By Kira, Italy

The gospel experience that left the deepest impression on me happened in April of 2021, when I met a Catholic brother online named Rafael. I testified to God’s work in the last days with him, and while fellowshiping I found that his caliber was good and that he was quick to understand the truth. Having read the word of Almighty God, he felt that it was the voice of God and was therefore willing to seek and investigate the true way, and actively participate in gatherings. But to my surprise, a sister sent me a message one day saying that Rafael had run into their old Catholic priest, and that he was no longer coming to gatherings. Hearing this, I thought he must have been instilled with a number of notions and fallacies. I contacted him immediately and learned that he had been confused by what we had been saying, but he didn’t say what he was confused about. At the time, I didn’t know how I should fellowship with him, my mind drew a blank. I just didn’t know what to do. I kept calling out to God, asking God to guide him if he was God’s sheep, and said that I was willing to do all that I could in fellowshiping with him.

Later, Sister Anila and I invited Rafael to fellowship together. When he joined our meeting he was all worked up, spouting a whole bunch of religious doctrine, talking about his devotion to the Lord Jesus and how firm his faith was. He thought that since the Lord Jesus had incarnated as male and He called God in heaven “Father,” and because those in the religious world are accustomed to calling God in heaven “God the Father,” the Lord should return in the form of a man. Almighty God appearing and working in the form of a woman was unacceptable to him. Listening to the intensity of his words, I wasn’t sure how I should start communicating with him. I prayed to God for guidance. Then, I said to Rafael, “I believe that your faith in the Lord Jesus is really firm, but let’s just think for a moment. We often pray to the Lord Jesus, but do we truly know Him? Do we truly know that the Lord Jesus is the incarnation of God Himself? Do we truly know that He is the truth, the way, and the life? Dare we say that we know the divine essence of the Lord Jesus? Dare we guarantee that when the Lord Jesus returns, we are truly able to know it is Him? Why exactly is it that we believe in Him? Is it because of His birth family or His appearance?” Rafael said nothing in response to this. I then read a few passages of Almighty God’s word to him: “The essence of people’s belief in God is the belief in the Spirit of God, and even their belief in God incarnate is because this flesh is the embodiment of the Spirit of God, which means that such belief is still belief in the Spirit. There are differences between the Spirit and the flesh, but because this flesh comes from the Spirit, and is the Word become flesh, thus what man believes in is still the inherent essence of God” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God). “Incarnation means that God’s Spirit becomes a flesh, that is, God becomes flesh; the work that the flesh does is the work of the Spirit, which is realized in the flesh, expressed by the flesh. No one except God’s flesh can fulfill the ministry of the incarnate God; that is, only God’s incarnate flesh, this normal humanity—and no one else—can express the divine work” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Essence of the Flesh Inhabited by God). Having read God’s word to him, I fellowshiped, “We all know that the Lord Jesus was born to a carpenter’s family. He looked normal, no different from an ordinary man on the outside, but He was the body worn by the Spirit of God, and He was God Himself incarnate. It is not because He was Jewish that we believe in Him, nor because He was born of Mary, and much less because of His sex or His appearance. We believe in Him because He has the essence of God’s Spirit, because He is the truth, the way, and the life. Only He could express the truth and perform divine work. Likewise, why do we believe in Almighty God now? We believe because Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned, He is the Spirit of the Lord Jesus clothed once again in the flesh of an ordinary person, living among us, expressing truths, and doing the work of judgment and cleansing in the last days. Almighty God and the Lord Jesus both have the same source, and both have the essence of God’s Spirit. No matter what family this incarnation of God has been born into, what He looks like, what sex He is, none of these things can change His essence. Almighty God has expressed so many truths and does the work of judgment in the last days. This is enough to prove that Almighty God is the incarnation of God’s Spirit and that He is the Lord Jesus returned.”

