By Liu Jie, China

In August 2023, I was a leader in a church. On the 29th, a letter from the upper leaders arrived. It said that two nearby churches had been targeted for arrests by the CCP in recent days, and many brothers and sisters had been arrested. They asked if I knew about the situation there. When I finished reading the letter, I was shocked, “How could so many brothers and sisters be arrested again? The leaders probably sent this letter to see if I’m able to go and handle the aftermath. Although I don’t understand the situation there, I have some previous experience with handling the aftermath. If I were to go, I would be able to do the task. Moreover, since so many brothers and sisters from the churches there have been arrested, it will be difficult to find people to handle the aftermath.” But then I had another thought, “It’s too dangerous to deal with the aftermath. I am wanted by the police. If I go, then I might be arrested too. In any case, I don’t really understand what’s going on in those churches, and besides, the leaders didn’t arrange for me to go. It’s best that I don’t volunteer for the task.” Therefore, I replied saying that I’d never been there and didn’t understand the situation. I didn’t expect that as soon as I sent that letter, another letter arrived from the upper leaders. It said that I should go to those two churches to deal with the aftermath. The leaders also passed on a list of seventeen people who had been arrested. The church leaders and the people doing several other important duties had all been arrested. In the letter, the upper leaders also fellowshipped some paths to handle the aftermath with me, asked me to find Sister Zhou Na there and work with her, and urged me to pray to God a lot and pay close attention to my safety. My heart was extremely uncomfortable when I read this. I thought about how so many brothers and sisters from these churches had been arrested, so there were too few people able to handle the aftermath. I had some experience in this regard and was suited to doing this duty, but I had chosen to stand idly by because I was frightened of being arrested out of concern for my own safety, and I wasn’t willing to do the work unless I was specifically asked to. When things came upon me, the only thing I considered was my own interests—I didn’t consider the interests of the church in the slightest. I was too selfish! Therefore, I replied to the leaders saying that I was willing to handle the aftermath. But then I thought, “Most of the leaders and workers in these two churches have been arrested. If some of them cannot stand up to torture and turn Judas, then if I go, will I not just be walking straight into arrest? I am wanted by the CCP myself, so if I am arrested, I will certainly be subjected to far worse torture than others. I will be left disabled if I’m not beaten to death.” When I thought this, I felt quite scared in my heart. However, duty had called, and I could not be selfish and despicable, only considering myself. So I prayed to God, begging that He lead me. I thought of God’s words: “With your duty and what’s yours to do, and bigger than that, with the commission given by God and your obligation, as well as important work that’s outside your duty but needs you to do it, work that’s arranged for you and that you are called by name to do—you should pay the price, however difficult it may be. Even if you need to apply yourself to the fullest, even if persecution should loom, and even if it should put your life at risk, you’re not to begrudge the cost, but to offer up your loyalty and submit unto death. This is how the pursuit of the truth manifests in reality, its real expenditure and its real practice” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. Why Man Must Pursue the Truth). God’s words made me understand that the call of duty was God’s test of me. God wanted to see my attitude to my duty, and to see whether I had faith in and submission to Him. Although handling the aftermath was dangerous, I was called by name to do this duty. I had to do this duty well even if I paid every price to do so. The most important thing was to protect God’s offerings from loss. I thought about how the house of God had watered and cultivated me over these years. Now, at this critical juncture, I had to protect the work of the church. I could not continue to consider myself and shrink away inside my shell like a turtle. Therefore, I prayed to God, “Dear God, I am a created being, and it is perfectly natural and justified to submit to You. I should not have my own choices and requirements. Although I am weak, I am willing to show consideration for Your intention and not leave any regrets in my duty. May You lead and guide me.”

