Item Fourteen: Promptly Discern, and Then Clear Out or Expel All Manner of Evil People and Antichrists (Part Five)

The Attitude That Leaders and Workers Should Have Toward the Work of Cleansing the Church

This year, we’ve been continuously fellowshipping on the responsibilities of leaders and workers, and the manifestations of all kinds of people involved. The topics of fellowship have become increasingly detailed and specific, involving the various problems of all kinds of people, and the fellowship on the specific manifestations of these people and the categories they should be divided into has also been very specific and clear. The more specifically and clearly these detailed problems are fellowshipped, the more positive help and guidance it should provide for the life entry of God’s chosen people, and the more guidance and assistance it should offer for leaders and workers to work and do their duties. However, no matter how the fellowship is carried out, no matter how specific the fellowship is, some leaders and workers are still unclear about how to handle and dispose of the various types of people and issues in the church. The issues of all kinds of people are fellowshipped so clearly, yet some leaders and workers still cannot perceive how to discern and treat the different kinds of people. They still cannot act according to the truth principles, nor can they use the truth to handle the various types of people and issues in the church. What is the reason for this? Such people lack the truth reality. Through fellowship on the manifestations of all kinds of people, one should have a basic discernment of and make reasonable arrangements for those in the church who do their duties and those who do not, those who pursue the truth and those who do not, those who are obedient and submissive, and those who cause disruptions and disturbances. However, looking at the situation of all kinds of people in the church, only the obviously evil people have been cleared out; many disbelievers have not been thoroughly cleared out. In the work of cleansing the church, leaders and workers should cooperate with God’s work to cleanse the evil people and disbelievers away as soon as possible, rather than approach it passively, acting as people pleasers, or thinking that just cleansing the obviously evil people away means everything is settled and fine. Leaders and workers should actively inspect the work of each team, verify the situations of each team’s members, whether there are any disbelievers there just to make up the numbers or disbelievers spreading negativity and notions to disturb the church’s work, and once discovered, these people should be thoroughly exposed and cleared out. This is the work that leaders and workers should do; they should not be passive, should not wait for orders and urging from the Above to act, nor should they only do a little something when the brothers and sisters all call for it. In their work, leaders and workers should be considerate of God’s intentions and be loyal to Him. The best way for them to behave is to proactively recognize and solve problems. They must not remain passive, especially when they have these current words and fellowship to act as a basis. They should take the initiative to thoroughly resolve actual problems and difficulties by fellowshipping on the truth, and do their work exactly how they ought to. They should promptly and proactively follow up on the progress of the work; they cannot always wait for orders and urging from the Above before they reluctantly take action. If leaders and workers are always negative and passive and do not do real work, they are unworthy of serving as leaders and workers, and should be dismissed and reassigned. There are many leaders and workers now who are very passive in their work. They only ever do a bit of work after the Above sends orders and pushes them; otherwise, they slack off and procrastinate. The work in some churches is quite chaotic, some of the people who do duties there are incredibly slack and perfunctory, and do not get any real results. These problems are already very severe, and terrible in nature, but the leaders and workers of those churches still act like officials and overlords. Not only are they unable to do any real work, they cannot recognize or solve problems. This paralyzes the church’s work and causes it to stagnate. Wherever a church’s work is in a terrible mess and there is no sign of order, there is definitely a false leader or an antichrist holding power. In every church where a false leader holds power, the church’s work is in shambles and a complete mess—there is no doubt about that. For instance, many of the issues in the American churches were discovered with My own ears or eyes. Most of the issues I’ve seen were resolved on the spot; for some other ones, I asked the leaders of the American churches to resolve them. However, the majority of the work of leaders and workers is done very passively, with follow-ups being too slow and efficiency too low, with most of their daily tasks being carried out only after orders and urging from the Above. After the Above arranges work, they will be busy for a while, but once that bit of work is done, they don’t know what to do next because they don’t understand what duties they should do. They are never clear about the work that falls within the scope of the responsibilities of leaders and workers which they should perform; in their eyes, there is no work that needs to be done. What is going on when people don’t think there’s any work that needs to be done? (They do not bear a burden.) Accurately speaking, they do not bear a burden; they are also very lazy and covet comfort, take as many breaks as possible whenever they can, and try to avoid any extra tasks. These lazy people often think, “Why should I worry so much? Worrying too much will just make me age faster. How will I benefit from doing that, and from running around so much, and exhausting myself so much? What will happen if I burn out and get sick? I don’t have the money to pay for treatment. And who will take care of me when I’m old?” These lazy people are just this passive and backward. They have not an ounce of the truth, and