Rafael gradually became willing to seek the truth. He said he agreed with everything I’d said, but still couldn’t understand why God had chosen to incarnate in the form of a woman this time. Seeing that he had eased up a little, I asked him, “Are the form or sex that God chooses to take on to work in the flesh things that we can decide? When our mother gives birth to us, we aren’t able to choose her appearance, and no matter what she looks like, we just have to accept it. This is the reason that children should have. Wouldn’t you agree?” Rafael nodded and said, “Of course, we have no right to choose.” I went on, “Likewise, is the sort of flesh that God has now chosen to incarnate in, as a man or a woman, something that we can decide? If we say that if God comes as a man I will accept it, but if He comes as a woman I will not, isn’t that irrational? The sex of God’s incarnation is a matter unto God Himself and it is God’s choice. As humans, we are not qualified to comment, right? God is the Lord of creation. The wisdom of God is higher than the heavens and His thoughts are higher than those of man. We are just insignificant humans; how can we fathom God’s wisdom in His work? Regarding the appearance and work of God, we have absolutely no right to choose. God has become flesh, and so long as He expresses truths and does the work of God, no matter His sex, He is God Himself, and we should accept and submit. Only this is being rational, and only this is being an intelligent person.” Rafael was listening in earnest and didn’t refute me.

I then read a few Bible passages to him: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them” (Genesis 1:27). “Take you therefore good heed to yourselves; for you saw no manner of similitude on the day that Jehovah spoke to you in Horeb out of the middle of the fire: Lest you corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flies in the air, the likeness of any thing that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth” (Deuteronomy 4:15–18). I fellowshiped, “From these passages of the Bible, we can see that God is spirit in essence, that He has no fixed form, and that He does not allow humans to carve Him into any image to worship. In Genesis it is written that in the beginning, God first created man, and then woman in His own image. So would you say God is male or female? You may say male, and yet God also created woman in His own image. You may say female, and yet God also created man in His own image. So, what’s going on here? God is a righteous God, and He created man and woman in His image. The first time He incarnated it was as a man, and in the last days He has incarnated as a woman, meaning He treats both sexes fairly. If God had incarnated as a man both times, that would be unfair to women. Saying that God is either male or female is delimiting God, which is what He hates most. Every time God incarnates it is to save humanity, and to incarnate means taking the form of a human, either male or female. However, regardless of the sex God incarnates as, His essence is eternally unchanging.” This seemed to get through to Rafael, and he truly agreed with what I said. Then I sent him a few passages of Almighty God’s word: “Each stage of work done by God has its own practical significance. Back then, when Jesus came, He came in male form, and when God comes this time, His form is female. From this, you can see that God’s creation of both men and women can be of use in His work, and with Him there is no distinction of gender. When His Spirit comes, He can take on any flesh He pleases, and that flesh can represent Him; whether male or female, it can represent God as long as it is His incarnate flesh. If Jesus had appeared as a female when He came, in other words, if an infant girl, and not a boy, had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, that stage of work would have been completed all the same. If that had been the case, then the present stage of work would have to be completed by a male instead, but the work would be completed all the same. The work done in each stage has its significance; neither stage of work is repeated, nor does it conflict with the other” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation). “If God came into the flesh only as a male, people would define Him as male, as the God of men, and would never believe Him to be the God of women. Men would then hold that God is of the same gender as men, that God is the head of men—but what then of women? This is unfair; is it not preferential treatment? If this were the case, then all those whom God saved would be men like Him, and not one woman would be saved. When God created mankind, He created Adam and He created Eve. He did not only create Adam, but made both male and female in His image. God is not only the God of men—He is also the God of women” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Vision of God’s Work (3)). “God is not merely the Holy Spirit, the Spirit, the sevenfold intensified Spirit, or the all-encompassing Spirit, but is also a human—an ordinary human, an exceptionally common human. He is not only male, but also female. They are similar in that They are both born to humans, and dissimilar in that one was conceived by the Holy Spirit and the other was born to a human, though derived directly from the Spirit. They are similar in that both incarnate