(NEW BELIEVER ESSENTIALS)

GOD’S SHEEP HEAR

THE VOICE OF GOD

THE CHURCH OF ALMIGHTY GOD

 PREFACE
Though many people believe in God, few understand what faith in God means,
and what they must do to conform to God’s will. This is because, though people are
familiar with the word “God” and phrases such as “the work of God,” they do not know
God, and still less do they know His work. No wonder, then, that all those who do not
know God are muddled in their belief of Him. People do not take belief in God
seriously, and this is entirely because believing in God is too unfamiliar, too strange
for them. In this way, they fall short of God’s demands. In other words, if people do
not know God, and do not know His work, then they are not fit for God’s use, and still
less are they able to satisfy His will. “Belief in God” means believing that there is a
God; this is the simplest concept as regards believing in God. What’s more, believing
that there is a God is not the same as truly believing in God; rather, it is a kind of
simple faith with strong religious overtones. True faith in God means the following:
On the basis of the belief that God holds sovereignty over all things, one experiences
His words and His work, purges one’s corrupt disposition, satisfies the will of God,
and comes to know God. Only a journey of this kind may be called “faith in God.” Yet
people often see belief in God as a simple and frivolous matter. People who believe
in God in this way have lost what it means to believe in God, and though they may
continue to believe until the very end, they shall never gain God’s approval, because
they tread upon the wrong path. There are still those today who believe in God
according to letters and in hollow doctrine. They do not know that they lack the
essence of belief in God, and they cannot receive God’s approval. Still they pray to
God for blessings of safety and sufficient grace. Let us stop, quiet our hearts, and
ask ourselves: Can it be that believing in God really is the easiest thing on earth?
Can it be that believing in God means nothing more than receiving much grace from
God? Are people who believe in God without knowing Him or who believe in God and
yet oppose Him really able to satisfy the will of God?
God and man cannot be spoken of on equal terms. His essence and His work are
most unfathomable and incomprehensible to man. If God does not personally do His
work and speak His words in the world of man, then man would never be able to
understand the will of God. And so, even those who have devoted their entire lives to
God would not be able to receive His approval. If God does not set to work, then
however well man does, it will all be for naught, because God’s thoughts will always
be higher than the thoughts of man, and God’s wisdom is beyond man’s
comprehension. And so I say that those who claim to “fully understand” God and His
work are an inept lot; they are all overweening and ignorant. Man should not define
the work of God; moreover, man cannot define the work of God. In the eyes of God,

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man is as insignificant as an ant; so how can man fathom God’s work? Those who
like to spout, “God does not work in this or that way,” or “God is like this or that”—are
they not speaking arrogantly? We should all know that man, who is of the flesh, has
been corrupted by Satan. Mankind’s very nature is to oppose God. Mankind cannot
be on par with God, much less can mankind hope to advise the work of God. As for
how God guides man, this is the work of God Himself. It is fitting that man should
submit, without professing this or that view, for man is but dust. Since it is our intent
to seek God, we should not superimpose our notions onto His work for God’s
consideration, still less should we employ our corrupt disposition to its utmost to
deliberately oppose the work of God. Would that not make us antichrists? How could
such people believe in God? Since we believe that there is a God, and since we wish
to satisfy Him and to see Him, we should seek the way of truth, and should look for
a way to be compatible with God. We should not stand in stiff-necked opposition to
Him. What good could possibly come of such actions?
Today, God has done new work. You may not be able to accept these words, and
they may seem odd to you, but I would advise you not to expose your naturalness,
for only those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness before God can obtain
the truth, and only those who are truly devout can be enlightened and guided by Him.
Results are obtained by seeking the truth with sober tranquility, not with quarrel and
contention. When I say that “today, God has done new work,” I am referring to the
matter of God’s returning to the flesh. Perhaps these words do not bother you;
perhaps you despise them; or even perhaps they are of great interest to you.
Whatever the case, I hope that all those who truly yearn for God to appear can face
this fact and give it their careful scrutiny, rather than jump to conclusions about it; that
is what a wise person should do.
It is not difficult to inquire into such a thing, but it requires each of us to know this
one truth: 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

