Frequently Asked Questions

If you are looking to join a church, you may wonder: Which church should I join? Does it matter which church I belong to?

Many people don’t think so, since all churches believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior. Most Christians believe that, as the body of Christ, churches may emphasize different doctrines, but they are only different expressions of the same faith. And when all churches unite under Jesus’ name, a person will be a member of Christ’s body regardless of which church he or she joins. So while physically there are many churches, there is, spiritually, only one “invisible church.”

But if this reasoning is true, why are there so many different churches in the first place? History tells us that Christianity divided exactly because doctrinal issues were so important that disagreements over them led to separation. So any attempt to overlook these fundamental differences does not address the obvious plurality among Christian churches.

Facing this dilemma, we have to answer some very crucial questions: Does Jesus recognize all self-proclaimed “churches” as His body? How do we know a church is truly the body of Christ? Most important, how can we be sure that we are in the body of Christ? When we have answers to these questions, we will know which church to belong to.

The Concept of Oneness

The Bible clearly shows that there is only one community of God’s elect throughout history. Noah built only one ark through which he and his family were saved (Heb 11:7). There was only one temple and one Holy City where God’s name dwelled (2 Chr 6:5-6, 20). In Isaiah’s prophecy, God will establish only one mountain for His house, and this mountain will be exalted above the hills (Isa 2:2-3). The Lord Jesus is the shepherd over only one flock (Jn 10:16). Christ has only one body (1 Cor 12:13; Eph 4:4). There is only one house of God (1Tim 3:15), and the Lord knows only one bride (Rev 21:9; Song 6:9).

The Bible consistently emphasizes this concept of the oneness of the church. When Paul knew about the divisions in the church in Corinth, he asked rhetorically: “Is Christ divided?” (1 Cor 1:13) As much as men tend to divide, Christ is always one. Just as it is impossible to think of a divided Christ, there cannot be a divided church. This is why Paul encouraged the members in Ephesus “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3).

Moreover, the oneness of the church is not only in the spiritual dimension. This oneness is also visible to the world. The Lord Jesus prayed that the Father would unite the disciples as one so “that the world may know that [the Father] sent [Him]” (Jn 17:20-23). Therefore, just as the church is spiritually one, she must also be united as one in reality.

Knowing now the concept of oneness in the Bible, let us apply this principle to decide which church we should belong to. We must find the one church as defined by the Bible. But how does the Bible define this one true church—the body of Christ?

The Basis for the Oneness of the Church

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:4-6)

This passage clearly tells us that there is one body of Christ, which is the true church. This body of Christ consists of several aspects: one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.

Most Christians share the one hope of salvation through the one Lord, Jesus Christ. And most also believe in the one almighty, all-knowing and all-present God and Father. However, the other important elements of the one true church—one Spirit, one faith, and one baptism—are generally overlooked in Christianity.

So to find this true church, we must examine these three elements:

One Spirit

There is one body and one Spirit. (Eph 4:4)

Since the Holy Spirit brings unity to the body of Christ (Eph 4:3), believers of the true church must receive the same Spirit. They must share the same belief and experience of the Holy Spirit.

But this is not the case today. Some claim that a believer straightaway receives the Holy Spirit upon conversion. Others believe that a person needs to ask for the Holy Spirit through prayer, and speaking of tongues is a necessary evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit.

There are also diverse kinds of spiritual phenomena. In some churches, people fall to the floor when they pray, while others dance or laugh uncontrollably. In other churches, Christians believe that the Holy Spirit renews them inwardly.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who reveals the truth of salvation to believers (Jn 14:16,26; 1 Cor 2:9-12). So how can the one Spirit be the source for all these vastly different claims and experiences?

We should therefore look into the Bible to find the original experience of receiving the Holy Spirit when the church was first established. Believers of the true church today must receive the Holy Spirit the same way the apostles did (Acts 10:47). The Holy Spirit will only abide with the church whose believers share the same apostolic experience.

