Why Does God Let Us Experience Trials and Refinement?

By Li Tong

Many Christians feel confused: God is love and He is almighty, so why does He allow us to suffer? Could it be that He has abandoned us? This question always used to puzzle me, but lately, through prayer and seeking, I’ve gained a bit of enlightenment and light. This has resolved my misunderstandings of God, and I’ve come to understand that suffering is not God casting us aside, but instead is very carefully arranged by God in order to purify and save us. These trials and refinement are God’s greatest grace for us!

Today’s Devotional Reading: Insights Gained From the Story of the Antelope Herd That Jumped From a Cliff

By Qianbei

One day, I read an article describing how a herd of antelope had met with a sudden death after jumping from a cliff. The story told how, due to an eye disease, the leader of the herd failed to see the cliff looming behind a thicket of bushes and, clearing the bushes with a single leap, plunged over the precipice. The rest of the herd was following close behind their leader and they too jumped and fell. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the vision of the rest of the herd—they would have been able to see the cliff, so, why did they still jump? Well, it is actually because it is the natural behavior of antelopes to follow the leader of the herd. Wherever the leader goes, the herd follows. They don’t have the ability to make decisions on their own, and so when the leader jumped over the cliff, the herd followed suit, leading to their sudden, collective death. Clearly, the act of blindly following can very easily take one down the wrong path, and in severe cases may even lead to calamity.

Christian Reflection: Do God’s Words and Work Exist Outside the Bible?

By Saverio, Italy

The Book of Revelation predicts, “Behold, I come quickly” (Revelation 22:7). In recent years, all the prophecies predicting the Lord’s return have basically been fulfilled, and many people feel that the Lord may quite possibly have already come. In addition, Eastern Lightning long ago began witnessing that in the last days, God has come again to speak new words that are outside the Bible and to conduct a new stage of work, and also that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus. Brothers and sisters from every denomination who sincerely believe in the Lord and yearn for the truth have recognized God’s voice through reading Almighty God’s words and turned to Almighty God. But some brothers and sisters think that “all of God’s words and work are recorded in the Bible, and God’s work and words do not exist outside the Bible,” and so they refuse to seek out or investigate God’s utterances and words in the last days. Is the entirety of God’s words and work all contained within the Bible? Do God’s words and work exist outside of the Bible? Understanding these questions is critical to whether or not we can receive the returned Lord and gain God’s salvation in the last days! Today, we will discuss the issues surrounding these questions.

"The Significance of the Appearance of God" | New English Gospel Song With Lyrics

"The Significance of the Appearance of God" | New English Christian Song With Lyrics

I

God's appearance signifies

His arrival on earth to do His work.

With His own identity, disposition, method,

He comes to initiate and end an age.

His appearance isn’t a ceremony,

or a sign, picture, miracle or grand vision,

much less a religious process,

but it's a real fact to touch and behold.

It's not just for following a process

or for a short-term undertaking,

but instead is for a stage of work

in His management plan.

This work starts a new age, and ends the old one.

It's an improved form of work for man's salvation.

It brings man into a whole new age.

This is the significance of God's appearance.

2019 Christian Video | "We Have Welcomed the Lord" (Crosstalk)

2019 Christian Video | "We Have Welcomed the Lord" (Crosstalk)

For two thousand years, the greatest hope of the Lord's faithful has always been to welcome His return and be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. What, then, is the most important practice with regard to welcoming the Lord? The Lord Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice" (John 10:27), "[W]hen He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). What do these verses have to do with our welcoming of the Lord? What can we do to enable ourselves to welcome the Lord? The crosstalk We Have Welcomed the Lord provides the answers to these questions through the story of two believers from the religious world who welcomed the Lord …

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