E. The Harm That Baseless Rumors Cause

The rumors that get spread within the church are not just about denying God or judging God’s work; there are also other types of rumors. These rumors need to be discerned and dissected, and they should also be stopped and restricted. In short, rumors are definitely nothing good; they bring no benefit to people. Some people say, “I want to listen to the rumors to see just what they are saying, to gain discernment and wisdom from them.” If you truly have some discernment ability and are not afraid of being disturbed by rumors, you can listen, but what will be the consequences? If you become confused and start doubting God and God’s work, then that’s dangerous; it means you have been misled. If you can’t discern and instead get misled, isn’t that troublesome? Do you have that stature? You think you have faith, but do you understand the truth? If you don’t understand the truth, your faith is not genuine, and you will still be misled. If you understand some truth, have some genuine knowledge of God, and can discern and resist these rumors, then you can gain wisdom from listening to them. If you think you just have faith, but in fact, this faith is not yet genuine stature, and you do not yet understand the truth, then I say it will be very difficult for you to really gain discernment and wisdom from rumors. Where do rumors come from? They come from Satan. Satan exploits every loophole and seizes every opportunity to be picky about the phrases used in God’s words and to find something it can use as leverage in God’s words, taking God’s words out of context. It seems to have a basis, but in fact, this is done out of context to mislead people. After hearing these rumors, those who do not understand the truth think to themselves: “What they say has a basis in God’s words. It should be right. It can’t be a rumor, can it?” As a result, they are misled. Some rumors are obvious and easy to discern. However, some rumors are hard to discern; on the surface, they seem to align with facts, but their essence is not so. Don’t think that just because these rumors superficially align with the literal meaning of God’s words, they are correct. In fact, many of these statements are empty theories, they are traps, and they bring no edification or benefit to people. These statements should all be rejected. Because the extent to which people understand God’s words varies, and the contexts in which God speaks are also different, blindly applying and interpreting God’s words is what is most likely to cause errors. Satan often misleads people by taking God’s words out of context and misinterpreting them. Any condemnations of God’s work based on the Bible or God’s words are Satan’s trickery, its means of misleading people; they are traps, and such statements should all be rejected. On the surface, rumors are just one or two remarks, or a few remarks; they are insufficient to be feared, and are nothing to be afraid of. What is to be feared is rumors that draw conclusions based on the Bible or the truth taken out of context. This is what is most capable of misleading people; it is what most disturbs people’s minds. It will cause people without discernment to stumble. Only those who understand the truth can discern such misleading devilish talk. For example, some people find some of God’s words to use as a basis to say that God loves this type of people and does not love that type, that God saves this type of people and does not save that type, that this type of people are eliminated by God, and that type mean nothing to God, and so on and so forth. Aren’t these statements conclusions? These conclusions actually do not conform to God’s words. The bases they find are actually taken out of context; they belong to different contexts and they are different statements. This is absolute misinterpretation. They do not see through to the essence, and they apply regulations arbitrarily. But those without discernment get poisoned and misled after hearing these fallacies, becoming negative in their hearts, thinking that since what was said is based on God’s words, it must be accurate. They do not carefully read God’s words afterward to find the flaws in these fallacies, instead fully believing they are true. Aren’t they being misled? If no one who understands the truth fellowships with them, it is very dangerous. At the very least, these people could become negative for six months to a year; it not only delays their life entry, but if they withdraw and stop believing, they will be completely ruined and lose God’s salvation entirely. Therefore, people with small stature who do not understand the truth are at great risk of being misled by Satan! Only those who understand the truth are safe and stable. If one day you really encounter someone spreading rumors to mislead people, the most effective way is to quickly find someone who understands the truth to fellowship with; only then can you be rescued from this situation. Seeking help from those without spiritual understanding who blindly apply regulations will not only fail to resolve the problem but will also mislead you further. So, being misled is not something that only happens in religion—even if you believe in God and live church life, if you do not pursue the truth, you can still be easily misled. Even if you have believed for three to five years, or seven to eight years, if you haven’t gained the truth, then you are still at risk of being misled; in particular, those who often have notions and are often negative are most liable to be misled and can betray God at any time. For Satan roams the earth like a roaring lion, seeking people to devour; this is a fact. Who is this Satan? It is all those who are averse to the truth and hate the truth, including antichrists, false leaders, those absurd people, and those who mislead others—these all amount to Satan. These people roam everywhere, misleading and disturbing God’s chosen people wherever they go, so they are all devils resisting God. God’s chosen people should be particularly vigilant to ensure they are not misled and can stand firm.

