B. Loving to Take Advantage

The second type of people is those who love to take advantage. Some people definitely have notions when it comes to fellowshipping about the love of taking advantage, thinking, “Which corrupt human doesn’t love to take advantage? It’s human nature; as long as it’s not committing evil, what’s so serious about taking a little advantage?” The love of taking advantage that we’re fellowshipping about here goes beyond the scope of normal people’s love of taking advantage—it reaches the extent of evil. There should be quite a few people of this type in the church, or at the very least a portion. Under the pretext that “we’re all brothers and sisters,” they take advantage everywhere, taking advantage among brothers and sisters, in God’s house, and in the church. What advantages do they take? For instance, if their family needs to buy a house but they don’t have enough money, they don’t turn to relatives or friends to borrow it, nor do they go to the bank for a loan; they borrow from the brothers and sisters, without mentioning interest, or when they will repay the loan—they just borrow it. To say they are “borrowing” it is putting it nicely; the fact is that they’re just taking it, because they never intend to repay the money or pay interest. Why do they target the brothers and sisters? They think that since they are all brothers and sisters, they should help out in times of difficulty, and if someone doesn’t help, then they’re not a brother or sister. Thus, they go to the brothers and sisters to borrow money, coming up with reasons to make the brothers and sisters feel that it’s only right and proper to lend them money. Some other people see that a brother’s or sister’s family owns a car and keeps thinking about it, constantly asking to borrow it every few days or so. They borrow it but don’t return it, and don’t refill the gas, and sometimes even put dents in the bodywork or crash it. They hanker and scheme after any nice food, useful items, or anything of value they see in others’ homes, coveting it for themselves. Whosever home they go to, their eyes gleam with thievish greed as they search and look everywhere, looking for any advantage to be gained or any things they could take—even a small potted plant won’t escape their grasp. When going out or dining with others, they never offer to pay for the transportation or meal. Whenever they see something nice they want to buy it, but when the time comes to pay up, they get others to foot the bill for them and afterward they don’t even bring up the matter of paying them back; they simply want to take advantage, even if it’s just gaining a penny or a nickel. If you want to have nice things, you can pay for them yourself; if you don’t want to pay with your own money, then don’t seek to take advantage of others either, and don’t be so greedy; you should have some integrity to earn respect from other people. But this type of individual lacks integrity, only wanting to take advantage, and feeling increasingly joyful the more advantage they take. Is the emergence of such people in the church a disgrace or a glory? (A disgrace.) It is a disgrace. Would you say that them taking advantage like this is necessary? Is it because they can’t afford meals or afford to put food on their family’s table? Not at all. In fact, they have enough money to spend and enough food to eat; it’s just that their greed is so great, to the point that it strips them of their integrity, and to the point that it inspires loathing and revulsion from others. Is such a person good? (No.) Some people always look to take advantage when doing their duties, feeling aggrieved if they lose out even slightly, and feeling the need to speak up about it. When assigned a task, they always bring up the topic of money: “The travel expenses for one trip will be such-and-such, the accommodation will cost such-and-such, the meals will cost such-and-such, and so on.” They are told, “Don’t worry about the money, the church will provide it.” But after receiving the money, they brood over it, saying: “This isn’t enough. What can I do out there with just 200 yuan? There’s a saying, ‘Be thrifty at home but take plenty of money when traveling.’ I have to bring some more backup money; if I don’t use it all, I’ll give the remainder back to the church.” When they return, they don’t mention anything about there being any money left over, nor do they report their expenses. They even dare to take advantage of the church; would they dare to embezzle God’s offerings? (Yes.) What sort of creatures are they? They lack integrity, as well as conscience and reason. Would God approve of such people? Some others even go to gathering places or host locations in order to bathe, wash their hair, and do laundry, using the church’s washing machine, water heater, shampoo, laundry detergent, and so on; they even take advantage of these amenities, using the church’s things to save on their own. They think that because they believe in God, they are part of God’s house, and thus any item belonging to God’s house is theirs to use freely, thinking that it would be a waste not to use it, or not to take it, or not to gain some advantage from it; and even if they break it, they have no intention of compensating. When it comes to their own belongings, they know to use them sparingly and take meticulous care of them, but they use the equipment and items of God’s house however they wish, without providing compensation if they break them. Are these good people? They certainly aren’t anything good. Especially in certain cases where the church needs to purchase some items, they actively volunteer, being particularly willing to handle such tasks. Why are they so eager? They believe there is profit to be gained, and advantages to be taken; after buying the items, they pocket any leftover money for themselves. They want to take advantage