Next, we will fellowship on the third responsibility of leaders and workers—fellowshipping the truth principles that should be understood in order to do each duty properly. This is important and fundamental work of leaders and workers, and we will fellowship and dissect the manifestations of false leaders based on this responsibility. The ability of a leader or worker to clearly fellowship on the truth principles which people should understand to do their duties well is the best indicator of whether they possess the truth reality, and it is the key to determining whether they can do real work well. Now, let’s take a look at how false leaders handle this work. One characteristic of false leaders is their inability to thoroughly explain or clarify any issues involving truth principles. If someone seeks from them, they can only tell them some empty words and doctrines. When faced with problems that need resolution, they frequently respond with a statement like, “You are all experts in doing this duty. If you have problems, you should figure them out yourselves. Don’t ask me; I am not an expert, and I don’t understand. Address it on your own.” Some people might retort, “We are asking you because we can’t resolve the problem; we wouldn’t ask you if we could. We don’t understand this problem involving truth principles.” The false leaders reply, “Haven’t I already told you the principles? Do your own duties well, and don’t create disturbances or disruptions. What are you still asking about? Handle it as you see fit! God’s words have already been spoken: Prioritize the interests of God’s house.” Those people are left totally confused, thinking, “This is not a solution to the problem!” This is how false leaders treat work; they merely inspect it, go through the motions, and never address problems. Regardless of the issues people raise, false leaders tell them to seek the truth on their own. They often ask people, “Do you have any problems? How is your life entry? Are you doing your duties in a perfunctory manner?” Those people respond, saying, “Occasionally, I find myself in a perfunctory state, and through prayer, I resolve it and turn myself around, but I still don’t understand the truth principles of doing my duty.” The false leaders say, “Didn’t I fellowship the specific principles with you at the last gathering? I even provided you with several passages of God’s words. Shouldn’t you understand by now?” In fact, they understand all of the doctrine, but they are still unable to resolve their problems. The false leaders continue to spout high-sounding words, “Why can’t you resolve it? You just haven’t read God’s words thoroughly enough. If you pray more and read God’s words more, then all your problems will be resolved. You need to learn to discuss and find a way together, then your problems will eventually be resolved. As for professional issues, don’t ask me; my responsibility is to inspect the work. I’ve completed my task, and the rest involves professional matters, which I don’t understand.” False leaders often use reasons and excuses like “I don’t understand, I never learned it, I am not an expert” to fob people off and dodge questions. They may look quite humble; however, this exposes a serious issue with false leaders—they lack any understanding of problems involving professional knowledge in certain tasks, they feel powerless and appear extremely awkward and embarrassed. What do they do then? They can only gather several passages of God’s words to fellowship with everyone during gatherings, talking about some doctrines to exhort people. Leaders with a bit of kindness might show concern for people and ask them from time to time, “Have you faced any difficulties in your life recently? Do you have enough clothes to wear? Have there been any among you who are misbehaving?” If everyone says that they don’t have those issues, they reply, “Then there’s no problem. Carry on with your work; I have other matters to attend to,” and hastily leave, fearing that someone might bring up questions and ask them to address them, putting them in an embarrassing situation. This is how false leaders work—they can’t resolve any real problems. How can they effectively carry out the work of the church? As a result, the accumulation of unresolved issues eventually hinders the work of the church. This is a prominent characteristic and manifestation of how false leaders work.

