What Does “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart” in Matthew 5:8 Mean?

By Xiaoming

Editor’s Note:

    Why did the Lord Jesus teach us to be people who are pure of heart? From the examples of a blind man and the Pharisees recorded in the Bible, Jack, a Christian, has gotten a new understanding of it. Read now!

    Jack, who had just returned from evangelizing London, arrived at the door of a coffee shop around the corner at 2 p.m. as usual.

    Perhaps because the owner of this coffee shop was a Christian, there were free copies of the Bible there for every Christian friend to read. For Jack, this place was of course his first choice, because the quiet environment there enabled him to have more closeness with the Lord.

    As soon as Jack walked in, a skillful barista saw him. This barista had known Jack for a long time, therefore he knew Jack’s habits—an espresso and a Bible would be quite enough.

What Do Three Successive Rare Supermoons in 2019 Signal?

    As predicted by relevant experts, two supermoons will appear successively on 19th February and 21st March 2019, being two fantastic astronomical sights that follow on from the “super blood wolf moon” which appeared on 21st January.

    Related information states that the term “supermoon” refers to when the full moon moves to its closest point to the earth, its perigee, at which point the moon’s diameter is 14% larger than normal and its brightness also increases by 30%—it is the largest, roundest moon visible to the naked eye. Three supermoons will appear in succession this year, which is a rarely seen astronomical sight. In actual fact, wonderful sights such as blood moons and supermoons have been making constant appearances over recent years, for example the blood moons of 2011 and 2013, the series of four blood moons that appeared through 2014 and 2015, the super blue blood moon of 2018, which also occurred 152 years ago, and the super blood wolf moon that appeared on 21st January 2019 which perfectly combined the three astronomical sights of a supermoon, a blood moon and a wolf moon, and it was hailed as the most dazzling astronomical wonder.

What Does the Overcomer in Revelation Mean?

By Xuezhi

    When they hear about “overcomers,” most Christians think those who labor and work for the Lord, who can keep the Lord’s name, who can sit in prison for years without denying the Lord, and who experience all kinds of persecutions and tribulations and yet can still stand witness, are the overcomers referred to in Revelation. Is that view correct? What, exactly, do the overcomers in the Bible refer to?

Do You Know the Meaning of the Lord’s Prayer and How to Seek First the Kingdom of God

By Xiaocao

    The Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10). Nearly every believer in the Lord can recite this passage of the Lord’s Prayer, but most of the time we just recite it to conclude our worship services or to give thanks before meals while we all neglect to contemplate and understand the true meaning within it. As we get accustomed to this kind of practice, reciting the Lord’s Prayer has become a conventional religious ritual. So how should we interpret the Lord’s Prayer in a way that is in accordance with the Lord’s will?

Why Does God Test Us? What Exactly Is God’s Will in Trials?

By Jiangjing, China

    As Christians, none of us are strangers to trials. The Bible says, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, Jehovah is my God” (Zechariah 13:9). It also says in the Bible, “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). From this, we can see that God wants to give refinement and trials to His chosen people and, through this, to perfect our faith and our love for God, to resolve our corrupt dispositions or the taints in our belief, to remedy our wrong views and to enable us to be purified. We can therefore encounter all kinds of environments that are at odds with our own notions. Examples of these environments may include sometimes encountering the refinement of illness, and sometimes our families may encounter misfortune, such as the suffering of a relative or our homes being burgled; sometimes we may encounter difficulties in our jobs or things in our lives that are not as we would wish; another example is what we decide to do when the interests of our flesh clash with the interests of the church. All these examples are, without a doubt, trials to us. So what approach should we take to the trials God sets for us? And when trials befall us, what is God’s will?

Matthew 19 Commentary: Why Is It Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God?

By Xiaoliang

    When I got up early in the morning, I said a prayer, then opened up the Bible and read the following: “And, behold, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said to him, Why call you Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus to His disciples, Truly I say to you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:16–24). I had read these verses many times, but I didn’t know why it is hard for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom. What did the Lord mean when He told this parable to His disciples? A camel simply cannot go through the eye of a needle, which implies that the rich young man was entirely unable to enter into the kingdom of God. So, what does the Lord want us to understand through this parable?

Why Did Gamaliel Who Was Familiar With the Scriptures Not Follow the Lord Jesus?

By Xiaoding

    Such an incident is recorded in Acts in the Bible: Around A.D. 35, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the apostles of the Lord Jesus preached His salvation everywhere. At that time, through those apostles the Lord performed many signs and wonders, and thus there were more and more people who believed in and returned to the Lord. Seeing this, the rulers, the scribes, and the high priest bore a grudge against the apostles, and so they sent people to arrest them and were trying to murder them. At this time, there was a person called Gamaliel, who stood up and said, “And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nothing: But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it; lest haply you be found even to fight against God” (Acts 5:38–39). Gamaliel said these words to exhort the rulers, the scribes, and the high priest not to act blindly. He said to them that, what came from God shall increase, what came from man shall decrease, and that if what the apostles did came from God but they blindly resisted and condemned them, then they would probably become people who attacked God. The council listened to him, and did not murder the apostles but let them go.

