Almighty God Saved Me

12 Almighty God Saved Me

Wang Shiliang

Xinyang City, Henan Province

I, formerly a co-worker of the Local Church, returned to Almighty God in December 2001. The following are fragments of my memory of how I resisted Almighty God’s work of the last days and how I accepted it.

The first person who preached Almighty God’s gospel of the last days to me was one of my in-laws. I not only didn’t accept it but also called him blind. And in the next three years I gave him a cold shoulder every time I met him. I also took him as a negative example in my preaching to lecture the other believers, so as to prevent them from accepting the work of the last days of Almighty God. Later, several sisters came to our church to preach the gospel, but I drove them out immediately when I discovered that. My desperate resistance restrained many brothers and sisters, and they dared not accept the true way. What’s more, I followed the “emergency announcement” against Almighty God which was distributed from the above, and made blasphemies and slanders at will and said evil words to attack the believers of Almighty God. And I also said to the believers, “Firstly, the Church of Almighty God only recruits young people but not the old. Secondly, it’s a heresy, a cult, and they always tempt people with money and beauty. Thirdly, they cut off people’s nose, gouge out their eyes, or break their legs.” Moreover, I also invented a lie that two people had been killed at such-and-such a place. This made some believers fearful and trembling, and they dared not come into contact with the preachers of the gospel of the last days. And meanwhile, I dragged one believer who had just accepted Almighty God back to our church…

Although I was so disobedient and resistant, God did not treat me according to my evil deeds but led and guided me to accept His salvation of the last days, so that I came out of the dense fog and returned to His family, having an opportunity to start a new life. I sincerely thank Almighty God for His grace and uplifting.

One day in December 2001, I suddenly felt a longing to visit my nephew (I seldom paid him visits). At his home, I met with a brother who preached Almighty God’s work of the last days (at first I didn’t know he believed in Almighty God). So, we began to fellowship about belief in God. I found his fellowship was all in conformity with the Bible, and I had never heard such truths in the Local Church during the past years. This made me sincerely convinced. However, when he said that the Lord had come back, I immediately realized that he was a preacher of Almighty God. At that moment, I struggled within myself: “Should I listen or not? I was scared of the believers in Almighty God before, and I said a lot of blasphemies and slanders when I sealed off the church. But today I find that his fellowship is all in conformity with the truth and the Bible, and I have never heard such fellowship before.” In order to get to the bottom of the whole thing, I asked the brother three questions. The first one was: “Does your church only accept young people but not the old?” Then he took out the book of God’s word and read me a piece of God’s word, in which God says: “Today everyone in this stream who truly loves God has the opportunity to be perfected by God. Whether young or old, as long as one has a heart that obeys God and a heart that fears God, he can be perfected by God. … Both young and older brothers and sisters should know the functions you yourselves should perform. The young should not be arrogant, and the older should not be passive or draw back. And you should complement each other, minister to each other, and hold no prejudice against each other, so that a bridge of friendship can be built between you young and older brothers and sisters, and you can understand each other better because of God’s love. Young brothers and sisters do not look down upon the older brothers and sisters, and the older brothers and sisters are not self-right. Isn’t this a harmonious coordination? If you all have this resolution, the will of God will surely be accomplished in your generation.” At these words, I realized what I had heard before were all rumors and hearsay and were not the facts at all. Am I not also an old man? Is the brother not preaching to me now? How foolish and stupid I am!

Then, I asked the second question. “I heard that the believers in Almighty God tempt people with money and beauty. How do you explain this?” Then the brother read me the Article 3 of the Administrative Decrees: “… All the offerings offered by man (including the money and the material things for enjoyment) are offered to God but not to man. So man should not enjoy these things. If man enjoys these things, he is stealing offerings. All such ones are a Judas, because Judas not only sold the Lord but also stole the money in the purse.” The brother said, “I have believed in Almighty God for several years, but nobody has ever given me a cent, and neither have I ever given anyone a cent. Today, preaching the gospel to others is our duty. It is to repay God’s love and to bring more true believers before God so that they can all receive God’s salvation. If we know God’s great salvation and His anxious heart, how can we not preach this gospel to more brothers and sisters? As to the rumor of committing adultery, God has stipulated in Article 4 of the Administrative Decrees: ‘Man has corrupt disposition and even more has emotion. So, in the service in coordination, two people of different sexes are forbidden to coordinate alone. If discovered, they shall be expelled, no matter who they are.’” After hearing the Administrative Decrees God issues, I felt enlightened all of a sudden: God’s requirement of man is higher and stricter in the last days. This is the work done by the true God.

