Did the people I just spoke about involved with the chickens and eggs obey and submit? (No.) What did they treat God’s words as? As a breeze blowing past their ears, and in their minds they had a certain view: “You say what you’ve got to say, and I’ll do what I’ve got to do. I don’t care about your requirements! It’s enough that I supply you with eggs to eat—who cares what eggs you eat. You want to eat organic eggs? Fat chance. Dream on! You asked me to raise chickens, and this is how I raise them, but you’re adding your own demands on top of that—do you have the right to speak about this?” Are these people who obey and submit? (No.) What are they trying to do? They are trying to revolt! God’s house is the place where God speaks and works, and a place where the truth reigns—if, when God said something to their face, these people did not obey, did not submit, can they practice God’s word behind His back? That’s even more unlikely! From unlikely to even less likely: in view of these two things, is God their God? (No.) So who is their god? (Themselves.) That’s right—they treat themselves as a god, they believe in themselves. In which case, what are they doing still hanging around here? Since they are their own god, what are they doing waving the banner of belief in God? Is this not tricking other people? Are they not tricking themselves? If this is the attitude such people have toward God, are they able to obey? (Absolutely not.) Even with something so minor, they can’t obey God’s word or submit to God, God’s words don’t have an effect on them, and they don’t take them in and cannot submit to them. Can such people be saved? (No.) So how far are they from salvation? Too far, not even close! Inwardly, is God willing to save those who do not obey His words, who pit themselves against Him? Definitely not. Even people, measuring this based on their own thoughts, would not be willing to do this. If devils and Satans like this took a stand against you, to pit themselves against you in all respects, would you save them? Impossible. No one wants to save such people. No one wants to befriend such people. In the matter of the chickens rearing—something so minor—people’s nature was exposed; in something so minor, people were incapable of obeying what I said. Isn’t this a serious problem?

Next let us talk of a matter involving sheep. Of course, it still relates to people. Spring had arrived. The weather was warm and the flowers were in bloom. The greenery was flourishing, the grass was green. Everything was beginning to radiate with life. The sheep had been eating hay all winter, and didn’t want to eat it anymore, so they had been looking forward to when the grass grew green and they could eat fresh grass. It happened that this was also when the ewes gave birth to lambs, which meant it was even more necessary for them to eat green grass. The higher the quality of the grass, and the more there was of it, the more milk they would produce, and the faster the lambs would grow; people would also be happy to see this, it was something to look forward to: a nice fat lamb to eat by the arrival of autumn. And given that people had something to look forward to, should they have come up with ways to give the lambs more good grass to eat, to feed them up so they were strong and fat? Shouldn’t they have pondered, “The grass in the field isn’t good at the moment. The lambs will grow slowly if they eat it. Where is there good grass?” Shouldn’t they have put a little effort into this? But who knows what the person looking after the sheep was thinking. One day I went to see the sheep. I saw that the lambs were doing well, and they jumped up at the sight of people, putting their front legs on people’s shins to reach up, wanting to talk to them. Some of the lambs had grown horns, so I held onto their little horns and played with them. Those lambs were doing well, but they were very thin and dry. I thought about how lambs are soft and their wool is not thick, but they are still warm, and I thought about how it would be better if they were fattened up a little. Thinking to Myself about this, I asked the person rearing the sheep, “Is this grass of poor quality? Is there not enough in the field for the sheep to eat? Should the earth be turned over and some new grass planted, so they have enough to eat?” He said, “There’s not enough green grass to eat. At the moment, the sheep are still eating hay.” Upon hearing this, I said, “Don’t you know what season it is? Why are you still making them eat hay? The ewes have given birth to lambs, they should be eating nice green grass. Why are you still making them eat hay? Have you thought of a solution to this?” He came out with a bunch of excuses. When I told him to turn the field over, he said he couldn’t—if he did, the sheep wouldn’t have anything to eat now. What do you think after hearing all this? Do you feel any sense of burden? (I would have thought of ways to find a good field of grass, or mowed some grass elsewhere.) That’s one way to solve it. You have to think of a solution. Don’t just fill your belly and forget everything else—the sheep need to eat their fill, too. Later, I said to a few other people, “Can this field be turned over? Even if you plant in autumn, the sheep will be able to eat green grass next year. What’s more, other places have two fields, can the sheep be herded over there every day to eat fresh grass? If the two fields are rotated, would the sheep not be able to eat fresh grass?” Was what I said easy to do? (It was.) Some people said, “That’s easier said than done. You’re always saying things are easy to do—how is it so easy? There are so many sheep, and when they’re running around, they aren’t easy to herd at all.” Just herding the sheep was so onerous for them, they had so many excuses and difficulties, but in the end they agreed. Several days later I went to look again. The grass had grown so much that it was almost at waist height. I wondered how it could have gotten so high when the sheep were eating it. After asking some questions, I found out: The sheep hadn’t been put out to pasture here at all. The people had an excuse, too: “There’s no shed in that field, the sheep were getting too hot.” I said, “So why not just build them a shed? There are only a few sheep. What are you meant to be doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be handling these simple matters?” They replied, “We can’t find anyone to build it.” I said, “There are people to do other things, why is there no one to do this? Have you looked for someone? All you care about is eating the sheep, not raising them. How could you be so selfish? You want to eat lamb but you don’t let them eat any green grass—how could you be so unethical!” Once they’d been forced to, the shed was built and the sheep got to eat green grass. Was it easy for them to eat a little fresh grass? Something so simple was so hard for