of whatever they can, thinking it would be a waste not to; this is the logic they adhere to. If they can’t take advantage, they curse the brothers and sisters and curse God’s house—they curse everyone; they are simply an evil demon, a stinking beggar, a card-carrying panhandler, holding their bowl out everywhere to wangle benefits and take advantage. People say, “You’re always asking for something; aren’t you just a stinking beggar?” They respond, “It’s fine, call me anything—a miser, a tight-fisted person, a stinking beggar, a panhandler, a pauper—as long as I can gain an advantage, it’s okay.” Do people of this type have any integrity? (No.) Don’t such people cause a certain level of disturbance to the brothers and sisters? Especially to those families living in difficult circumstances, with poor finances, don’t they cause a certain level of disturbance and harm? (Yes.) Could they negatively influence those who are young in stature and particularly vulnerable? (Yes.) People feel disgust at the mere sight of them; everyone who sees them gets annoyed, yet they are all too embarrassed to refuse, thus allowing themselves to be so blatantly extorted by them. Everyone knows they have bad humanity and lowly character, but, considering they are all brothers and sisters, and seeing that they are sometimes able to do some duties, and have a modicum of belief, and can occasionally exert a bit of effort by hosting at their home—for the sake of these things, most people turn a blind eye to their behavior of taking advantage wherever they go, and don’t regard it seriously. However, the disturbances they cause within the church grow increasingly significant, enough to make most people feel uneasy; isn’t this a problem? (Yes.) These individuals, even if they are not rabid dogs that bite at people everywhere and can bite them to death, are like noisome flies whose pestering gives people no respite. If they are not cleared out, they will cause endless disturbance. Their remaining in the church will constantly lead to disaster, depriving people of peace. After being disturbed, people feel quite irritated, often harboring an aversion to such individuals; yet having no solution, they just put up with it, time and again. What kind of individuals are they? There are even such despicable scoundrels among people; why do such individuals even believe in God? They simply do not deserve to live! Taking advantage of whatever they can—how shameful! Just enjoy as many material things as your abilities allow; if you lack the capability, then do not enjoy, or embezzle that which belongs to others. If you take advantage in some small, insignificant way because others charitably offer something for free now and then, or because you have a particular liking for something, or fall in love with something, everyone can forgive that. As the saying goes, “Poverty limits ambition;” it’s not a big problem. But if you’re always seeking advantages like this, to the point of becoming shameless and unabashed about it, and turning into a stinking beggar, or turning into a rabid dog or a fly in everyone’s eyes, then you should be immediately cleared out. People of this type should be handled once and for all, to put an end to all of these issues.

For those who love to take advantage, how much can you tolerate them? If you really can’t stand them, and feel like you’ve swallowed a dead fly after being taken advantage of by them—with most of you getting uncontrollably angry and constantly complaining about them when you are together—then at this point, shouldn’t they have been cleared out already? (Yes.) When it becomes intolerable, when it reaches the limit, everyone should join hands to clear them out. This is removing a scourge from God’s house, it is a matter that greatly pleases people. Such a person is just a lowlife, causing unrest among most people. This constitutes a malignant incident that disturbs and disrupts church life, forcing people to come together to fellowship and solve the problem concerning this person. This practice is justified, as the disturbance caused by the evil person has already harmed some people. To prevent the evil person from continuing to do evil, to maintain the normal order of church life, and to prevent God’s chosen people from being harmed any further, the evil person should be quickly handled and cleansed away. If they can report the church after being cleared out, it should be wisely conveyed to them: “You are not being cleared out or expelled. Go home for isolation and reflect on yourself. Once you’ve reflected properly, write a letter of repentance, and then we can welcome you back to the church. For now, you should try to earn more money and enjoy life; additionally, ponder over the matter of believing in God. This way, you won’t be neglecting either aspect.” How does that sound? (Good.) We won’t say they are being cleared out or expelled; it’s just that from today on, this person will no longer be in the church. How about handling it this way? (It’s good.) It’s great! There’s no need for arguments or settling accounts, just a simple and clear solution, letting them go back to the world to work, make money, and live their own life. In summary, the humanity of those who love to take advantage is not all that great. Although it cannot be said to be evil, their character of loving to take advantage makes them quite annoying and detestable. They exploit every possible opportunity! Even if such people do not engage in illegal or criminal activities, the long-term disruptions and disturbances their actions and behaviors bring to church life—these consequences—are more serious than any evil deed; they are sufficient to characterize them as disbelievers or evil people to be cleared out of the church. Doing this completely stops the disturbances to the church and the harassment of the brothers and sisters by disbelievers.

