II. God’s People

After fellowshipping the manifestations of loyal laborers, let’s talk about the manifestations of another type of people. After hearing God’s various exposures and judgments on the corrupt dispositions of all kinds of people, these individuals, by comparison, think more about their own various past revelations of corrupt disposition and the various attitudes toward God and the truth that arise under the dominion of their corrupt disposition—they start to reflect on and know their various manifestations, match themselves against God’s words, examine their attitude toward their duty, and examine the various corruptions they reveal while doing their duty and amid the various people, events, and things arranged by God. They examine and know themselves from each and every detail while trying to accept God’s judgment, exposure, and discipline. In what ways are these individuals better than laborers? They can proactively and positively accept the truth, God’s words, and every corrupt disposition exposed by God. Although sometimes they may be negative, avoidant, or even consider giving up, no matter what, they still possess a drive to make themselves accept the truth. What is this drive? It is this: “God’s words can change people. As long as one accepts the truth, all these problems and corrupt dispositions can be resolved, and one can then be saved. If I want to be saved, I must cooperate with God’s work and accept the truth.” For instance, upon hearing the truth about being an honest person, some start to reflect on themselves and see more clearly the deceitfulness and trickery they engage in, as well as their insidious and wicked aspects. They recall their past lies and cheating ways that remain in their hearts or impressions, which play over and over in their minds like scenes from a movie, making them feel increasingly ashamed, pained, and sorrowful. After continuous self-examination and self-reflection, they feel like criminals, they immediately go completely limp and are unable to stand up. They feel that they are not good people but evil ones, and think it is fortunate that they have not directly resisted God, which is indeed a narrow escape! Then they start to awaken, unwilling to fail like this as a person, and make a resolution: “I must start anew and be an honest person, otherwise, I cannot be saved by God. To be saved, I must be an honest person. I absolutely cannot give up now!” No matter whether these people accept the truth at an earlier or later time, and regardless of whether their comprehension of God’s words is deep or shallow, their attitude toward God’s words is not one of disdain, much less is it aversion or resistance. Instead, they actively acknowledge and accept God’s words, and then they are always ready to put them into practice. When they act or do their duties, they do their utmost to seek principles in God’s words and then consciously act according to these principles. Even if sometimes they cannot find specific principles or grasp the direction, their intent is to do their duty well, to do it in accord with God’s intentions and in alignment with the truth principles. The humanity of these people and that of laborers are mostly the same; there is no distinction between high and low, or noble and lowly. Of course, many among this type of people view themselves as “having good humanity, truly believing in God, and having the ability to forsake as a believer in God, and the willingness to pay a price and endure hardship to do my duty.” But what is the difference between these people and laborers? After they hear God’s words of judgment and exposure of people, their attitude is not to ignore, not to evade, but to actively and earnestly accept. Even if they feel distressed and despondent after hearing these words, even expressing anger toward their own revealed corruption, ultimately, they are still able to face them correctly, actively accept, and proactively practice and enter into them. Isn’t this also a type of person? (Yes.) Aren’t these people representative to a certain extent? (Yes.) Are there many of these people? (Not many.) Although there are not many now, there is hope that their numbers will grow. So, into what category should these people be classified? Can these specific manifestations indicate that these people love the truth and are able to accept the truth? (Yes.) They can. Although some people with poor comprehension abilities accept the truth more slowly, deep in their hearts, they accept the truth and have a mindset of actively entering into it. Whenever someone fellowships new light or paths for practice that are in accordance with the truth principles, their eyes light up, their hearts become elucidated, and they feel joyful, thinking, “Finally, someone has fellowshipped this light. This is what I lack.” They are always able to grasp what they are lacking, to gain the light and enlightenment which they urgently need and lack, and to find the truth principles they need from the genuine experiential understanding fellowshipped by their brothers and sisters. Based on these specific manifestations, do their hearts not yearn for the truth? (Yes.) If we say that these people love the truth, this statement is not very objective or accurate. However, based on their specific manifestations, these people do yearn for the truth. Where does this yearning come from? It comes from their hope to resolve their corrupt dispositions, their hope to resolve the various problems and difficulties they encounter in their life entry, and their hope to make progress in the truth, to delve deeper, as well as their hope to be able to truly act with principles, to practice with a path, to more accurately recognize from the revelations of their corrupt dispositions what the essence of their corrupt dispositions is, and how to resolve them and cast them off. Even though these people often live within corrupt dispositions, such as vying for status, stubbornly insisting on their own way, and being