On August 31, I arrived at one of the nearby churches and met Zhou Na. I heard Zhou Na say that the CCP had sent many police officers to arrest brothers and sisters on this occasion. The two leaders, the gospel deacon, and the hosts had all been arrested. There wasn’t a single safe home left. I thought to myself, “So many people have been arrested. It looks like the police have been following and surveilling them for a long time. It’s just too dangerous to do duties here!” When I thought this, I felt quite scared in my heart. In my heart, I prayed to God. I remembered the words of God: “Regardless of how ‘powerful’ Satan is, regardless of how audacious and ambitious it is, regardless of how great is its ability to inflict damage, regardless of how wide-ranging are the techniques with which it corrupts and lures man, regardless of how clever are the tricks and schemes with which it intimidates man, regardless of how changeable is the form in which it exists, it has never been able to create a single living thing, has never been able to set down laws or rules for the existence of all things, and has never been able to rule and control any object, whether animate or inanimate. Within the cosmos and the firmament, there is not a single person or object that was born from it, or exists because of it; there is not a single person or object that is ruled by it, or controlled by it. On the contrary, it not only has to live under the dominion of God, but, moreover, must submit to all of God’s orders and commands. Without God’s permission, it is difficult for Satan to touch even a drop of water or grain of sand upon the land; without God’s permission, Satan is not even free to move the ants about upon the land, let alone mankind, who was created by God” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique I). God’s words gave me faith. God rules and is sovereign over everything. Satan too is in God’s hands. Without God’s permission, then however rampant Satan is, it cannot do anything to me. Whether I am arrested or not is in God’s hands. The next day, Zhou Na and I went to find the people who had custody of the offerings and the items of the church. With one accord, we prayed to God and discussed how to work together. Within a few days, we had safely transferred the church’s items and offerings out of there. I saw God’s protection and leadership, and I was very thankful to God in my heart.

Straight afterward, Zhou Na and I went to the other church. Nearly all of the leaders and deacons of this church had been arrested. Only the gospel deacon had escaped arrest, and there wasn’t even a home where we could rest our legs. We had no option but to arrange to meet the gospel deacon in a corn field or in the hills to discuss the work. There were many difficulties in the work at the time, and we couldn’t resolve them all at once. I felt weakness in my heart, and lived amidst difficulties. I prayed to God, begging Him to enlighten and guide me. After praying, I remembered the words of God: “The greatest wisdom is to look to God and rely on Him in all things” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Belief in God Must Begin With Seeing Through the Evil Trends of the World). My heart suddenly brightened, “Yes, I should rely on God. God has the authority and power to control the heavens and earth and all things. If I rely on God, nothing is hard to accomplish.” God’s words were like a lifeline to me, giving me faith and strength. I started to ponder what to do without a safe host house. Then, I realized that if I got a sister to rent a house, would we not have a place to stay and discuss the work? I quickly told Zhou Na about this idea. The two of us reached a consensus and went to find a sister to fellowship about it that very day. However, I still had some misgivings at the time. The environment was so dangerous—would the sister agree? I didn’t expect that she would say that she was in the middle of planning to rent a house to host us. Amazingly, we had thought of the same idea. I was extremely moved. The two of us held the sister’s hand in gratitude, shedding involuntary tears. I profoundly understood that all this was the leadership of God. At the hour of my greatest weakness, biggest difficulty, and worst torment, I relied on God and saw God’s hand; I saw God protect His own work by preparing a hosting candidate in advance, carving out a way forward for us. I couldn’t stop thanking God in my heart. Afterward, I learned that after the general affairs deacon Lin Xi was arrested, her son spent some money and asked a contact to get her released on bail. Lin Xi said that the police had tortured her. They punched, kicked, and slapped her, and shocked her with an electric baton. They had also poured mustard oil into her, splashed her with cold water, and then scalded her with hot water. She had been beaten so badly that her face turned black and blue, and the handcuffs were so deeply embedded in her flesh that they couldn’t be taken off. I also heard that the church leader, Sister Li Shuang, had been beaten beyond all recognition. When I heard all this, I was very scared at heart. I felt limp all over, and my heart was in such pain it felt like it had been stabbed. I thought to myself, “I’m handling the aftermath, so sometimes I have to personally transfer the offerings and the books of God’s words. Doing my duty here is like snatching the offerings back from under the noses of the police. There are cameras and CCTV everywhere these days, and I am wanted. There is a danger I could be arrested at any time. If I am arrested on the way to transfer the books of God’s words, how will they torture me? Lin Xi is 78 years old, and still they viciously beat her to the point of death. If I am arrested, I don’t know what tortures the police will subject me to. Won’t I be beaten to death? I don’t even know if I will walk out of the jail alive. If I cannot stand up to torture and turn Judas, then my life of belief in God will be over, and I won’t have any chance of salvation.” The more I thought, the more frightened I became. I didn’t have any strength left in my body, and I even had some regrets, “Now, I am really in the eye of the storm. Why did I not think properly before accepting this duty so rashly? How could I have been so stupid?” I realized that my state was incorrect, and prayed to God, “Dear God, I have heard that the great red dragon has arrested many leaders and workers, beaten sisters beyond recognition, and tortured them in all kinds of ways. My heart is weak and afraid, and I am living in timidity. Dear God, I beg You to lead and guide me, and give me the faith and strength to not be intimidated by the dark influence of the CCP!”

