Selected Preachings of the Leaders from Different Levels in the Church

Although at present, we all say that since we believe in God, we should live for the truth and for satisfying God and testifying about God, and we are all eager to bear a strong and powerful testimony for God in the future great trials, nevertheless, we do not attach importance to our practice and entering-in in our real life. Whatever thing we encounter in our daily life or whatever work of God’s family we cooperate with, we treat it carelessly and incautiously and often act according to our own ideas without seeking God’s intention. We do not pursue to know God, and much less are we willing to forsake our flesh to satisfy God in everything. In this case, “to bear a good testimony for God in the great trials” would be an empty word without reality.

The very reason why we live in such a state is that we only know we should bear a strong and powerful testimony for God in the future great trials but do not know how to achieve such a result. About this, let’s first read a passage from the man’s fellowship attached to The Summary of Christ’s Preachings and Conversations: “Job could manifest genuine faith when the trials came upon him because he could truly worship God at ordinary times and had long since had a genuine faith. Abraham offered Isaac because he had long since known that God is almighty and he can call things not being as being and call things being as not being and thus had a genuine faith in God. Peter could have himself crucified upside down for God because he had seen God’s true love for mankind and had the true knowledge of God. Therefore, their testimonies were all true, which were completely built on their true knowledge of God. Without the true knowledge of God, they could never have borne these true testimonies. One’s true testimony fully represents the degree of his true knowledge of God. To the degree one’s knowledge of God attains, to the same degree will be his testimony; the more knowledge of God he gains, the higher testimony he will bear. It is no use sharpening your spear just before a battle. As the saying goes, ‘An idle youth, a needy age.’” From these words, we can see that without the true knowledge of God, one will never bear a true testimony for God, and that all good testimonies for God are built on the true knowledge of God. The reason why Job did not utter complaints but manifested genuine faith in the trials was because he worshipped and feared God at ordinary times and he had long since known that to receive good or adversity is permitted by God and that whatever God does is right and righteous; thus he upheld testimony for God in the trials. The reason why Abraham could be called the father of faith and could offer his beloved son to Jehovah was because he had already had the true knowledge of God’s ruling over everything and God’s substance of being almighty; thus he bore a testimony of obeying God. Again, the reason why Peter could bear a testimony of loving God to the utmost—having himself crucified upside down for God was because he paid attention to knowing God’s substance and God’s nature from the work and word of Jesus at ordinary times, and thus he came to know that Christ is the truth, the way, and the life and saw that whatever God’s nature expresses is love for man. It was because he had had the true knowledge of God and seen that God had so much loveliness that he loved God spontaneously and eventually bore the highest testimony of loving God and became an exemplar for us to imitate. From these examples, we can see that how powerfully one bears his testimony depends on his pursuit at ordinary times and the depth of his true knowledge of God. The deeper he knows God, the truer and more powerful his testimony will be. So, to bear a good and powerful testimony in the future great trials, we cannot just think and talk about it; rather, we need to pursue the truth and pursue to know God at ordinary times and gradually gain the true knowledge of God.

However, we have had no knowledge of that. We simply dream of bearing a testimony for God in the future but neglect to pursue the truth and pursue to know God at ordinary times. Therefore, when the surrounding people, matters, or things are contrary to our notions, we lose our testimony time and time again, thus leaving behind so much regret and remorse. For example, when God’s family required us to select leaders from those who had the sense of justice, who pursued the truth, and who had competence in work, we did not realize that since God’s family made such a requirement, there must be such qualified persons in our churches, for God had long since predestined them; nor did we realize that whatever God required of us was practical and realistic, which we could meet by a small effort, and that as long as we cooperated with God by faith, we would see God’s deeds. As we lived in our imagination and conclusion, neither seeking the truth nor pursuing to know God, we had no confidence to accomplish this work, always thinking that the standard required by the above was so high that it would not be easy for us to find such qualified persons. As a result, we did not cooperate sincerely and actively and delayed the work for so long a time that it failed to achieve the desired result. And we lost our testimony. For another example, some time ago, the works, such as making adjustments in the use of leaders, purging the churches, and writing the articles on the knowledge about the seven examining questions, were assigned to us one after another. Facing these pressing works, we poured out endless grievances, complaining of difficulties and fatigue, yet we did not realize that this was a special training that God gave us through these special backgrounds and circumstances, as God hoped that we could shoulder the important tasks committed by God’s family soon. It was actually God’s special grace and uplifting. However, we did not understand God’s kind intention nor discover God’s loveliness, so we were always passive and resistant, unwilling to cooperate with our all-out efforts. Thus, we lost our testimony once again. All these make us deeply realize that if we do not pursue the truth nor pursue to know God at ordinary times, we will bear no testimony when encountering things. Because without knowing God we can only live in our notions and imaginations, and only live according to our satanic viewpoints, therefore we will resist and rebel against God at any time, and in the future trials we won’t be able to stand at all, to say nothing of bearing a strong and powerful testimony. Eventually we will only fail in belief in God.