It is undeniable that in the church some new believers or those of extremely poor caliber, who do not have the ability to comprehend God’s words, are often misled, influenced, and disturbed by various rumors. Those who fabricate rumors can easily bring down a group of people with a casual conclusion. The words and statements they recklessly blurt out can make some people negative, weak, and unwilling to do their duty. When God’s house calls, these people are full of fears, finding various reasons and excuses to refuse and evade. Clearly, what role do those who fabricate rumors play in the church? They act as Satan’s servants, without a doubt. For example, some people say, “You need to have a backup plan when doing your duty. God’s house calls you to do a duty, and if you do not do it well, God’s house could stop using you at any time. At that time, if you go home, you’ll have a hard time getting by. No one will support you then!” Does this sound “heartwarming”? It conforms to human sentiments and sounds quite loving and thoughtful, but do you detect any consideration for God’s heart within these words? Do they offer any support, supply, help, or encouragement to people? (No.) Telling people to prepare a backup plan—isn’t this holding them back? What do they mean by this? “You have to be wary; God might turn against you!” This is the poison they plant in people. After hearing this, people think, “That’s right, how could I have been so foolish? I almost sold my house—if I didn’t do my duty well and got dismissed, I wouldn’t even have a home to go back to. Thankfully, they reminded me, otherwise I would have done something stupid.” What a “kind” reminder, but there is quite a lot of poison in it, and it runs deep! Have you heard such rumors? They sound like they’re being so good to people, so considerate, with such great “love.” These people are neither relatives nor friends with those they talk to, there isn’t any blood relation between them—it’s just because they all believe in God that these people can have such great “love” for those they talk to. People think, “This is really God’s protection! I’d better think things over first, then. If I’m always perfunctory when I go to do my duty, what would I do if I get sent away? So, when I do my duty, I need to be cautious; I should do more work that makes me look good, avoid making mistakes, and even if I do make mistakes, I can’t let others find out. That way, I won’t get sent away, right? Even if I do get sent away, it’s fine; I have a backup plan, I have savings, and my house is still there. Isn’t it just that God isn’t considerate of people’s feelings and doesn’t go by fleshly feelings? Regardless, what is there to fear? People go by their feelings, there is love everywhere in the human world!” This one “heartwarming” statement creates “friendship” among people, but where does it put God? It makes God a third or fourth priority, it makes Him an outsider, as if God is not trustworthy and only people are worth trusting, only people are considerate of others. This one statement produces such a significant effect, it’s so “timely”! Do you like hearing such words? Although you know there is malice hidden in their words, you still hope someone can give you a hint, can help you, can give you a warning from someone who has been there when you don’t know what lies ahead, can say a heartfelt word to you. This statement is so “crucial,” so “important”! Isn’t this completely buying into their words? The “thoughtless” words of this rumor-fabricator have bought people and sold God out. How is this action? Is it decent? (No.) What kind of person would you say this is? In people’s eyes, they are a good person, a kind person, but in the eyes of those who understand the truth, this person is a muddler. Judging from their actions and behavior, they completely act as Satan’s servant, they are a genuine devil! Is saying this accurate? (Yes.) It is very accurate! It’s not the slightest bit off. They draw everyone into guarding against God, opposing God, and they do not say a single word that can edify people. Why don’t they? Because their heart is full of hostility and hatred toward God, their nature essence is that of Satan, and they inherently resist God and stand in opposition to Him. Some people say, “They inherently stand in opposition to God, so why do they still follow God?” To gain blessings! They want to finagle the outcome of being blessed from God’s house, yet they don’t want to pay any price or pursue the truth. They also want to undermine God, disturb God’s chosen people, and make them distance themselves from God and betray God. Such a person is undoubtedly a genuine devil. But some foolish people always fail to see through and recognize such people’s devilish faces. They can accept all the devilish words that align with human notions and the needs of fleshly feelings that these people say. Under the misleading of these people, they could betray and reject God at any moment—even if they don’t want to reject Him, it is beyond their control. Satan, devils, and Satan’s servants are so insidious and deceitful! They themselves resist God and stand in opposition to Him, they loathe the truth and do not accept it, and they even want to prevent more people from following God and pursuing the truth. In God’s house, these people play the role of being a conduit for Satan, speaking and acting for Satan. They serve as foils, specially used for people to grow in discernment. So, many of the things they say may not seem overly problematic on the surface. They even often quote God’s words, finding some evidence and sayings in God’s words, and then add some embellishment, making it seem like what they say greatly conforms to God’s words. But one thing is certain: What they say is contrary to the truth. When you hear what they say, it might seem right, but if you carefully compare it with God’s words, you can discern that it fundamentally does not conform to the truth. All those specious words they speak come from Satan. They are testing God, trying to find leverage from within God’s words, misinterpreting God’s words to condemn God and mislead God’s chosen people, causing them to speculate about, misunderstand, betray, and reject God, and so on. Therefore, aside from antichrists and evil people, those who fabricate rumors to mislead others are also a category of people in the church who should be discerned, guarded against, and cleared out.

