Can We Enter the Heavenly Kingdom by Emulating Paul?

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By Dujuan, China

In the year when I was 18, I believed in the Lord Jesus because of my illness, and gradually recovered as a result of the Lord’s grace. To repay His love, I determined to work for the Lord all my life. Then I joined a church choir and became a singing teacher. I often sang hymns and prayed in praise of the Lord with brothers and sisters. Besides, I performed Christian drama and preached the Lord’s gospel in many places. When I followed the Lord, I had particular faith in what Paul said, “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” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). I often taught brothers and sisters to sing this song, believing that as long as we are willing to sacrifice for the Lord, we can obtain His approval, enter the heavenly kingdom, and get a reward. So I would feel abundant happiness every time I thought that in the heavenly kingdom there would be no arrest and persecution of the Chinese Communist Party, no ridicule, slander and judgment from the world, no suffering, tears, sadness, and death; but instead, there would be the eternal days with the company of angels, filled with cheers and laughter, and in the presence of the Lord. When preaching and working for the Lord, I often had to face the CCP’s arrest and persecution. However, as soon as I thought of the Bible saying, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17), I would believe there would be eternal blessing of the heavenly kingdom in the future. And all this was worthwhile no matter how much I suffered and how many tears I shed for the Lord. Therefore, I was resolved to spend my whole life preaching and working for the Lord.

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Listening to God’s Voice Is Crucial to Welcoming the Lord’s Return

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Now, disasters frequently occur, and it is the critical time of welcoming the Lord’s return. Then how can we receive the Lord? Many people believe that the Lord will come and appear to us upon clouds, so welcoming the Lord based on what we see is the safest bet. But the Lord Jesus said: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20). The Lord told us that in the last days, He would come and speak to knock at our doors. Now, there are many people bearing witness online that the Lord has come back and expressed many words, and they have heard the voice of God and welcomed the Lord. Can we really welcome the Lord if we just rely on what we see without listening for the voice of God? Should we welcome the Lord by listening to God’s voice or by relying on what we see?

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2 Keys to Help You Discern God’s Voice

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Hello Sister Li Zhen:

Now disasters are getting ever bigger. The day of the Lord has already come. We believers in the Lord are all anxiously waiting for Him to be raptured into the heavenly kingdom. The Lord Jesus said, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. … and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut” (Matthew 25:1–10). From these verses, we see that when the Lord comes, the foolish virgins will be locked outside on account of not preparing oil, while the wise virgins who have prepared oil will dine with Him. Only by being wise virgins can we welcome the Lord’s return. Then, in the last days, how should we prepare to be the wise virgins to welcome the Lord?

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How to Pray Effectively and Establish a Normal Relationship With God

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By Chengxin

Common Problems in Prayer

We see someone praying for a long time, saying many things and speaking pleasant words, and we believe them to be a spiritual person who has a normal relationship with God, and that God will surely hear the prayers of such a person. We therefore learn to pray in this way, too, and we often pray to God, saying: “Dear Lord Jesus, we give thanks and praise to You! You were crucified for our sakes in order to redeem us. O Lord! Your love is higher than the heavens and deeper than the seas, Your deeds are wise and wonderful, and Your holy name deserves to be extolled and worshiped by thousands! O Lord, You are the lamp that lights my way, the light upon my path. I ask that You guide me and help me to avoid temptation. I wish to dedicate my true heart to You, and to love You and be loyal to You forever! …” Although we may say many pleasant-sounding things in prayer to praise God and express our devotion, after we’re done praying, however, our spirits feel no enjoyment, our relationship with God has not drawn any closer, we still feel flat and we have no faith in God. This shows that God does not listen to this kind of prayer. Why does God not commend such prayers? This is a problem we urgently need to seek the answer to, so let’s search for the answer below.

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God Is Seeking Those Who Sincerely Yearn for His Appearance

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God Is Seeking Those Who Sincerely Yearn for His Appearance

The Lord Jesus promised that He would come again. For this reason, all believers have been waiting for the Lord’s return for 2000 years. Especially now when we are in the late period of the last days, those who truly believe in the Lord yearn even more urgently for the Lord’s coming. Do you know whom God will appear to upon His return? How can we welcome the appearance of God?

God’s word says, “God seeks those who long for Him to appear. He seeks those who are able to hear His words, those who have not forgotten His commission and offer up their hearts and bodies to Him. He seeks those who are as obedient as babes before Him and do not resist Him. If you devote yourself to God, unimpeded by any power or force, then God shall look upon you with favor and shall bestow His blessings upon you. If you are of high station, of honorable reputation, possessed of abundant knowledge, the owner of plentiful assets, and supported by many people, yet these things do not prevent you from coming before God to accept His calling and His commission and to do what God asks of you, then all that you do shall be the most meaningful cause on earth and the most righteous undertaking of mankind.”

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Will We Be Raptured in an Instant When Jesus Returns?

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By Xien

Westward declined the sun; the sunset’s afterglow tinted half of the sky and the evening glow appeared especially beautiful and dazzling. Su Mingyue, sauntering on the pebble road in the park, looking thoughtful, didn’t have the heart to enjoy such a brilliant scenery. A breeze stirred the tips of the trees, golden falling leaves dropping with the wind. This scene was just like her mood at that time. She was thinking: Over the past twenty years in serving the Lord, I have often sinned, but I believe firmly all along that the Lord has already forgiven the sins of us humans. And as long as I stick to working and preaching for Him, I will change in an instant and become holy, and then be raptured into the kingdom of heaven when He comes back. Yet … the scenes just now, just like motion pictures, were swimming into her mind.

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Will the Lord First Give Revelation to Believers Who Work Hard When He Arrives

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By Ningchen

One day, Bill who was studying abroad came back home and said to Bob with delight: “Dad, this time I’ve got some amazing news for you. The Lord Jesus for whom we’ve long yearned has returned incarnate in China and has expressed many truths. Lately, I’ve read many of God’s words, and I feel that every one of God’s words contains authority and power. They have deeply convinced me …”

Getting quite excited, Bob could not help but interrupt Bill: “That’s not right. I’ve believed in the Lord Jesus for so many years. I know the Bible very well, and I have worked tirelessly for the Lord and have been on constant lookout for His second coming. If He came He should first give revelation to me, so how come I didn’t know? Since I haven’t received His revelation, I don’t believe that He has returned.”

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If We Sit Around Waiting for God’s Revelation, Can We Welcome the Lord?

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By Tian Yuan

It was a sunny day. Peach blossoms of March covered the hills, and their sweet perfume was pleasing.

Co–worker Xu came back from the peach grove with a hoe. When he had just arrived at his front door, he saw brother Enming, and then they walked into co–worker Xu’s house, and got to chatting while sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Enming said, “Brother Xu, today I went to visit Elder Wu. I said to him that now many people were preaching that the Lord Jesus had returned, and that we should go out to seek and investigate. But Elder Wu said that was impossible, and that he had labored, worked, and expended for the Lord all his life, so if the Lord Jesus had returned He must have first given revelation to him. Thus, he didn’t let us go out to seek and investigate, and also told me that we needed only await the revelation of the Lord in the church. What do you think of Elder Wu’s viewpoint on welcoming the Lord’s coming?”

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