cannot see anything clearly. They are clearly a bunch of muddled people, are they not? They are all muddled-headed; they are oblivious to the truth and have no interest in it, so how can they be saved? Why are people always undisciplined and lazy, as though they are the living dead? This touches on the issue of their nature. There is a kind of laziness in human nature. No matter what task people are doing, they always need someone to supervise and urge them. Sometimes people are considerate of the flesh, covet physical comfort, and always hold something back for themselves—these people are full of devilish intentions and cunning schemes; they are truly no good at all. They always do less than their best, no matter what important duty they are doing. This is irresponsible and disloyal. I have said these things today to remind you not to be passive at work. You must be able to follow whatever I say. If I were to go to various churches and find out or see that you’ve done a lot of work, that you’ve worked very efficiently, and that work is progressing very quickly, that it has reached a satisfying level, and everyone has done their best, I would be quite pleased. If I were to go to various churches and see that the progress of work in all aspects is slow, proving that you have not done your duties well and have not kept up with the normal pace of spreading the gospel, what do you think My mood would be then? Would I still be happy to see you? (No.) I would not be. This work has been entrusted to you, and I’ve said everything that needs to be said; the specific principles of practice and the path have also been told to you. Yet, you do not act, do not work, only waiting for Me to personally supervise and urge you, to prune you or even command you to act. What is the problem here? Shouldn’t this be dissected? When you are not doing the work that obviously should be done and are unable to shoulder it—can I have a good attitude toward you? (No.) Why can’t I have a good attitude toward you? (We are too irresponsible in doing our duties.) Because you are not doing your duties with all your heart and strength, but rather just doing them perfunctorily. A person who is loyal in their duties should at least exert all their strength, but you cannot even achieve this; you fall far too short! It’s not that your caliber is insufficient; it’s that your mentality is incorrect and you are irresponsible. There are some absurd things in your hearts that prevent you from doing your duties. Additionally, the mindset of being people pleasers hinders you from carrying out the work of cleansing the church. Do you know what the significance of cleansing the church is? Why does God want to cleanse the church? What are the consequences of not cleansing the church? You are all unclear about these matters and do not seek the truth, which proves that you are not considerate of God’s intentions. You are only willing to do a bit of the ordinary, regular work of your position and shy away from special tasks, especially those that might offend others. You all prefer to pass these tasks on to someone else. Is this not the way you think? Isn’t this an issue that ought to be addressed? You always say, “My caliber is poor, my understanding of the truth is limited, and I don’t have enough work experience. I have never been a church leader, nor have I conducted church cleansing work.” Is this not making excuses? The work of cleansing the church has been fellowshipped so clearly. Cleansing away antichrists, evil people, and disbelievers is such a simple matter. Are those few principles really that hard to understand? If such simple issues are explained so clearly and people still do not understand, what does that indicate? It indicates that either their caliber is too poor to understand human language, or they’re just scoundrels not focusing on proper tasks. Among the leaders and workers, there are definitely some with poor caliber, and surely there are some people pleasers who do not engage in real work; there are definitely also some scoundrels who neglect proper tasks and recklessly commit misdeeds—all these situations exist. Firstly, these scoundrels who neglect proper tasks need to be cleansed away. Whoever can do real work should be used, people pleasers acting as leaders should definitely be dismissed, and people with poor caliber who can understand human language and can do some real work should be kept. These issues should be resolved in this manner. If, after God has fellowshipped, you can clearly see the problems in the church’s work that the leaders and workers should solve, then you should address them promptly without further delay. You should be able to take the initiative to act without needing to wait for the Above to personally assign tasks or issue commands. No matter what problems arise, they should be resolved before they affect the work. Before the Above even begins to investigate the issues, you should have already reported your understanding of and solutions to the issues, the principles for handling them, and the results of handling them. How great that would be! Could the Above still be dissatisfied with you then? As a leader or worker, if you constantly fail to see the work within the scope of your own responsibilities, or even if you have some awareness or ideas but keep procrastinating and not acting, always waiting for the Above to arrange tasks for you, isn’t this a dereliction of duty? (Yes.) This is a serious dereliction of duty! You have lost the attitude and responsibility that comes with the role of a leader or worker in how duty should be treated. In their work, leaders and workers should closely follow the requirements of the Above; whatever the Above has fellowshipped, that is what you should implement, acting and implementing quickly once you have understood. Solving problems with the truth is the most important responsibility of leaders and workers, and you should not passively wait for the Above to arrange work before doing anything. If you are always passively waiting, then you are not fit to be a leader or worker, you cannot shoulder this work, and admitting responsibility and resigning would be the only reasonable thing to do.