fleshes of God carry out the work of God the Father, and dissimilar in that one performed the work of redemption while the other does the work of conquest. Both represent God the Father, but one is the Redeemer, filled with lovingkindness and mercy, and the other is the God of righteousness, filled with wrath and judgment. One is the Supreme Commander who launched the work of redemption, while the other is the righteous God who accomplishes the work of conquest. One is the Beginning, the other the End. One is sinless flesh, while the other is flesh that completes the redemption, continues the work, and is never sinful. Both are the same Spirit, but They dwell in different fleshes and were born in different places, and They are separated by several thousand years. However, all Their work is mutually complementary, never conflicting, and can be spoken of in the same breath. Both are people, but one was a baby boy and the other was an infant girl” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. What Is Your Understanding of God?). Having read God’s word, Anila fellowshiped, “God’s work is always new and never old, and He never repeats His work. God’s work is always renewing, changing, and constantly elevating. If God were to do repeated work, then humans would be likely to delimit Him and we would not have true knowledge of Him. The first time God incarnated He was a man, so what would be the consequences of the Lord returning in the flesh as a man again? Humans would delimit God as male, and think God only recognizes men, favors men. They would think He doesn’t love women and shuns women, and so women would be discriminated against forever. Is that a correct understanding? Is this fair to women? Does this align with God’s intention? Are these things not just human notions and imaginings? God is righteous, and He treats men and women equally. God has incarnated once as a man and once as a woman. This is very meaningful! God incarnating as a woman in the last days has overturned everyone’s notions, reversed man’s fallacious understanding of God, broken man’s delimitations of God, and shown people that God is not just the God of men, but of women too. God is the God of all humanity. Nobody can use their notions to delimit God as male or female.”

After Anila was finished, I went on to add, “In fact, no matter the form God takes in His incarnations, His essence is unchanging. These forms are the Spirit of God become flesh. They represent God Himself, and are able to perform divine work. In the Age of Grace, God became flesh and was crucified as mankind’s sin offering. The Lord Jesus was a man and was able to be crucified to redeem humanity. If God had incarnated as a woman that first time, He still would have been able to complete the work of redemption, and express the truth to give humanity the path to repentance. Therefore, the sex and looks of God’s incarnation are not important, and whether He has the appearance of greatness is not important. What is important is that He has the essence of God, expresses the truth, and does the work of saving humanity. These alone are what we should pay close attention to while investigating the true way.” I then read him another passage of God’s word: “He who is God incarnate shall possess the essence of God, and He who is God incarnate shall possess the expression of God. Since God becomes flesh, He shall bring forth the work He intends to do, and since God becomes flesh, He shall express what He is, and shall be able to bring the truth to man, bestow life upon him, and point the way for him. Flesh that does not have the essence of God is decidedly not the incarnate God; of this there is no doubt. If man intends to inquire into whether it is God’s incarnate flesh, then he must corroborate this from the disposition He expresses and the words He speaks. Which is to say, to corroborate whether or not it is God’s incarnate flesh, and whether or not it is the true way, one must discriminate on the basis of His essence. And so, in determining whether it is the flesh of God incarnate, the key lies in His essence (His work, His utterances, His disposition, and many other aspects), rather than external appearance. If man scrutinizes only His external appearance, and as a result overlooks His essence, this shows that man is benighted and ignorant” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface). I continued by fellowshiping, “God’s word is very clear. To ascertain whether it is the incarnation of God, the main thing to look for is whether He can express the truth and do God’s work. If you do not focus on listening for the voice of God while investigating the true way, and instead judge based on the appearance and sex of an incarnation, are you not making the same mistake of the Pharisees resisting the Lord Jesus? The Pharisees saw that His family background and appearance were entirely out of line with their notions and delusions of the Messiah, so they judged and condemned the Lord Jesus without seeking or investigating His words or work at all. In the end, they had Jesus crucified, offending God’s disposition, and so they were punished and damned. If people don’t read Almighty God’s word or focus on listening for God’s voice, and deny and resist Almighty God because a female incarnation of God doesn’t align with their notions, is this not crucifying God all over again?”

