Recently, I’ve seen that there are many movies and videos from The Church of Almighty God online, which have such a richness of content and are all so filled with positive energy. But there is also some negative publicity online and on Wikipedia about The Church of Almighty God, saying that what the church believes in is just one person and that it was founded by someone surnamed Zhao, and that it is an organization headed by one person. I don’t understand this very well, so I would like to ask you to fellowship this matter.

Recently, I’ve seen that there are many movies and videos from The Church of Almighty God online, which have such a richness of content and are all so filled with positive energy. But there is also some negative publicity online and on Wikipedia about The Church of Almighty God, saying that what the church believes in is just one person and that it was founded by someone surnamed Zhao, and that it is an organization headed by one person. I don’t understand this very well, so I would like to ask you to fellowship this matter.

Relevant Words of God:

God does His own work and has no need for man to do it in His stead, nor does He participate in the work of created beings. Man performs his own duty and does not participate in the work of God. Only this is obedience, and proof of Satan’s defeat. After God Himself has finished ushering in the new age, He no longer comes down to work in the midst of mankind Himself. It is only then that man officially steps into the new age to perform his duty and carry out his mission as a created being. These are the principles governing work, which no one may transgress. Only working in this way is sensible and reasonable. The work of God is to be done by God Himself. It is He who sets His work in motion, and it is He who concludes His work. It is He who plans the work, and it is He who manages it, and even more, it is He who brings the work to fruition. As stated in the Bible, “I am the Beginning and the End; I am the Sower and the Reaper.” All that pertains to the work of His management is done by God Himself. He is the Ruler of the six-thousand-year management plan; no one can do His work in His stead and no one can bring His work to a close, for it is He who holds everything in His hand. Having created the world, He will lead the entire world to live in His light, and He will also conclude the entire age, thereby bringing His entire plan to fruition!

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The work of God incarnate begins a new era, and those who continue His work are the men who are used by Him. The work done by man is all within the ministry of God in the flesh, and is incapable of going beyond this scope. If God incarnate does not come to do His work, man is not able to bring the old age to an end, and is not able to usher in a new era. The work done by man is merely within the range of his duty that is humanly possible, and does not represent the work of God. Only the incarnate God can come and complete the work that He should do, and apart from Him, no one can do this work on His behalf. Of course, what I speak of is in regard with the work of incarnation.

from “Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The work that God Himself does is entirely the work He intends to do in His own management plan and pertains to the great management. The work done by men (that is, men used by the Holy Spirit) consists of supplying their individual experience. It consists of finding out a new path of experience beyond that trodden by those who have gone before, and of guiding their brothers and sisters while under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. What these men supply is their individual experience or the spiritual writings of spiritual men. Although these men are used by the Holy Spirit, the work they do is unrelated to the great work of management in the six-thousand-year plan. They are merely men who have been raised up by the Holy Spirit in different periods to lead the people in the stream of the Holy Spirit, until the functions they can perform are at an end or until their lives come to an end. The work they do is only to prepare an appropriate path for God Himself or to continue a certain aspect of the management of God Himself on earth. In themselves, these men are unable to do the greater work in His management, nor can they open up new ways out, even less can any of them bring to a conclusion all of God’s work from the former age. Therefore, the work they do represents only a created being performing his function, and cannot represent God Himself performing His ministry. This is because the work they do is unlike that done by God Himself. The work of ushering in a new age is not something that can be done by man in God’s place. It cannot be done by any other than God Himself. All the work done by man consists of performing his duty as a created being and is done when moved or enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The guidance that these men provide consists entirely of showing man the path of practice in daily life and how he should act in harmony with the will of God. The work of man neither involves the management of God nor represents the work of the Spirit.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

No one is capable of living independently except for those who are given special direction and guidance by the Holy Spirit, for they require the ministry and shepherding of those who are used by God. Thus, in each age God raises up different people who rush and busy about shepherding the churches for the sake of His work. Which is to say, God’s work must be done through those whom He looks favorably upon and approves of; the Holy Spirit must use the part within them that is worthy of use in order to work, and they are made fit for use by God through being made perfect by the Holy Spirit. Because man’s ability to understand is too lacking, he must be shepherded by those who are used by God; it was the same with God’s use of Moses, in whom He found much that was suitable for use at the time, and which He used to do God’s work during that stage. In this stage, God uses a man whilst also taking advantage of the part of him that can be used by the Holy Spirit in order to work, and the Holy Spirit both directs him and simultaneously makes perfect the remaining, unusable part.

