Question 8: The topic of our first testimony session is how exactly the Lord will return. However, some testifiers start with plain and unengaging words, causing gospel prospects to leave before even hearing the topic. Since the first session of the testimony is critical for retaining prospects, we’d like to seek advice: How can we create an opening statement for the first session that grabs the prospects’ attention and keeps them listening?
Answer:
If you focus on addressing the key points, you’ll capture their attention. How can you present the topic “How exactly will the Lord return?” in a way that gets to the heart of the matter? Where should you start your fellowship? Begin by saying, “Everyone, what do you think about the current situation?” Someone might say, “The catastrophe has arrived, and the disasters are becoming increasingly severe.” Others might say, “Disasters are growing more severe now. It is exactly the time of the Lord’s return. The Lord could come at any moment.” Then you continue, “Exactly! Since everyone knows that disasters are becoming increasingly severe and that it’s the time when the Lord could come at any moment, there’s still one crucial question: Do you understand how the Lord will come? If you’re not clear, what consequences might that bring?
It would be difficult for you to welcome the Lord, and you might end up passing Him by. So understanding how the Lord will come is the most important matter for welcoming Him—it’s absolutely critical! If you carelessly overlook this issue, the consequence might be that you miss out on welcoming the Lord and you won’t have a share in His work of salvation when He comes again. What would it mean if you fail to welcome the Lord? It would mean that your faith in the Lord has failed. No matter how much suffering you’ve endured or how much price you’ve paid for believing in the Lord, it will all be in vain and come to nothing. If you don’t know how the Lord will come, and despite all the suffering you’ve endured and the price you’ve paid, you still fail to welcome Him, where did you go wrong? It’s because you weren’t watchful. The Lord said, ‘Watch therefore’ (Matthew 25:13). What does it mean to watch? It means preparing yourself ahead of time, understanding how the Lord will return and how to welcome Him. You need to think it through, ponder it thoroughly, and be certain about it—only then will you have a path to follow. For anyone who believes in the Lord, understanding how He will come is the most important topic. If you don’t figure this out, it means you’re not watchful and haven’t prepared yourself to welcome Him. What is the consequence of this? You’ll miss the opportunity to welcome the Lord and lose God’s eternal salvation. In the end, you’ll face the same eternal destruction as nonbelievers.” How about saying it this way? (Good.) Do you think this can grab people’s attention? (Yes.) Then try saying it like this and see if it’s effective, alright? (Alright.)
If you say it just like I do, how will the tone and atmosphere feel? (This tone and atmosphere are good—it’s quite solemn and guides people to think step by step.) For the first session, you can start by saying this. When everyone hears it, they’ll think, “Oh, this time I really need to pay close attention. Today, I finally understand what the Lord meant when He said, ‘Watch therefore.’ It’s about preparing ourselves to welcome the Lord’s return. We need to be mentally prepared, seek a solid basis and path in God’s words—that’s what it means to keep watch and prepare!” Then you follow up by saying, “If you don’t understand what it truly means to keep watch and prepare, and can’t discern the nonsense that religious pastors say, like, ‘Just stay where you are in your faith, keep praying in the church where you gather—the Lord will never abandon us,’ then you will be deceived and misled, and all those years of faith will be in vain.” This is one way to begin the session. What do you think of this opening? (Good.)
If you want to start the session with the most powerful topic, there’s another approach: Talk about “whether we can welcome the Lord and why we believers need to welcome the Lord.” Use this as the topic for fellowship. If you fellowship about this question clearly and thoroughly, people’s eyes will light up immediately, and they’ll awaken from their slumber right away. Don’t you think so? You can say that the topic of why we need to welcome the Lord’s second appearance is so important. It is a life-or-death matter. If you fail to understand this topic and ultimately miss welcoming the Lord, what will the outcome be? You will suffer perdition and be destroyed, and your faith in the Lord will end in utter failure. The Lord’s first appearance and work paved the way for His second appearance. Only when the Lord returns will He formally express the truth and carry out His work to save humanity.
