Chen Zhong began to believe in the Lord when he was a child. When attending meetings, he often heard pastors say: “‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…. (2 Timothy 4:7–8). Brothers and sisters! When we believe in the Lord, as long as we work hard and give up all to follow the Lord, then there will be a crown of righteousness in store for us. When the Lord comes, we’ll be raptured to the kingdom of heaven.” From then on, Chen Zhong made up his mind: I will follow the Lord all my life, I will labor for the Lord, preach the gospel, and testify the Lord in all places when I grow up.

After growing up, Chen Zhong became an excellent preacher. He ran through wind and rain, preaching in all places and shepherding the church no matter if it was bitter cold or scorching heat. He even gave up his family and marriage. He dedicated all to the Lord, deeply believing that only by doing so could he be raptured to the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes. However, every time he saw the words of the Lord Jesus: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23). He felt very puzzled: When I was a child, pastors often told us that we could be raptured to the kingdom of heaven as long as we labored for the Lord. Paul also said: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness….” (2Ti 4:7–8). But from the Lord Jesus’ words, it can be seen that He did not approve those who did work in His name, but even called them evil-doers. Why is that? Cheng Zhong thought it over and over, but couldn’t figure it out.

One day in a co-worker meeting, Chen Zhong said: “My fellow co-workers, I have one question that has puzzled me for a long time. Lately, I have been reflecting: Are we truly obeying the will of the heavenly Father by preaching and laboring for the Lord in all places? Can we be raptured to the kingdom of heaven by doing so? I want to hear your views on this matter by this opportunity.” Several co-workers looked at each other, and started talking at once.

Co-worker Li said: “There is nothing to worry about. Paul said: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness….’ (2Ti 4:7–8). I believe that as long as we work hard, and suffer and spend for Lord in accordance with the words of Paul, we will surely be raptured to the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes back. I don’t think there is anything questionable!”

After hearing co-worker Li’s words, Hao Aiguang said with a frown: “In the Bible, Paul did say so. Throughout these years, we also worked hard, suffered, and spent for the Lord according to Paul’s words. And, we believe that as long as we act like this, we will surely be taken into the kingdom of heaven by the Lord. However, I have some confusion lately. I feel that we may not necessarily receive the Lord’s approval by seeking according to Paul’s view. For I saw the Lord Jesus’ words said: ‘Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity’ (Mat 7:22–23). Those who preached, cast out devils, and did wonderful works in the Lord’s name were surely people who labored. But the Lord Jesus clearly said that they were evil-doers and would be forsaken by Him. This shows that working hard simply doesn’t mean that we can gain the Lord’s approval. But Paul thought that as long as he toiled and worked hard for the Lord, then he could enter into God’s kingdom. I think Paul’s words are different from the Lord Jesus’ and not accordant with the Lord Jesus’ teachings. On such an important matter of entering the kingdom of heaven, we should consider it according to the Lord Jesus’ word for He is the King of the kingdom of heaven. No matter whose words they are, if they are not accordant with the Lord’s words or teachings, we should have discernment and should not listen to them blindly. Otherwise, we will easily resist God, offend God’s disposition, and be forsaken by God!”

Several co-workers nodded in agreement, co-worker Li looked a little ashamed.

Co-worker Zheng said approvingly: “Right, the Lord’s word is the standard of what kind of man can enter the kingdom of heaven. We indeed should measure it according to the word of the Lord Jesus! Actually, the question asked by brother Chen also has puzzled me for a long time. God said: ‘Be you holy; for I am holy’ (1 Peter 1:16). The Bible also said, ‘and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14). We have worked for the Lord for years, but we still often sin and confess, even cannot stop telling lies. There is so much filth and corruption within me. All my thoughts are evil and none of them is compatible with God. Sometimes, when brothers and sisters are not to our liking, we would express disdain and aversion, without forbearance and patience. When something that does not match our notions happens, we still can complain and misinterpret God. Moreover, we even crave the world and follow the trends of the evil world. When the Lord comes back, can we be raptured to the kingdom of heaven? What will we do if we are forsaken by the Lord? We really need to think about it very carefully.”

Co-worker Li flung his arms open with an incredible look, saying: “How can the Lord forsake us? Though we still have sin and also haven’t reached holiness, our sins have been forgiven by the Lord and we have been saved. Besides, we have worked for the Lord so many years and have suffered so much. The Lord should give us credit for hard work, if not for good work. How can the Lord not commend us?”

