to live the meaningful life of a pious, God-serving person?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. How Should You Attend to Your Future Mission?). God’s words were really inspiring, but also made me feel guilty. So many people still haven’t accepted God’s salvation of the last days, and live under Satan’s power. They’re helpless and in pain. God feels sorrow and a sense of urgency for them. Some of them work very long days to make money, living hard, exhausting lives, and some still feel empty and miserable inside even after getting a bit of money. They don’t know the value of human life and can’t find any direction. Some people want to seek the true way, but they’re too afraid, because of the government’s oppression and arrests. That means we need to fellowship on God’s words with them, testify to God’s work, and use God’s words to resolve their problems, so they can see the truth, light and hope in God’s words, and accept God’s salvation. Also, disasters are getting worse these days, and many people still haven’t heard God’s voice. They have nothing to turn to in disaster. Sharing the gospel with these people was my responsibility. God doesn’t want anyone He wishes to save to succumb to the disasters. If I stopped spreading the gospel for the sake of my own safety, I wouldn’t be doing my duty. Then I’d have such a huge debt to God, and wouldn’t deserve to be called part of His family. I thought of how I used to be just like those villagers, living under Satan’s control without any goal or hope. God inspired brothers and sisters to share the gospel with me over and over, until I finally heard God’s voice and received His salvation of the last days. That was God’s love and mercy for me. I had to consider God’s will, and do everything in my power to bear witness to God’s work and repay His love. The next day, I went back to that village to continue sharing the gospel. But just a few days later, the newcomer who took us there left on urgent business. I was a bit worried. Would I end up arrested without a local’s protection? But if I stopped sharing the gospel, those investigating the true way would be delayed in accepting Almighty God’s work. Over the last few days, they’d been sneaking up into the hills to hear us preach in their efforts to seek and investigate. They longed for it so much. If I ran off out of fear of arrest, unwilling to keep preaching, I would owe them, as well as hurt God. So I met with those investigating the true way one by one and read Almighty God’s words to them. In the end, every one of them accepted Almighty God’s work. After that, they brought others to hear our sermons. More and more people accepted God’s new work after hearing Almighty God’s words. Seeing God’s guidance, I felt incredibly grateful to Him. The village militia often did evening patrols, limiting our gatherings. So, I fellowshiped on God’s words with new believers to help them see through Satan’s tricks and learn to gather in secret. Knowing that, they weren’t impacted by the government anymore. They all snuck up to the hills or into vegetable fields to gather at night. I had even more energy for preaching when I saw that.

I remember once, there was a sister who told me that a few people I’d preached to had been arrested by the government for hearing our sermons. Their unbeliever family went to my house looking for me, saying they’d kill me. My sister told me to be careful. It was scary for me. If I’d been at home then, who knows what they would have done to me. If I kept spreading the gospel there and they got their hands on me, they definitely wouldn’t let me go easily. I wanted to leave that place and not share the gospel there anymore. But thinking about leaving was really upsetting for me. Then I remembered these words from God: “You know that all things in the environment that surrounds you are there by My permission, all planned by Me. See clearly and satisfy My heart in the environment I have given to you. Do not fear, the Almighty God of hosts will surely be with you; He stands behind you and He is your shield” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 26). I could see from God’s words that I was facing this situation with God’s permission. Since I was sharing the gospel, testifying about God’s work, Satan was sure to stop at nothing to get in my way, to disrupt my state of mind so that I’d be too afraid to keep spreading the gospel. That was Satan’s evil intention. If I stopped spreading the gospel out of fear, clinging to life and limb, wouldn’t I be falling for Satan’s tricks? Whether I was arrested and whether I was going to die, was all in God’s hands. Job suffered many things when Satan was testing him. He lost all his children, all his wealth, and he broke out in boils all over his body. But God wouldn’t permit Satan to take away Job’s life. Satan didn’t dare go against what God said—it didn’t dare harm Job’s life. Now if God didn’t allow those people to harm me, they couldn’t do anything to me. My life was in God’s hands—they didn’t get to decide if I lived or died. If I were arrested, there would be God’s good will behind it, and I should submit. I thought to myself, since things were bad in this village, I could go preach in another one. I’d be fine if I employed some wisdom and watched my back. As the Lord Jesus said: “But when they persecute you in this city, flee you into another” (Matthew 10:23). I read more of Almighty God’s words then: “God has a plan for every one of His followers. Each one of them has an environment, furnished for man by God, in which to perform their duty, and they have the grace and favor of God that is man’s to enjoy. They also have special circumstances, which God lays out for