these people to carry out. At every step, they came out with excuses. When they had an excuse, when there were any difficulties involved, they gave up and waited for Me to come and sort it out. I always had to keep track of what was going on, I always had to keep an eye on this, I always had to put pressure on them—I couldn’t not put pressure on them. Why should I have to worry over something as trivial as feeding the sheep? I prepare everything for you, so why does it take so much effort to make you obey a few of My words? Am I asking you to climb a mountain of knives or swim in a sea of fire? Or is it too difficult to implement? Isn’t this your responsibility? This is all within your power to achieve, it is within the scope of your abilities. It is not too much to ask. How is it that you are not able to accomplish this? Where does the problem lie? Did I ask you to build an ark? (No.) So how great is the difference between what you were asked to do, and building an ark? It’s huge. The task you were asked to carry out would only take one or two days. All it would take was a few words. It was achievable. Building the ark was a massive undertaking, a 100-year undertaking. I dare say that if you had been born in the same era as Noah, not one of you would have been capable of obeying God’s words. When Noah obeyed God’s words, when he built the ark, bit by bit, as commanded by God, you would be the people standing to one side, holding Noah back, making fun of him, mocking him, and laughing at him. You absolutely are that kind of person. You are utterly devoid of the attitude of obeying and submitting. On the contrary, you demand that God shows you particular grace, and particularly blesses and enlightens you. How can you be so shameless? What do you say, which of the things that I just talked about is My responsibility? Which one do I have to do? (None of them.) All of these things are human matters. They are not My business. I should be able to leave you alone. So why do I have to get involved? I don’t do this because it is My duty, but for your own good. None of you are concerned about this, none of you has undertaken this responsibility, none of you has these good intentions—so I have to take more pains regarding this. All that is needed is for you to obey and cooperate, it’s very simple—but you can’t even do that. Are you even human?

There was also another more severe incident. There was a place where a building was being constructed. The building was quite tall and covered a fairly large area. A relatively large number of furnishings were set up inside, and for it to be convenient to move them, a set of double doors would be required at the very least, and they would have had to be at least eight feet high. Normal people would have thought about all of this. But someone insisted on installing a single, six-foot door. He ignored everyone else’s suggestions, no matter who they came from. Was this person muddleheaded? He was an out-and-out scoundrel. Later, when someone told Me about this, I said to that person, “You have to install double doors, and they need to be higher.” He reluctantly agreed. Well, ostensibly he agreed, but what did he say in private? “What’s the point in having them so high? What’s wrong with them being lower?” Later, I went to look again. Just an extra door had been added, but the height was the same. And why was the height the same? Was it impossible to build a higher door? Or would the door end up touching the ceiling? What was the matter? The matter was that he didn’t want to obey. What he was really thinking was, “Is it up to you? I’m the boss around here, I call the shots. Other people do as I say, not the other way around. What do you know? Do you understand construction?” Does not understanding construction mean I couldn’t see what the proportions looked like? With such a low door in such a tall building, when someone over 6’2” tall walked through it, if they didn’t stoop over they would crack their head on the frame. What kind of door was this? I didn’t need to understand construction—tell Me, was My take on this reasonable? Was it practical? But such practicality was incomprehensible to that person. All that he knew was following regulations, saying: “The doors where I’m from all are like this. Why should I have made it as high as you said? You asked me to do it, and this is how I made it. If you have no use for me, forget it! This is the way that I do things, and I’m not going to obey you!” What kind of thing was this person? Do you think he could still be used by the house of God? (No.) So what should be done since he could not be used? Though such people make some token effort in the house of God, and are not kicked out right away, and though the brothers and sisters are able to tolerate them, and I am able to tolerate them, when it comes to their humanity—let’s forget whether or not they understand the truth—working and living in an environment such as the house of God, are they likely to stick around? (No.) Do we need to kick them out? (No.) Are they likely to stay in the church for the long term? (No.) Why not? Let’s put aside whether they can understand what they are told. Their disposition being what it is, after making some token effort, they start putting on airs, and trying to call the shots. Can this cut it in the house of God? They’re nothing, yet they think they’re pretty good, that they are a pillar and a mainstay in the house of God, where they act recklessly, and try to call the shots. They are bound to run into problems, and they will not stay long. With people such as this, even if the house of God doesn’t kick them out, once they’ve been here a while they’ll notice that in the house of God, people are always talking about the truth, about principle; they have no interest in this, their modus operandi has no use here. No matter where they go and what they’re doing, they are incapable of cooperating with others, and they always want to call the shots. But it doesn’t work, and they find themselves limited in every respect. As time goes on, most of the brothers and sisters come to understand the truth and principles; while these people try to do as they please, try to be the boss and call the shots, and don’t act according to principle, many people cast disdainful glances at them—are they able to stand this? When that time comes, they will sense that they are incompatible with these people, that they naturally do not belong here, that they are in the wrong place: “How did I accidentally stumble into the house of god? My thinking was too simplistic. I thought that if I put in a little effort, I could avoid disaster, and would be blessed. It never occurred to me that this wouldn’t be the case!” They naturally don’t belong in God’s house; after staying a while, they lose interest, they become indifferent, and there’s no need to kick them out—they slip away by themselves.