Hao Aiguang refuted: “It is a fact that the Lord has forgiven our sins and allowed us to come before Him to enjoy His grace. But on the matter of entering the kingdom of heaven, He never said that ones whose sins were forgiven could enter the kingdom of heaven, nor did he say that whoever labored for Him could enter the kingdom of heaven. On the contrary, the Lord clearly told man: ‘but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ The Lord Jesus also said, ‘Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays ever” (John 8:34–35). The Lord is holy. We are such impure and corrupt men, how can we have the qualification to be raptured to the kingdom of heaven?”

Co-worker Zheng replied quickly: “Thank the Lord! Co-worker Hao’s fellowship is reasonable. This word is enlightening. I remember it is written in the Bible: ‘For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries’ (Heb 10:26–27). The Lord is righteous. We can work hard for the Lord, but we still often sin and confess, and always cannot put the Lord’s words into practice. We indeed have no qualification to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

After hearing the fellowship of brothers and sisters, Chen Zhong understood a little, but he still had some confusion.

Chen Zhong opened his heart and fellowshiped: “After hearing what you said, I do understand a lot. ‘Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ These are words of the Lord. We should pursue according to the Lord’s requirement, and there is no doubt about it. But I have one confusion: We give up our families and professions, sacrifice our youth and marriage and labor for the Lord year after year, isn’t it doing the will of the heavenly Father? I am a bit confused, so I want to hear your fellowship.”

Hao Aiguang replied mildly: “For a long time, we have thought that as long as we give up everything and work hard for the Lord, we are doing the will of the heavenly Father. But why the Lord Jesus said these words: ‘I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity’ (Mat 7:23). Outwardly, we have done a lot of work, but in our heart, we don’t love and obey the Lord at all. How can we be the people doing the will of the heavenly Father? In fact, many of us only focus on religious rituals and rules. They do not seek the Lord’s will and the truths, and not focus on practicing the Lord’s words. They always act according to their own will and their personal likes. All these are not doing the will of the heavenly Father. Just like the Pharisees at that time, they gave up everything, toiled and labored, and traveled over land and sea spreading the gospel. But what they did was not for loving and obeying God, not for leading man to follow God’s way and worship God, and not even for lifting up God and bearing witness for God. Instead, they exalted themselves and testified to themselves, drew man to come before themselves, and let man worship and look up to themselves. What they did was full of their intentions and purposes, was for satisfying their ambitions and desires. Their toiling and laboring doesn’t bring them into the kingdom of heaven. On the contrary, it brought them to God’s righteous judgment.”

“Right!” agreed co-worker Zheng, “The Pharisees made sacrifices and endured hardships outwardly, but they still could resist and condemn God, and also could unite the Roman government to crucify the Lord Jesus. This is enough to show that external sacrifices and hardships doesn’t mean we are doing the will of the heavenly Father, doesn’t mean we are able to know God and obey Him! Similarly, today we work hard and make sacrifices outwardly, but we still often sin and resist God. We are not people who obey and fear God, then how can we be called people doing the will of the heavenly Father? How are we qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven?”

Hao Aiguang nodded and continued: “The Lord Jesus said: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment’ (Mat 22:37–38). I think the right way of doing the will of the heavenly father is to seek to love the Lord with our whole heart and mind. We are able to practice and experience God’s words, to work according to the requirement of the Lord, to lift the Lord and bear testimony to God in all things when we do our duties, and finally to truly obey the Lord. Acting like this is really doing the will of the heavenly Father, only those doing so are qualified to enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

“Right!” agreed one co-worker. “Doing the will of the heavenly Father does not simply mean making sacrifices and enduring hardships outwardly. What’s more important is that we can practice the way of fearing God and shunning evil. We can maintain a heart of obeying God, care for the Lord’s heart, not fuss over our own losses and gains, and fulfill the commission of the Lord with all our heart and strength. When something happens at odds with our conceptions, we are able to seek the Lord’s will, to obey and satisfy God, no matter what kind of trial we meet. Only by doing so can we deserve to enter into God’s kingdom.”

After hearing that, Chen Zhong nodded and said: “what you said let me think of those apostles and prophets throughout ages: Peter sought to love and satisfy God, and focused on practicing the Lord’s words all his life. He could endure all suffering for loving God, finally he was nailed upside down on the cross and gained God’s approval. When, as required by God, Abraham offered his only son for a burnt offering and returned his son to God, although he was painful, he was willing to obey God’s requirement. At last he gained the approval of God. Job endured extreme pain in trial, but he still kept the way of fearing God and shunning evil. He praised the name of God, did not consider his personal gains and losses, but only sought to obey and fear God. In the end, he gained God’s approval and blessings.”