In their work, false leaders are only enthusiastic about preaching, and they like most to speak words and doctrines, and say words to exhort and comfort people, thinking that as long as they get people to be energized and busy in the performance of their duties, it’s the same as them having done a good job. Additionally, false leaders are passionate about caring for the state of every person’s daily life. They frequently ask people if they’re encountering any difficulties in that regard, and if anyone really is, they are willing to help resolve these difficulties. They really busy themselves with these general affairs, sometimes even putting off meals, and often staying up late and waking up early. Given their busyness and hard work, why do the problems in the work of the church and the difficulties faced by God’s chosen people in doing their duties remain unresolved? This is because false leaders can never clearly explain the truth principles related to doing duties. The words and doctrines, and exhortations they speak are completely ineffective and cannot resolve real issues at all. Regardless of how much they say or how busy or exhausted they are, the church’s work never progresses. Although everyone seems to be doing their duties on the outside, they don’t achieve many actual results, because false leaders aren’t able to fellowship the truth principles associated with doing duties, or to use the truth to resolve real issues—therefore they are unable to resolve many issues that exist in the performance of duties. For instance, God’s house once needed to print books of God’s words, and a leader had to select two individuals to be in charge of this task. What are the standards for selecting people? Their humanity should be relatively good, they should be reliable, and able to take on risks. After the individuals were selected, this leader told them, “Today, I have called you two over to entrust a matter to you: God’s house has a book that needs to be printed, and I need you to find a printing factory, and after the copies are all printed, you must distribute them promptly into the hands of God’s chosen people, so that they can eat and drink God’s words without delay. Are you determined to carry out this task? Are you willing to take on this burden and this risk?” The two individuals believed that this was God lifting them up, so they said yes. The leader then asked them, “Do you resolve to fulfill God’s commission? Are you willing to swear an oath?” The two individuals then swore an oath, saying, “If we cannot fulfill God’s commission and make a mess of this task, causing the work of God’s house to suffer losses, then may we be struck by lightning and thunder from heaven. Amen!” The leader said, “Also, we need to fellowship on the truth. In doing this work now are you conducting business? Are you being asked to work as an employee?” The two individuals replied, “No, this is our duty.” The leader said, “Since it is your duty, you must repay God’s love. You can’t upset God or make Him worried. Being willing to take risks is not enough; you need to do your duty with loyalty. When you encounter issues, you should pray more and consult with each other. Don’t be willful or act of your own accord. Why did I pair you two up? It’s so you can discuss things when matters arise, making it easy for you to take action. If you cannot reach an agreement, then pray. Each person should let go of their own opinions, and only act when you have reached a consensus. I hope you two can complete this work successfully!” Finally, this leader found a passage of God’s words about how to do one’s duty well, and the three of them pray-read it several times. With that, the matter was considered entrusted to them, and the leader’s responsibility was considered fulfilled. How was the leader’s performance of this work? The leader felt quite satisfied, as did those two individuals. Onlookers commented, “This leader really knows a few things about getting work done; their speech is well-organized and well-founded, and they do things step by step. First, they assigned the task to those two, then they resolved their issues involving thoughts and viewpoints, and finally, they spoke some stern words, getting them to swear an oath and make a pledge. They truly did this work in a methodical manner, and they really deserve the title of leader—they are experienced and bear a burden.” In the end, the leader told them, “Remember this: Printing books is not an easy task, it is not something an ordinary person can take on. This work wasn’t entrusted to you by me or God’s house; it’s a commission from God. You mustn’t let Him down. As long as you complete this work well, your life will progress, and you will have reality.” In theory, there weren’t any issues of principle with these words; they could more or less be considered correct. So, let’s analyze this matter and see where the “false” manifested in this false leader. Did the leader provide any instructions on various detailed issues, such as the professional and technical aspects related to this task? Did they fellowship any specific truth principles or required standards? (No.) They merely uttered some empty and meaningless words—words that most people say often, words that lack any weight. Because the leader was personally speaking and giving instructions, people perceived these words as having more weight than normal, but in reality, they were some irrelevant talk and had no effect at all on resolving any real issues related to printing books. So, what are some specific issues involved in book printing? We should discuss them and see if the work that this leader did was that of a false leader.

First, printing books involves typesetting, and then there’s proofreading the text, formatting the table of contents and main text, as well as paper weight, color, and quality. There’s also the cover material, whether it should be soft or hard, and the design, color, pattern, and font for the cover. Finally, there’s the binding, whether to use adhesive or stitching. These are all issues that fall in the scope of book printing. Did the leader discuss any of these? (No.) Another issue is looking for a printing factory: whether the printing and binding machines are cutting-edge, what the quality of printing and binding is like, and the pricing—shouldn’t they have given instructions for all these things, as well as principles and scopes? If the leader had said, “I don’t understand these things; just look for whatever,” would they be a useful leader? Can the irrelevant words they spoke stand in for the various detailed issues involved in book printing? (No.) And yet, this false leader believed they could. They thought, “I’ve already fellowshipped so many truths, and I’ve told them all the principles. They should understand these things!” This “should” is the logic and problem-solving method of false leaders. In the end, when the books were printed, because the paper was of such poor quality and too thin, the text was visible on both sides, which made it very strenuous and difficult for older individuals and those with poor eyesight to read the books. There was also the issue of the final step, the binding process—whether