We previously fellowshipped about a special way of handling those who love to take advantage, a method that was devised based on the special circumstances of persecution in the mainland. In churches abroad, it is fine to just directly clear them out. However, regardless of what kind of people a handling method is directed at, it is essential to ensure that it is both principled and wise. The church has administrative decrees and rules, all aimed at protecting normal church life for the brothers and sisters and the normal order of doing duties. If anyone disturbs the brothers and sisters’ church life or their performance of duty, this is not allowed; that person will be spurned by God. Certainly, any harassment or interference with the daily lives of the brothers and sisters is not permitted. This is an issue that leaders and workers should be responsible for resolving. There might be individuals who are relatives, friends, or acquaintances of the brothers and sisters, who, under the guise of “the brothers and sisters,” seek to draw in and mislead the brothers and sisters, preventing them from doing their duties. Leaders and workers, or the brothers and sisters, have an obligation and responsibility to handle such individuals. Their behavior and actions obstruct others from doing their duties and following God, and also cause disturbances to the work of the church, so leaders and workers should come forward to resolve the situation and impose restrictions. Certainly, we have appropriate methods for dealing with and handling such individuals. There is no need to resort to hitting or scolding; we simply make clear to them the essence of their problem and the accusations and charges from the majority of God’s chosen people against them, eventually telling them: “Clearing you out is a decision made and signed off on by the majority. Whether you agree or not, the church has the authority to make this decision and handle you accordingly. You should obey.” This issue is thus resolved, and such handling is entirely principled. For those who love to take advantage, they should be treated and handled according to principles. If they want to borrow something to take advantage of you, you can lend it to them if you wish, or refuse if you do not want to; the decision is yours. Lending to them is an act of kindness; refusing is your right. If they say, “Aren’t we all brothers and sisters? How stingy, not even willing to lend something!” you can reply: “This is my property, and I have the right not to lend it. This is in line with principles. Don’t pressure me with ‘we are all brothers and sisters’; what you’re saying is not the truth. Unless God says, ‘You must lend it to them,’ only then will I lend it to you.” No one has the right to extort or borrow personal property under the pretense of the church or the idea that “We’re all believers and all brothers and sisters.” Is this the truth? (Yes.) This is the truth. Only by adhering to this truth can fairness be ensured for everyone, and everyone can enjoy their true rights. But if someone uses the excuses of “the needs of the work of God’s house,” “the needs of the church’s work,” or “the needs of the brothers and sisters” to extort or borrow personal items, does this align with the truth? (It does not.) Are you entitled to refuse requests that do not align with the truth? (Yes.) And if someone labels you as stingy or miserly for refusing, would you be afraid? (No.) If someone makes a big deal out of this matter, claiming you do not support the church’s work or that you lack love for the brothers and sisters, causing the brothers and sisters to reject and isolate you, would you be afraid? You would back down. At that moment, you’d think, “What’s the big deal about lending a car? It’s fine no matter whether the church, God’s house, or the brothers and sisters borrow it. It’s better not to offend the brothers and sisters. Offending one person isn’t scary, but if all the brothers and sisters are offended, and their hearts grow cold toward me, leaving me isolated, what should I do?” Since you believe in God, what is there to fear? Their isolation of you does not mean they possess the truth or that their actions align with the truth. The truth is always the truth. It is the truth regardless of whether a minority or a majority of people agree with it. Without the truth, even if the minority submits to the majority, it is not the truth. This is a fact that no one can deny. Whether someone possesses the truth reality does not depend on how pleasantly they speak, but on whether they can put the truth into practice and act according to principles. For example, you bought a new computer for the purpose of doing your duty, and someone wants to borrow it, claiming it’s for the church’s work. You refuse to lend it to them, and they say: “You lack love, you don’t love God, you’re not self-sacrificing. Even this bit of sacrifice is beyond you.” Are these words correct? Do they align with the truth? (No.) You should respond: “The computer is for doing my duty. I am currently doing my duty, so I cannot be without my computer. If you borrowed my computer, wouldn’t that