F. Discerning People Who Spread Baseless Rumors and the Principles for Handling Them

How should we discern those in the church who fabricate rumors to mislead others? First, those who fabricate rumors absolutely do not pursue the truth; they are averse to it. Additionally, they often fabricate all sorts of devilish words and absurd statements and use them to mislead and draw in some brothers and sisters who are of small stature, have shallow foundations, and do not understand the truth. The effect they achieve is disturbing and damaging the normal order of church life, disturbing people’s normal pursuit and making them stray from the right path, making people negative and weak, and even causing them to abandon their duties and stop believing in God—this makes them even happier. Therefore, calling those who fabricate rumors Satan’s servants is a perfectly accurate description; this is the true face and the substance of such people, and it is easy to discern. Some people have a bit of reason; although they do not love the truth themselves, they do not express opinions about or interfere with how others pursue the truth. These people can be ignored. But some people envy and hate those who pursue the truth; they always judge and attack them while harboring certain intentions, and even seize leverage with which to condemn them. Such people should be guarded against. Although what these people say may sound quite right, logical, and in line with the literal meaning of God’s words, upon careful discernment, it is mostly lies and rumors, purely nonsense. These specious rumors and lies should be discerned. Some people say, “I have only believed in God for a short time, have read little of God’s words, and do not understand the truth. How can I discern rumors and lies?” The only way is, from today onward, to focus more on reading God’s words and to seek the truth in God’s words more, letting God’s words take root in your heart. With the guidance of God’s words and viewing matters according to the truth, you will have discernment. The rumors spread by these people will have no effect on you and will not disturb your normal pursuit. No matter what rumors they discuss or what nonsense they speak, you will not be shaken after hearing it, nor will you become negative and weak, or much less have any misunderstandings about God; you will just focus on pursuing in the right direction. This means that you have resistance—such servants of Satan will no longer have any effect in the church. There is no shortcut to learning how to discern rumors. The only way is to listen to sermons more, read God’s words more, and fellowship the truth more. When you attain an understanding of the truth, you will naturally have discernment. What is the purpose of reading God’s words and fellowshipping the truth? It is to understand the truth and discern those rumors and fallacies through reading God’s words. If you see that those rumors contradict and go against God’s words, being completely contrary to the truth, those rumors will collapse on their own. Of course, some people say, “I haven’t put in the effort to read God’s words and don’t understand just what the truth in God’s words is. I just remember one thing: In terms of conducting myself, I have to follow the crowd. Whatever most people reject, I also reject; whatever most people accept, I also accept. I just follow the crowd.” Is this correct? (No.) Sometimes the crowd is also wrong, and following the crowd means making mistakes with them. You must learn to follow those who understand the truth; only this is a good way.