Some people say, “Is there nothing You don’t stick Your nose into? You’re a busybody, aren’t You? You just establish Your prestige, make Your presence felt, and let people know of Your omnipotence by meddling in others’ affairs, don’t You?” Tell Me, would it be alright if I didn’t take care of these things? In reality, I don’t want to take care of these things, they are the responsibility of leaders and workers, but if I didn’t, there’d be trouble, and the work to come would be affected. Would I have to involve Myself in such matters if you were able to solve them, if you did as I asked? If I didn’t concern Myself with you, you would not live out any human semblance, nor would you live well. You wouldn’t be able to do anything yourself. And even with that being the case, you still do not obey Me. I will talk to you about something extremely simple: the incredibly minor matter of hygiene and taking care of your living environment. How do you act with regard to this matter? If I go somewhere and don’t inform you in advance, it will be extraordinarily untidy, and you’ll have to clean it up there and then, which will make you feel upset and ill at ease. If I told you in advance that I was coming, then the situation wouldn’t be so bad—but do you think I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes? These are all minor matters, some of the simplest and most basic points of normal humanity. But you’re lazy like this. Are you really able to do your duty well? I stayed in some places in mainland China for ten years, teaching people there how to fold quilts and dry them in the sun, how to clean homes, and how to light stoves in homes. But after ten years of teaching, I wasn’t able to teach them. Is it that I am incapable of teaching? No, these people are just too scummy. I later stopped teaching. When I went somewhere and came across a quilt that wasn’t folded, I would just turn around and leave. Why would I do this? I found it smelly and disgusting. Why should I stay in a place that is worse than a pigsty? I refuse to do that. Even these small problems are very hard to change. Were I to take it up a notch to following the way of God, and the will of God, frankly speaking, you wouldn’t get anywhere close. What is the main point I’m making today? Obeying God’s words is very important, and you must not disregard it. Obeying God’s words does not mean you should analyze, study, discuss, or probe into God’s words, or that you should investigate the reasons behind them, and try to come up with a wherefore; instead, you should implement His words and carry them out. When God speaks to you, when He commands you to carry out a task or entrusts you with something, what God wishes to see next is you taking action, and how you implement this, step by step. God doesn’t care whether you understand this matter or not, nor does He care whether, in your heart, you are curious about this, or have any doubts about it. What God looks at is whether you do it, whether you have the attitude of obeying and submitting.