affect my performance of duty? Would that be in line with the truth? What exactly do you need the computer for? You say it’s for church work; if that’s the case, then you need to find someone to prove it. Moreover, even if it’s for church work, you shouldn’t be borrowing from me. What should I use for doing my duty if you take my computer? That’s incredibly selfish of you! Don’t exploit the needs of the church’s work as an excuse to take advantage, I won’t fall for that. Don’t think I’m some muddled person who lacks discernment; you’re looking to take advantage, but it’s not going to happen!” It’s necessary to speak this way to such people, to avoid falling into Satan’s trap. Is this issue easy to resolve? Once you understand the truth and act according to principles, you won’t have to fear what anyone says. Pay no mind to their false labeling of you; that bit of doctrine they spout won’t convince anyone at all. The manifestations of the humanity of those who love to take advantage and the principles for handling them have thus been simply fellowshipped.

Regarding those in the church who love to take advantage, for one thing, people need to discern them more accurately and practically, and for another, people must understand the truth; they must be clear in their hearts about the stance they should take toward believing in God, the work they should do, the principles they should uphold, and the attitude they should have toward people, events, and things. Do not follow the crowd, nor fear offending people, and especially do not forfeit the principles and stance you should have in order to please certain individuals, ending up pleasing people but hurting God’s heart, making God detest you. If it is an action that aligns with principles, then even if your doing it offends people or causes you to be castigated behind your back, that is of little consequence; if it is an action that does not align with principles, however, then even if by doing it you gain approval and support from everyone, and get along with everyone—but the one thing is that you cannot account for it before God—you have suffered a loss. If you maintain relationships with the majority, making them happy and satisfied and earning their praise, but you offend God, the Creator, then you are a supreme fool. Therefore, whatever you do, you must clearly understand whether it aligns with principles, whether it pleases God, what God’s attitude toward it is, what stance people should take, what principles people should uphold, how God has instructed, and how you should do it—you should first be clear about this. Your associations with others and your material exchanges and dealings with others—are these built upon a foundation of aligning with principles? Are they built upon a foundation of pleasing God? If not, then all you do, no matter how well you maintain it, how perfectly you do it, or how much praise you receive from others, will not be remembered by God. Thus, the principles of your associations and interactions with anyone should not be concerned with whether they take advantage of you or whether you take advantage of them—they should not be built on this foundation. Rather, these principles should be concerned with whether what you do aligns with the truth principles. Only then can it truly be considered “in light of our belief in God”; only then can you say, “We are all believers, all brothers and sisters”; only then can you take this as a premise. Aside from matters related to life entry, duty, and church work, any other interactions should not be based on the premise of “the brothers and sisters.” If it doesn’t involve duty, life entry, or normal interactions between people, but someone always uses the “brothers and sisters” guise as an excuse to achieve a certain goal, they are undoubtedly seeking to use such statements, methods, and advantageous conditions as a pretext to take advantage and scheme for their personal benefits. God’s chosen people should be vigilant about this, addressing such issues with wisdom to avoid being taken in. This is because most people in the church do not understand the truth, and some are even disbelievers, acting without principles and committing reckless misdeeds. Them doing things under the guise of the “brothers and sisters” is what most easily influences and disturbs the church’s work. What is the purpose of saying all this today? It is to make it clear that whether in communication or interactions with others, the foundation should be based on the truth principles. This prevents improper dealings between people; of course, it also prevents those who love to take advantage from finding loopholes to exploit, and simultaneously prevents those who are overly concerned with their face or weak in humanity from always being taken advantage of, always being cheated, and always suffering losses. Some people—despite the obvious difficulty of their own family’s circumstances—end up “putting on a brave face” at their own expense, lending their hard-earned money because someone who loves to take advantage asks to borrow it, claiming to have chosen these people because they think highly of them. What