Spreading baseless rumors is something that often happens in the church. Although this issue is not a major problem, its disturbance and harm to God’s chosen people are not small. At the least, it can make people negative and weak; at worst, it can cause people to distance themselves from God and even betray Him. Therefore, the spreading of rumors cannot be ignored. Once it happens in the church, it should be promptly stopped and restricted. If the church leaders are numb and dull-witted, unable to do real work, and cannot detect this issue, but some people with good caliber who pursue and understand the truth do detect it, then the latter group should step up to resolve this issue. Through seeking and fellowshipping with many people to reach a consensus and obtain confirmation, once it is determined that rumors are being spread, people should seek the truth to resolve the issue. If it is not clear that a certain remark is a fallacy, do not blindly label it. For remarks that are obvious and unmistakable, that are easily discernible as rumors and fallacies, they should be promptly exposed and dissected so everyone can discern them. If you cannot discern whether what someone says is a rumor or fallacy after hearing them speak one or two sentences, you should handle it cautiously and not blindly draw conclusions. Wait until they finish speaking to discern clearly. Once it is confirmed to be a rumor or fallacy, this person should be promptly stopped and restricted. If repeated admonitions and restrictions fail to restrict them, and they continue to persistently spread rumors, they should be cleared out of the church. Is the principle and path clear on what to do and how to practice when discovering someone spreading rumors in the church? (Yes.)

The content of rumors does not just involve the major issues I mentioned; there are also some rumors that are just little bits and pieces, such as remarks about pruning, or about whom God’s house uses and whom it eliminates, and other untrue statements. Before the church is thoroughly cleansed, there are false leaders, antichrists, various evil people, muddled people, blockheads who do not have spiritual understanding—there are all kinds of people in it. Liars and fabricators of rumors are a common sight, and there are all kinds of rumors and devilish talk among the people. Regarding these rumors, for one thing, people need to have normal reason to judge them; for another, for more serious rumors involving God’s work, God’s management plan, God Himself, and even the administrative decrees of God’s house and other matters, people need to have the truth to discern these. For external matters, people need to have the reason of normal humanity to judge them. For matters involving God’s work and the truth, people need to have the truth reality and stature to discern them. In short, regardless of the type of rumors, people should discern and reject them, not accept them. Of course, some people do not pursue the truth and just live by these rumors. Today, someone spreads a saying and it stirs the wind one way, and these people follow it. Tomorrow, another saying stirs the wind another way, and they then follow that. For example, some leader or worker says that those who can write testimonial articles can be made perfect, so they practice writing articles, study writing, and look up resources. The next day, another leader or worker says that those who do their duty can be saved, so they start busying themselves with doing duty. But no matter how busy they get, they are never anxious about or interested in the most important matter: pursuing the truth and life entry. The various wicked trends formed among the different groups in the church always sweep away some people. The various rumors generated among the church members always mislead and influence some people. However, there are also some people who remain indifferent and do not pay attention to these rumors which they hear. They take no notice of whatever work God’s house is doing; they are not interested in believing in God and are not true believers. These people are nominal believers. There is another group of people who are somewhat better; they can seek the truth and accept the truth, so they are not affected by these negative things and negative people. Only those with small stature, without a foundation, and who do not pursue the truth at all are always influenced by different sayings and remarks. Because these people always follow along, there are always some who fabricate various rumors to stir the pot. They feel that only this makes believing in God lively and exciting, and not dull, and it is the only way for them to feel important. These things often occur among new believers. If a church is overrun with the spreading of rumors and people being misled, it means there are definitely too few people who understand the truth in that church. In the church, those aforementioned people follow whatever rumors and whatever incitements those with ulterior motives cook up, which is very troublesome. This is partly due to poor caliber and is also a genuine manifestation of not understanding the truth. Most of what anyone who does not understand the truth says is not practical and is mixed with impurities; strictly speaking, it all amounts to lies. If it carries motives and purposes, then it is not just a lie but even more so a scheme of Satan and a conspiracy of evil people. Therefore, most of what people without the truth say is devilish talk and is not to be believed.

That concludes the fellowship on the topic of spreading baseless rumors. This matter of spreading rumors is the most revealing of people, and it allows the behaviors of different people to be clearly seen. You should now understand what attitude to have toward rumors and those who spread them, and what methods to use to handle them, right? (Right.) Once you understand, when you encounter such matters again, you should compare them against our fellowship, and use the most correct methods to address these issues. This conforms to the principles.

July 17, 2021