The Manifestations and Outcomes of Three Kinds of People Who Believe in God

I. Laborers

There are fifteen responsibilities of leaders and workers in total, and we have already fellowshipped up to the fourteenth. The problems within the church that leaders and workers need to solve, as well as the issues of all kinds of people which are involved in these problems, have been fellowshipped up to about eighty to ninety percent. These are all tasks that leaders and workers need to undertake and problems they need to solve. This involves many issues. In one regard, it touches upon the responsibilities that leaders and workers should fulfill; in another, it also involves the various issues of all kinds of people in the church. Although the theme of our fellowship during this period is the responsibilities of leaders and workers and the exposure of false leaders, we have also fellowshipped a lot about the issues of various kinds of people—and the states and essences of various kinds of people—touched upon by this theme. Of course, this specific content has different effects on all kinds of people who follow God in the church. Among them, there is a type of person who, even after hearing all this fellowship, still holds the attitude of “I have good humanity, I truly believe in God, I’m willing to forsake things in my faith in God, and I’m willing to pay a price and endure hardship to do my duty.” They do not care about the various states of all kinds of people, the truth involved in various states, or the truth principles people should understand, which were fellowshipped during this period. Is this not a type of person? Is this type of person not very representative? (Yes.) This type of person always holds a certain viewpoint. What is this viewpoint primarily composed of? The three points I just mentioned: First, they believe their humanity is not bad, and even that it is good. Second, they think they truly believe in God, meaning they genuinely believe in God’s existence and in God’s sovereignty over everything, believing that human destiny is controlled by God, that it falls under God’s sovereignty, which is a broad interpretation of “truly believe in God.” Third, they believe they can forsake things in their faith in God and endure hardship and pay the price to do their duties. These three points can be said to be the most basic, primary, and core elements that these people hold on to in their faith in God. Of course, these things can also be considered their capital in believing in God, as well as the goals they pursue, and their motivation and direction in acting. They believe that possessing these three points qualifies them for the three basic conditions of being saved, making them people who are loved and accepted by God. This is a grave mistake; having these three points merely indicates a bit of humanity. Can just having a bit of humanity earn God’s approval? Absolutely not; God approves of those who fear Him and shun evil. These three points do not meet the standard of the truth reality; they are merely the three standards for being laborers. Next, I will fellowship on the details of these three points to make you understand clearly. The first point is having good humanity. They believe that not doing evil, not causing disruptions and disturbances, and not causing harm to the interests of God’s house is enough, and that this means they can satisfy God’s intentions and act in accordance with principles. The second point is “truly believing in God.” For them, what they call “truly believing in God” means never doubting God’s existence or the fact of His sovereignty over everything, and believing that human destiny is in God’s hands, which they think will enable them to follow God to the end. They believe that as long as they truly believe in God, they will earn His approval. Therefore, no matter how God leads or acts, or whatever problems they encounter, they say, “Just love God, follow God, submit to God.” Their method of solving problems is too simplistic; can such generalized words solve any problems? The third point is being able to forsake things in their faith in God, and being able to endure hardships and pay a price to do their duties. How do they put this into practice? Because they truly believe in God, when there is a need in the church’s work or when they feel God’s urgent intentions, they can proactively forsake their families, marriages, and careers, put aside their worldly prospects, and follow God and do their duties with unfaltering determination, never having any regrets. They are able to endure hardships and pay a price for whatever duty the house of God arranges for them, even if it means eating less and sleeping less. No matter how hard the living conditions are, or even in some adverse environments, they can still persist in doing their duties. Besides these three points, the practice of all other aspects related to the truth seems unrelated to them. They do what seems good or right to them. As for the various principles of practice God has told to man, as well as the states, manifestations, and essence of people’s various corrupt dispositions that God has exposed, they think it’s fine for them to know a little or not know at all; they feel no need to specifically and meticulously search for various principles to examine their own corruption and make up for their deficiencies, or any need to often attend gatherings to hear others