Therefore, the Lord’s second coming is to lead people into all truth and do the work of perfecting people. If you gain this stage of work, then the words “he that believes on the Son has everlasting life” will be fulfilled in you. If you fail to welcome the Lord this time, the words “he that believes on the Son has everlasting life” will only become a dream for you—you won’t obtain it! Thus, welcoming the Lord’s second appearance is crucial for every person’s outcome and destination. From the Bible, we know that in every age of God’s work, those who resisted God and opposed Him ultimately were punished. During the Age of Law, those who resisted Moses and refused to obey him didn’t even say particularly harsh words. They simply harbored dissatisfaction in their hearts, and they said: “Moses, God inspires you, and speaks to you, and God also speaks to us. You’re not higher than we are.” What did they want to say next? “What qualifies you to be our leader?” Although they didn’t explicitly say this, their words simply implied this conclusion and their resistance against God. Because God appointed and used Moses, anyone who resisted Moses was resisting God. Such resistance was a complaint against God and dissatisfaction with Him. It was essentially saying: “God, why do You use Moses?” As a result, these people were punished. The ground opened up, and they fell alive into Hades and hell. In terms of nonbelievers, this was instant retribution. During the Age of Grace, those who resisted the Lord Jesus were also dead—they all died miserable deaths. So, in every stage of God’s work, those who resist Him must die, while those who submit to Him are blessed and inherit His promises. They enjoy God’s blessings. In particular, God’s work in the last days is a stage of work that determines the life and death of mankind, and it also involves the outcome and destination of every person. No one can escape it. Whether you accept this work or not, everything will be fulfilled based on the truths expressed in God’s work of the last days. Those who should be judged will face judgment; those who should receive punishment will be punished. All who resist God will perish. In God’s utterances in the beginning, there is one sentence:
“Resistance leads to death!” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 15).
We could not understand this statement at that time, thinking some people resisted yet didn’t die. But after experiencing ten or twenty years, we see that while these people’s bodies may still live, their souls are like the dead. They lack the work of the Holy Spirit, their eyes are lifeless, their hearts lack enlightenment, and they can’t understand anything you say. They are like the living dead, devoid of spirit. The death referred to in “Resistance leads to death” includes two types of death. One is that the person’s spirit, soul, and body are dead; the other is that the person is temporarily alive and not dead, but in fact, their soul has been condemned, which also counts as being dead. “Resistance leads to death”—this statement has come true. Thus, belief in God directly impacts a person’s outcome and their life or death. If someone can welcome the Lord, gain God’s salvation, and be perfected, their blessing will be immeasurable. This is the greatest blessing God has promised humanity since creation. To gain the salvation of the last days and be perfected is the greatest blessing. Why is this so?
In the Age of Law, Abraham received God’s blessing; so did Job. In the Age of Grace, Peter was blessed by God. In the Age of Kingdom, those who are saved and perfected receive even greater blessings from God. They will serve as priests and pillars in the Age of Kingdom. When it comes to becoming a priest or a pillar, it means you will have eternal life, never die, and be forever free from death. Is this a great blessing? (Yes.) Now, think about it: After Abraham and Job died, their souls entered the heavenly kingdom. Have they come in the last days? (Perhaps they have.) These people must come during the last days to accept God’s salvation and be perfected, to gain the truth. God will make them gain the truth. Someone with only a soul but no truth is just an empty shell. God will allow them to gain the truth. So, what does the statement “the saints of ages past are resurrected” refer to? It means the souls of saints from all generations past have been reincarnated in the last days. After being born into this world, they accept God’s work at the appropriate time and in the appropriate context, experience His work, and gain the truth. Thus, those who accept God’s work in the last days are the most blessed people. They are predestined by God, and no one can take away their blessings.
Do you think bearing witness to God in the human world is the most glorious thing? (Yes.) Why is bearing witness to God considered the most glorious thing? Because by bearing witness to God here, you are accepting God’s salvation and His perfection—a fact that you can’t see behind the scenes. When you testify to God, He enlightens and guides you bit by bit, helping you understand more truths and enabling you to bear witness to Him more effectively. Without this opportunity, how could God perfect you? How could He make you into someone who bears witness to Him? This opportunity is given to you for practice. Isn’t that the case? Now that you are performing the duty of testifying to God, isn’t this the most glorious thing? (Yes.) Some people don’t see it clearly and say, “Really? Why haven’t I realized it?” That’s because you are not pursuing the truth. Some people say, “Why is your preaching so lively? You don’t even prepare, yet you just speak loosely, and we’re completely captivated as we listen—wanting to hear more and more. How does that happen?”