One Faith

The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Tim 3:15)

The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20), who preached the one gospel of salvation. The true church today must also uphold this one gospel and be built up to the unity of faith (Eph 4:13). All believers must therefore share a common faith in terms of salvation (Jude 3).

Unfortunately, this is not the case among churches today. Some claim that accepting Jesus Christ into our hearts and openly confessing His name are enough to guarantee salvation. Others may acknowledge the necessity of water baptism, footwashing, and the Holy Communion for salvation but differ in their views on the biblical way to conduct them.

The true church as defined by the Bible cannot possibly hold these conflicting doctrines of salvation. The true church must firmly uphold the one gospel of salvation, for those who do not abide by this gospel cannot be saved. This gospel must be accepted by all who seek salvation.

One Baptism

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. (1 Cor 12:13)

Believers become members of the one body through baptism, which is described in the Bible as “baptism into Christ” (Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27). This means that, through baptism, we are united with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection (Rom 6:3-5).

Again, there are divergent views on baptism among churches today. Some churches consider baptism as a personal expression and a public declaration of faith. To them, baptism is only symbolic because it does not have the spiritual effect of washing away one’s sins. But even among churches that believe in the necessity of baptism for salvation, there are different views on its administration.

The truth is, only one baptism can bring us into the body of Christ. This baptism is effective because of the presence of the Holy Spirit (1 Jn 5:6-9). Therefore the true church must perform baptism in the abidance of the Holy Spirit for those who are of one faith.

The One Church of the Apostles

The apostolic church began as one body. She preached the one gospel of salvation and all believers received the Holy Spirit in the same way. The Holy Spirit founded only one church, and this church was always a single institution. Believers came into this body through baptism into Christ (Acts 2:38-41; 8:12; 10:48; 16:14-15, 31-33; 19:1-5). By one Spirit they were all baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13). The members of this church were all one in Christ (Gal 3:28). The church grew as new converts came into this community. And these converts, regardless of their nationality or background, were baptized and received the Holy Spirit in the same way other members did.

As this ministry expanded the gospel was preached to different parts of the world. But even then, the church was never a coalition of Christian groups maintaining different beliefs. It was always the same church, with congregations of the same faith at different locations.

Not only so, the apostolic church also maintained one gospel of salvation. Paul was so vehement in defending this gospel that he repeatedly said, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8-9).

Later, as heresies infiltrated the church, the believers were commanded to drive out the unrepentant and refuse hospitality to anyone who preached a false doctrine. John wrote to the church regarding those who left: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they are had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us” (1 Jn 2:19). The apostles did not hesitate to exclude those who held different beliefs.

The One Church of Today

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days 
That the mountain of the LORD's house 
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it. 
Many people shall come and say,
"Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 
(Isa 2:2-3)

Isaiah prophesied that in the end time there will be only one church, which will rise as a mountain above all other hills. All nations will stream to this church to receive the word of the Lord.

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. (Jn 10:16)

The Lord Jesus spoke of the believers as one flock and Himself as the Shepherd. There is only one flock—not many small flocks. Sheep outside of the flock will hear the Shepherd’s voice and join this flock.

Evidently, God’s will is to have one church on earth, rather than many Christian denominations. In the last days, God will recognize only one church as the mountain of the Lord and the flock of Christ. As was the apostolic church, this one church must be established by the Holy Spirit and preach the one true gospel.

The True Jesus Church

The True Jesus Church, founded in 1917, is the revival of the apostolic church. Just as the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and emboldened them to preach the gospel, the Lord poured out His Spirit on the first few members of the church and revealed to them the perfect gospel of salvation according to the Bible. Commissioned to the ministry, they began to preach faithfully and zealously. The Lord was with them and confirmed the message with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, great signs, and miracles. Believers receive the promised Holy Spirit and experience the power of God.