Do You Know the Way to Trusting God Through Trials?

By Huixin

    Every brother and sister will encounter trials, like illness, persecution and suffering, natural and manmade disasters. When these situations befall us, they are tests of our faith and obedience toward God. The Bible says, “For You, O God, have proved us: You have tried us, as silver is tried” (Psalm 66:10). “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into  divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2–4). From this we can see that trials are God’s tests and ordeals for people. They can temper people’s will, refine their confidence, cleanse the impurity in their belief in God, further their spiritual growth and make them soon become someone after God’s heart.

How Should We Pray According to His Will? Get Inspired From 3 Biblical Stories

By Xuesong

    Praying is a way for Christians to commune with God and obtain enlightenment from Him, and is an essential practice in our daily life. Since praying is so important to us Christians, how should we pray according to His will so that He will hear? This is an issue that every Christian is concerned about. Now let’s find out the answer from three biblical stories.

Why Did the Jews Yearn for the Coming of the Messiah yet Oppose Him When He Truly Came?

By Xia Wei

    As we all know, the Jews were God’s chosen people, Israel was the birthplace of God’s work, the Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would lead the lives of the Israelites, and thus the Jews had eagerly yearned for the coming of the Messiah. But why was it that when the Messiah—the Lord Jesus—truly came to work, they didn’t accept Him, yet opposed Him and even crucified Him? This is what we will talk about today. May the Lord guide us.

Why There Are Different Christian Denominations?

By Zhou Tao

My Confusion

    Several years ago, I was often out on business. At all of my stops, I would seek a meeting place on weekends, off my own bat, to share the Lord’s words and pray. But after some of the meetings, the church leaders would ask me, “Brother Zhou, which denomination do you belong to? What are the doctrines of your church?” I was always taken aback and would reply, “I believe in the Lord Jesus, and I don’t belong to any denomination. We all are family in Christ.” But they would answer, “Now there are many churches, but only our church is the true one, only our church encompasses all the others.” Later, what baffled me even more was that when I returned to my hometown church my church friends asked me what doctrines I’d heard in other churches. We got into quarrels over different understandings of Bible verses, and could never reach an agreement. Our meetings often ended bitterly. Many years passed, and no matter where I went, what impressed me was the multitude of denominations and how they were all critical of each other. Seeing this, I thought of the words in the Bible, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph 4:5–6). We all believe in the Lord, read the Bible and the words of the Lord; why are there so many Christian denominations? What is the root of this? Which one is in line with the Lord’s will? Full of confusion and puzzlement, I eagerly wanted to find the answers.

Does the Warning in Revelation 22:18–19 Apply to the Entire Bible?

By Chiheng

Editor’s Note:

    A good friend of Christian Xu Min sends her a book—she feels spiritually freed after reading it, and it seems to her like a book of God’s utterance. However, her pastor says that according to a prophecy in Revelation 22:18–19, no one can add anything to or remove anything from the Bible, so God couldn’t possibly speak aside from through the Bible. Xu Min is really confused and wonders, what does the verse about not adding things in Revelation 22:18–19 really mean? Does “not adding things” apply to the entire Bible or just the Book of Revelation? After a fellowship, she understood the truth and mystery in it. Read this article to understand the truth within, lest we miss His return due to treating the Lord’s return according to our notions and imaginations.

Why Is Obedience Better Than Sacrifice? Here Is the Reason

By Shan Yi

    As the moon was shedding silvery light on the earth, I, sitting at my desk, opened the Bible and read the verses in Samuel: “And Samuel said, Has Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:22–23). After reading these words, I couldn’t help but wonder: What’s the true meaning of the verse “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams”? Saul was the first king of the Israelites chosen and established by God, but he was rejected by God because he kept the best of the animals for sacrifices. What lessons are we believers in God to draw from this story? After constantly praying and seeking, I understood some of God’s will.

How to Attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

By Yan Jin

 

    How can we welcome the coming of the Lord? This is a big question for us believers in God. In the last days, whether we can enter the kingdom of heaven depends on whether we can welcome the Lord’s return and attend the marriage banquet of the Lamb. In order to welcome the Lord’s return, we often watch and wait, but do we know how to watch and wait to meet the Lord? I believe the three points below can show us the way.

Christian Skit "Wishful Thinking" Can We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven by Following Paul?

Christian Skit  "Wishful Thinking"  Can We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven by Following Paul?

Li Mingdao is a preacher at a house church. He has believed in the Lord for many years, and has always followed Paul's example, focusing on preaching, work, suffering, and paying a price. He believes that "as long as one labors and works, one can enter the kingdom of heaven, be rewarded, and gain a crown." But, at a meeting with his coworkers, Brother Zhang raises doubts about this view. Li Mingdao, not convinced, returns home, and after researching the Bible, engages in an intense debate with Brother Zhang…. Is labor and work for the Lord doing God's will? Does pursuing this way ultimately allow one to be lifted up and enter the kingdom of heaven? Watch the skit Wishful Thinking to find out.

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How should one understand Almighty God's appearance and work?