fellowship their various experiential testimonies, and then achieve self-transformation, and so on. Believing in God this way, they feel, is too troublesome, it’s unnecessary. They follow God and do their duties with a superficial understanding of faith in God and dispositional change, along with various notions and imaginings about God’s work. Isn’t this type of person quite representative? (Yes.) They set a most basic requirement for themselves, and have a most basic attitude toward believing in God. Beyond this, they neglect the truth, God’s judgment and exposure, being pruned, as well as people’s various corrupt dispositions and various states, manifestations, and so on. They never contemplate or ponder these issues. That is, these people consider themselves as having good humanity, being good people, and truly believing in God; and while acknowledging that people have corrupt dispositions, they disregard the specific states and manifestations of people’s various corrupt dispositions exposed by God, not putting any effort into investigating these things. Isn’t this a type of person? Aren’t the views and specific manifestations of this type of person in their faith in God quite representative? (Yes.) Considering the viewpoints of these people on believing in God, their understanding of being saved, and their attitude toward God’s words which expose people’s various corrupt dispositions, into what category should these people be placed? (Those with muddled faith, who do not pursue the truth.) This is just the surface appearance; how should these people really be categorized? Are there many such people in the church? (Yes.) Whenever specific issues are discussed and the corresponding truths are fellowshipped, they start feeling sleepy, doze off, or become confused, showing no interest. If they are assigned any work or tasks, they roll up their sleeves and get to it, not shying away from hardship or fatigue. They think it would be great if believing in God were like doing this kind of work—then they would be motivated. When it comes time to endure hardship, pay the price, and exert effort in work, they show genuine earnestness. But is this genuine earnestness and enthusiasm the same as being loyal? Is it the manifestation one should have after understanding the truth principles? (No.) Through My fellowship, can you see into which category these people should be classified? (Laborers.) That’s right. These people are laborers, and this is how laborers believe in God.

We started by fellowshipping about the nature, essence, and the various manifestations of antichrists, as well as the various manifestations of those who have the disposition of antichrists but are not actually antichrists. Now, we are fellowshipping about the manifestations of various kinds of people touched upon by the responsibilities of leaders and workers. Although the topics fellowshipped have been about antichrists and false leaders, the specific issues and manifestations touched upon by each item relate to the corrupt dispositions of corrupt humankind, as well as the various states and manifestations produced under the dominion of corrupt dispositions. Although false leaders and antichrists are only a minority, the dispositions of false leaders and antichrists, as well as their various states and manifestations, exist in every person to different extents. Now that these issues have been fellowshipped in such detail, those who pursue the truth will next have more of a path and direction, and clearer goals, in pursuing the truth, practicing the truth, understanding the truth principles, and entering into the truth reality. This is a good thing for them and a cause for joy. In other words, they are embarking on a new milestone in their faith in God. They no longer live under regulations, religious rituals, or words and doctrines, and slogans. Instead, they have more concrete directions and goals for practice, and of course more specific principles to follow. How to practice under certain circumstances and what the truth principles involved are, or what states and corruptions people have and how they should be treated, as well as how to seek the truth to resolve them—the two main fellowshipped topics of antichrists and false leaders mostly touch upon these contents. For those pursuing the truth, the more specifically the truth is fellowshipped, the more they have a path for practice. The more specifically the truth is fellowshipped, the brighter and clearer people’s hearts become, the more they can know and understand themselves, and the more they are aware of what they should enter into next and what problems they need to solve next. As for the type of people mentioned as laborers just now, after we extensively fellowshipped about the various states produced by humankind’s corrupt dispositions and the various problems of corruption that need to be resolved, they still remain unmoved. What does it mean to remain unmoved? It means that they are still unclear about and unable to grasp the pursuit of the truth and the path of salvation spoken of by God. More seriously, after so many essential manifestations and problems have been fellowshipped, they still think, “I have good humanity, I truly believe in God, I’m willing to forsake things in my faith in God, and I’m willing to pay a price and endure hardship to do my duty; this is sufficient.” When faced with situations, they neither examine