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external appearance, and as a result overlooks His essence, this shows that man is
benighted and ignorant. External appearance cannot determine essence; what’s
more, the work of God can never conform to the notions of man. Did not Jesus’
outward appearance run counter to the notions of man? Were not His countenance
and dress unable to provide any clues as to His true identity? Did not the earliest
Pharisees oppose Jesus precisely because they merely looked at His external
appearance, and did not take to heart the words in His mouth? It is My hope that
each and every brother and sister who seeks the appearance of God will not repeat
the tragedy of history. You must not become the Pharisees of modern times and nail
God to the cross again. You should carefully consider how to welcome the return of
God, and you should have a clear mind regarding how to be someone who submits
to the truth. This is the responsibility of everyone who is waiting for Jesus to return
riding upon a cloud. We should rub our spiritual eyes to make them clear, and not
become mired in words of exaggerated fantasy. We should think about the practical
work of God, and take a look at the practical aspect of God. Do not get carried away
or lose yourselves in daydreams, always longing for the day when the Lord Jesus,
riding upon a cloud, suddenly descends among you, and takes you who have never
known or seen Him, and who do not know how to do His will. It is better to think upon
more practical matters!
You may have opened this book for the purpose of research, or with the intention
of accepting; whatever your attitude, I hope that you will read it to the end, and will
not put it aside easily. Perhaps, after reading these words, your attitude will change,
but that depends on your motivation and the degree of your understanding. There is,
however, one thing that you should know: The word of God cannot be made out to
be the word of man, and still less can one make the word of man to be the word of
God. A man used by God is not the incarnate God, and the incarnate God is not a
man used by God. In this, there is an essential difference. Perhaps, after reading
these words, you do not acknowledge them to be the words of God, but only as the
enlightenment that man has gained. In that case, you are blinded by ignorance. How
can the words of God be the same as the enlightenment that man has gained? The
words of God incarnate open up a new age, guide all of mankind, reveal mysteries,
and show man the direction he is to take in the new age. The enlightenment obtained
by man is but simple instructions for practice or knowledge. It cannot guide all of
mankind into a new age or reveal the mysteries of God Himself. When all is said and
done, God is God, and man is man. God has the essence of God, and man has the
essence of man. If man views the words spoken by God as simple enlightenment by
the Holy Spirit, and takes the words of the apostles and prophets as words personally
spoken by God, that would be man’s mistake. No matter what, you should never mix

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up right and wrong, or make high out to be low, or mistake the profound for the
shallow; no matter what, you should never deliberately refute what you know to be
the truth. Everyone who believes there is a God should inquire into problems from
the correct standpoint, and accept God’s new work and His new words from the
perspective of His created being; otherwise, they will be eliminated by God.
After the work of Jehovah, Jesus became flesh to do His work amongst man. His
work was not carried out in isolation, but was built upon the work of Jehovah. It was
work for a new age that God did after He had concluded the Age of Law. Similarly,
after the work of Jesus ended, God went on with His work for the next age, because
the entire management of God is always progressing forward. When the old age
passes, it will be replaced by a new age, and once the old work has been completed,
there will be new work to continue God’s management. This incarnation is God’s
second incarnation, which follows upon Jesus’ work. Of course, this incarnation does
not occur independently; it is the third stage of work after the Age of Law and the Age
of Grace. Every time God initiates a new stage of work, there must always be a new
beginning and it must always bring a new age. So too are there corresponding
changes in the disposition of God, in the manner of His working, in the location of His
work, and in His name. No wonder, then, that it is difficult for man to accept the work
of God in the new age. But regardless of how He is opposed by man, God is always
doing His work, and is always leading the whole of mankind forward. When Jesus
came into the world of man, He ushered in the Age of Grace and ended the Age of
Law. During the last days, God once more became flesh, and with this incarnation
He ended the Age of Grace and ushered in the Age of Kingdom. All those who are
able to accept the second incarnation of God will be led into the Age of Kingdom, and
will moreover become able to personally accept the guidance of God. Though Jesus
did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and
became man’s sin offering; He did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully
saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to become the sin
offering and bear the sins of man, but it also required God to do even greater work
to rid man completely of his satanically corrupted disposition. And so, now that man
has been forgiven of his sins, God has returned to the flesh to lead man into the new
age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment. This work has brought man
into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth
and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and they shall gain the
truth, the way, and the life.
If people remain stuck in the Age of Grace, then they shall never be rid of their
corrupt disposition, let alone know the inherent disposition of God. If people always
live in the midst of an abundance of grace, but do not have the way of life that allows