man, and there is much suffering they must undergo—it is nothing like the smooth sailing that man imagines. Beyond this, if you acknowledge that you are a created being, you must prepare yourself to suffer and pay a price for the sake of fulfilling your responsibility to spread the gospel and for the sake of doing your duty properly. The price might be suffering some physical ailment or hardship, or suffering the persecutions of the great red dragon or the misunderstandings of worldly people, as well as the tribulations one undergoes when spreading the gospel: being sold out, being beaten and scolded, being condemned—even being mobbed and put in mortal danger. It is possible, in the course of spreading the gospel, that you will die before God’s work is completed, and that you will not live to see the day of God’s glory. You must be prepared for this. This is not meant to frighten you; it is a fact. … How did those disciples of the Lord Jesus die? Among the disciples, there were those who were stoned, dragged behind a horse, crucified upside down, dismembered by five horses—every sort of death befell them. What was the reason for their deaths? Were they lawfully executed for their crimes? No. They were condemned, beaten, scolded, and put to death because they spread the Lord’s gospel and were rejected by the people of the world—that is how they were martyred. … No matter what the means of their death and departure was nor how it happened, it was not how God defined the final outcomes of those lives, of those created beings. This is something you must see clearly. On the contrary, they used precisely those means to condemn this world and to testify to God’s deeds. These created beings used their most precious lives—they used the last moment of their lives to testify to God’s deeds, to testify to God’s great power, and to declare to Satan and the world that God’s deeds are right, that the Lord Jesus is God, that He is the Lord, and God’s incarnate flesh. Even down to the final moment of their lives, they never denied the name of the Lord Jesus. Was this not a form of judgment upon this world? They used their lives to proclaim to the world, to confirm to human beings that the Lord Jesus is the Lord, that the Lord Jesus is Christ, that He is God’s incarnate flesh, that the work of redemption He did for all humanity allows humanity to live on—this fact is forever unchanging. Those who were martyred for spreading the gospel of the Lord Jesus, to what extent did they perform their duty? Was it to the ultimate extent? How was the ultimate extent manifested? (They offered their lives.) That’s right, they paid the price with their lives. Family, wealth, and the material things of this life are all external things; the only thing that is related to the self is life. To every living person, life is the thing most worthy of being treasured, the most precious thing and, as it happens, these people were able to offer their most precious possession—life—as confirmation of and testimony to God’s love for mankind. Until the day they died, they did not deny God’s name, nor did they deny God’s work, and they used their last moments of life to testify to the existence of this fact—is this not the highest form of testimony? This is the best way of doing one’s duty; this is what it is to fulfill one’s responsibility. When Satan threatened and terrorized them, and, in the end, even when it made them pay the price of their lives, they did not abandon their responsibility. This is what it is to fulfill one’s duty to the utmost extent. What do I mean by this? Do I mean to have you use the same method to testify of God and to spread His gospel? You do not necessarily need to do so, but you must understand that this is your responsibility, that if God needs you to, you should accept it as something you are honor-bound to do” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Spreading the Gospel Is the Duty to Which All Believers Are Honor-Bound). God’s words helped me realize that the Lord Jesus’ disciples were condemned, imprisoned, and suffered all sorts of persecution for the sake of spreading the gospel. Many of them were martyred. But no matter what kind of end they met, they were able to give up their precious lives, never denying God even at death. They gave testimony to God and glorified Him with their own lives. That’s the loftiest of testimonies and the best way to do a duty. But as for me, chased by the government and threatened by evil people, I greedily clung to life, and wanted to flee the village, not keep on preaching and watering newcomers. Where was my testimony? I reflected: Why did I become afraid whenever faced with a life-or-death situation? It was because I treasured life too much, not understanding life and death. The fact is, God has already determined our lives and deaths. Being martyred for God, though the flesh dies, isn’t really death at all. It doesn’t mean you won’t have a good outcome and destination. The Lord Jesus said: “Whoever will save his life shall lose it: and whoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). If I didn’t do my duty and betrayed God because I was clinging to life, my flesh may not suffer, but God would cast me out in disgust and my soul would be punished. If I could sacrifice my life to bear witness to God, and would rather die than betray Him, that would shame Satan, and it would be meaningful. At this realization, I no longer feared for my life, and I resolved: As long as I’m not in custody, as long as I’m still breathing, I will keep spreading the gospel and bearing witness to God to shame Satan. I kept on preaching the gospel after that. Before long, most people in the village had accepted Almighty God’s work.