happens after the money is lent out? The borrower disappears. Then, the lender complains about God for not protecting them. Is this having reason? Did you think that believing in God means you don’t have to think when doing something, that God will take care of everything? Doesn’t that make you a useless person? God requires people to be honest, wise, and act according to the truth principles. Can’t you understand this? If you don’t act according to these truth principles, then you deserve to always suffer losses and be taken in. In the end, when there’s no way out in your life, whom can you blame? You brought it upon yourself. Your actions were not out of love; they were stupid! You lent money to a swindler to please them, but when you need money, could you ask for it from God’s house? Should God’s house bear this responsibility for you? By expecting God’s house to cover this expense, aren’t you being indebted to God? Without a way out in life, how can you do your duty? If you pray to God, God might not satisfy you; this would be a case of reaping what you’ve sown, and deservedly so. Who told you to be so stupid! Did God tell you to trust that person? Did He tell you to lend them money? He did not; it was your personal action, not representing God’s intention. If your personal actions are in error and lead to adverse consequences, you can only bear the responsibility yourself. Why should you make God’s house be responsible, or God be accountable for you? Why complain about God for not protecting you? You are an adult; why lack the judgment expected of one? Would you lend money to just anyone who asks out in society? You’d have to think about it, wouldn’t you? Why would you lend money to someone just because they added mention of the title of “the brothers and sisters” to their request? Does this not show that you are foolish? You are not just foolish, you are stupid; stupid to the extreme! Do you think that all the brothers and sisters are genuinely believing in God, that they all understand the truth? At least a third of them do not love the truth, and are disbelievers. Can’t you discern this? Do you think all the brothers and sisters are the objects of God’s salvation, truly belonging to God? Don’t you know that “Many are called, but few are chosen”? Whom do the brothers and sisters represent? They represent corrupt humankind! If you trust them, aren’t you being stupid? Regardless of what adverse consequences your personal actions result in, don’t go looking for God’s house or for the brothers and sisters; no one can cover for you, nor does anyone have the obligation to bear the responsibility for you. You brewed the bitterness, you bear it; the accountability lies with you. Also, don’t bring these matters into church life for fellowship and discussion; no one wants to hear it, and others are not obligated to deal with your messy affairs. If someone truly wants to help you, the two of you can solve it privately. Understand?

Fellowshipping on these matters serves as a reminder to people, broadens their knowledge, and sounds a warning bell for them, making it clear that among those who believe in God, there are all kinds of people. There’s an important point you must remember, which I have mentioned several times before: Those who believe in God are chosen from corrupt humankind. What does this imply? It implies that every individual has been corrupted by Satan, everyone has corrupt dispositions and is capable of doing evil to various degrees, and, within the right context, is capable of doing things that resist God. Misrepresenting facts and falsehoods and loving to take advantage, which we’ve just fellowshipped about, are done by believers; nonbelievers are irrelevant to us, so we won’t mention them here. These manifestations of humanity that we’ve fellowshipped are precisely the manifestations of those who believe in God. So, do not regard the title of “the brothers and sisters” as something grand, noble, or sacred and inviolable. If you do, that’s stupidity on your part. God has never said, “The brothers and sisters are precious. Once they become brothers and sisters, they are holy, they become God’s confidants, completely trustworthy; you can fully trust them, and whatever they say or do is the truth.” This has never occurred; these are your notions and imaginings. If up to now you still cannot see the actual connotation behind the title “the brothers and sisters,” then you are truly stupid; you have listened to the sermons all these years in vain. You haven’t even figured out what kind of person you are, yet you so trust others, regarding them—the brothers and sisters—as so hallow and grand, yammering on about how “the brothers and sisters dislike this,” “the brothers and sisters are angry,” “the brothers and sisters are suffering,” “the brothers and sisters this and that,” speaking of the brothers and sisters with such affection. Have you seen anywhere in God’s words that says the brothers and sisters are so noble and hallow, so trustworthy? Not a single sentence, right? Then why would you view them that way? That makes you a downright fool. Therefore, regardless of how much