By chance, I was talking with some people about the costumes for shows. The primary principle was that the color and style of the costumes were to be decent, dignified, tasteful, and elegant. They were not to look like bizarre outfits. What’s more, there was no need to spend too much money. They didn’t have to come from a particular designer, much less was there any need to go to high-end brand-name stores to buy them. My view was that the costumes should make the performers look elegant, decent, and dignified, that they should be presentable. There were no limitations on color, other than avoiding anything that looked too dull or dark on stage. Most other colors were fine: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—there were no regulations for this. Why this principle? God’s creation contains every color. Flowers appear in color, as do trees, plants, and birds. So we must not have any notions or rules about color. After saying this, I was afraid they wouldn’t understand. I questioned them again, and was only reassured when those who heard Me all said they understood. The remainder could be implemented according to the principle I had spoken of. Was this a simple matter? Was it something major? Was it a bigger or a smaller undertaking than building an ark? (Smaller.) Compared to Abraham’s offering up of Isaac, was it difficult? (No.) There was absolutely no difficulty involved, and it was simple—just a matter of clothing. People are exposed to clothing from the moment they’re born; it was not a difficult matter. Things were even easier for people to carry out when I defined a certain principle. What’s key was whether they obeyed, and whether they were willing to do it. After some time, when a few shows and films had been produced, I saw that all of the lead characters’ costumes were blue. I gave it some thought: “Is there a problem with the minds of the people producing these shows? I was very clear in what I said. I did not make a rule that the costumes had to be blue, and that anyone not wearing blue wouldn’t be allowed on stage. What is wrong with these people? What was instigating and dominating them? Have trends in the outside world changed, and people only wear blue now? No. The outside world has no rules about colors and styles, people wear all sorts of colors. So it is odd that such a situation should occur in our church. Who is doing the final checks of the costumes? Who is in control of this matter? Is there someone pulling the strings?” There was indeed someone pulling the strings; as a result, regardless of the style, all of the costumes were, without exception, blue. What I said made no difference. They had already determined that all the clothing must be blue—people would wear nothing but blue. Blue represented spirituality, and holiness; it was the trademark color of the house of God. If their costumes weren’t blue, then they wouldn’t allow the show to be performed, and wouldn’t dare to do so. I said these people were done for. This was such a simple thing, I explained each point very clearly, and made sure that they understood after I had done so; only once we’d all agreed did I close the topic. And what was the end result? What I said may as well have been air. No one treated it as important. They still did and practiced as they wished; no one carried out what I said, no one fulfilled it. What did they really mean when they said they had understood? These people were humoring Me. They gossiped all day long like those middle-aged ladies on the street. This was also the way they were talking to Me and the attitude they had. So I had a feeling in My heart: The attitude these people had toward Christ was their attitude toward God, and it was a very worrying attitude, a dangerous sign, a bad signal. Do you want to know what it signals? You ought to know. I must tell you this, and you must listen carefully: Judging from what is exhibited in you, from your attitude toward God’s words, many of you will be plunged into disaster; some of you will be plunged into disaster to be punished, and some to be refined, and disaster cannot be avoided. Those who are punished will immediately die, they will perish. However, for those who are refined in the disaster, if it makes them able to obey and submit, and able to stand firm, and they come to possess testimony, then the hardest test will be over; otherwise, there is no hope for them in the future, they’ll be in danger, and they will have no more chances. Do you hear Me clearly? (Yes.) Does this seem like something good for you? In short, to Me, it does not bode well. I feel it is a bad sign. I’ve given you the facts; the choice you make is up to you. I shall say no more about this, I will not repeat Myself, I will not bring it up again.

The topic I’ve been fellowshipping today is how to treat God’s words. Obeying and submitting to God’s words is very important. Being able to execute, implement, and put them into practice is very important. Some people say, “Even today, we still don’t know just how to treat Christ.” How to treat Christ is very simple: Your attitude toward Christ is your attitude toward God. In God’s eyes, your attitude toward God is your attitude toward Christ. Of course, the attitude you have toward Christ is the attitude you have toward God in heaven. Your attitude toward Christ is the most real of all—it can be seen, and it is exactly what God scrutinizes. People wish to understand how to treat God in the manner that God wishes, and this is simple. There are three points: The first is being sincere; the second is respect, learning how to respect Christ; and the third—and this is the most important point—is obeying His words. Obeying His words: does this mean listening with your ears, or with something else? (With our hearts.) Do you have a heart? If you have a heart, then listen with it. Only if you listen with your heart will you understand, and be able to put what you hear into practice. Each of these three points is very simple. Their literal meaning should be easy to understand, and logically speaking, they should be easy to carry out—but how you carry them out, and whether you are able to, is up to you; I will explain no further. Some people say, “You’re just an ordinary person. Why should we be sincere with you? Why should we respect you? Why should we obey your words?” I have My reasons. There are also three of them. Listen closely and see if what I say makes sense. If it does, you should accept it; if you feel it doesn’t, you do not have to accept it, and you can look for another path. Reason number one is that, ever since you accepted this stage of God’s work, you have been eating, drinking, enjoying, and pray-reading every word I have said. Number two is that you yourself acknowledge that you are a follower of Almighty God, that you are one of His believers. So can it be said that you acknowledge that you are a follower of the ordinary flesh in which God is incarnated? It can. In sum, number two is that you acknowledge that you are a follower of Almighty God. Reason number three is most important of all: Among all mankind, only I see you as people. Is this point important? (It is.) Which of these three points are you unable to accept? What do you say, are any of these points of which I have just spoken untrue, not objective, not factual? (No.) So altogether there are six points. I will not go into detail about each one of them; ponder them on your own. I have already spoken at length about these topics, so you should be able to understand.

July 4, 2020