I just speak off the cuff like this, talking casually, and it produces results. This is because God has guided me through years of experiences, and the Holy Spirit has led, enlightened, and illuminated me. Therefore, I have learned how to testify to God through practice. Aren’t you all practicing right now as well? You’re in the process of practicing just like I am, aren’t you? Some people say, “But I can’t explain any truths clearly right now.” Well, how many years have you been practicing? And how many years have I practiced? When you’ve practiced as long as I have, you’ll be like me—whatever you say will come out naturally, without needing to overthink or deliberate, write drafts, or prepare sermons to read from. I don’t need any of that; it comes naturally as soon as I open my mouth. This is the result achieved through practice, isn’t it? So, what am I doing by answering your questions now? I’m helping you by sharing and exchanging experiences. I share with you my experience of fellowshipping on this issue, and when you fellowship with others, the results will improve significantly. If new problems arise, you can bring them up again, and I’ll explain. After I have explained it a few times, you’ll be able to speak clearly as well. By learning these paths from others and practicing in your fellowship, the results will improve. When you receive the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, your speaking will become more complete and specific, going even deeper than what you learned from me.
This is the result of successful practice, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, isn’t it? Let me ask you: If you don’t perform this duty now, can you gain the opportunity to be perfected? Can you achieve the results of being perfected? (No.) Has anyone ever done nothing, performed no duties, spent their days eating, drinking, and sleeping, and then one day suddenly woken up and understood all the truth? Has that ever happened? (No, that’s wishful thinking.) That’s a pipe dream. Everything must be achieved through practice. You have to keep learning and practicing throughout your life. You must always be learning and practicing. The more diligent and hardworking you are in practice, the faster your progress will be. Isn’t that the case? If you don’t put much effort into practicing, always doing it perfunctorily or muddling through, then your progress will be slow. If your progress is slow, then the effectiveness of your work will definitely be much worse. It’s like someone who doesn’t practice martial arts properly on a regular basis; then, one day, when bandits or bullies try to harm them, no matter how they fight, they won’t be able to beat them. Then they’ll think, “Why didn’t I practice martial arts properly before? If I had practiced well back then, I could have easily defeated them.” Won’t it be too late to think about it by then? While they’re still thinking, they’ll have already been beaten up, right? That’s why they need to practice diligently and regularly so that when the time comes, dealing with a few bad guys won’t be a problem.
Now is the crucial moment for God to perfect people. So, how many years does it generally take for a person to be perfected? How many years does it take to learn to bear witness to God? The longer, the better, right? Can it be accomplished in just two or three years? No, two or three years are not enough. So, what is the answer? (A lifetime.) The answer is that the more years, the better. The more years, the better—but time is limited. When the day of God truly arrives, and the great disasters descend, God will depart from the earth. What does it mean when God departs from the earth? It means the work of God’s salvation for humanity has come to a complete end and the Holy Spirit will no longer work. In the terms of the Age of Grace, it is called “the door of grace is closed,” meaning that the work of saving humanity is entirely finished. Once the great disasters are over, God will openly appear. God is now saying “I am currently revealing Myself to My chosen people in every nation and place. I am in the process of appearing.” What does this mean? This appearance is different from His hidden coming. This appearance is public—it is the appearance after the great disasters have passed.
Do you understand now? (Yes, we understand.) So, the appearance after the great disasters and the hidden coming before the disasters are two entirely different matters. The hidden coming before the disasters is to perfect a group of overcomers, leading people into all truths, as this stage of work is the most contrary to human notions. What is most contrary to human notions is God’s incarnation, especially as a woman, appearing outwardly as an ordinary person to express the truth and perfect people. Through His appearance that most contradicts human notions, God perfects people, and through His appearance that most contradicts human notions and imaginings, God condemns humanity and brings an end to them. Don’t you think God’s work is wise? It’s incredibly wise! The appearance and work most contrary to human notions is God becoming the Son of man to express the truth, and no one has regard for Him, and only the group of people whom God has predestined and chosen accept Him. As a result, God perfects this group of people.