themselves nor compare themselves to God’s words, but instead try to solve problems based solely on their own human goodness or the little conscience and reason they have. Of course, some people rely on restraint and patience, enduring again and again, while others rely on philosophies for worldly dealings, making major issues seem like minor ones, and then making minor issues seem unproblematic. The goal they pursue is: “By the day God’s work concludes, if I am still in the church doing my duty, not having been cleared out, that’s enough. Whether I have a true understanding of myself, whether my corrupt dispositions have been resolved, whether I have true submission to God, whether I am a person who fears God and shuns evil—those are minor issues, not worth mentioning. You make a big deal out of everything, fellowshipping the truth in such detail, bringing up even the smallest issues for fellowship without end, always making us discern; I’m simply unwilling to listen to these fellowships on the truth, I have no interest at all. When God’s day arrives, how wonderful it would be if we could just directly enter the kingdom!” While it’s true that everyone’s patience has its limits, the patience of such people is limitless. Why? It’s because they believe they have good humanity, truly believe in God, have the ability to forsake things as believers in God, and the willingness to pay a price and endure hardship to do their duty; when faced with anything, they have their own solutions, ultimately still able to steadfastly do their duties and stand firm. However, no matter how they persist in doing their duties, or by what means they endure to the end, regardless of their motivation, one thing is certain: They do not have true submission to God, and they never understand their own corrupt dispositions. More accurately, these people do not admit to having corruption, nor do they acknowledge the various states and problems that arise from people’s corrupt dispositions exposed by God. Even if they do occasionally match themselves up to these states and problems, they treat it with a cold approach, saying, “Everyone is equally corrupt. The nature essence of all is that of devils and Satan; we are all enemies of God. This is a fact that nobody can change. But as long as one persists in doing their duty, God will surely approve, and those who persist to the end will be the overcomers.” Judging from their viewpoints, they are quite vigorous in their belief in God, but when it comes to sharing experiential testimonies, they fall silent, unable to speak a word. When it’s time to fellowship the truth at gatherings, they feel drowsy and can’t take it in. If you ask them, “How do you experience God’s words in your duty every day?” they say, “Whatever the church arranges for me to do, I do. Does this require experiencing?” They seem not to understand. If you then ask them, “Do you have any corruption being revealed? How do you understand yourself?” they say, “I just submit to God and love God; what problems could there be?” Their thinking is that simple. This is their view: “Believing in God should be like this. Why bother with so many trivial issues? You’re making things too complicated!” Therefore, they do their duty and carry out tasks never seeking the truth principles, but rather acting on good intentions and enthusiasm. More accurately, they act under the dominion of conscience and reason, thinking: “I’ve already suffered and paid a price to a great extent; I’ve already practiced the truth and satisfied God to a great extent; don’t ask more of me. I’m fine as is, I’m a good person, and I truly believe in God.” Of course, there are times when these people can’t help but vent, and then their true colors are exposed. They can spout many words and doctrines but lack any real stature; in other words, they have no life. What does having no life specifically refer to? (They have no truth.) How does not having truth come about? (They do not love the truth, nor do they pursue it.) It’s not even about whether they love the truth or not; to be precise, they do not accept the truth. Some might say, “How can You say they don’t accept the truth? They endure so much hardship and pay so great a price to do their duty, working hard every day from dawn till dusk; how can You say they have no truth?” Is saying this wronging them? But if you look at these people, behind their suffering and paying the price, is everything they do within the scope of the truth principles? Do they seek principles in everything they do? Do they come before God with a God-fearing heart, and do things according to God’s words and the principles required by God’s house? No; it’s all human actions, human restraint. What is their main manifestation of not accepting the truth? It is that, before doing something, they never actively seek the truth, nor do they ever seriously ponder what the principles of the truth are and then strictly practice according to God’s words. Do they harbor such thoughts and attitudes? What is their attitude toward the various manifestations of humankind’s corrupt disposition exposed by God? Do they accept these words? Do they admit that these words are factual? Do they acknowledge that these specific manifestations are revelations of corruption? They might nod in agreement or admit it outwardly, but in their hearts, they do not accept it; they ignore it. What does ignoring it