What is the difference between the work of God incarnate and the work of the Spirit?

The Church of Almighty God | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And he said, I beseech you, show me your glory. And he said, … You can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live” (Exo 33:18-20).

“And the LORD came down on mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish” (Exo 19:20-21).

“And all the people saw the thunder, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, Speak you with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (Exo 20:18-19).

“Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spoke to him” (Jhn 12:28-29).

Relevant Words of God:

God’s saving of man is not done directly through the means of the Spirit or as the Spirit, for His Spirit can neither be touched nor seen by man, and cannot be approached by man. If He tried to save man directly in the manner of the Spirit, man would be unable to receive His salvation. And if not for God putting on the outward form of a created man, they would be unable to receive this salvation. For man can in no way approach Him, much like how none could go near the cloud of Jehovah. Only by becoming a man of creation, that is, putting His word into the flesh He will become, can He personally work the word into all who follow Him. Only then can man hear for himself His word, see His word, and receive His word, then through this be fully saved. If God did not become flesh, no fleshly man would receive such great salvation, nor would a single man be saved. If the Spirit of God worked directly among man, man would be smitten or completely carried away captive by Satan because man is unable to associate with God.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Chapter 10. Those Who Love the Truth Have a Way to Follow

The Church of Almighty God | God's will | Chapter 10. Those Who Love the Truth Have a Way to Follow

　　1. Whether People’s Conditions Are Normal Depends on Whether or Not They Love the Truth

　　Many people have brought up the following issue: After the above’s fellowship, they feel crystal clear, get stronger, and have no feelings of negativity—but such conditions only remain for about ten days, after which point they can no longer maintain normal conditions. What is the issue? Have you ever wondered what causes this? Why are your conditions so good within those first ten days or so? Some say that this is the result of not focusing on the truth. But then how would you have gotten to this level of normality after hearing the fellowship? Why were you so happy after hearing the truth? Some say it is due to the work of the Holy Spirit. Why then does the work of the Holy Spirit stop after ten days or so? Some say it is because they become idle and stop pressing onward and upward. Why wouldn’t the Holy Spirit work even when people are trying to make progress? Weren’t you trying to press onward and upward? Then why is the Holy Spirit not at work? The reasons people give are out of line with reality. Here, we must raise the following point: Whether the Holy Spirit is at work or not, people’s own cooperation cannot be overlooked. People who are clear about the truth and love the truth will always be able to remain in a state of normality, regardless of whether or not the Holy Spirit is at work. For those who do not love the truth—even if the truth is particularly clear to them and even if the Holy Spirit works greatly—there is a limit to the truth that they may practice and the amount of time during which they may practice. Apart from that time, they do nothing more than manifest their own nature and personal interests. Accordingly, whether or not a person’s conditions attain a level of normality and whether or not they can put the truth into practice is not solely determined by whether or not the Holy Spirit is at work, nor solely determined by whether or not they are clear about the truth, but rather depends on whether or not they are willing to practice the truth and whether or not they love the truth.

With Life Hanging by a Thread, the Hand of God Came to the Rescue

The Church of Almighty God - With Life Hanging by a Thread, the Hand of God Came to the Rescue

Ling Wu    Japan

“If I were not saved by God, I would still be drifting in this world,

struggling hard and painfully in sin; every day gets bleak and hopeless.

If I were not saved by God, I’d still be crushed below the devil’s feet,

snared in sin and its enjoyments, ignorant of what my life would be.

If I were not saved by God, I’d be without my blessings here today,

much less know why we should live on or the meaning of our lives.

If I were not saved by God, I’d still be confused about my faith,

still in empty space passing the days, unaware in whom to put my faith.

I have finally understood God’s loving hand holds mine as we go.

I would never go and lose my way ’cause I’m on this brilliant course to stay” (“If I Were Not Saved by God” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). Whenever I hear this hymn of experience, I am always deeply moved. If it weren’t for God saving me, as described in the hymn, I might still be wandering aimlessly in the world, tiring myself out chasing after money, even to the point that I would long since have lost my life and died abroad in a foreign land …

I’m a child of the eighties, and was born in an ordinary farmer household. My older brother was always unwell and sick since he was little. My father was wounded in an accident when I was 10; he was paralyzed two years after that. Our family’s financial situation was poor to begin with, and we went heavily into debt treating my father. Our friends and relatives were afraid that we would never be able to pay back the debt, and weren’t willing to loan us money. Helpless, I was forced to drop out of school at 16 to work away from home. In deep and quiet night, I would often think: When they were young, children the same age as me would play freely after school, while I would have to be in fields doing farming work; now they have grown up as me, and they are still going to school, acting like spoiled children with their parents, but I have to start working at an early age and suffer all kinds of hardships to support my family. … At that time, I complained to my parents about why they gave birth to me, and asked why it was that I came into this world just to suffer and toil. But there was nothing I could do about it, and I could only accept this reality. At the time, my greatest wish was to work hard, earn money, and allow my parents to live comfortably, and no longer be looked down on by others.