To bear a strong and powerful testimony for God in the future trials, we need to pay attention to acting according to the truth in our practical life to satisfy God. Only by doing so can we lay a solid foundation for upholding testimony in the future trials. It is just as God’s word says: “You cannot see the future things clearly. All that you can do is to satisfy God in the present situation. You cannot do any great work. You should pay attention to experiencing God’s word in your practical life to satisfy God and to bear a strong and powerful testimony, putting satan to shame. Although your flesh may not be satisfied and undergo some suffering, you have satisfied God and put satan to shame. If you always act in this way, God will open up the way for you on your path ahead. One day when a great trial comes, other people may fall, but you will stand, and due to the price you have paid, God will keep you so that you will stand and will not fall. At ordinary times, if you can act according to the truth and satisfy God with a genuine love for God, God will surely keep you in the future trials. Although you are ignorant, small in stature, and with poor qualities, God will not treat you unfairly. That depends on whether you have right intents. If now you can satisfy God, satisfy God even in small things, satisfy God in everything, love God with a true heart, and offer up your true heart to God … and do everything for satisfying God … if you always act in this way, you will be kept when great trials come.” “So, if you want to stand firm, better satisfy God, and follow God to the end in the future, you have to build a solid foundation now, doing everything according to the truth to satisfy God and care for God’s intention. If you always act in this way, you will have a foundation within, and God will stir up your love for him and give you faith. One day when a trial really comes, you may undergo some suffering, be sorrowful to a certain extent, and suffer extreme grief, as if you were dying, but you will still have love for God and even have a deeper love for him. That will be God’s blessing to you. If now you can accept with an obedient heart what God says and does, God will bless you, and you will be a person who inherits God’s blessing and promise. But if you do not act in this way now, one day when a trial comes, you will have no more love and no more faith. At that time, the trial will be a temptation to you, and you will fall into satan’s temptation and will not be able to escape from it. Now you may be able to stand when a small trial comes to you, but one day when a great trial comes to you, you will not possibly stand.” From these words we can see that if we want to follow God to the end and bear a good testimony for God in the future trials, we have to pay attention to acting according to the truth in our practical life. Whenever we encounter something, we should forsake our flesh to satisfy God and requite God’s love with a genuine love of him. Only by doing so will we receive God’s care and keeping and have the faith and stature to uphold testimony in the trials. Let’s look at Peter. He could have himself crucified upside down for God in the end and thus bore a perfect and powerful testimony; this was not achieved in a short time. It had to do with his experience at ordinary times directly. He required himself to satisfy God’s heart’s desire in whatever small matter of his life. He never overlooked his old nature but always strictly required himself to enter further into the truth. In his life, if he failed to satisfy God’s heart’s desire in anything, he would feel uneasy, and if he failed to satisfy God’s heart’s desire, he would feel remorse and then find a proper way and strive to satisfy God’s heart. Peter’s such a practice laid a solid foundation for his future testimony and eventually bore abundant fruit. If we can seek the truth and sense God’s intention in everything and do whatever thing with a heart loving and satisfying God as Peter did, then our heart will gradually be occupied by God, and we will be able to do things according to God’s word. When encountering major matters of principle, we will naturally be able to act according to the truth to satisfy God and bear a good testimony.