Last gathering, we fellowshipped on item nine of the responsibilities of leaders and workers: “Accurately communicate, issue, and implement the various work arrangements of the house of God in accordance with its requirements, providing guidance, supervision, and urging, and inspect and follow up on the status of their implementation.” We fellowshipped on the responsibilities that leaders and workers must fulfill and the work they must do, and we also dissected a few of the behaviors of false leaders. Though we didn’t fellowship on the specifics of how leaders and workers are to implement each work arrangement, we did fellowship on the specifics of the principles for implementing those arrangements, as well as what leaders and workers must do. Have you gotten a more specific, accurate definition of the work leaders and workers are to do through our fellowship on item nine? Are you now clear about what the work is that leaders and workers must do? The main thing for them is to implement the work according to God’s requirements and the work arrangements of His house. That’s basically it. Now, we’re all clear. What work a leader or worker must do in God’s house, and what their responsibilities are, should have been fellowshipped on quite specifically within item nine. It’s basically comprehensive. The scope of their responsibilities is delimited, and the work they should do, as well as how they should do it, is clearly stated, too. If someone still doesn’t know how to do concrete work now that it’s been clearly stated, that’s a problem of them having poor caliber. They’re the sort of false leader that can’t do work. There’s another sort of false leader that arranges work only by their own notions and imaginings, and uses people haphazardly, resulting in a case of too many cooks. The work isn’t just not done well—they make a complete mess of it, leaving it with no way ahead. False leaders will never implement the work arrangements, much less do real work. They just do the work they like, focusing only on the work of general affairs; when they work, they only know how to issue orders and shout hollow catchphrases and doctrines. They never follow up on the work, nor do they care if it’s been effective. This is one sort of false leader. In short, whether someone can’t do real work or doesn’t do real work as a leader—whatever the circumstances may be—if they can’t fulfill the responsibilities of leaders and workers or do the work of God’s commission, and if they can’t manage to implement the various pieces of work arranged by God’s house, then they’re a false leader.

Now, through our fellowship on item nine of the responsibilities of leaders and workers and our exposure of the various ways in which false leaders manifest, have you gained some basic knowledge and understanding of how to fulfill the responsibilities of leaders and workers? (Yes.) Do you see the work of God’s house as easy to do, then? Are the requirements of man high? Are they excessive? (They’re not high; they’re all requirements we can meet.) Are there leaders and workers who say, “There are too many items and types of work that God’s house requires us to do. The higher up a leader, the greater the scope of their work, and the more items of work they’re responsible for. To do that work well and see it implemented according to the Above’s requirements—we’d die of exhaustion, wouldn’t we?” Has anyone keeled over from exhaustion for having done all the concrete work well, for having implemented every item of work to where it should be? (No.) Has anyone gotten ill with exhaustion? Is anyone so busy they don’t have time to eat or sleep? (No.) Some may say, “What do you mean, no? Some people do get exhausted doing church work, because they go a long time without being able to eat on a regular schedule, or to work and take breaks in a regulated way, with labor and rest in balanced measure. They wind up with illnesses from exhaustion.” Have you heard of such a situation happening? (No.) Has anyone come away from hearing item nine and seeing the specific contents of the various items of work in God’s house, as well as its required standards for leaders and workers in doing this specific work, feeling fearful and afraid? Do they feel, “It’s not easy being a leader or worker. Without soundness of body, good caliber, expansiveness of heart, and superhuman energy and strength, who could do the job well?” Has anyone had this thought? Is it valid? (No.) What makes it invalid? First, when performing the work of God’s house, no matter what their rank is, and whether their responsibility is comprehensive or for a single item of work, leaders and workers must at least do their primary work well, along with one or two additional items of work, at the very most. Even if they’re tasked with comprehensive work, that doesn’t mean they’re to offer comprehensive follow-ups or guidance. They must focus on taking charge of the most critical work, or attend simultaneously to the weak links in certain items of work. Some people may be full of energy, have a strong sense of responsibility, and good caliber, and they’re able to do a large range of multifaceted work, but their main work primarily