The Church of Almighty God | A Turn for the Better on the Road of Believing in God

The Church of Almighty God | A Turn for the Better on the Road of Believing in God

Zhuanbian    Shanghai City

Although I had been following God for many years, I had made almost no progress with my entering into life, and this made me feel very anxious. Especially when I listened to a recording of a preaching about life entry, and heard the man used by the Holy Spirit talking to the brothers and sisters who were present and listening to the preaching, I felt filled with anxiety hearing him say this kind of thing, “You now believe in God and have tasted the sweetness of the pursuit of truth. You have started to enter onto the right track and are full of faith in your pursuit of salvation.” I thought, “These people have believed in God for such a short time but have already entered and are so full of faith about being saved. Yet here I am having so far believed in God and I still haven’t obtained the truth and my disposition in life has undergone no change whatsoever, never mind having entered onto the right track. To attain salvation is easier said than done!” I thought of how the above fellowshiped that the truth can resolve all of man’s corruptions, but I had never experienced this at all. I even felt that the truth could resolve other people’s corruptions but not my own, so I lost faith in my pursuit of the truth and of salvation. Although I was aware that my own condition was not right, there was no way I could escape it, so I could only cry to God for help. Afterward, His words enlightened me, causing me to see the reasons why I had believed in God for so many years yet had not progressed in life, and why my disposition had not undergone any change. God also set me on the path of practicing and entering the truth.

Experience Testimonies of the Church of Almighty God | Every Word of God Is an Expression of His Disposition

Experience Testimonies of the Church of Almighty God | Every Word of God Is an Expression of His Disposition

Hu Ke    Dezhou City, Shandong Province

Whenever I saw these words spoken by God, I felt anxious: “Every sentence I have spoken holds the disposition of God. You would do well to ponder My words carefully, and you will surely profit greatly from them.” I felt anxious because understanding God’s disposition is so important both to man’s understanding of God and their seeking to love and satisfy Him. But when eating and drinking the words of God, I always felt like God’s disposition was too abstract, and I didn’t know how to understand it. Afterward, through fellowship from my leader, I came to know that I should understand what God likes and what He hates from His words, and thereby come to understand God’s disposition. I subsequently tried for a while to put this into practice and I saw some results. But I still felt at a loss regarding God’s words, “Every sentence I have spoken holds the disposition of God,” and had no idea how exactly to understand it.

The Church of Almighty God | The Ordeal in the Devil’s Den Made Me Taste God’s Love More Deeply

The Church of Almighty God | The Ordeal in the Devil’s Den Made Me Taste God’s Love More Deeply

Fenyong    Shanxi Province

From my childhood, I lived under my parents’ best care, but in my heart I often felt lonely without reliance, and there was always an unexplainable distress binding me, which I couldn’t get free from. I often asked myself, “Why does man live? How on earth should man live?” But I never got the answer. In 1999, I fortunately accepted Almighty God’s end-time work. From then on, under the feeding and supplying of God’s word, my lonely heart received comfort and I always had a feeling of returning home, feeling very peaceful and secure. Only then did I know what happiness is. Later, I read God’s words, “The world in mankind’s heart where there is no God’s position is dark, hopeless, and empty. … God’s place and God’s life cannot be replaced by any man. What mankind needs is not only a just society where they have enough to fill their stomach and everyone is equal and free. What they need is God’s salvation and God’s life supply for them.” (from “God Is Sovereign over the Destiny of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) Then, I knew that what a living man needs is not eating well, dressing well, or enjoying well, but is God’s salvation and God’s supply to man’s life. Only thus can the emptiness in man’s heart be solved. I finally got the answer to the question I had been puzzled about for a long time: God is feeding every living being among all things. Man should live by relying on God and also live for God, and such a life is meaningful, because man’s life originates from God and God is the only redemption to man, the only hope for man, and even more the reliance for the existence of man. As I read more and more of God’s word, I understood some truths gradually. Later, I performed duty in the church and often had meetings and fellowshipped with the brothers and sisters. I lived fully every day. However, a sudden arrest by the police broke my tranquil life, pushing me into the devil’s den….