After praying, I remembered a line of God’s words: “Even if a person must sacrifice their own life, they must still fulfill God’s commission.” I looked the passage up to read it. Almighty God says: “How you regard God’s commissions is extremely important, and this is a very serious matter. If you cannot complete what God has entrusted to people, then you are not fit to live in His presence and you should be punished. It is perfectly natural and justified that humans should complete whatever commissions God entrusts to them. This is man’s supreme responsibility, and is just as important as their very lives. If you do not take God’s commissions seriously, then you are betraying Him in the most grievous way. In this, you are more lamentable than Judas, and should be cursed. People must gain a thorough understanding of how to treat what God entrusts to them and, at the very least, they must comprehend that the commissions He entrusts to humanity are exaltations and special favors from God, and that they are most glorious things. Everything else can be abandoned. Even if a person must sacrifice their own life, they must still fulfill God’s commission” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. How to Know Man’s Nature). As I pondered God’s words, I understood that duty is a commission given to people by God, and is a responsibility that people are honor-bound not to refuse. If you cannot complete it, you don’t deserve to live. I thought of the saints of ages past. In order to complete God’s commission, they preached God’s gospel to all parts of the world. Even if their blood was shed and they gave up their lives, they never succumbed to the forces of Satan. They continued to propagate God’s gospel without hesitation or misgivings. However, when this duty came upon me, I didn’t see it as an honorable thing. Instead, I lived in timidity because I was afraid of being arrested. All I considered was my own interests, gains, and losses. When danger came upon me, I wanted to run away. Even when I hadn’t actually been arrested and tortured, I had already started to regret accepting this duty, and I had already betrayed God in my heart. Compared to the saints of ages past, I was truly ashamed! They were able to bear such testimony even without having read so many of God’s words, but though I had believed in God for many years and eaten and drunk so many of God’s words, at the critical moment, I was unable to show consideration for God’s intentions, and showed no loyalty in doing my duty. I was too lacking in conscience and humanity!

I read more of God’s words: “Antichrists are extremely selfish and despicable. They do not have true faith in God, much less loyalty to God; when they encounter an issue, they only protect and safeguard themselves. For them, nothing is more important than their own safety. As long as they can live and won’t get arrested, they don’t care how much harm is done to the work of the church. These people are extremely selfish, they don’t think of the brothers and sisters at all, or of the work of the church, they only think of their own safety. They are antichrists. So when such things befall those who are loyal to God and have true faith in God, how do they handle them? How does what they do differ from what antichrists do? (When such things befall those who are loyal to God, they will think of any way to safeguard the interests of the house of God, to protect against losses to the offerings of God, and they will make the necessary arrangements for the leaders and workers, and the brothers and sisters, to minimize losses. Antichrists, meanwhile, make sure they are protected first. They are not concerned about the work of the church or the safety of God’s chosen people, and when the church is faced with arrests, it results in a loss to church work.) Antichrists abandon the work of the church and God’s offerings, and they do not arrange for people to handle the aftermath. This is the same as permitting the great red dragon to seize God’s offerings and His chosen people. Is this not a covert betrayal of God’s offerings and His chosen people? When those who are loyal to God know clearly that an environment is dangerous, they still brave the risk of doing the work of handling the aftermath, and they keep the losses to God’s house to a minimum before they themselves withdraw. They do not give priority to their own safety. Tell Me, in this wicked country of the great red dragon, who could ensure that there is no danger at all in believing in God and doing a duty? Whatever duty one takes on, it entails some risk—yet the performance of duty is commissioned by God, and while following God, one must take on the risk of doing their duty. One should exercise wisdom, and one has need of taking measures to ensure their safety, but one should not put their personal safety first. They should consider God’s intentions, putting the work of His house first and putting the spread of the gospel first. Completing God’s commission of them is what matters most, and it comes first. Antichrists give top priority to their personal safety; they believe that nothing else has anything to do with them. They do not care when something happens to someone else, regardless of who it might be. As long as nothing bad happens to the antichrists themselves, they feel at ease. They are devoid of any loyalty, which is determined by the antichrists’ nature essence” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Nine (Part Two)). God’s words exposed the selfish and despicable nature of antichrists. I realized that when the dangerous environment of the great red dragon’s arrests comes upon antichrists, they seek to safeguard themselves at every turn. They place their own safety first and never consider the interests of the house of God. They even abandon God’s offerings in order to safeguard their own safety. In combination with God’s words, I compared this with what I had revealed, and found that I was the same as an antichrist. When I heard that the police had mobilized a lot of officers in this wave of arrests, that the brothers and sisters who had been arrested had suffered various forms of torture, that Li Shuang had been beaten beyond all recognition, and that they didn’t even spare the 78-year-old Lin Xi, I was afraid that I would fall into the hands of the police while I was handling the aftermath, and I would be left disabled if I wasn’t beaten to death. If I couldn’t stand up to torture and turned Judas, I would not be able to be saved. I lived in timidity and fear, and even regretted accepting this duty. When danger came upon me, I just wanted to safeguard myself. I didn’t consider the safety of my brothers and sisters, and didn’t consider whether God’s offerings would be seized by the great red dragon. It was like I didn’t care who got arrested, as long as I wasn’t arrested myself. I didn’t safeguard the work of the church at all. I was just too selfish and despicable! I thought about how if we believe in God or do any duties in the country of the great red dragon, we are at risk of arrest, but God uses this environment to test us and perfect our faith. Those who are able to take no heed of their own safety in dangerous environments, protect God’s offerings, and protect their brothers and sisters are those who safeguard the work of the church and are loyal to God. When I understood this, I wasn’t as scared as I had been, and had the faith to handle the aftermath well, transferring the offerings and the books of God’s words out as quickly as possible to minimize the losses.

I read another passage of God’s words: “How did those disciples of the Lord Jesus die? Among the disciples, there were those who were stoned, dragged behind a horse, crucified upside down, dismembered by five horses—every sort of death befell them. What was the reason for their deaths? Were they lawfully executed for their crimes? No. They were condemned, beaten, scolded, and put to death because they spread the Lord’s gospel and were rejected by the people of the world—that is how they were martyred. Let us not speak of the final outcome of those martyrs, or of God’s definition of their conduct, but ask this: When they arrived at the end, did the ways that they met the end of their lives accord with human notions? (No, it did not.) From the perspective of human notions, they paid such a great price to spread the work of God, but were ultimately killed by Satan. This does not accord with human notions, but this is precisely what happened to them. It is what God allowed. What truth can be sought in this? Was God allowing them to die this way His curse and condemnation, or was it His plan and blessing? It was neither. What was it? People now reflect on their deaths with much heartache, but that was how things were. Those who believed in God died that way, how is this to be explained? When we mention this topic, you put yourselves in their position, so are your hearts sad, and do you feel a hidden pain? You think, ‘These people did their duty to spread God’s gospel and should be considered good people, so how could they come to such an end and such an outcome?’ Actually, this was how their bodies died and passed away; this was their means of departure from the human world, yet that did not mean their outcome was the same. No matter what the means of their death and departure was nor how it happened, it was not how God defined the final outcomes of those lives, of those created beings. This is something you must see clearly. On the contrary, they used precisely those means to condemn this world and to testify to God’s deeds. These created beings used their most precious lives—they used the last moment of their lives to testify to God’s deeds, to testify to God’s great power, and to declare to Satan and the world that God’s deeds are right, that the Lord Jesus is God, that He is the Lord, and God’s incarnate flesh. Even down to the final moment of their lives, they never denied the name of the Lord Jesus. Was this not a form of judgment upon this world? They used their lives to proclaim to the world, to confirm to human beings that the Lord Jesus is the Lord, that the Lord Jesus is Christ, that He is God’s incarnate flesh, that the work of redemption He did for all humanity allows humanity to live on—this fact is forever unchanging. Those who were martyred for spreading the gospel of the Lord Jesus, to what extent did they perform their duty? Was it to the ultimate extent? How was the ultimate extent manifested? (They offered their lives.) That’s right, they paid the price with their lives. Family, wealth, and the material things of this life are all external things; the only thing that is related to the self is life. To every living person, life is the thing most worthy of being treasured, the most precious thing and, as it happens, these people were able to offer their most precious possession—life—as confirmation of and testimony