In essence, the True Jesus Church is the body of Christ, not because of her members, but because of the true gospel and the Holy Spirit that God has entrusted her. This claim is not a matter of human pride, but of knowing and respecting that God has established this church to spread the gospel to the world.

Ultimately, deciding which church to belong to is much more than a matter of convenience, family tradition, or personal preferences. The church you belong to decides whether you are in the body of Christ and receive the gospel of salvation. With this in mind, we pray that God will open your heart and mind to understand the true gospel and believe in the true church.

God’s creation

Complex forces and structures keep the universe in order. These enable us to exist today. From the macro world to the micro, we see precision, complexity, and purpose in existence. Nudge the earth a little off its path of orbit, and the temperature would cause all of life to die. Alter or remove a gene, and you might destroy the whole body. Such explicit design declares the existence of an intelligent creator.

God’s word

God has also revealed His existence and His plans for us through His own Word. The existence of the Bible and its lasting influence over thousands of years attest to something greater than the invention of man. How could forty different authors over a span of forty generations have presented such a consistent message of God and His divine plan unless He were real?

Our need for God

We can also know that God exists if we look into ourselves, and into our own lives. Our universal desire—found among people in every age and culture—to seek out and worship God affirms His existence. A person might win a million dollars, achieve a certain level of fame, or gain the love of others, but still seek something better that he or she knows exists “out there.” The fulfillment, the perfect goodness, the complete love we long for, truly exists; the delusion occurs when we fail to recognize we are really missing God.

Our experience of God

Our knowledge of God is not only based on inference. We can know He exists through experience. God directly intervenes in our lives, as testimony reveals. When we hear about a person healed from a fatal illness, or a baby found cradled safely in the limb of a tree after a tornado, we recognize that certain incidents cannot be rationally explained. There must be someone beyond our ordinary, “rational” world who has control over it: there must be God.

When we practice God’s word, we will see the results. When we pray as He instructed us, God listens, and answers our prayers. If we pray for the Holy Spirit, we will receive it, just as countless believers will testify. We can truly experience the power and joy of communing with God if we have the heart to seek Him.

He fulfilled Old Testament prophecies

Hundreds of years before He was born, different writers prophesied about the Messiah’s coming, His mission, and His life. Isaiah proclaimed that He would be called “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). Jesus’ life fulfilled these Messianic prophecies one by one:

He would be born of a virgin (Isa 7:14, c.700 BC) in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2) of the seed of Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) and the house of David (2 Sam 7:12ff).
He would be preceded by a messenger (Mal 3:1, 4:5).

He would be betrayed by a close friend (Ps 41:9) for thirty pieces of silver (Zech 11:12).

He would be silent before his accusers (Isa 53:7).

He would be mocked and crucified (Zech 12:10; Ps 22:7).

He would resurrect (Ps 16:10) and ascend to heaven (Ps 68:18).

He performed divine wonders.

The many signs and wonders Jesus performed were proof to an otherwise unbelieving people (Jn 4:48) that Jesus came from God and was the prophesied Messiah (Isa 35:5-6). Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who came to believe, said to Jesus: “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (Jn 3:2).

He resurrected

“Destroy this temple,” Jesus said, referring to His body, “And in three days I will raise it up” (Jn 2:19). Jesus resurrected on the third day after He was crucified and buried. He appeared to His disciples several times, showing them His wounds and eating with them to show that He had indeed resurrected. It was the first time in history that such an event had occurred. No other religion can make the same claim.

He gives us the Holy Spirit

Jesus promised His disciples that when He went away, He would send the Helper to guide them (Jn 16:7). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit proves that Jesus returned to the Father and sent down the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). Today, we also can receive the Holy Spirit because Jesus fulfills His promise to us. You can see the evidence in believers who, when they receive the Holy Spirit, speak in tongues as the apostles did (Acts 2:4). Some even are healed of their illnesses.