Eastern Lightning-Experience Testimonies | The Criteria of a Truly Good Person

Eastern Lightning-Experience Testimonies | The Criteria of a Truly Good Person

Moran    Linyi City, Shandong Province

Since I was a child, I always attached a great deal of importance to how other people saw me and their assessment of me. So that I could get praise from others for everything I did, I never argued with anyone whenever anything cropped up, so as to avoid destroying the good image other people had of me. After I’d accepted God’s work in the last days, I continued in this way, upholding in every way possible the good image that my brothers and sisters had of me. Previously, when I was in charge of the work, my leader would often say that my performance was like a “yes-person,” and not the performance of someone who put the truth into practice. I never took it to heart, but on the contrary if other people thought of me as a good person, then I felt satisfied.

The Church of Almighty God | What Lies Behind Lies

The Church of Almighty God | What Lies Behind Lies

Xiaojing    Heze City, Shandong Province

Each time I saw God’s words calling on us to be honest people and to speak accurately, I thought, “I have no problem with speaking accurately. Isn’t it just calling a spade a spade and telling things as they are? Isn’t that easy? What had always most annoyed me in this world were people who embellished when they spoke.” Because of this, I felt super confident, thinking that I had no problem in this regard. But only through God’s revelation did I discover that, without entering into the truth or changing one’s disposition, one can in no way speak accurately.

The Church of Almighty God | The Importance of Coordination in Service

The Church of Almighty God | The Importance of Coordination in Service

Mei Jie    Jinan City, Shandong Province

After changing the church administration back to its original form, partnership was established for every level of leader in the household of God. At the time I thought this was a good arrangement. I was of a low caliber and I had a great deal of work; I really did need a partner to help me complete all types of work in my region.

So, I and the sister who became my partner began carrying out the pastoral work in the church together. But gradually, I saw that she wasn’t doing all sorts of things according to my will, and resistance began in my heart: Although I’m a little busier when I work on my own, it’s okay, and arranging for a partner really would be a hassle. If I let her do some work and it’s not ideal, then I’d rather do it on my own. If I don’t let her do the work, well, she is my partner. … So, more and more resistance came up in my heart, until one time, I really couldn’t hold back any longer and I lost my temper with her: “How can you be so stupid? You’ve been a leader for many years, how can you still not be doing good work? Why can’t you ever understand, or respond? …” After I was done, I felt awful, really guilty. I thought to myself: Is my situation incorrect? So I came in front of God in seeking, and saw God’s words which said: “Today the requirement of you to work together harmoniously is similar to how Jehovah required the Israelites to serve Him. Otherwise, just end your service. Because you are people who serve God directly, at the very minimum you must be able to be loyal and obedient in your service, and must be able to learn the lessons in a practical way. … You do not even study or enter into such a practical lesson, and you still talk of serving God! … If you people who coordinate to work in the churches do not learn from each other, and communicate, making up for each other’s shortcomings, from where can you learn lessons? When you encounter anything, you should fellowship with each other, so that your life can benefit” (“Serve as the Israelites Did” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Then I saw this in the man’s fellowship: “There are some people who are unable to coordinate with anyone else while fulfilling their duty. No one can get close to them; this reveals their arrogance and conceit, that they don’t have any human sense, are not aware of themselves, and look down on others. Isn’t this pitiful? The disposition of this type of human does not change at all, and it’s not easy to say if they can be saved by God. People who truly know themselves can treat other people correctly without being too critical. They can also patiently help and support others, make people feel that they are dear and beloved; they can have proper relationships with others. They are people with humanity, and only people with humanity have devotion for God, can live harmoniously with others, and adequately fulfill their duty” (The Fellowship From the Above). Combined with those words of God and this from the man’s fellowship, I carefully examined myself and saw that I had not understood God’s will in God’s household arranging partners for all levels of leaders. Even more, I had not put into practice or entered into the truth of harmonious coordination. One reason of God’s household arranging partners for us was because our caliber was too low, and our understanding of all aspects of the truth was too limited. We could not take on all the work in the church on our own. With the help of a partner, we could better complete the work of the church as well as avoid resistance to God through working alone, doing whatever we wanted, and relying on our own will in our service to God. Another reason was so that we could better exercise entering into the truth of normal humanity, so that we could have mutual fellowship with the partners, and learn from each other. This is hugely beneficial for the work of the church as well as our personal life entry. This made me see that harmonious coordination in our service is so critical for the work of the church and our personal life entry! But I had not sought God’s will at all in this. I had not paid attention to what practical lessons I could learn through this coordination. I just reluctantly worked with her because of the church’s arrangement, and as soon as this sister didn’t handle a few things well, I scolded her and lost my temper. I always felt that she wasn’t as capable as I was, and I didn’t see her strengths and advantages. I even resisted the arrangement of the church. I really was too arrogant, so unaware of myself, and I didn’t have even a little bit of normal humanity or reason, and even more I absolutely didn’t have a heart of reverence for God, and did not deserve to render service in front of God.