The work carried out by the one who is used by God is in order to cooperate with the work of Christ or the Holy Spirit. This man is raised up by God among man, he is there to lead all of God’s chosen ones, and he is also raised up by God in order to do the work of human cooperation. With someone such as this, who is able to do the work of human cooperation, more of God’s requirements toward man and the work that the Holy Spirit must do among man can be achieved through him. Another way of putting it is like this: God’s aim in using this man is so that all those who follow God can better understand God’s will, and can attain more of God’s requirements. Because people are incapable of directly understanding God’s words or God’s will, God has raised someone up who is used to carry out such work. This person who is used by God can also be described as a medium by which God guides people, as the “translator” who communicates between God and people. … He who is used by God, on the other hand, is someone who has been prepared by God, and who possesses a certain caliber, and has humanity. He has been prepared and made perfect in advance by the Holy Spirit, and is completely led by the Holy Spirit, and, particularly when it comes to his work, he is directed and commanded by the Holy Spirit—as a result of which there is no deviation on the path of leading God’s chosen ones, for God surely takes responsibility for His own work, and God does His own work at all times.

from “Concerning God’s Use of Man” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The work of every age is initiated by God Himself, but you should know that, whatever the way in which God works, He does not come to start a movement, or to hold special conferences, or to establish any sort of organization in your behalf. He comes solely to carry out the work that He ought to do. His work does not suffer the constraint of any man. He does His work however He wishes; no matter what man thinks or knows of it, He is concerned only with carrying out His work. From the creation of the world to the present, there have already been three stages of work; from Jehovah to Jesus, and from the Age of Law to the Age of Grace, God has never convened a special conference for man, nor has He ever assembled all mankind together in order to convene a special global working conference and thereby extend the domain of His work. All He does is to carry out the initial work of an entire age at an appropriate time and in an appropriate place, thereby ushering in the age and leading the human race to live their lives.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Man’s Fellowship:

The Church of Almighty God came into being because of the appearance and work of Almighty God—the returned Lord Jesus—Christ of the last days, and also under His righteous judgment and chastisement. The church is comprised of all those who truly accept Almighty God’s work of the last days and are conquered and saved by God’s word. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally, and is personally led and shepherded by Him, and it was by no means set up by any man. This is a fact acknowledged by all the chosen people in The Church of Almighty God. Whoever is used by God incarnate is predestined by God, and personally appointed and testified to by God, just as Jesus personally chose and appointed the twelve disciples. Those who are used by God only cooperate with His work, and cannot do God’s work in His stead. The church was not founded by those who are used by God, nor do God’s chosen people believe in or follow them. The churches of the Age of Grace were not set up by Paul and other apostles, but were the product of the work of the Lord Jesus and founded by the Lord Jesus Himself. Likewise, The Church of Almighty God in the last days has not been established by the man used by God, but is the product of the work of Almighty God. The man who is used by God only waters, supplies, and leads the churches, performing the duty of man. Although God’s chosen people are led, watered, and supplied by the man who is used by God, they believe in and follow none other than Almighty God, and accept and obey His words and work. This is a fact that no one can deny.