God has expressed so many truths—The Word Appears in the Flesh consists of seven volumes in total. If you read and experience all these books, you will gain the truth. If you listen every day and begin to truly grasp it, then you are blessed. Once you truly grasp God’s words, what is the state of your heart? It is genuine peace and joy, an infinite sense of security and fulfillment. There is no trace of emptiness—it feels so real. If a person understands these truths, has genuine submission to God, develops true love for God, and worships God sincerely, they are living out a true life. Those who live a true life are the most blessed people. The most blessed people are those who have gained the truth, aren’t they? Look at those intellectuals and officials among the nonbelievers. While they may enjoy physical comforts, how is their heart? Are they happy? (No.) Do they have peace and joy? Do they feel a deep sense of fulfillment? No, they don’t. Their hearts are filled only with emptiness and insatiable and extravagant desires. Living in a state of emptiness and extravagant desires—isn’t that suffering? That is indeed suffering. So, they feel that life has no meaning, that living has no significance, just a bit better than being an animal. What does this show? It shows that they are on the wrong path—they are not pursuing the truth. Only the Creator’s words are the truth. If they do not eat and drink or accept the Creator’s words and the truth, they will remain in eternal emptiness and suffering. Isn’t that so?
As we come to understand more and more truths, our hearts are filled with increasing peace and joy, along with an infinite sense of fulfillment. This makes us more grounded in doing our duties and work. We are walking the right path in life, and we are so blessed. Bearing witness to God is the most glorious thing—who else could receive such a blessing? Ordinary people cannot receive this blessing; only those whom God has predestined can. So, those who are bearing witness to God now must earnestly pursue the truth, equip themselves with the truth, and strive to bear witness to God well, so that more people can hear God’s voice, and more can understand the truth and know God in His words. In this way, we will have fulfilled our duties properly. When we bear witness to God well, when our witness is completely in line with God’s intentions and achieves the desired results, doesn’t our heart feel infinitely satisfied? Doesn’t it become filled with peace and joy? If we have this feeling in our hearts, aren’t we the happiest people? (Yes.)
We’ve just fellowshipped “why we need to welcome the Lord—by welcoming the Lord, we can ultimately obtain the truth and be perfected.” Some may ask, “Is there a biblical basis for this?” Yes, there is!
The Lord Jesus said, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12-13).
It says here, “He will guide you into all truth,” which is the hope of the saints and the greatest hope of all believers in the Lord, the hope that God will come and guide us into all truth. What does it mean to guide us into all truth? It means that God comes to do the work of perfecting people, which is a rare and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When the God who expresses the truth guides you into all truth, you are perfected by God. When a person is perfected by God, does that not mean that all their hopes in believing in God have been realized? If you fail to welcome the Lord, you will miss the God who expresses the truth. What does it mean to miss out? For example, if someone bears witness to you, saying: “The Son of man has come and is expressing the truth. Will you investigate it?” and you respond, “The Son of man has come? That’s not right. The Lord Jesus will descend openly on a cloud, and anyone with eyes will see Him—there’s no need to investigate,” isn’t that missing out?
That’s missing the opportunity to welcome the Lord. And what are the consequences of missing it? When God openly descends on a cloud, what will He say? What words will He speak? It will be the same words He once said to Thomas: “… because you have seen Me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). There’s also what the Lord Jesus said: “And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).
These words will condemn such people—God won’t acknowledge them, and they’ll be left to weep and gnash their teeth. Isn’t that so? So, when God openly descends on a cloud and says these things, what does He mean? “You believe because you see Me descending in My spiritual body on a cloud, but during the thirty-plus years when I was incarnated, expressing so much truth, you didn’t recognize Me or accept Me. Now do you still have the nerve to see Me? You are not worthy to see Me! Depart from Me, you that work iniquity!” When God openly descends on a cloud, this is how He will respond to them. At that time, people on earth will wail—this will be the scene when God’s work concludes. So, we are the people who accept God’s work and are perfected by Him in the last days. Especially the group of people who bear witness to God—they can resolve problems and testify to God by fellowshipping the truth. These are the most blessed people. When you say this, they will think, “That’s right! Welcoming the Lord is crucial. If we fail to welcome Him, we won’t gain the truth or enter into all truth, and we won’t be perfected by God. If we don’t achieve salvation, won’t that mean all our years of faith in the Lord are in vain?” What do you think about fellowshipping about it this way? Is it appropriate? (It’s appropriate.)