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them to know God or to satisfy Him, then they will never truly gain Him in their belief
in Him. This type of belief is pitiful indeed. When you have finished reading this book,
when you have experienced each step of the work of God incarnate in the Age of
Kingdom, you will feel that desires you have had for many years have finally been
realized. You will feel that only now have you truly seen God face to face; only now
have you gazed upon His countenance, heard His personal utterances, appreciated
the wisdom of His work, and truly sensed how real and almighty He is. You will feel
that you have gained many things that people in times past had never seen nor
possessed. At this time, you will clearly know what it is to believe in God, and what it
is to conform to God’s will. Of course, if you cling to views of the past, and reject or
deny the fact of the second incarnation of God, then you will remain empty-handed,
acquiring nothing, and ultimately you will be pronounced guilty of opposing God.
Those who are able to obey the truth and submit to the work of God shall be claimed
under the name of the second incarnate God—the Almighty. They will be able to
accept God’s personal guidance, gaining more and higher truths, as well as real life.
They shall behold the vision never seen before by people of the past: “And I turned
to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden
candlesticks; And in the middle of the seven candlesticks one like to the Son of man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden
girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes
were as a flame of fire; And His feet like to fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;
and His voice as the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven
stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and His countenance
was as the sun shines in its strength” (Revelation 1:12–16). This vision is the
expression of God’s entire disposition, and the expression of His entire disposition is
also the expression of the work of God in His present incarnation. In the torrents of
chastisements and judgments, the Son of man expresses His inherent disposition by
means of utterances, allowing all those who accept His chastisement and judgment
to see the true face of the Son of man, which is a faithful depiction of the face of the
Son of man seen by John. (Of course, all of this will be invisible to those who do not
accept the work of God in the Age of Kingdom.) The true face of God cannot be
fully articulated using human language, and so God uses the means by which He
expresses His inherent disposition to show His true face to man. Which is to say
that all those who have appreciated the inherent disposition of the Son of man have
seen the true face of the Son of man, for God is too great and cannot be fully
articulated using human language. Once man has experienced each step of God’s
work in the Age of Kingdom, then he shall know the true meaning of John’s words
when he spoke of the Son of man among the lampstands: “His head and His hairs

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were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; And
His feet like to fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound
of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth
went a sharp two edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shines in its
strength.” At that time, you shall know beyond all doubt that this ordinary flesh that
has said so much is undeniably the second incarnate God. Moreover, you shall truly
sense how blessed you are, and feel yourself to be the most fortunate. Are you not
willing to accept this blessing?
from The Word Appears in the Flesh

