Do You Know How Important God’s Law and His 10 Commandments Are to Mankind?

I trust that every one of us who believes in the Lord will be familiar with the Ten Commandments and the Law. But are we aware of how important the Ten Commandments and the Law are to mankind, and what profound significance they have for us? Today, let’s investigate and fellowship this topic together.

God’s words say: “When God began the official work of His management plan, He set down many regulations that were to be followed by man. These regulations were in order to allow man to lead the normal life of man on earth, a normal life of man that is inseparable from God and His guidance. God first told man how to make altars, how to set up the altars. After that, He told man how to make offerings, and established how man was to live—what he was to pay attention to in life, what he was to abide by, what he should and should not do. What God set out for man was all-embracing, and with these customs, regulations, and principles He standardized people’s behavior, guided their lives, guided their initiation to the laws of God, guided them to come before the altar of God, guided them in having a life among all the things God had made for man that was possessed of order, regularity, and moderation. God first used these simple regulations and principles to set limits for man, so that on earth man would have a normal life of worshiping God, would have the normal life of man; such is the specific content of the beginning of His six-thousand-year management plan. The regulations and rules cover a very broad content, they are the specifics of God’s guidance of mankind during the Age of Law, they had to be accepted and honored by the people who came before the Age of Law, they are a record of the work done by God during the Age of Law, and they are real proof of God’s leadership and guidance of all mankind” (“God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II”).

Reflection for Today: Does a Church Appearing Fervent Mean That It Has the Work of the Holy Spirit?

Hello brothers and sisters of Spiritual Q&A,

Several months ago, I witnessed the pastors in our church vying with each other for the sake of fame and gain and jockeying for position, so much so that they even verbally attacked and disparaged each other during sermons. Their sermons were not enjoyable to listen to, and our spirits went unnourished. Furthermore, there was widespread cooling of the faith of brothers and sisters; they pursued wealth, they coveted physical pleasures and they followed worldly trends, giving all their attention to eating, drinking and having fun. Most of the time, some brothers and sisters simply did not attend gatherings, but instead only came when a disaster occurred in their lives or when there was some important holiday … Faced with this situation in our church, I left to look for a church that had the work of the Holy Spirit. I searched in many places, however, and discovered that most churches were just the same, and I began to lose hope. I recently found a church, however, which often put on shows and held events, and it even had pastors come from overseas to give sermons. The atmosphere in this church was very warm and enthusiastic, and many people attended each gathering. Looking at this church that was so ardent and at the brothers and sisters who attended gatherings so enthusiastically, I thought this must be a church that had the work of the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t long, however, before I discovered that, although the church appeared ardent, the sermons preached by the pastors were unable to provide benefits for the lives of brothers and sisters and were unable to satisfy our spirits. The singing and dancing that went on only had the effect of changing the atmosphere in the church—while it was going on, we all felt very energetic, but as soon as we sat down to listen to a pastor give a sermon, we would begin to doze off. Moreover, brothers and sisters were always trying to outdo each other with donations and prayers. Whoever donated a lot was considered to be someone who loved the Lord, and whoever prayed for a long time and said nice words in their prayers was considered to be a spiritual person…. In this kind of church, the brothers and sisters not only had no honesty or humility but, on the contrary, their vanity just got stronger and stronger and they became more and more hypocritical. They focused on expressing themselves and showing off in front of others and were exceedingly self-righteous and arrogant. Whenever they encountered an issue, they just dealt with it however they wanted, and they didn’t listen to anyone else—they were just not keeping to the Lord’s teachings at all. Faced with this kind of situation in the church, I couldn’t help but wonder: Could such a church that appears to be so fervent from the outside have the work of the Holy Spirit? This question has always perplexed me, so I’d like to ask if you could answer it for me.

Wenxi

We Can Only Enter the Kingdom of Heaven by Doing God’s Will (Part Two)

After Sister Li listened, she smiled and said, “Thanks be to God, you’ve asked a critical question! Whether we can become people who do the Father’s will is directly related to our own endings and destination, and fellowship on this question is very necessary! In the last days, the returned Lord Jesus, who is Almighty God, has already revealed the truth and mysteries surrounding this question to us. First, let’s read several passages of Almighty God’s word!” After she spoke, Sister Li opened a book of God’s word and began to read, “A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be after God’s heart? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as a sinner because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance” (“Concerning Appellations and Identity” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

We Can Only Enter the Kingdom of Heaven by Doing God’s Will (Part One)

Editor’s Note: Many people believe that merely by forsaking, expending, laboring, and working for the Lord, we are doing the Father’s will, but the Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name have cast out devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23). Why did the Lord Jesus say those who work and preach in His name are workers of iniquity? Isn’t forsaking, expending, laboring, and working for the Lord doing the Father’s will? Just what does it mean to do the Father’s will? Sister Xinshou’s experience gives us an answer. Read on to learn more …

In 2012, my husband and I came to the United States to find work. In a happy accident, I went into a church to hear the sermon, and when I heard the pastor preach that the Lord Jesus was crucified to redeem our sins, I was shocked. Especially when I heard the hymns in praise of the Lord, the Lord Jesus’s selfless love moved me to tears. The Lord’s love was like a lamp burning in a dark night that lit up my entire life. I began to participate in all kinds of church activities. Later, I was chosen for hosting duties at the church, and I enthusiastically preached the gospel for the Lord. I believed that as long as I passionately expended for the Lord, I was the Lord’s loyal servant, that He would take delight in me, and that He would grant me blessings.

Daily Bible Reading: Is All the Word of God Really in the Bible?

“Siyu, in chapters 3 and 22 of Revelation, the Lord Jesus prophesies many times, “I come quickly.” We have been longing for the Lord Jesus to return for so many years, and now He has returned to speak His words and perform a new stage of work …”

Siyu stood at the window, frowning, with the words of her neighbor Sister Zhou echoing over and over in her ears. But she thought of what the pastors and elders often preach: “God’s words and works are all recorded in the Bible and there are none outside the Bible. If we want to await the Lord’s coming, we have to stick to the Bible.” Siyu thought to herself, “The Lord will definitely return in the last days. But if all of God’s words and works are in the Bible, how can the Lord possibly speak any more words or perform any new works when He returns in the last days?” Thinking this, Siyu felt very confused. She turned and walked back to the table, and she then prayed to God, seeking the answers. Siyu then opened the Bible and, just at that moment, she was drawn to chapter 2, verse 7 of Revelation. She read in a soft voice: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” “What the Spirit says to the churches?” she thought. “He that has an ear, let him hear? Revelation is a book of prophecy concerning the Lord’s return, so could it be that when the Lord returns in the last days, He really will speak more words? But the pastors and elders say that the Lord’s words and works are all in the Bible. What exactly is the truth of the matter?” Siyu pondered this for a long time, but still she couldn’t quite understand it.