consists of just one or two items of work. With other work, they need only ask after it, make inquiries about it, and try to understand it, and resolve only such problems as they discover. That’s part of it. Another part is that even if they are concurrently handling several items of work, they need only rely on primary supervisors to do those items of work. All they do is supervise the various items of work, check up on them, and guide them; the main work they’re to do themselves is still a single item of work. And would one get exhausted by doing a single item of work? (No.) If the person’s caliber is sufficient and their mind flexible, they’ll arrange the work reasonably in terms of how time is allocated and how to make it efficient. They won’t be in a disorganized jumble, with no way ahead. They won’t look so busy—they’ll be working according to a prescribed routine—but the work won’t be inefficient, and it will yield good results. That’s someone with caliber, who knows how to allocate manpower and time reasonably. People without caliber or of poor caliber are a mess, whatever work they’re doing. They’re quite busy every day, but what’s keeping them busy, they themselves can’t say for sure. They have no schedule, no concept of time; they wake up quite early and go to bed quite late; they can’t eat at regular times—but given the efficiency of the work, they do no real work at all. Is this not a case of an excessively poor caliber? (It is.) This sort of person seems to be bustling around every day without rest, but they can’t get to the pith of the work, nor can they distinguish what’s urgent from what can wait, and they’re inefficient at resolving problems. This slows down the work. They’re anxious to bursting at heart, and they develop mouth sores. Even in these cases, though, they don’t keel over from exhaustion. People of poor caliber may work more than eight hours a day, yet the efficiency of their work is much poorer than that of people of good caliber. So, they have to be busy, don’t they? They should be—they can’t get results, even when they are busy; if they didn’t keep busy, the work would be paralyzed. This is someone of such poor caliber that they’re not up to being competent with the work or taking it on. Furthermore, there are many items in the work of God’s house, and the requirements are somewhat strict in terms of personnel and time. With most people, when they’re a bit busier, it’s in order to strive for excellence and get good results, because the work of God’s house is different from that of the businesses and factories of nonbelievers: Those demand economic efficacy, whereas we emphasize the results of the work. But because most people are of poor caliber, unprincipled and exceedingly inefficient in their work, it takes them more time to produce results. Do most of you now have no negative thoughts about the responsibilities of leaders and workers? One thing’s for certain: Leaders and workers won’t crumple from exhaustion by working according to the requirements of God’s house. Beyond these external, objective factors, there’s something else you can be certain of: If a person has a burden and is of a certain caliber—and don’t overlook the fact that there’s the work of the Holy Spirit—then, with some problems they can’t imagine or predict, and with some matters they haven’t been through before and have no experience of, the Holy Spirit will give them constant reminders, enlightening and helping them at any time. The work of the church doesn’t entirely rely on human strength, energy, and burdens to be done—a part of it must rely on the work and leadership of the Holy Spirit, as most people have experienced. So, whichever way one looks at it, fulfilling their responsibilities is something a leader or worker should achieve. It’s not an extra requirement of them. When nonbelievers work in the world, they act on the basis of their personal caliber. Doing a duty in God’s house is different: One doesn’t just do it on the basis of their caliber—they must also rely on their understanding of the truth principles if they’re going to achieve results. Sometimes, they must also help each other and cooperate in harmony if they’re going to do their duty well. Some may ask, “Does working in God’s house require us to ‘bend to a task and strive to do our utmost until our dying day’? ‘The silkworms of spring weave till they die’—do we need to achieve that? Will God’s house only be done with us when we’re dying of exhaustion?” Is this what God requires of man? (No.) Our fellowship on the requirements for the responsibilities of leaders and workers is meant merely to give people clarity and understanding about how to cooperate with God’s work according to the truth principles and work methods He requires, so that His work may proceed ahead in an orderly, effective way, and so that His words and work will be able to achieve better results in His chosen people. One aspect of it is about developing and spreading the work; the other is about having God’s words and work achieve the effects they ought to on those who follow Him. These are the responsibilities of leaders and workers, and what they’re to achieve in their work.