or not the binding is up to standard affects the overall quality and lifespan of a book. Because the leader didn’t provide instructions, and those who carried out this work lacked principles and experience, and engaged in irresponsible haggling, the printing factory did shoddy work and used inferior materials to break even, and finally when the books were distributed to the brothers and sisters they started falling apart within two months. The covers and pages fell out, and the whole print job was done in vain. Whose responsibility was this? If someone were to be held accountable, the direct responsibility would lie with the two individuals in charge of printing the books, and the indirect responsibility would go to the false leader. The false leader even had an excuse, saying: “You can’t blame me for this job going badly; I don’t understand it either! I’ve never printed books, and I don’t own a printing factory. How am I supposed to know about these things?” Does this excuse hold up? As a leader, this work fell within their scope of responsibilities. Regardless of whether it was work that related to a profession, skill, a kind of knowledge, or the truth, they didn’t need to understand every part of it, but did they make an effort to learn about what they didn’t know? Did they fulfill their responsibilities in a serious and conscientious manner? Some people might say, “I want to fulfill my responsibilities, but I don’t understand this either. No matter how hard I try to learn, I just can’t get it!” This means that, as a leader, they are not up to standard; they are an out-and-out false leader. The brothers and sisters felt somewhat resentful because of the poor quality of the books, saying, “Although these books don’t cost us money, the quality is too poor! How did this leader do their job? How did they carry out this work?” When the leader heard this, they responded, “Can you blame me for that? I don’t own the printing factory, and I don’t have the final say. Moreover, isn’t this saving money for the house of God? Is it wrong to save money for the house of God?” The leader’s words were correct, they were not wrong; the leader did not need to take legal responsibility. However, there was one problem, which is that the money spent on printing the books went to waste. The books distributed to the brothers and sisters started falling apart and losing pages within two months. Who should bear the consequences? Wasn’t this the responsibility of the leader? This happened within the scope of their work, during the time that they served as a leader, so shouldn’t they take responsibility? They have to bear the blame; they can’t deny their responsibility! Some people might even speak in an unreasonable way, saying, “I’ve never done this job before. Am I not allowed to make mistakes at a job I’ve never done?” Just based on this statement, they are not qualified for their job, and they should be dismissed. They are not cut out to be a leader; they are a veritable false leader. Speaking a ton of pleasant-sounding words, but not doing any real work—this is the most obvious manifestation of a false leader.

Some false leaders are unable to do each item of real work properly and concretely with their feet planted firmly on the ground. They can only handle some general affairs, and then they believe that they are up-to-standard leaders, that they’re amazing, and they often boast, saying, “I have to worry about everything in the church, and I have to handle every problem. Can the church do without me? If I didn’t hold gatherings for you, wouldn’t you become like a pile of loose sand? If I didn’t keep an eye on and help maintain the film production work, wouldn’t there constantly be people disturbing it? Could the film production work proceed smoothly? Even though I’m a layman at hymn work, if I didn’t frequently come to inspect your work, hold the line for you, and organize gatherings for you, could you produce those hymns? How long would it take you to figure things out?” These statements may seem reasonable and correct, but if you look closely, how are the various items of professional work supervised by these false leaders progressing? Can they clearly fellowship the truth principles? (No.) One time, a film production team sought on the issue of costume colors. They took several still shots, and the backgrounds and people in the shots were different, but the costume colors were basically in one color scheme—they were all earthy grays and yellows. I asked, “What’s going on? Why are they wearing these colors?” They said that these colors were intentionally chosen, that they fished them out of a market through great toil and effort. I said, “Why did you choose these colors? Did the Above give you instructions about that? Didn’t the Above instruct you to use a variety of colors, and that the colors be dignified and decent? How did this result come about?” Finally, after inquiries, some people said, “Other colors don’t appear dignified and decent enough, or like those worn by believers in God or saints. Only this color scheme looks more like what believers should wear. So, everyone shared the view that wearing clothes in these kinds of colors is the most glorifying to God and best represents the image of the house of God.” I said, “I never told all of you to wear clothes in these colors. There are plenty of dignified and decent colors. Think about how beautiful the rainbow is that God established as a sign of His covenant with mankind. There’s red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—every color is represented, except the ones you’re wearing. Why did you choose those colors?” Did their leader do the concrete work of carrying out checks regarding these matters? I dare say that they absolutely did not. If the leader possessed pure comprehension and truly understood the truth and God’s requirements, the members of the film production team wouldn’t have chosen such costumes and consulted the Above about them. The issue of costumes could have been resolved at a lower level, but the false leader was incapable of addressing it. Instead, they shamelessly asked the Above about it. Shouldn’t a person like this be pruned? This false leader couldn’t even resolve this simplest problem—of what use are they? They are simply a piece of trash! They were asked to glorify God and bear witness to Him, but they ended up disgracing God. Don’t they understand quite a lot? Can’t they articulate a wealth of knowledge and doctrines? Then why were all those doctrines and all of that knowledge ineffective in this situation? How could they even fail to resolve and carry out checks regarding the issue of costumes? Have they had the effect they ought to as a leader? Have they fulfilled the responsibilities they ought to as a leader? This is a manifestation of a false leader. In any specific task, false leaders lack an understanding of the principles. They are incapable of providing timely correction and resolution to any issues of distorted comprehension of the truth, and of enabling people to find direction and a path through this. False leaders just utter words and doctrines and shout slogans; they are incapable of doing any concrete work.