THE APPEARANCE OF
GOD HAS USHERED IN A NEW AGE
God’s six-thousand-year plan of management is coming to an end, and the gate
of the kingdom has already been opened to all those who seek His appearance. Dear
brothers and sisters, what are you waiting for? What is it that you seek? Are you
waiting for God to appear? Are you searching for His footprints? How the appearance
of God is to be longed for! And how difficult it is to find God’s footprints! In an age
such as this, in a world such as this, what must we do to witness the day on which
God appears? What must we do to keep pace with the footsteps of God? Questions
of this kind are faced by all those who are waiting for God to appear. You have all
considered them on more than one occasion—but with what outcome? Where does
God appear? Where are God’s footprints? Have you got the answer? Many people
would reply in this way: “God appears among all those who follow Him and His
footprints are in our midst; it’s that simple!” Anyone can provide a formulaic answer,
but do you understand what is meant by the appearance of God or His footprints?
The appearance of God refers to His arrival on earth to do His work in person. With
His own identity and disposition, and in the way that is innate to Him, He descends
among mankind to conduct the work of initiating an age and ending an age. This kind
of appearance is not a form of ceremony. It is not a sign, a picture, a miracle, or some
kind of a grand vision, and even less is it a kind of religious process. It is a real and
actual fact that can be touched and beheld by anyone. This kind of appearance is not
for the sake of going through the motions, or for any short-term undertaking; it is,
rather, for a stage of work in His management plan. The appearance of God is always
meaningful and always bears some relation to His management plan. What is called
appearance here is completely different from the kind of “appearance” in which God
guides, leads, and enlightens man. God carries out a stage of His great work each

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time He reveals Himself. This work is different from that of any other age. It is
unimaginable to man, and has never been experienced by man. It is work that starts
a new age and concludes the old age, and it is a new and improved form of work for
the salvation of mankind; moreover, it is work that brings mankind into the new age.
This is what the appearance of God signifies.
Once you have understood what the appearance of God means, how should you
seek God’s footprints? This question is not hard to explain: Wherever God appears,
there you will find His footsteps. Such an explanation sounds straightforward, but is
not so easy in practice, for many people do not know where God appears, much less
where He is willing to, or where He should, appear. Some impulsively believe that
wherever the Holy Spirit is at work, there God appears. Or else they believe that
wherever there are spiritual figures, there God appears. Or else they believe that
wherever there are people of high reputation, there God appears. For the moment,
let us leave aside whether such beliefs are right or wrong. To explain such a question,
we must first have a clear objective: We are searching for the footprints of God. We
are not seeking spiritual figures, much less are we pursuing figures of renown; we
are pursuing the footprints of God. For this reason, since we are searching for the
footprints of God, it behooves us to search for God’s will, for the words of God, for
His utterances—because wherever there are new words spoken by God, the voice
of God is there, and wherever there are the footsteps of God, God’s deeds are there.
Wherever there is the expression of God, there God appears, and wherever God
appears, there the truth, the way, and the life exist. In seeking God’s footprints, you
have ignored the words “God is the truth, the way, and the life.” And so, many people,
even when they receive the truth, do not believe that they have found God’s
footprints, and still less do they acknowledge the appearance of God. What a grave
mistake! The appearance of God cannot be reconciled with man’s notions, still less
can God appear at the behest of man. God makes His own choices and His own
plans when He does His work; moreover, He has His own objectives and His own
methods. Whatever work He does, He has no need to discuss it with man or seek his
advice, much less to notify each and every person of His work. This is the disposition
of God, which should, moreover, be recognized by everyone. If you desire to witness
the appearance of God, to follow God’s footsteps, then you must first walk away from
your own notions. You must not demand that God do this or that, much less should
you place Him within your own confines and limit Him to your own notions. Instead,
you should demand of yourselves how you ought to seek God’s footprints, how you
ought to accept God’s appearance, and how you ought to submit to the new work of
God: This is what man should do. Since man is not the truth, and is not possessed
of the truth, he should seek, accept, and obey.