Today, we’ll move on to fellowship about item ten of the responsibilities of leaders and workers: “Properly safeguard and sensibly allocate the various material items of the house of God (books, various equipment, grain, and so on), and carry out regular inspections, maintenance, and repair to minimize damage and waste; also, avert their misappropriation by evil people.” Item nine is a relatively comprehensive requirement of leaders and workers. Item ten is another big section of the work, one that comprises another specific requirement for the responsibilities of leaders and workers. This part of the work involves items that belong to God’s house, some of which are purchased to meet the life necessities of people who do their duties full-time, and others of which are equipment, materials, and so on that are bought for the work of spreading the gospel. There are also some books of God’s words and some such things that involve the life entry of the brothers and sisters, and that should be kept by God’s house. These are goods that involve people’s belief in God. Three categories, in total: items necessary for life, items necessary for work, and items necessary for belief in God. Whether these items are bought by God’s house or offered up by brothers and sisters, once they come into the possession of God’s house, they become related to the issue of the management and allocation of material items by leaders and workers. Though this work doesn’t seem from the outside so important compared to church life, administrative work, or professional work, and not something that needs to be on the agenda, it’s still important work that leaders and workers need to do. The various items of God’s house are involved in the work, life, studies, and all such things of all personnel doing duties, so their safeguarding and sensible allocation is very important and must not be overlooked. As leaders and workers, what’s even more central than doing the administrative work of the church well and making the church life good is doing the work of gospel-spreading well, as well as its various associated work. In addition, the various material items of God’s house should also be afforded appropriate management. These things should be safeguarded well; don’t let them become moldy or bug-infested, and don’t let people gobble them up as their private property.

God’s house also has specific requirements and steps for how leaders and workers are to do this work well. They are to begin by checking whether the personnel who manage these items are appropriate, responsible people, and whether they know how to manage them, and whether they can diligently fulfill their responsibility—whether these things will be kept safe in their hands. In keeping grain, for instance, is the place where it’s kept during the rainy season—when the weather is humid and there’s a lot of rain—damp? Do the people who manage this check it in time? If the grain does get damp, do they take it out to dry? Do they manage these things as scrupulously as though they were their own? Do they have such humanity? Do they have such loyalty? They’re to start by conducting an audit of the people who manage these things, to see what their humanity’s like, and whether they have a conscience and are virtuous. If a person seems to be of fine humanity and kind-hearted, and most others give good reports of them, yet you don’t know whether they’re suited to managing the items of God’s house, what’s to be done then? You must follow up, check on things, and supervise. You must ask after things after a while, to see whether the custodian has been fulfilling their responsibility. With grain, for instance, the greatest concern is moisture. The custodian should check whether the granary is humid and whether there are liable to be insects in the grain, and they should find someone who knows about such things, to consult with and gain understanding about what practices may guarantee that the grain won’t get damp and grow moldy or be infested by insects. Once they’ve put the grain away, they should frequently check on the granary, or open the windows for ventilation. That would truly be fulfilling their responsibility. If the custodian takes the initiative to do these things without needing to be urged or reminded, then they’re reliable, which is reassuring. What about the people who safeguard various types of equipment, then—are they right for the job? You don’t know yet; you must check on them, too. How is most equipment—electronics, furniture, facilities, and so forth—safeguarded if it’s not normally in use? Does the custodian take care of it and maintain it? Do they conduct regular checks on the electronics, powering them on and starting them up? By asking around, you may learn that the custodian of these things is doing this regularly. Those things may just be sitting there idle, but there’s no dust on them, which means that someone comes often to take care of them—you’ll see that their custodian is fine, that they’re fulfilling their responsibility. You can then rest assured. There are also books of God’s words. Each of those is hard to come by, and in addition, books of God’s words are more important to every believer in God than any other thing—more than grain, electronics, or any other such item. So, with these things, all the more should you find the right person to manage them and the right place to store them. Proper ventilation, oversight, and inspection are necessary, too—they can’t let the books get damp or wet, or chewed up by mice. These things must all be watched out for. So, are the people managing such items