disadvantage or loss you suffer from the brothers and sisters, it’s entirely your own fault. In the end, consider the losses and disadvantages you suffer as tuition fees. This is a lesson for you to take in. You must always remember: The brothers and sisters do not represent the truth, much less do they represent God; they are not equivalent to God’s intimates, God’s witnesses, or God’s beloved children. Who are the brothers and sisters? They are corrupt humans, just like you; they have notions about God, don’t love the truth, are averse to the truth, possess an arrogant disposition, possess vicious and wicked dispositions, are capable of setting themselves up as enemies of God in every respect, doing their duties perfunctorily, and even taking advantage of the other brothers and sisters under the guise of believing in God. What is the purpose of saying all this? It’s not to sow discord between you and the brothers and sisters but to help you see everyone’s true colors clearly, treat the title “the brothers and sisters” correctly, treat the people around you correctly, and establish proper interpersonal relationships with everyone. Do not try to establish or maintain good relationships with others through personal favors, material exchanges, flattery, ingratiation, concession-making, or other such means, with the goal of integrating yourself among the brothers and sisters. This is unnecessary, and everything you do in this regard is abominable and detestable to God. What, then, is the best way to live, the best attitude and principle for living to have, among people? It is the word of God. What do God’s words say? They say to establish proper and normal interpersonal relationships. How are these relationships established? Interact, speak, and associate with others based on God’s words. For instance, if someone is moving and asks if you have time to help, if you are willing, you can go; if you are unwilling because you are afraid it might affect your duty, you can refuse. This is your right and, of course, also the principle you should follow. You do not need to make concessions, reluctantly and conflictedly agreeing out of fear of offending them or disrupting the harmony among the brothers and sisters, and then feel unwilling in your heart afterward, impinging upon the performance of your duties as a result. You know full well that doing so goes against principles, yet you still allow others to extort you and order you around like a slave for the sake of satisfying them and maintaining good relations. You satisfying other people is not a good deed, and will not be remembered by God. What you are doing is merely to maintain interpersonal relationships; you are not acting for the sake of the church’s work or to do your duty, much less is it your responsibility or obligation. God will never remember such actions, and even if you do them, you do so in vain. So, when encountering such matters, shouldn’t you seriously and carefully consider how to choose? Some people get asked for help, but their duties actually keep them very busy, and they had just managed to find the time to attend a gathering or do some spiritual devotions. They clearly don’t want to go, and according to the principles, they shouldn’t go either. But, because they care too much about face, they can’t bring themselves to say no. In the end, what happens? They allow those lowly, advantage-seeking individuals to exploit them, squandering the time that should have been dedicated to their life entry. Isn’t that a loss? It’s a well-deserved one! Suffering such a loss doesn’t merit the sympathy or pity of others at all. Why say it’s a deserved loss? Who made you disregard God’s words? Who made you fear offending people? If you prefer not to offend people over listening to God’s words, then you justly deserve this loss! Some say, “People don’t live in a vacuum; there must be interactions between people.” What matters is how you interact. Which is in line with the truth principles, aligns with God’s intentions, and benefits your life entry more: interactions based on principles, or interactions without principles, being a people pleaser who tries to smooth everything over? You know which one to choose, don’t you? If you know how to choose yet you still get trapped in the mire, the ultimate consequence is yours alone to bear. Isn’t that obvious? (Yes.)

There are still more manifestations of the humanity of evil people, and today’s fellowship was limited, focusing only on the aspects of loving to misrepresent facts and falsehoods and loving to take advantage of others. Only after hearing about these two aspects do most people begin to have some feeling and discernment, saying, “So this is what bad humanity is like!” But such people do indeed exist in the church, so what should be done? Their presence is not a big issue, as the church has principles and regulations; it can adopt appropriate measures to handle such individuals. The purpose of today’s fellowship on these matters is to enable most people to have a clear understanding and discernment of these two types of evil people, and then to work together to clear them out.

November 20, 2021