His followers bear witness

Given the Jews’ strict monotheism, it isn’t likely that any would so easily believe the “myth” that the man, Jesus, was also Lord. Yet even the Jewish rulers—including someone as well educated as Nicodemus—came to believe in Jesus (Jn 12:42).

When Jesus was arrested, His followers scattered and went into hiding. Peter denied Jesus three times to avoid any trouble with the authorities. Yet within a few months after His death and burial, Peter and the other disciples fearlessly preached Jesus and His resurrection. They did so before the same people that had sentenced Jesus to death. Even the authorities marveled at their boldness (Acts 4:13).

The apostles persisted in preaching the gospel despite being threatened, beaten, imprisoned, and stoned. This dramatic change in them, and their persistence despite extraordinary pressure to stop, testify to the truth of their claims. They said to the council of rulers that threatened them, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

He answers prayers

The work of Jesus continues today. Jesus answers the prayers of those who earnestly seek Him. In His name, addictions are conquered, diseases are cured and lives are transformed. These testify to the power, authority, and eternal words of a living Lord.

It is misleading to apply the word “person” to God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God and one Spirit, and the Spirit of the Son is also the Spirit of the Father and the Holy Spirit based on the following reasons:

1. There is only one God, and Scripture does not say that the Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit.
2. The fullness of God is found in Christ (Col 1:19; 2:9). The Lord Jesus also said that the Father was in Him (Jn 10:38; 14:10,11).
3. Jesus Christ, the Son of God is identified with the Father (Isa 9:6; Jn 10:30; 14:9).
4. The Lord Jesus indirectly identified Himself as the Holy Spirit. When referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus said, “I will come to you” (Jn 14:18) and “a little while, and you will see Me” (Jn 16:17).
5. The Bible calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7; Rom 8:9; Gal 4:6; Phil 1:19; 1Pet 1:11).
   The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of the Father (Mt 10:20), the Spirit of God (Mt 3:16; Rom 8:9; 8:13,14; 1 Cor 2:11; 3:16; 6:11; 12:3; Phil 3:3; 1 Jn 4:13; 3:24), or the Holy Spirit of God (Eph 4:30; 1Thess 4:8).
   So the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Son and the Spirit of the Father.
6. The work of Jesus is often attributed to the Father or the Spirit, and vise versa:

• • The Holy Spirit that lives in believers is also called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9-11).
  • The resurrection of Jesus Christ by the Father (Gal 1:1) is also done by Christ himself (Jn 2:19).
  • Jesus answers prayers (Jn 14:14) and the Father answers prayers (Jn 15:16).
  • The Holy Spirit will speak for the believers (Mk 13:11), and this Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father (Mt 10:20) and Jesus himself (Lk 21:15).

The unity of the Bible

No work of literature written over thousands of years by 40 different writers can deliver a coherent and consistent message. The Bible does. From Genesis to Revelation, we see the gradual unfolding of God’s salvation plan. Although the Bible contains teachings on hundreds of controversial subjects, there are no contradictions among the various authors. Together, the Bible offers us definite answers to our most basic questions: Where do we come from? Where do we go after death? How can we know and be reconciled with our Creator? The amazing unity of the Bible tells us that God inspired and oversaw the writing of its books.

The historical and geographical accuracy of the Bible

Modern archeological findings have confirmed the accuracy of the people, places, and historical events recorded in the Bible. New discoveries continue to affirm rather than discredit the Bible.

The prophetic accuracy of the Bible

Deuteronomy 18:22 tells us that the test of a prophet’s authority is the accuracy of his predictions. Measuring the Bible by its own test, we find that hundreds of prophecies recorded in the Bible have been fulfilled, including the rise and fall of major world empires (Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek/Hellenic, Roman); the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple; the birth and death of Jesus Christ; the re-establishment of the nation of Israel; the ageless enmity between Jews and Arabs.