to God’s love for mankind. Until the day they died, they did not deny God’s name, nor did they deny God’s work, and they used their last moments of life to testify to the existence of this fact—is this not the highest form of testimony? This is the best way of doing one’s duty; this is what it is to fulfill one’s responsibility. When Satan threatened and terrorized them, and, in the end, even when it made them pay the price of their lives, they did not abandon their responsibility. This is what it is to fulfill one’s duty to the utmost extent. What do I mean by this? Do I mean to have you use the same method to testify of God and to spread His gospel? You do not necessarily need to do so, but you must understand that this is your responsibility, that if God needs you to, you should accept it as something you are honor-bound to do” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Spreading the Gospel Is the Duty to Which All Believers Are Honor-Bound). After pondering God’s words, I understood that in believing in God, you have to have a heart that has a tremendous desire for God. I thought of the saints of ages past who gave their lives to propagate the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Some were dragged behind horses, some were thrown in boiling oil, and Peter was crucified upside down for God, submitting unto death; they bore resounding testimonies to God. Their deaths were highly meaningful and valuable; their deaths were remembered by God. Although their bodies were harmed and killed by Satan, their souls never died. If, because I am afraid of being arrested and beaten to death, I abandon my duty or turn Judas and betray God, then I would live as a walking corpse. In the end, my soul will be cast down to hell to suffer eternal punishment. So I prayed to God, “Dear God, You have the last word on my life and death. I am willing to submit to Your orchestration and arrangements. If I really am arrested, it will be with Your permission. I am willing to stand firm in my testimony to You. Even if the police torture me to death, I will never turn Judas and sell out the interests of the church.” After I prayed, I had more faith in my heart.

Because the church leaders had all been arrested, we simply didn’t know how many homes the church used for keeping the books. Later, we asked around and found out that the books of God’s words kept by Sister Hao Yi and another sister had to be transferred. We also heard from a sister who had been released that the police were about to conduct a second wave of arrests. If the books were not transferred in time, they would fall into the hands of the great red dragon. We found a remote place to meet Hao Yi, but she said that there were two surveillance cameras at the door of the house where the books of God’s words were kept. She was afraid that something would go wrong if we tried to transfer them, and would not let us try no matter what. I thought to myself, “The police have a photo of Hao Yi, and have asked the arrested brothers and sisters to identify her. If we don’t transfer the books, then if something happens to her, all of the books of God’s words will fall into the hands of the great red dragon, and the interests of the church will be seriously damaged. But if I’m arrested while I’m transferring the books, won’t the police just beat me to death?” In my heart, I felt a bit worried and afraid, so I prayed to God. I thought of what the Lord Jesus had said: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Yes. Satan can harm the body, but it cannot kill the soul. If I was arrested when transferring the books, this would have God’s permission. It was my time to bear testimony to God. I could not let the books of God’s words fall into the hands of the great red dragon. I told Hao Yi, “You don’t need to get involved in transferring the books of God’s words. We will transfer them ourselves.” Hao Yi agreed. Zhou Na and I discussed and agreed on how to transfer the books of God’s words. Zhou Na said, “This transfer is too dangerous. You are wanted—you shouldn’t show your face. I’ll go alone, so if I’m arrested, I’ll be the only one.” I was deeply moved when I heard Zhou Na say this, and wanted to let her do it herself. But then I remembered that her health was poor, and she would be in danger because it would take a long time to move all the books herself. I could not keep on being selfish and despicable and safeguarding myself. I said, “It’s better if we both go. That way, it will be faster. The less time it takes, the safer it is.” Therefore, we put on disguises and cautiously transferred the books of God’s words out of there. A few days later, we completed the transfer of the books of God’s words from the other location as well. I saw God’s care and protection, and was extremely thankful to God in my heart!

I felt deeply moved through handling this aftermath. It was God’s words that led me to walk out of timidity and fear, step by step. At my hour of greatest torment and helplessness, it was God who opened up a way for me and gave me some real understanding and experience of God’s almightiness and sovereignty. At the same time, I also gained some understanding of my own selfish and vile satanic nature. I realized that doing my duty in this dangerous environment was revealing and perfecting me. I did not shrink from doing my duty in a dangerous environment. These results were all achieved with the leadership of the words of God. Thank God!