right for the job? You must often check up on this, as well. If the caretakers are lazy, neglectful, and careless, some items will be damaged, if not to dampness and mold, then to insects. These are all losses, caused by lax monitoring and inspection on the part of the leaders and workers. If the caretakers take proper care of these items, this responsibility of the leaders and workers has been fulfilled. Whether these items are big or small, and whether they’re frequently used or not, so long as they’re in a class of items that belong to God’s house, it should be arranged for someone to manage them. An item should be safe, whatever its sort and wherever it’s stored, and it should be ensured that nothing will go wrong with it. That’s what it is to be loyal and responsible. If a person who manages things is found to be unfit, what’s to be done? They must be reassigned at once, and someone found to replace them. Some people, for instance, are idle loafers, fond of eating but not of working, taking no responsibility. They treat the church’s things casually, as if they were public property, thinking that it’s fine so long as they’re not lost. As to whether those things are moldy or bug-infested, or whether any have been damaged, they neither care nor ask. Whenever you ask them, they say they’ve been to check on them, and everything’s fine. In fact, they haven’t been to check on things in a long time. Then, a day comes when someone suddenly finds that the grain has gone moldy, and the wiring in some equipment has been chewed up by mice, and even books of God’s words have gotten so damp that the writing in them is blurred and unclear. To find out about these things only then—isn’t that too late? (Yes, the damage has been done.) That’s the result of improper management. Is the person who’s managing them not unfit, then? Are they not of poor humanity and immoral? (They are.) Nonbelievers would call this kind of person immoral; what do we say? That this person’s humanity is bad, that they’re not loyal. They can’t even fulfill that little responsibility; they can’t even do something that someone who takes just a few pains, who has just a bit of conscience and humanity, could do. Are they still a believer in God? Even nonbelievers hold the view, “Do your best to faithfully handle whatever other people have entrusted to you”—this person doesn’t even meet the minimal moral standard of nonbelievers, so they’re obviously unfit to serve as a member of the item-management personnel. Unfit people must be handled promptly, and suitable replacements found. If you don’t trust your item-management personnel, and you have no time to check on things yourself, or can’t follow up on things and check on them for some circumstantial reason, what’s to be done in that case? You may have the person who manages things write guarantees, saying that if there’s damage to the items they manage, they’ll pay for it, or that they’ll be willing to accept any sort of penalty from God’s house. It must be resolved according to the administrative system. If a leader or worker can do their job up to this level, they will be fulfilling their responsibility.

Any material item of God’s house, whether it’s big or small, expensive or cheap, whether or not it’s of use to you, if you’re made to manage it, then it’s your responsibility. This work falls within the scope of responsibility of leaders and workers, so you should find the right person and right place for it to be safeguarded appropriately. Don’t allow the items of God’s house to be damaged. With safeguarding books of God’s words, for instance—once a leader or worker has arranged suitable personnel for them, they should still ask after it from time to time: “A lot of books have been issued out recently, but don’t be careless, even though there are fewer left. In keeping books, the main thing is not letting them get damp or sun-damaged, and not letting them get crushed and bent out of shape.” They must ask after it and make inquiries from time to time. If new books have come, they must ask how well they’re being safeguarded; whether they’ll all fit in the original spot, and if not, whether another spot has been found for them, and what that spot is like, whether it’s safe and dry; whether the books are stored well; and if there’s worry about mice, whether there’s need of keeping a cat. All such things are what leaders and workers must do, and their responsibility to fulfill. This work might appear somewhat insignificant, but it, too, is one of the tasks that leaders and workers should do on a regular basis. Don’t sell it short—it must be taken seriously. Those things may be public property and not belong to any individual, but they must be safeguarded well; regardless of whether they’ll be of use to you in the future, and regardless of whether they’re yours to use, safeguarding them well is your responsibility, a matter that falls to you, and you shouldn’t look for any reason or excuse to pass it off and pay it no mind. So long as something is your responsibility, it’s something you should manage, work you should do. With all of it, you should make inquiries and try to understand things, or participate in it personally. If you have time to go to the site and have a look for yourself, that would be better, of course. But if circumstances and conditions don’t allow that, or if you’re too busy with work, you should still make inquiries and ask about it in a timely manner, in an effort to keep the items of God’s house from being damaged or wasted in any way. Doing this means that you have fulfilled the responsibility of leaders and workers.