mean? Specifically, it means not accepting, having no clear attitude, and no obvious resistance or opposition, but adopting an attitude of cold treatment toward these words spoken by God. Saying “cold treatment” is a bit abstract; specifically, it is that they think, “You say people are arrogant and deceitful, but who isn’t deceitful? Who doesn’t have a bit of shrewdness? Who doesn’t show some arrogance or haughtiness? What’s the big deal? As long as one can endure hardship and pay the price, that’s enough.” Isn’t this an attitude and a specific manifestation of non-acceptance? (Yes.) This is not accepting the truth. Their attitude toward the words of God’s judgment and exposure is one of disregard and non-acceptance. So, when it comes to the evaluations and reminders that the brothers and sisters give to them, and even the pointers and aid that brothers and sisters provide for their corrupt dispositions, can they accept these things? (No.) Tell Me, then, what are their specific manifestations? Why can’t they accept these things? Where is your evidence for saying this? For example, when you say to them, “You can’t do your duty in such a careless manner; this is perfunctory,” what manifestations of theirs prove they do not accept the truth? (They would say, “I’ve already put my heart into it. I’ve already suffered and paid the price. How can you say I’m being perfunctory?”) This is them justifying themselves. Would they sometimes look for excuses? Even if they admit in their hearts, they still think, “I was perfunctory, and what of it? Who doesn’t have their off days? Who doesn’t experience normal emotions? But I can’t admit to being perfunctory; I need to find an excuse to cover it up. I can’t lose face.” Thus, they find many reasons and excuses to sophistically defend themselves, not admitting the fact that they were being perfunctory, not acknowledging their own issues in this regard, nor accepting pointers from other people. This is a specific manifestation of not accepting the truth. When not faced with actual situations, they consider themselves “a good person, who truly believes in God.” When faced with situations, though they can’t use this as a shield anymore, they still find sufficient reasons to justify and defend themselves, gloss over the issue, put an end to it, and then continue to see themselves as “a good person, with good humanity, who truly believes in God, and has the ability to forsake, and the ability to endure hardship and pay a price to do my duty.” Speaking precisely, the manifestations, the essence of such people, are those of laborers. This group occupies a significant proportion in the church. Regardless of the proportion, ultimately, if these individuals can truly suffer and pay the price, and endure and persist to the end without committing any major transgressions, without violating God’s administrative decrees or offending His disposition, then they are loyal laborers, laborers who can remain. This is a considerable blessing! They do not pursue the truth, nor can they follow God’s will, bear witness to God, or act as witness to God’s words and work—to receive this blessing is already quite good. What could one expect to gain without pursuing the truth? Being a loyal laborer is already not bad. Some people ask, “Is it possible for these individuals to become God’s people?” It is. The only possibility is if these individuals, on the basis of being able to forsake and suffer, can accept the truth, acknowledge and correctly face their own corruption, and then seek the truth to resolve it, not acting based on human goodness or human restraint, endurance, and perseverance, but practicing according to the truth principles, so that in the end, their disposition can undergo some changes, then they have some chance of becoming God’s people. However, if their actions and behavior are unrelated to dispositional change, unrelated to accepting the truth and being saved, then their chance of becoming God’s people is zero; this is a fact. What is the principle for treating loyal laborers? It is to make the greatest effort to help these people to become clear-headed. What is the purpose of making them clear-headed? To prevent them from entertaining pipe dreams. Some may ask, “What does ‘entertaining pipe dreams’ refer to?” It’s when people consider themselves as “having good humanity, truly believing in God, and having the ability to forsake and the willingness to pay a price,” and then expect to be saved by God, which is impossible. It must be made clear to them that holding the viewpoint that “having good humanity, truly believing in God, and having the ability to forsake and the willingness to pay a price can lead to receiving God’s salvation” is wrong and stupid. It must be made clear to them that having these qualities does not mean one has cast off their corrupt disposition, nor does a bit of good behavior mean one can be saved, much less that one has obtained the truth, and that their viewpoints are absurd, ridiculous, and inconsistent and utterly incompatible with the truth expressed by God. For these people who stubbornly hold onto religious notions, they should be helped; read God’s words and fellowship the truth to them. If they still cannot accept the truth, and no matter how you fellowship the truth, they remain unenlightened and show no intention to seek, then there is no need to force them. They can only serve as laborers until the end.