I went to another village after that to spread the gospel. Over a dozen people joined at first, but then the township government found us out while we were preaching to a husband and wife. The township chief, deputy chief, treasurer, and some militia members—over a dozen people total—all burst into the room and said we had to go with them. I was feeling pretty nervous at the time. Were they going to arrest me and send me to prison? The government had been after me. They’d told my name to every home, saying to report me if I was found preaching the gospel. They wouldn’t let me off lightly if I were recognized. And those new believers would be impacted—what about that? I was praying nonstop, asking God for faith so I could stand strong in my testimony. Before long, a brother and sister who had gone to that village to preach the gospel with us were arrested, too. They took all of us to the township government and took away our phones. Then the township chief started interrogating us: “Who are you people? Have you come here to preach the gospel?” We didn’t respond. So they shut us up into a dark room and had five or six militia members watch us. I was worried that they would recognize me. If I were sent to my hometown, I was sure to be sentenced to prison to be tortured and defiled by them. The regional government head said, when they got me they’d cut my hair, hang a sign around my neck, and parade me around. At that time, I kept praying to God, “Oh God, I’m ready to submit to being arrested, but my stature is small. Please give me faith and watch over me so I can stand firm.” After praying, I thought of a testimonial video I’d seen before. Some brothers and sisters who were beaten to death in prison by the Chinese police didn’t deny or betray God, even facing death. Many others were brutally tortured, sentenced and imprisoned, but by praying and relying on God, they developed true faith through God’s words. They swore to the death not to betray God, even if they were jailed for life. They bore firm, resounding testimonies. I was really inspired. I remembered God’s words: “The utmost faith and love are required from us in this stage of work. We may stumble from the slightest carelessness, for this stage of work is different from all the previous ones: What God is perfecting is mankind’s faith, which is both invisible and intangible. What God does is convert words to faith, to love, and to life. People must reach a point where they have endured hundreds of refinements and possess faith greater than Job’s. They must endure incredible suffering and all manner of torture without ever leaving God. When they are obedient unto death, and have great faith in God, then this stage of God’s work is complete” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Path … (8)). God’s words showed me that His work in the last days is to use words to perfect our faith and love, so that we can practice and experience His words through oppression and hardship, so His words become our lives. I thought back on being oppressed and pursued by the government. When I was timid and fearful, it was entirely God’s words that guided me, giving me the faith to keep preaching. Now that I’d been apprehended, I had to have the faith to stand firm. Even if I had to do time and be defiled, or even died, I was ready to submit. Then a church hymn called “Life’s Testimony” came to mind: “One day I may be captured and persecuted for bearing witness to God, this suffering is for the sake of righteousness, which I know in my heart. If my life is gone like a spark in the blink of an eye, I will still feel proud that I can follow Christ and bear witness to Him in this life. If I cannot see the great event of the expansion of the kingdom gospel, I will still offer up the most beautiful wishes. If I cannot see the day the kingdom is realized, but I can shame Satan today, then my heart will be filled with joy and peace. … God’s words spread all across the world, the light has appeared among man. Christ’s kingdom arises and is established within adversity. The darkness is about to pass, a righteous dawn has come. Time and reality have borne testimony for God” (Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). This hymn was really inspiring for me. I understood if I were arrested because I spread the gospel, it would be persecution for righteousness. Now that I’d been caught, I’d probably go to prison, unable to preach anymore. But although I was arrested and persecuted, I had the chance to give wonderful testimony for God and shame Satan. I felt really proud. This thought gave me faith. After daybreak, they questioned us again. Seeing they weren’t getting anything out of us, they fined us 3,000 kyat and let us go. They also warned us not to keep preaching, and said lots of things blaspheming God. I hated those devils even more.