from The Origin and Development of The Church of Almighty God

Then tell me, who founded Christianity and Catholicism? Could it be Paul or Peter who was the founder? Who founded Judaism? Could it be Moses? Isn’t it absurd? … Do you think that Christianity and Catholicism were founded by man, so these are organizations of man? This is your greatest absurdity. Had the Lord Jesus not appeared to work, no believers or followers of the Lord would have been engendered, let alone the creation of Christianity. Isn’t this the fact? How could the apostles have created a church on the merit of their own giftedness alone? Can you go by people’s reception of the leadership and shepherding of Peter, John and other apostles and say that Christianity was founded by the apostles and it is an organization of man? The Church of Almighty God was begotten entirely by the appearance and work of Almighty God. It was because people heard the voice of Godfrom many truths expressed by Almighty God that they returned before God and coalesced into the church. Upon appearing to work, Almighty God personally witnessed the man used by the Holy Spirit, who is the leader of The Church of Almighty God. Just as Moses in the Age of Law and the apostles in the Age of Grace, he is the man used by God to do his duty to water, shepherd and lead the chosen people of God. … Had it not been the appearance and work of Almighty God, The Church of Almighty God would not have been begotten, and it would not exist. This is an undeniable fact. … The Christians of The Church of Almighty God pray in the name of Almighty God. What they read and communicate in congregation is the word of Almighty God. … The One God’s chosen people of The Church of Almighty God believe in is Almighty God. God’s chosen people follow the leadership of the man who is used by the Holy Spirit according to the word of Almighty God. This is a fact.

from the movie script of Red Re-education at Home

Why does the CCP government keep saying that The Church of Almighty God is an organization of man? Why hasn’t it said a word about the incarnate God? Why hasn’t it mentioned a word about the book The Word Appears in the Flesh? Actually, what the CCP fears most is the truth expressed by Almighty God, because the CCP knows deep down that all the believers of Almighty God have accepted Almighty God after reading the book The Word Appears in the Flesh. So the CCP distracts people’s attention by saying that The Church of Almighty God is an organization of man created by man to intentionally conceal the fact of Almighty God, Christ of the last days, appearing to work, so people will pay attention to this person. The CCP does this in order to stop people from believing in and following God. This is its real purpose. The CCP distorts the facts and asserts that the church where God appears to work is an organization of man. This is the CCP’s excuse for suppressing and persecuting God’s church. The CCP is too cunning and vicious!

from the movie script of Red Re-education at Home

There are some who, when looking into the true way, look specifically to Wikipedia. They say, “What Wikipedia says is accurate!” But, really, what is Wikipedia? It is still of this world. Is it not written by corrupt humanity? Is it not part of Satan’s evil power? Does it have truth? It does not have truth. It does not serve God, it certainly does not revere God and it is not a group which is witnessed by God. Why do you believe it? It is a pack of lies. It spreads falsehoods. Whichever rumors or lies Satan’s governments create, Wikipedia spreads them. Therefore, is it not an organization which spreads lies? Whichever rumors the Chinese Communist Party creates, or whichever ways they try to discredit the Church of Almighty God, Wikipedia will write them. So, isn’t Wikipedia a tool for Satan to spread its lies? Isn’t it a tool for Satan to deceive man? But when researching the true way why do people believe Wikipedia? Do these people have something wrong with them? Do these people believe that the world is righteous and fair? If the government or religious community makes comments and claims as to which is the true way, which is the true God, then these people believe in this way, in this God. If the government or religious community says something isn’t the true way, or says that some God is not real, then these people will not believe in this way or in this God. Who do these people believe? They believe in the government, they believe in the words of the religious community and the words of religious pastors and elders. So, is this kind of person really one who believes in God? They do not believe in God. They do not trust in God, they do not believe that God is real and they do not admit that God is the truth, for they do not recognize the truth. Therefore, if such a person tries to analyze the true way, on hearing Satan’s lies and rumors, they become paralyzed by them. Is this person an intelligent person? No, they are not. They are confused! There is one principle for my belief in God. If someone is God, if He can express the truth and save humanity, then I believe in Him. My belief for Him is unmoving. And don’t we believe in God in order to receive the truth? To obtain the truth is to obtain God. If you do not obtain the truth then your faith is a failure, it is useless. Only when you obtain the truth can you obtain God. Without obtaining the truth, you cannot obtain God.

from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life 138