Some false leaders are incapable of doing any concrete work, but they handle some insignificant general affairs, and think that this is doing concrete work, that it falls within the scope of their responsibilities. Furthermore, they handle these affairs in a very serious manner and really put in a lot of effort, carrying them out in a very decent fashion. For instance, there was an individual in the church who had previously worked as a pastry chef. One day, he decided out of the goodness of his heart that he just had to bake pastries for Me, and prepared to do so without informing Me about it. He asked his leaders if it was allowed, and they said, “Go ahead. If they taste good, we’ll offer them to God. If not, we can all eat them.” He had gotten the leaders’ authorization, which made this work legitimate and proper, so he quickly gathered the ingredients and baked a batch, saying, “I don’t know if they’ll taste good, or if they’ll be able to satisfy God, or if they’ll suit His tastes.” The leaders replied, “That’s alright. We’ll sacrifice some of our time and health, and take a little risk for God. We’ll taste them first and check them out for God. If they really don’t taste good and we ask God to eat them, He’ll feel annoyed and very disappointed in us. Therefore, as leaders, we have the responsibility and obligation to carry out checks regarding this matter. This is doing concrete work.” Subsequently, every head of a group who had a bit of “a sense of responsibility” tasted the pastries. After tasting them, they gave a review, saying, “The oven was too hot for this batch, the temperature was too high, and they’re likely to cause inner heat—they’re also a bit bitter. That’s no good! We need to have a responsible attitude and bake another batch and taste them again!” After tasting this batch, they said, “This one is about right. It has a buttery flavor, a taste of egg, and sesame too. It’s truly worthy of a pastry chef! Since there are so many, and God can’t finish all of these alone, let’s put 10 or 20 in a small jar, and offer to God to taste as a sample. If God finds them tasty, we can keep on baking them in larger batches.” They handed Me a jar, and I tried two of them. I thought them passable as a novelty, but not suitable as a main meal, so I stopped eating them. Some people even thought they were homemade by a member of God’s house, that they were full of love, loyalty, and fear, and carried a lot of meaning although they only tasted okay. Later, I returned the jar of pastries. I’m not interested in such things and I don’t have the appetite for them. Furthermore, if I’m craving pastries, I can buy them in various flavors and from different countries at the market without spending much money. Afterward, I told them, “I appreciate the gesture, but please don’t make any more for Me. I won’t eat them, and if I want some, I’ll just buy them Myself. If the need does arise, then just make them when I ask you to; if I don’t tell you to make them, then you don’t need to bake them again.” Wasn’t this easy enough to understand? If they were well-behaved and obedient, they would remember My words and refrain from making them again. When God speaks, yes means yes, no means no, and “don’t make any” means “don’t make any.” However, after some time had passed, they sent Me two more jars of pastries. I said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to make them anymore?” They replied, “These are different from last time.” I responded, “Even if they’re different, they’re still pastries. There’s no need to make any pastries at all. I’m not being polite—if I want some, I’ll let you know. Can’t you understand human language? Don’t make them anymore.” Are these words comprehensible? (Yes.) Yet why did the person making them always seem to forget? If his leaders could keep check on him, not actively cooperate with him or encourage him to do this, and could promptly restrict him, would the person making pastries still dare to do it? At the very least, he wouldn’t do it so boldly and unscrupulously. So, what effect did those leaders have in this situation? They micromanaged every detail, stuck their noses in everything, and took charge of making checks on My behalf. They were so “loving” that words can’t describe it. Is this the work they were supposed to be doing? There were no instructions to do this within the principles of the work of God’s house, and I didn’t entrust them with this task; it was initiated by people, I did not request it. So why did these leaders carry out this task so proactively? This is a manifestation of false leaders: not tending to their proper work. There were so many tasks in the church that needed to be followed up on, inspected, and urged on by them, and so many real problems that needed to be resolved by them fellowshipping the truth, but they didn’t do any of that work. Instead, they were idle enough to taste pastries for Me in the kitchen. In this matter, they were quite serious and put in a lot of effort. Isn’t this what false leaders do? Isn’t it already very disgusting? I never expected that, after some time had passed, this matter would resurface. The person who made the pastries wanted to start making them for Me again. I specifically told one leader, “You go and resolve this. You need to explain this to him clearly. If he does it again, I’ll hold you accountable!” With so much work to do in the church, any task would keep them busy for a while. Why were they so idle? Were they here to fatten themselves up or engage in idle chit-chat? This isn’t the place for those things. Afterward, there was no further news about this matter. Once I had given that instruction, the leader didn’t provide any reports. In any case, no one sent Me those small pastries again, which was quite a relief. Judging by this incident, can we say these leaders weren’t tending to their proper work? (Yes.) This matter isn’t even that serious; there are more severe ones.