The scientific accuracy of the Bible

Although the Bible is not a book about science, many statements in the Bible were confirmed by scientific discoveries hundreds or thousands of years after the time of their writing. [e.g. a spherical earth (Isa 40:22); the earth suspended in space (Job 26:7)]

The fulfillment of promises contained in the Bible

Through the Bible, God has offered many promises to those who believe and obey Him. Today, we can experience these blessings when we put the words of the Bible into practice. For example, believers today still receive the Holy Spirit just as the apostles did thousands of years ago. Through prayer, demons are cast out, the sick are healed, and even the dead are raised. In our daily lives, we experience the Lord’s guidance and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. In difficult times, we receive comfort, strength, peace, and joy. These are the fulfillment of the Bible’s promises to believers.

“The body apart from the spirit is dead” (James 2:26); likewise, a congregation without the Spirit of God has no spiritual life. The church of the living God must have the Holy Spirit. Believers in the true church receive the promised Holy Spirit just as the apostles did. Together, these believers become the dwelling place of the Spirit (Eph 2:22).

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ gives the church the authority to forgive sins (Jn 20:22-23). Therefore, it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that makes baptism effective for the forgiveness of sins (1 Jn 5:6-8).

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who reveals the truth of salvation (Jn 16:13). In the true church where God’s spirit abides, people can receive and follow the full gospel of salvation as revealed in the Bible.

The church also bears the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-24). The Bible calls the church Christ’s “body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:23). The Lord shines forth His wisdom, power, and glory through the church. Given divine authority (Mt 10:1), the church performs signs and miracles to testify to the truth of salvation:

And [the disciples] went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. (Mk 16:20)

Zechariah prophesied, “'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6). God’s spirit, not human effort, establishes the temple of the last days: the church. This was how the True Jesus Church came to be. The Holy Spirit first revealed the truth of salvation in the Bible to a few humble Christians and then commissioned them to proclaim the full gospel.

The Lord has confirmed that the True Jesus Church is His church through signs and miracles. For example, the witness of blood during baptisms in the True Jesus Church is strong proof of the true cleansing power of baptism. Others have been healed during baptism, or upon receiving the Holy Spirit. Since the establishment of the True Jesus Church until today, many have found the truth of salvation in this church and have experienced the wonder of God’s power.

In this end time, the Lord Himself has raised up the true church to preach the only way of salvation. We must come into this church by accepting the true gospel and being baptized into the one body of Christ (see 1 Cor 12:13).

God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Gen 2:3). He set it apart from the other days of the week. And He commands us, His children, to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

We don’t keep the Sabbath out of obligation, but in response to His blessings:

To remember God’s creation

He has made His wonderful works to be remembered (Psalm 111:4).

The Sabbath is a tangible link to God’s creation. When you rest on the seventh day, you remember that in five days, God created the sun and sky, trees and earth before He created humans on the sixth day. God prepared all things for His creatures. We owe our existence, well-being, and possessions to Him. When we observe the Sabbath day, we honor the Lord God as our creator and provider. In turn, we can retain our sights throughout each week on the purpose of life: to glorify God with what He has given us.

To remember God’s grace

God gave us the Sabbath as a “sign,” a reminder of our relationship with Him:

I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me,that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. (Ezek 20:12)

People easily forget God’s grace and wander away from Him. In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to observe the Sabbath to remember how He had brought them out of bondage into their own land (Deut 5:15). Today, keeping the Sabbath reminds us of how God delivered us from a life of sin and into the promise of His glorious kingdom. We can reflect on our relationship with God, keep it strong, and draw all the nearer to Him.

To receive God’s blessings

Observing the Sabbath is not just an occasion to consider God’s grace; it’s a means of receiving more blessings from Him. God will fulfill His promises to you if you faithfully keep His word:

If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight… and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways… then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. (Isa 58:13-14)

God assures us with plentitude if we trust enough to devote one day of our week to Him. If we can commit our full hearts to God on His holy day, He will shower us with His blessings.