Hao Aiguang responded favorably: “That’s right! They could practice the Lord’s words, obey and satisfy God without any condition, and finally they obtained God’s approval. When believing in God, only if we seek the truth, practice God’s words and live out the reality of God’s words, can we become those who obey the will of God and then be raptured to the kingdom of heaven.”

Chen Zhong said with a sigh: “In this case, working hard simply cannot help us to gain the approval of God and to be raptured to the kingdom of heaven. Today, sister Hao’s fellowship had the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, which makes me gain a lot. Well, sister Hao, why can you speak these words that are full of enlightenment?

Everyone looked at her with wonder-waiting eyes.

Hao Aiguang looked around at all the faces with a smile, then she took out a book from the bag …

Source: Walk in the Light

Recommended:

What Is the Meaning of the Rapture in the Bible? Does It Mean to Be Taken Up Into Heaven?

Continue reading “Preacher’s Question: Laboring Cannot Enter the Kingdom of God?” →

By Hua Mei

Part One: Years of Working for the Lord

Lu Xunguang staggers to the window. The moonlight gently sprinkles on his body. At this time, he is in a whirlwind of thought, and the scenes of serving the Lord with Brother Liu constantly surface in his mind. Lu Xunguang thinks in his heart: When he and Brother Liu were young, they served the Lord with enthusiasm in the church, preaching everywhere and shepherding the churches. Until now, many years have passed. At that time, they suffered illegal arrest of the Chinese Communist Party police when preaching the gospel, being imprisoned forcibly for eight years. When they felt weak in their hearts, they encouraged each other to take up the cross to follow the Lord. And they all surely believed they could wear the crown of righteousness that the Lord bestowed upon. Many years have gone by in the blink of an eye, he doesn’t know how Brother Liu is doing now …

Continue reading “Can One Enter the Kingdom of Heaven by Laboring for the Lord?” →

By Xiaohua

If we believers in God want to enter into the kingdom of heaven, we must walk the path of the cross since the Lord Jesus did this to set an example for us. However, in the last days some believers, when seeing or hearing that some Christians have been arrested and sent to jail, get extremely afraid and adopt a wrong state of mind. The author of the following article is one of them. Next, please read the article “Can Cowards Enter Into the Kingdom of Heaven?”

Continue reading “Can Cowards Enter Into the Kingdom of Heaven?” →

By Ella, the Philippines

My name is Ella, and I am 53, from the Philippines. I was born into a Catholic family. Even though I believed in the Lord since my childhood, I barely knew about the Lord and had little faith in Him, and I was even pursuing to be rich like the unbelievers. In April 1987, I met Villan, a Filipino Christian, when I was a domestic helper abroad. She worked not far away from my work place. At that time she was a leader of a Christian church. She preached to me the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and invited me to attend her church. She also shared with me Romans 10:9-10 of the Bible, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation,” telling me that I could go to heaven if I believed in the Lord Jesus. Hearing this I was shocked because I was afraid of going to hell. So I accepted the Lord Jesus and started regularly living the life of church in this Christian church. Afterward, I saw 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…” and 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Know you not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain.” Influenced by these thoughts, I actively pursued superficial good deeds, often giving my family financial support, helping those who were in trouble, giving offerings to the church frequently, being nice to others, and never quarreling with others. Besides, I attended the meeting every Sunday and never missed it, often preached the gospel in public places, and handed out tracts in the park. I lived this way for 7 years, and then I became the leader of a church.

Continue reading “I Have Found the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven” →

By Zhao Hui

Gu Hanlin is a house church preacher. He has dedicated himself to the Lord and worked hard for Him for many years. But recently, he was troubled by a question …

One day, in the co-worker meeting, Gu Hanlin spoke out his confusion, “Brothers and sisters, the Bible says, ‘That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation’ (Romans 10:9-10). From these verses we can see that we can be approved by the Lord and be called righteous because of believing in Him and following Him. These years, we have also thought that we will be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes. We have served the Lord for many years and have read the Bible many times, but we still often commit sins, tell lies, deceive, and have not the slightest tolerance and patience for others. Can such behaviours of ours be approved by the Lord? Are we able to enter the kingdom of heaven like this? I can’t see through this matter, so I want to explore it with you.”

Continue reading “Can We Be Saved and Enter the Heavenly Kingdom by Faith Alone?” →

Q: Can We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven If We Frequently Commit Sins?