After fellowshiping with Rafael, he said he would keep seeking the truth, and when we invited him to a gathering the following evening, he agreed readily. But, to my surprise, he didn’t come the following evening and didn’t answer when I called him on the phone. I was very worried. So, every morning when I woke up I would send him some of God’s word, hoping that one day he would respond. But he never read my messages, and I was really losing hope. Later, I had other brothers and sisters try contacting him, but he just couldn’t be reached. I fell into a state of hopelessness again, figuring that was the way it had to be. Just when I was about to give up on him completely, I stumbled across an article about a sister’s experience preaching the gospel to an Italian. I happened to know this brother she had preached to, as he was currently partnered with me in spreading the gospel. This brother had good humanity and a pure understanding of the truth, so I never expected him to have so many notions while receiving the gospel, or for the sister to be unable to contact him for two months. Still, the sister didn’t give up. She just kept waiting and finding chances to fellowship on God’s word with him, until Almighty God’s word eventually resolved his notions one by one, and he accepted God’s work of the last days. The sister’s experience really moved me, but also made me feel ashamed. God has done much work, paid a great price, and arranged many people, events, and things for everyone who comes before Him. If I understood God’s thoughtful consideration in saving man, then I should have been considering His intentions. But at the slightest difficulty, I was ready to shrink back and give up. I was completely lacking in perseverance. Where was my loyalty and testimony? Then I read God’s word: “In spreading the gospel, you must first fulfill your responsibility. You must follow your conscience and reason in doing all that you can and all that you ought. You must lovingly provide solutions to whatever notions the person investigating the true way may have or whatever questions they raise. If you really cannot provide a solution, you can find a few relevant passages of God’s words to read to them, or relevant videos of experiential testimony, or some relevant gospel testimony films to show them. It is entirely possible that this will be effective; at the very least you will be fulfilling your responsibility, and won’t feel accused by your conscience. But if you are perfunctory and muddle your way through, you are liable to delay things, and it will not be easy to win over that person. In spreading the gospel to others, one must fulfill their responsibility. How should the word ‘responsibility’ be understood? How, precisely, should it be put into practice and applied? Well, you should understand that having welcomed the Lord and experienced God’s work in the last days, you have an obligation to bear witness for His work to those who thirst for His appearance. So, how are you to spread the gospel to them? Whether online or in real life, you should spread it in whatever way wins over people and is effective. Gospel-spreading is not something you do when you feel like it, something you do when you are in a good mood and do not do when you are not. Neither is it something done according to your preferences, with you deciding who receives preferential treatment, spreading the gospel to those you like and not spreading it to those you do not. The gospel should be spread according to God’s demands and to the principles of His house. You should fulfill the responsibility and duty of a created being, doing all that you are capable of to testify to the truths you understand, to the words of God, and to the work of God to those investigating the true way. That is how you fulfill the responsibility and duty of a created being. What should a person do as they are spreading the gospel? They should fulfill their responsibility, do all they can, and be willing to pay every price” (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). “So, how should someone who is investigating the true way be treated? As long as they conform to the principles of God’s house for spreading the gospel, we have an obligation to preach it to them; and even if their current attitude is poor and unaccepting, we must exercise patience. For how long and to what extent must we be patient? Until they reject you and do not let you into their house, and no discussion works, nor does calling them, or having someone else go invite them, and they do not acknowledge you. In this case, there is no way to spread the gospel to them. That is when you will have fulfilled your responsibility. That is what it means to perform your duty. However, so long as there is a bit of hope, you should think of every way you can and do your utmost to read God’s words and bear witness for His work to them. Say, for instance, you have been in contact with someone for two or three years. You have tried spreading the gospel and testifying for God to them many times, but they have no intention of accepting it. Yet their understanding is quite good, and they really are a potential gospel recipient. What should you do? First of all, you absolutely must not give up on them, instead you should maintain normal interactions with them, and keep reading God’s words to them and