The Bible tells us clearly that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. In the western world, we call this day Saturday.

From the time of their forefathers, the Israelites have acknowledged that Saturday is the Sabbath. The Lord Jesus kept the seventh-day Sabbath. So did His disciples.

God never commanded Sunday worship. It is man-made. The Roman Emperor Constantine officially changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday. Today, it has become a widespread tradition in Christendom.

God did not change the Sabbath day. Our Lord Jesus did not do away with Sabbath observance. Therefore, we keep the Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day, rather than on Sunday, the first day. Sabbath observance is one of the Ten Commandments, God’s basic requirements for all people. If we hold true to God’s commandments, the Bible promises, we will be blessed.

Be converted

To receive the Holy Spirit, you must believe in the Lord Jesus as your Savior, humbly repent of your sins, and be baptized into Christ. Baptism goes hand in hand with the promise of the Holy Spirit:

Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

Obey the truth

God gives the Holy Spirit “to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). Since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, you need to study and obey the true gospel in order to receive the Holy Spirit.

Pray with faith

Jesus told His disciples that the heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit “to those who ask Him” (Lk 11:13). We ask God for the Holy Spirit through prayer. With faith in God’s promise, through persistent prayer and earnest longing, you will receive the Holy Spirit as the Lord has promised.

Experience God’s power

Since the first time God poured out His Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), believers who receive the Holy Spirit speak in tongues. Receiving the Holy Spirit is an experience that is audible and often visible. It is audible by the sign of speaking in tongues. It is often visible by the movement of the body. Jesus’ disciples said that they as well as observers could “see and hear” the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:33; also Acts 10:45-47).

When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, as recorded in Scripture, you will be moved to speak in unknown tongues. You may also experience warmth and power from above. The Holy Spirit is from God; thus the experience is not a frightening one, nor one where people lose control or consciousness. You will remain conscious and may end your prayer any time.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. —Romans 8:9

If the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you can speak in tongues whenever you pray. Speaking in tongues is not a one-time experience only. Through prayer in tongues, “the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom 8:26). When you ache so deeply that mere words cannot convey your pain, or when a “thank you” hardly expresses your appreciation to God, the Holy Spirit prays for you, replacing your earthly words with a spiritual language. You will find prayer in the Spirit more satisfying because the Holy Spirit enables you to know God’s will and truth. He will express your needs more effectively than human language can.

If the Holy Spirit fills you, then you will manifest God’s nature. The Bible teaches us “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). Jesus said, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples” (Jn 15:8).

If you live by the Spirit, you will no longer seek to gratify the desires of the flesh, but to glorify God (Gal 5:16). In doing so, you will find that peace, joy, and love flow continuously inside you. The Lord Jesus said, “the water I shall give [a believer] will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn 4:14). With the fullness of the Holy Spirit in you, your heart will be satisfied, and never thirst again.

Accept Christ now

Whether or not you will be alive to witness the events of Jesus' second coming, there is a last day for everyone on earth. On the day your life ends, you need to be prepared to meet the Lord. The only way you can face the Judge on Judgment Day is by accepting His grace today (Jn 3:16-18). Are you ready to meet Him?

Walk with faith

The path of your life may not be plain. You don't really know when it will end, or what twists and turns lie ahead. But God has given everyone clear guidelines in the Bible on how to live. Every word He gives us holds a promise: if you follow each command, you will be blessed. Walk every step with faith in God's leadership. You will find your life fruitful and full of meaning, for your destination will be clear (Rev 22:14).

Love one another

According to Jesus' teachings, love will be a standard of divine judgment on the last day. “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8). Love is all-encompassing: it requires you not only to “do no harm,” but also to be patient, forbearing, giving, and forgiving. Love is serving the needs of others with all that God has given you. It calls you to teach, encourage, and intercede for their spirits in this darkening world, and together, we can look forward to daybreak in God's kingdom and proclaim:

"Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20)