Oh God! Your revelation made me recognize my inability to coordinate harmoniously, my arrogance and my pitiful side in service to You. From this day forward, I am willing to maintain a heart of reverence for You, to no longer uphold myself, and in all things to focus on the interests of the church. In coordination in service I will support others and learn from others. I will focus on my own entering into the truth, and seek to soon become a person with truth and humanity who is fit for use by You.
From Testimonies of Experience of Christ’s Judgment  Volume I

The source of this article The Church of Almighty God | The Importance of Coordination in Service

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Almighty God’s Words

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The Appearance of God | The Origin and Development of the Church of Almighty God

　　The Church of Almighty God came into being because of the appearance and work of the returned Lord Jesus—Almighty God, Christ of the last days, and also under His righteous judgment and chastisement. The church is comprised of all those who truly accept Almighty God’s work of the last days and are conquered and saved by God’s word. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally, and is personally led and shepherded by Him, and it was by no means set up by any man. This is a fact acknowledged by all the chosen people in the Church of Almighty God. Whoever is used by God incarnate is predestined by God, and personally appointed and testified to by God, just as Jesus personally chose and appointed the twelve disciples. Those who are used by God only cooperate with His work, and cannot do God’s work in His stead.

The Church of Almighty God | An Understanding of Being Saved

　　 The Church of Almighty God | An Understanding of Being Saved

Lin Qing    Qingzhou City, Shandong Province

Over these several years of following God, I have given up the enjoyments of my family and the flesh, and I have been busy all day fulfilling my duty in the church. So I believed: As long as I don’t abandon the work in the church entrusted to me, don’t betray God, don’t leave the church, and follow God to the end, I’ll be spared and saved by God. I also believed that I was walking the path of salvation by God, and all I had to do was follow Him to the very end.

The Church of Almighty God | Almighty God's Word "Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen" | The Church of Almighty God

　　Almighty God says, "I am never hurried in My work. No matter how man follows Me, I do My work in accordance with each step, as in My plan. Therefore, though you may rebel against Me so much, I do not stop My work and continue to speak the word I wish. I call to My house all those I foreordained to listen to My word, then place all who obey and long for My word before My throne. Those who betray My word, those who do not obey and submit to Me, and those who openly defy Me, shall all be cast off to the side to await their final punishment. All men live in corruption and under the hand of the evil one, so not many of those who follow Me actually long for the truth. That is to say, most do not worship Me with a true heart or with the truth, but try to gain My trust through corruption, rebellion, and deceitful measures. It is for this reason I say, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” All those called are deeply corrupted and live in the same age, but those who are chosen are only that part which believes in and acknowledges the truth and that which practices the truth. These men are merely a very minor part of the whole, and from among these men I shall receive more glory."

The Church of Almighty God | A Battle of Life and Death

The Church of Almighty God |  A Battle of Life and Death

Chang Moyang    Zhengzhou City, Henan Province

“When you forsake the flesh, inevitably there will be a battle inside. Satan wants you to follow the notions of the flesh, to protect the interests of the flesh. However, God’s word still enlightens and illuminates you within, moves you from within and works from the inside. At this point, it is up to you whether you follow God, or Satan. Every time truth is practiced and every time people practice loving God, there is an enormous battle. When you practice the truth, deep inside there is a battle of life and death. Victory will only be determined after fierce fighting. How many tears of sadness have been shed” (“Every Time You Forsake the Flesh There Is a Battle of Life and Death” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). Every time I used to hear God’s words in this song, I would ponder the following: Is practicing the truth really that difficult? When people don’t understand the truth, they cannot practice it. Once they have understood it, wouldn’t acting according to God’s will be enough? Could it really be as serious as “deep inside there is a battle of life and death”? It wasn’t until later, through my actual experience, that I had a taste that practicing the truth truly is not easy. What God said is entirely in line with the truth; it is not even a little exaggerated.