So, for people to welcome the Lord, they must carefully read the Lord’s words in the Bible and ponder why they need to welcome Him, and what the Lord Jesus means when He asks people to be watchful and prepared. That is, they should understand the prophecies about how the Lord will return, especially the Lord Jesus’ words: “the Son of man comes,” “the coming of the Son of man,” and “the Father committed all judgment to the Son.” If you understand these words, you should realize that this time, the Lord comes as the Son of man. But will this Son of man still appear in the same image as the Lord Jesus? Not necessarily. If you say, “I can’t be sure if this Son of man is Jesus,” then remember this verse: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). If you understand this verse, you will say, “Ah, God comes to express the truth and guide people into all truth. Whether this Son of man is Jesus or another Son of man, as long as He expresses the truth, He is the Lord’s return. As long as He expresses the truth, it must be the appearance of God. We should welcome this Son of man who expresses the truth. If we welcome Him, then we have welcomed the Lord.” If a person is clear-headed, can they draw this conclusion from reading the Bible? (Yes.) This is how one should read the Bible—this is what it means to watch and be prepared. Watching and being prepared means that one understands how the Lord will return, understands the importance and significance of the Lord’s return, and then focuses on these matters—specifically seeking where the Lord appears, where He expresses the truth, whether the Holy Spirit is speaking to the churches, whether the Holy Spirit is uttering His words, and whether there is a Son of man expressing the truth. They will say, “If anyone hears or sees anything about this, please let me know immediately.” Whether going online or meeting acquaintances, they will seek and investigate these matters, keeping their hearts focused on them. The Lord Jesus said, “For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:8).
God will surely allow them to see His appearance and work, and the truth He expresses. This is the meaning of “watch and be prepared.” “The wise virgins prepare oil” also means the same. If the lamp has no oil, it won’t shine. When the bridegroom comes, if your lamp is extinguished, then it’s over. So, what should be done? You need to prepare oil. How do you prepare oil? You need to search for the prophecies the Lord has spoken about how He will return and understand all aspects of His return clearly. Then, you should begin to diligently seek the work of the Holy Spirit and His utterances, and diligently search to see if there is a Son of man who is expressing the truth. This is how you should earnestly seek. He that seeks will find, and God scrutinizes people. If you are seeking God’s appearance and work, God will arrange the right circumstances for you, allowing you to meet the right people who will testify to you, enabling you to welcome the Lord. This is watching and being prepared, and it is also how the wise virgins prepare oil, isn’t it? But do you see anyone in the religious world who is watching and prepared? Anyone who prepares oil?
There are, but they are too few! Most people just listen to their pastor’s misleading devilish words and don’t seek the utterances of the Holy Spirit. They are still sleeping soundly, and they say, “The Lord won’t forsake us when He comes. We will stay wherever we believe, and as long as we listen to the pastor preach every day, we are guaranteed to welcome the Lord.” As a result, they’ve been deceived by the pastor, and the pastor himself can’t even welcome the Lord. Can the believers under him welcome the Lord? They definitely can’t. Only those who dare to go against the religious pastor’s rules, those who dare to seek the true way and search online for God’s footprints, or those who are willing to listen and investigate when others testify about the Lord’s return, will be able to welcome the Lord. Who will miss the opportunity? Those who, regardless of how the Lord expresses the truth or how the Son of man has appeared to work, blindly make their own judgments without carefully pondering God’s words. They always blindly study God’s work based on the words of the pastor, the words of people in the Bible, or the words of Paul.
As soon as they see something that doesn’t seem to align with the Bible, they refuse to listen. In reality, God’s work doesn’t contradict the Bible at all; it is completely in accordance with the Bible. But the Bible contains two kinds of content: One is the words of people and Satan, and the other is the words of God and the Holy Spirit. God’s appearance and work surely align with the words of God and the Holy Spirit in the Bible, not with the words of people in the Bible. If you blindly apply the words of people in the Bible to interpret the work of the Lord’s return, you will encounter contradictions. As soon as there’s a contradiction, you’ll easily give up seeking and investigating the true way. So, have such people prepared oil? No. They have prepared incorrect foundations and wrong theories, which end up harming and ruining them. They haven’t prepared oil. They are asked to prepare oil, but they’ve prepared mud instead. So they are in trouble. Mud is worthless—just human words and doctrines. Preparing oil means investigating based on God’s words. How does this sound to you? (Good.)
Excerpt
from 20241208 The Brother Above’s Answers to the Gospel Team’s Questions (Part One)