A: There are some brothers and sisters who think, “The Lord Jesus’ sin offering is effective forever. No matter what sin we commit, as long as we confess and repent to the Lord, then we can obtain the Lord’s forgiveness and ultimately we will enter the kingdom of heaven.” But is this view really correct? Is there a basis for this view in God’s words? According to this view, it seems as though, once we believe in the Lord, there is nothing to worry about no matter how we may sin, for the Lord will always forgive us and the Lord Jesus’ sin offering is effective forever. If this is true, then how can the following verses be explained? “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26–27). Besides, it is mentioned in Revelation, “[B]ehold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). When the Lord returns, He will reward the good and punish the wicked depending on the actions and behavior of each individual. The Lord Jesus also prophesied that He will come in the last days to separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, and the good servants from the wicked servants, and whether we will ultimately go to heaven or hell in our belief in God is directly linked to whether or not we practice the Lord’s words and follow the Lord’s way. According to our views, however, it seems as though we’re saying that the Lord will forgive us whether we follow His way or not and regardless of the sins we commit. Wouldn’t that make the Lord Jesus’ words “to give every man according as his work shall be” meaningless? Because they cling to this kind of view, many brothers and sisters pay no attention to putting the Lord’s words into practice or following the Lord’s commandments. They even become more and more degenerate, they shun the Lord more and more, and they live in a state of sinning and confessing from which they cannot escape. Does it accord with God’s will to go on that way? God says, “[Y]ou shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). “Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the son stays ever” (John 8:34–35). The Bible also says, “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves and makes a lie” (Revelation 22:15). “For this you know, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5). We can understand from this that God is holy and that His righteous disposition brooks no offense. If we can never cast off the shackles of sin and frequently knowingly commit sin, then God will detest and reject us for sinning and resisting Him. We will forever be unable to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Continue reading “Can We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven If We Frequently Commit Sins?” →

By Xuesong

Outside the window, the wind was biting cold and a heavy snow was falling. It was already 9 p.m. when Xuesong returned home from spreading the gospel.

His wife quickly warmed up dinner for him. When he was about to eat, his daughter Xiaoyuan also came back after supporting the church. Xuesong hurried to serve her a helping and was ready to have dinner with her. But Xiaoyuan was not in the mood to eat. At the sight of this, Xuesong asked her, “What’s wrong, Xiaoyuan? You look like something’s on your mind.”

Continue reading “What Exactly is Doing the Will of the Heavenly Father?” →

By Qiao Ning

The greatest longing for those of us who believe in the Lord is to enter the heavenly kingdom, and so we often imagine how beautiful it must be there. Of course, we are also confident about our entry into heaven, for it says in the Bible: “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). We therefore believe that our sins are forgiven after we have faith in the Lord, and that we are then no longer sinful. We also believe that, when the Lord comes, we will immediately be raised up into the heavenly kingdom. Thinking of these things gets us very excited, and we long for the Lord to hurry to us. This is what I longed for before too. But later, after fellowshiping and discussing this matter with my brothers and sisters, I came to a new discovery, and here I’d like to fellowship what I gained with you all …

Continue reading “What Is the True Meaning of Forgiveness of Sin?” →

Some Christians believe that as long as they accept the Lord Jesus’ salvation of the cross, verbally acknowledge the Lord and believe in Him in their hearts, then they are saved and will be able to enter the heavenly kingdom. There is also a biblical basis for this belief, which is: “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:9–10). They therefore believe even more strongly that those who are saved by faith can enter into the heavenly kingdom. But there are some Christians who remain confused, and they think that, seeing as we are capable of becoming hot-headed and losing our tempers at people every day, so much so that we are not even able to show our family members tolerance and patience, and we are capable of telling lies to deceive others in our everyday lives, can people such as this who live in sin enter into the kingdom of God? Let’s fellowship about this topic today.

Continue reading “Can One Who Receives Salvation by Faith Alone Enter God’s Kingdom?” →

The protagonist has been serving the Lord for many years. He’s always thought that the Lord Jesus has redeemed us from sin, and that as long as we keep preaching and working for the Lord we’ll enter the heavenly kingdom. But some brothers and sisters have a different opinion. They say, “The Bible says no man shall see the Lord without holiness. If we live in the cycle of sinning and confessing, how can we enter the heavenly kingdom?” The protagonist was also puzzled about this. Later, in a co-worker meeting, a co-worker’s fellowship gave him the answer. Please read this essay: The Condition for Entering the Heavenly Kingdom.

Continue reading “Can I Enter the Heavenly Kingdom After My Sins Are Forgiven?” →