After I was freed, I still kept spreading the gospel. One day, a brother called and told me, “The township officials know you’re an outsider come to preach the gospel. They arrested me and two new believers to get us to sell you out. But none of us talked, so they fined us and let us go. They also said that if they run into you preaching again, they’ll rape you on the spot. They’re looking for you everywhere, hurry up and run….” I could hardly believe my ears when this brother told me that. When I heard they said they’d rape me if they found me preaching I was incensed. Those people really were demons, and had no humanity! I was just a believer sharing the gospel, but they were so hateful. They wouldn’t let us have faith, wanting to arrest, persecute, and fine us, even rape and defile me. They really were anti-God demons. The more they oppressed me, the more I wanted to preach and bear witness.

Then in October, we went to another village to spread the gospel. Brothers and sisters had preached there before, but their pastor spread rumors to keep believers from investigating the true way and the government started arresting believers. The villagers, misled by rumors plus afraid of being arrested, didn’t dare investigate the true way. Spreading the gospel would be difficult for us. I prayed, asking God for guidance. Then, I sought out four people with a fairly good understanding of the truth and fellowshiped with them on what the true way is, what false ways are, and how God utilizes Satan’s oppression and disruptions in the last days to reveal and perfect people, to sort the wheat from the tares, the wise virgins from the foolish. The foolish ones only listen to humans, to Satan. They don’t seek and investigate when they hear the news that the Lord has come and uttered words, so they can’t welcome the bridegroom. Only those trying to listen for God’s voice, who are firm in their faith to follow God are the wise ones. Only they can attend the wedding feast with the Lord. After that fellowship, all four of them wanted to keep investigating. Over the next few days, I held gatherings for them, fellowshiping on God’s words. One of them said, “I listened to the pastor and the village chief before. They said not to listen to Almighty God’s words, so I didn’t. I nearly missed my chance to welcome the Lord’s coming. I’m not listening to people anymore. I’m listening to God.” Another one said, “Reading Almighty God’s words has convinced me that He is the Lord Jesus returned. No matter how others may stand in my way, I’m accepting Almighty God.” I was so happy to hear them say things like that. After that, they brought some of their relatives to listen to sermons, and in no time, over 20 people had accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days. That these new believers could seek the true way and stand strong amidst the rumors was really moving for me. It was all because of the guidance of God’s words. My mom was finally released in December. She did hard labor every day of the several months she was locked up. The government workers said they’d definitely get me and put me away. I thought about back before my mom was released, police with their guns and batons often going to my house to arrest me, saying they wouldn’t free her until I went back home. But now they’ve released my mom without capturing me. I’ve really experienced that God rules everything, and whether I’m arrested is entirely in His hands. I’m not constrained—I’ve kept preaching and bearing witness to God.

In preaching the gospel, I’ve encountered many difficulties, including feeling down and weak. But every time God’s words have guided me, allowing me to stand strong in depression and weakness, giving me the faith to keep preaching and testifying to God. I’ve truly experienced that God is using these struggles to perfect my faith. I give thanks to God. I will fulfill my responsibility, share God’s gospel of the last days with more people, and repay God’s love.