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 Regardless of whether you are American, British, or any other nationality, you
should step outside the confines of your own nationality, transcending your own self,
and view the work of God from the station of a created being. In this way, you will not
place limitations on the footprints of God. This is because, nowadays, many people
conceive it to be impossible that God will appear in a particular nation or among a
certain people. How profound is the significance of God’s work, and how important is
the appearance of God! How can man’s notions and thinking possibly take their
measure? And so I say, you should break through notions of nationality and ethnicity
in order to seek the appearance of God. Only thus will you not be constrained by your
own notions; only thus will you be qualified to welcome the appearance of God.
Otherwise, you will remain in eternal darkness, and never gain the approval of God.
God is the God of the entire human race. He does not consider Himself the private
property of any nation or people, but goes about doing His work as He has planned
it, without being confined to any form, nation, or people. Perhaps you have never
imagined this form, or perhaps your attitude to this form is one of denial, or perhaps
the nation where God reveals Himself and the people among whom He reveals
Himself just happen to be discriminated against by everyone and just happen to be
the most backward on earth. Yet God has His wisdom. With His great power, and by
means of His truth and His disposition, He has truly gained a group of people who
are of one mind with Him, and a group of people that He wished to make complete—
a group, conquered by Him, who, having endured all manner of trials and tribulations
and all manner of persecution, can follow Him to the very end. The aim of God’s
appearance, which is not limited to any form or nation, is to enable Him to complete
His work as He has planned it. This is just as when God became flesh in Judea: His
aim was to complete the work of the crucifixion in redeeming the entire human race.
Yet the Jews believed that it was impossible for God to do this, and they thought it
impossible that God could become flesh and assume the form of the Lord Jesus.
Their “impossible” became the basis on which they condemned and opposed God,
and ultimately led to the destruction of Israel. Today, many people have committed a
similar error. They proclaim with all their might the imminent appearance of God, yet
at the same time condemn His appearance; their “impossible” once more confines
the appearance of God within the limits of their imagination. And so I have seen many
people break into wild and raucous laughter after coming upon the words of God. But
is this laughter any different from the condemnation and blasphemy of the Jews? You
are not reverent in the presence of the truth, still less do you possess an attitude of
yearning. All you do is study indiscriminately and wait with blithe unconcern. What
can you gain from studying and waiting like this? Do you think you will receive
personal guidance from God? If you cannot discern God’s utterances, in what way

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are you qualified to witness the appearance of God? Wherever God appears, there
the truth is expressed, and there the voice of God will be. Only those who can accept
the truth will be able to hear the voice of God, and only such people are qualified to
witness the appearance of God. Let go of your notions! Quiet yourself and give these
words a careful reading. If you yearn for the truth, God will enlighten you and you will
understand His will and His words. Let go of your opinions about the “impossible”!
The more that people believe something is impossible, the more likely it is to occur,
because the wisdom of God soars higher than the heavens, God’s thoughts are
higher than man’s thoughts, and the work of God transcends the limits of man’s
thinking and notions. The more that something is impossible, the more it has truth
that can be sought; the more something lies beyond man’s notions and imagination,
the more it contains the will of God. This is because, no matter where He reveals
Himself, God is still God, and His essence will never change on account of the
location or manner of His appearance. The disposition of God remains the same
regardless of where His footprints are, and no matter where the footprints of God are,
He is the God of all mankind, just as the Lord Jesus is not only the God of the
Israelites, but is also the God of all the people of Asia, Europe, and America, and
even more than that, He is the one and only God in the entire universe. So let us
seek God’s will and discover His appearance in His utterances, and keep pace with
His footsteps! God is the truth, the way, and the life. His words and His appearance
exist concurrently, and His disposition and footprints are open to mankind at all times.
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that you can see the appearance of God in these
words, begin following His footsteps as you stride forward into a new age, and enter
into the beautiful new heaven and earth that God has prepared for those who await
His appearance!
from The Word Appears in the Flesh

BEHOLDING THE APPEARANCE OF

GOD IN HIS JUDGMENT AND CHASTISEMENT
Like the hundreds of millions of others who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we abide
by the laws and commandments of the Bible, enjoy the abundant grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and gather together, pray, praise, and serve in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ—and all this we do under the care and protection of the Lord. We are