bearing witness for His work. Do not give up on them; be patient until the end. On some unknown day, they will wake up and feel it is time to investigate the true way. That is why practicing patience and persevering to the end is a very important aspect of spreading the gospel. And why do this? Because it is the duty of a created being. Since you are in contact with them, you have an obligation and a responsibility to preach God’s gospel to them. Many processes lie between them first hearing God’s words and the gospel up until they turn themselves around, and this takes time. This period calls for you to be patient and wait, until that day comes when they turn themselves around and you bring them before God, back to His house. This is your obligation. What is an obligation? It is a responsibility that cannot be shirked, to which one is honor-bound. It is just like how a mother treats her child. No matter how disobedient or mischievous the child may be, or if they are sick and will not eat, what is the mother’s obligation? Knowing that this is her child, she dotes on them, and loves them, and cares for them attentively. It makes no difference whether the child acknowledges her as their mother or not, and it does not matter how they treat her—she stays by their side all the same, protecting them, without leaving for an instant, constantly waiting for them to believe that she is their mother and for them to return to her embrace. In this way, she constantly watches over and cares for them. This is what responsibility means; this is what it means to be honor-bound. If those engaged in spreading the gospel would practice in this way, harboring this sort of loving heart for people, they would then be upholding the principles of spreading the gospel, and be entirely capable of achieving results” (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). Having read God’s word, I felt ashamed. God has made very clear the responsibilities that gospel workers are to perform. Every potential gospel recipient’s situation is different and needs to be treated differently. You cannot rely on your own notions, imaginings, or prejudices to shun and delimit them, much less give up on them rashly. If, according to the principles, you determine someone to be a suitable gospel recipient, then you must do your utmost and use any means to testify God’s work in the last days to them and lead them before God. These are the principles one should have in spreading the gospel. However, after just a short while of not being able to contact Brother Rafael, I ran out of patience and compassion. I was going through a hard time and didn’t want to keep trying to fellowship with him. I felt that with him ignoring us, not answering the phone, and not reading our messages, there was nothing else I could do. I had fellowshiped what I was supposed to, it was simply Rafael who wouldn’t accept it. I couldn’t invest any more effort, so I just put him aside for the time being. Still, I felt uneasy. I kept thinking that this brother had genuine faith, and a good caliber and capacity to understand the truth, but had been seized by religious notions due to the disturbance and misleading of a priest. I had to help him at this critical moment, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I had to fulfill the responsibilities of a gospel worker. So I sent him an experiential testimony article, hoping to help him. Regardless of whether he read it or not, I had to do everything that I could.

A few days later, he sent me a message saying, “I’ve been praying this whole time. Even though I haven’t said anything, I know that God seeks out our hearts. My heart has been calling out for Almighty God to enlighten and guide me, lest I err and offend God.” I was so moved. Then in his reply I saw him say, “This world is so corrupt and evil. It is so hard for people to grow close to God. The only weapons against evil are the word of Almighty God and the Bible.” He acknowledged the word of Almighty God, and this proved that he could understand the voice of God and that there was hope of getting him back. But I knew that he was going through a fierce inner battle, and I worried that he might stop reading my messages at any time. I was very anxious, so I calmed myself and prayed to God. While praying, I remembered a phrase from God’s word: “God would by no means abandon mankind lightly, or until the last possible moment.” Inspired, I hurried to read some passages of God’s word: “The following passage was recorded in the Book of Jonah 4:10–11: ‘Then said Jehovah, You have had pity on the gourd, for the which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?’ These are the actual words of Jehovah God, recorded from a conversation between God and Jonah. Though this exchange is brief, it brims with the Creator’s care for mankind and His reluctance to give mankind up” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique II). “Although Jonah was entrusted with proclaiming Jehovah God’s words to the people of Nineveh, he did not understand Jehovah God’s intentions, nor did he understand His worries and expectations for the people of the city. With this reprimand, God meant to tell him that humanity was the product of God’s own hands, and that He had expended painstaking effort on each and every single person, that each and every person carried God’s expectations upon their shoulders, and that each and every person enjoyed the supply of God’s life; for each and every person, God had paid the price of painstaking effort. This reprimand also told Jonah that God pitied humanity, which was the work of His own hands, just as much as Jonah himself had pity on the gourd. God would by no means abandon mankind lightly, or until the last possible moment, not least because there were so many children and innocent livestock inside the city” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique II). Having read God’s word, I was moved, so I said to Rafael, “Brother, you’re a thoughtful person who can understand the voice of God. God has incarnated in the last days and has expressed millions of words of truth to provide for us, save us from the bondage of sin, and purify us for entry into His kingdom. I hope that you can fully consider this matter concerning our fates and outcomes. I will be praying for you. May God open your heart and allow you to come back into His house soon.” I then sent him readings of three passages of God’s word. Among these, there was a passage of God’s word that got him to reflect, and brought him to a turning point. God’s words say: “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 submits to 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 is more, do not be casual and thoughtless in your belief in God. You should know that, at the very least, those who believe in God should possess humble and God-fearing hearts. Those who have heard the truth and yet turn their nose up at it are foolish and ignorant. Those who have heard the truth and yet carelessly jump to conclusions or condemn it are beset by arrogance. No one who believes in Jesus is qualified to curse or condemn others. You should all be someone with sense and who accepts the truth. Perhaps, having heard the way of truth and having read the word of life, you believe that only one in 10,000 of these words are in line with your convictions and the Bible, and then you should continue to seek in that 10,000th of these words. I still advise you to be humble, to not be over-confident, and to not exalt yourself too highly. With the bit of a God-fearing heart you possess, you will gain greater light. If you carefully examine and repeatedly contemplate these words, you shall understand whether or not they are the truth, and whether or not they are life. Perhaps, having only read a few sentences, some people will blindly condemn these words, saying, ‘This is nothing more than some enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,’ or, ‘This is a false christ come to mislead people.’ Those who say such things are blinded by ignorance! You understand too little of the work and wisdom of God, and I advise you to start again from scratch! You must not blindly condemn the words expressed by God because of the appearance of false christs during the last days, and you must not be someone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit because you are afraid of being misled. Would that not be a great pity? If, after much examination, you still believe that these words are not the truth, are not the way, and are not the expression of God, then you shall ultimately be punished, and you shall be without blessings. If you cannot accept such truth spoken so plainly and so clearly, then are you not unfit for God’s salvation? Are you not someone who is not blessed enough to return before the throne of God? Think about it! Do not be rash and impetuous, and 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, and do not play yourself. Can you accept these words?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. By the Time You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus, God Will Have Made Heaven and Earth Anew). That day, Rafael read this passage of God’s word and sent me a long message regarding his feelings and understanding of the passage. I could see that he was conflicted and worried that he would take the wrong path, and that he feared believing in Almighty God meant following another denomination and betraying the Lord Jesus. I found a passage of God’s word to send him, and fellowshiped, “The Church of Almighty God doesn’t belong to any religious group. It came about because of the appearance and work of the returned Lord Jesus, not because somebody founded a new denomination. Almighty God expresses truths to do the work of judgment, ushering in the Age of Kingdom and bringing the Age of Grace to a close. Other than God incarnate Himself, there is no leader, or great or famous person in the world that can express truths, lead or save humanity. Though the work of Almighty God is different from that of the Lord Jesus or Jehovah, They are the same God in essence. Jehovah, Jesus, and Almighty God are just different names used by God in different ages. But no matter how God’s name or work changes, His essence is unchanging. God is eternally God. God says: ‘The work that Jesus did represented the name of Jesus, and it represented the Age of Grace; as for the work done by Jehovah, it represented Jehovah, and it represented the Age of Law. Their work was the work of one Spirit in two different ages. … Although They were called by two different names, it was the same Spirit that accomplished both stages of work, and the work that was done was