However, I still felt somewhat insecure. So I asked the brother, “I heard that you gouge out people’s eyes, cut off their nose, or break their legs. What’s this all about?” “Brother, have you ever seen these with your own eyes?” he asked. “No.” I responded. Then he continued, “As the saying goes, seeing is believing. If things happened as you say, wouldn’t they have long caused a sensation? Just think about this: Around you, there are some who have accepted Almighty God, and also some who listened but didn’t accept. Is there anyone among them who has his eyes gouged out, nose cut off, or limbs broken? Isn’t it a very obvious lie? Today, we just preach God’s gospel of the last days to the brothers and sisters of all sects and denominations. It’s up to them to choose whether they accept it or not, because God never forces man. I have accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days for several years. I have personally tasted how hard it is for God to do the work on earth, and have also seen God’s great love and care for mankind. Encouraged by God’s love, we brothers and sisters actively cooperate with God by performing our duties, preaching this greatest good news to the brothers and sisters of all sects and denominations whatever it takes. However, some of them shut the door on us; some beat us up with sticks; some pour water on us; some sic the dog on us; and some report us to the police. Aren’t all these facts obvious to all?” Hearing that, I felt so ashamed and didn’t know where to conceal myself.

picture the church of Almighty God

Through eating and drinking God’s word and the brother’s fellowship, as well as the contrast between the facts and the truths, I realized that I had been deceived by my upper leaders and at the same time I had deceived others. At that moment, I really hated myself for being so blind and foolish and lacking in discernment that I echoed what others said and blindly resisted and condemned Almighty God. “I have really disappointed God. I never expected that the Savior Jesus whom I have been yearning for day and night had already come to the world, and that I had even resisted and rejected him. How inhuman I am!” As I thought about it, I felt growing distress and could no longer refrain from tears. “O God! I am really indebted to You. I am corrupted so deeply by Satan that I do not have any likeness of a man, really benumbed and obtuse. I hate myself for being so evil and so bad. According to my actions and deeds, I only deserve to be cursed and do not deserve to receive Your salvation, much less to live before You. Yet You have selected me and saved me. O God! Your love for me is so great that I cannot disappoint Your kind intention anymore. I’m willing to make a resolution to follow You to the end to testify and glorify You. I will cooperate with You to spread Your gospel and bring before You the true believers who are still blinded by deception, so as to make up for my indebtedness and repay Your love, thereby putting Satan to shame.”

Dear spiritual brothers and sisters in the Lord, wake up quickly! I hope you will never be foolish and ignorant as I was. Almighty God is the truth, the way, and the life. Now God’s work is drawing to a close and is about to be accomplished successfully. Brothers and sisters, seek and make an investigation quickly! If you miss this good opportunity, you will regret all your life. Just as God says: “The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit. I advise you to tread the path of belief in God with care. Do not jump to conclusions; what’s more, do not be casual and carefree in your belief in God. You should know that, at the very least, those who believe in God should be humble and reverential.” “… do not treat belief in God as a game. Think for the sake of your destination, for the sake of your prospects, for the sake of your life….” “You must know that all of the Israelites spurned and denied Jesus, yet the fact of Jesus’ redemption of mankind still spread to the ends of the universe. Is this not the fact that God has long ago fulfilled?”

Brothers and sisters, from God’s words we have seen God’s kind intention for man and His warnings and exhortations for man. God is earnestly expecting everyone who sincerely believes in Him to return to His family as soon as possible, for He doesn’t bear to see anyone that belongs to Him fall into the disasters rare through the ages. May we be a man with conscience, and not let God worry and grieve over us any more.