The True Meaning Behind Jesus’ Last Words “It Is Finished”

By Lingling

    That Sunday morning was just like any other as I opened my Bible and began my spiritual devotions, when I then saw Hebrews 9:28 that said: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin to salvation.” Thinking about it carefully, I couldn’t help but feel confused. “That can’t be,” I thought. “Didn’t the Lord Jesus saying ‘It is finished’ upon the cross mean that God’s work to save man was totally finished? When the Lord returns, we can immediately enter heaven and will feast with the Lord, so how come this says that the Lord Jesus will appear again to save man when He returns? What on earth does it all mean?”

Christian Crosstalk "Going Outside the Bible" | Can We Gain Eternal Life by Keeping to the Bible?

Xiang Yang works at a house church, and just like many religious believers, he thinks that God's words and work are all in the Bible, that believing in the Lord means believing in the Bible, that the Bible represents the Lord, and that if he abides by the Bible, he will enter the kingdom of heaven and gain eternal life. Brother Zhang Yi, who has just accepted God's work of the last days, has doubts about this view. The two engage in a humorous debate: Are all of God's words and work really in the Bible? Does the Bible really represent the Lord? By keeping to the Bible, can we enter the kingdom of heaven and gain eternal life? To find out the answers, please watch the crosstalk Going Outside the Bible.

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Signs of Jesus’ Coming Have Appeared: How Will the Lord Come?

Breaking Free From Sin Is a Path to the Kingdom of God

By Aixi, Malaysia

    When I was 12, I began believing in the Lord Jesus and became a Christian. After I began believing, I actively and persistently participated in Sunday worship and Bible study groups. At Bible study meetings, we often discussed 2 Timothy 4:7–8, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” We thought that, as Christians, we should imitate Paul and strive to run around and do works, because the Lord would bestow crowns of righteousness upon us. Our pastor also often encouraged us by saying the kingdom of heaven is entered through effort, and as long as we make efforts to pursue and diligently do the Lord’s work, when the Lord returns, He would rapture us up to the kingdom of heaven. These teachings became the cornerstone of my belief in God, and I swore to myself that I would do all in my power to participate in church service work so that I could accrue enough “value” to satisfy God, so that when He came, I could be raptured up into the kingdom of heaven.

Questions and Answers on the Inside Story of the Bible (8)

Question 8: How can we believe in the Lord and gain life if we move away from the Bible?

　　Answer: The question you raised is very key. This is something all of us believers want to know. The Lord Jesus once said these words: “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (Jhn 5:39-40). In the past, we searched the Bible repeatedly, thinking that eternal life can be gained from the Bible. In reality, the Bible is only a testimony of God. if we want to gain the truth and life from our belief in God, relying on the testimony of the Bible is not enough. Almighty God says, “Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God. If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. … The steps of God’s work are vast and mighty, like surging waves and rolling thunders—yet you sit and passively await destruction, sticking to your folly and doing nothing. In this way, how can you be considered someone who follows the footsteps of the Lamb? How can you justify the God that you hold on to as a God who is always new and never old? And how can the words of your yellowed books carry you across into a new age? How can they lead you to seek the steps of God’s work? And how can they take you up to heaven? What you hold in your hands is the letters that can provide but temporary solace, not the truths that are capable of giving life. The scriptures you read are that which can only enrich your tongue, not words of wisdom that can help you know human life, much less the ways that can lead you to perfection. Does this discrepancy not give you cause for reflection? Does it not allow you to understand the mysteries contained within? Are you capable of delivering yourself to heaven to meet God on your own? Without the coming of God, can you take yourself into heaven to enjoy family happiness with God? Are you still dreaming now? I suggest, then, that you stop dreaming, and look at who is working now, at who is now carrying out the work of saving man during the last days. If you do not, you shall never gain the truth, and shall never gain life” (“Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). We understand from the word of Almighty God that only Christ can express truths to redeem and save mankind. Man must come to Christ to gain the truth and gain life. The Bible cannot replace God’s authority and power, nor can it represent God in giving life to man, and moreover it cannot substitute the work of the Holy Spirit. Only by accepting and obeying Christ of the last days can we gain the work of the Holy Spirit, gain the truth, and gain life. We cannot gain life unless we accept the words expressed by Christ of the last days, because the Bible is not God; it is merely a testimony of God’s work. From this, we can see that life does not originate from the Bible, but from Christ. Christ is the Lord of the Bible and the source of life

Is Once Saved Always Saved True? Here Is the Answer

By Emily

　　The Lord Jesus’ redemptive work has spread to the ends of the earth, reached every home and become a household name, and it is also because of the Lord Jesus’ redemption that mankind has survived until today. There are many brothers and sisters who back up the viewpoint of “once saved, always saved,” with the words of the apostle Paul, “For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:10). They think: Since the Lord Jesus redeemed us through crucifixion, we have already been absolved of all our sins and saved by our faith, and once saved, we are always saved, and so long as we endure until the end, we will be directly raptured into the heavenly kingdom when the Lord returns. However, some other brothers and sisters can’t help but question: “Is it really so easy for us to be saved? Can we attain salvation and enter into the kingdom of heaven through faith alone?”