continuous. As the name was different, and the content of the work was different, the age was different. When Jehovah came, that was the age of Jehovah, and when Jesus came, that was the age of Jesus. And so, with each coming, God is called by one name, He represents one age, and He launches a new path; and on each new path, He assumes a new name, which shows that God is always new and never old, and that His work never ceases to progress in a forward direction. History is always moving forward, and the work of God is always moving forward. For His six-thousand-year management plan to reach its end, it must keep progressing in a forward direction. Each day He must do new work, each year He must do new work; He must launch new paths, launch new eras, begin new and greater work, and along with these, bring new names and new work. … From the work of Jehovah to that of Jesus, and from the work of Jesus to that of this current stage, these three stages cover in a continuous thread the entire gamut of God’s management, and they are all the work of one Spirit. Since the creation of the world, God has always been at work managing mankind. He is the Beginning and the End, He is the First and the Last, and He is the One who begins an age and the One who brings the age to an end. The three stages of work, in different ages and different locations, are unmistakably the work of one Spirit. All those who separate these three stages stand in opposition to God. Now, it behooves you to understand that all the work from the first stage until today is the work of one God, the work of one Spirit. Of this there can be no doubt’ (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Vision of God’s Work (3)). The word of Almighty God is very clear. God’s work of saving humanity is divided into three stages. The first stage was the work of the Age of Law, in which Jehovah issued laws to lead the Israelites to live on earth. The second stage was the work of redemption in the Age of Grace, and this was the first time that God incarnated to act as mankind’s sin offering. The third stage of work is the work of judgment in the last days as prophesied in the book of Revelation. These three stages of work are God’s complete management plan to save humanity. God does different work in each age, but the work of all three stages is done by a single God. I’ll give a simple example. God’s management work can be compared to the building of a house. The Age of Law represents the foundation of the house, as without a foundation, the house cannot be built at all. The Age of Grace represents the structure of the house, as without a structure, the house cannot take form. The Age of Kingdom is like the roof. Without this final step the house remains incomplete and can’t keep out the wind or rain. Therefore, each of these three steps is indispensable. Our belief in Almighty God doesn’t mean that we’ve betrayed the Lord Jesus, much less that we believe in a different God. We are simply keeping pace with the footsteps of the Lamb. There are currently several major religions in the world, and believers in God have split into more than two thousand denominations. Regardless of their former denominations, more and more brothers and sisters with sincere faith and a thirst for God’s appearance have come to accept the work of Almighty God in the last days, and have come to accept the watering and sustenance of His word. This fact is as plain as day. This also fulfills the biblical prophecy, ‘That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him’ (Ephesians 1:10). ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it’ (Isaiah 2:2).” After seeing what I had to say, Rafael sent a prayer emoji and said, “You’re right, Almighty God is the one true God, we should all come under the name of Almighty God. Almighty God calls to me. He knows my heart, my worries, and my fears.” I then sent him a few gospel movies and some of God’s word. I also prayed to God, saying that whether or not Rafael came to gatherings in the end, I would do all that I could and learn to wait, seek, and submit.

Four days later, I received an unexpected message from him asking if he could keep attending gatherings. He also said that the word of Almighty God was very precious to him and that he couldn’t be without it. From God’s word he understood many of the truths and mysteries of the Bible. God’s word had drawn him in. At that moment, I was moved to tears. I really thank God! Later, he said that he had read the words of God that I had sent, and that the questions they posed made him feel very guilty. He said, “I can’t be careless in my faith or treat it like a game, so I’ve decided to keep investigating the true way. The Lord’s return is very important to me and I don’t want to lose the chance to welcome Him. I don’t want to ultimately offend or betray Him.” I was so excited! I saw the authority and power of God’s word. It was God’s word that turned Rafael around and made him decide to accept Almighty God’s work of the last days.

This experience really touched me and made me realize that no matter what kind of potential gospel recipient I encounter, as long as they can understand the voice of God, I should fulfill my duty and obligation in leading them into the house of God. Only by doing our duty in this way can we not leave behind debts and regrets. Thank God!