self-righteous, arrogant, deceitful, or even intransigent, through continuously eating and drinking God’s words and experiencing God’s work, these obvious problems will gradually be examined and identified. Then, they can recognize these as problems, revelations of corrupt dispositions, not in accordance with the truth, and hated by God. After becoming aware of their corrupt dispositions, they yearn even more to resolve them and cast them off. This is one of the sources of their yearning for the truth. In other words, they have the need to resolve their corrupt dispositions, the urgent mentality to cast off their corrupt dispositions. At the same time, after discovering various states, problems, and difficulties revealed by their corrupt dispositions, they are more eager to understand what God’s precise words and requirements are for these issues, and which truths or words of God can resolve them. The specific manifestations and sources of their yearning for the truth are these. Is this an objective statement? (Yes.) These people cannot be said to love the truth. If they loved the truth, they would be very proactive, and their various manifestations would be more positive. However, based on the various manifestations of these people and their actual stature, they have not reached the point of loving the truth but merely yearn for it. This statement is already quite objective. So, looking at the various manifestations of these people, into which category should they be classified? Accurately speaking, these people belong to the category of God’s people. This assertion has a basis. What basis? These people’s corrupt dispositions are the same as those of others. In terms of humanity, it cannot be said that their humanity is good, nor can it be said that they are perfect in God’s eyes; most of them have average humanity. What does “average” mean here? It means possessing a certain level of conscience and reason. But this is not the most important aspect. What is the most important? It is that after hearing God’s words and God’s requirements, after hearing about the corrupt dispositions of all kinds of people exposed by God’s words, they are not indifferent but are stirred and will take action. What does taking action mean? It means that after hearing these words of God and these truths, they are unwilling to live within corrupt dispositions anymore and continue their previous means of living. Instead, they strive to change the various thoughts, viewpoints, and ways of existence and lifestyle they previously relied on. At the same time, they actively seek the truth in doing their duty and in the various circumstances arranged by God, using God’s words as the basis and principles for practice, rather than being reckless and willful. From their humanity, caliber, their attitudes and views toward God’s words, God’s work, and God’s requirements, and so on, these people are precisely those God intends to save. They have more hope of casting off their corrupt dispositions and being saved than laborers. Only those who accept the truth and can cast off their corrupt dispositions to be saved are considered God’s people. Isn’t this definition quite fitting? (Yes.) It is the most fitting. Being saved is not just about exerting a little effort and paying a bit of a price to be able to remain, and then everything is settled. What is the status of those who can be saved? It is a status whereby, through accepting and experiencing God’s words and work, their corrupt dispositions are resolved. In this process, they come to know God, understand their own corrupt dispositions, and have real and concrete engagements with and experiences of God’s words, thus being able to bear witness for God—they are able to bear testimony to God. What aspects of God do they bear testimony about? They bear testimony to God’s intentions, God’s disposition, what God has and is, God’s identity, and that God is the Creator. This is what can be manifested in a person after attaining salvation. Why can people achieve these results after being saved? It’s not because they consider themselves as “having good humanity, truly believing in God, and having the ability to forsake as a believer in God, and the willingness to pay a price to do my duty” that they achieve this. The sole reason—and the most important point—is that they can accept God’s words as their life, are able to practice the truth to cast off their corrupt dispositions, put aside their original, old ways of living and viewpoints on living, and take God’s words as their new life. They use God’s words as a basis to conduct themselves, do things, follow God, submit to God, and satisfy God. This is the result that can be achieved in such people. What is the most important aspect for achieving salvation? (Being able to accept the truth.) That’s right. Being able to accept the truth is the key.

Some people say, “If I expend myself for God to the end, will God greatly bless me?” If you do not accept the truth, but can still persist in following God to the end, laboring until the last, during which there are no major transgressions and you do not offend God’s disposition, then, under such circumstances, God will deem you a loyal laborer who gets to remain. Some people ask, “What kind of blessing is it to remain?” It is no minor blessing! If there’s the chance and the possibility, you may see God’s real person, and this depends on what God does in the next age. If there’s an opportunity to remain and live for several more decades, that blessing is quite significant. How does this blessing come about? It is achieved by laboring loyally while holding onto the viewpoint that “I have good humanity, I truly believe in God, I can forsake, and am willing to pay a price and able to endure hardship to do my duty.” Shouldn’t laborers know to be content? (Yes.) They should be content to attain this blessing. They do not even accept God’s words, yet because God sees their loyalty and ability to labor to the end, without deserting during this period, without offending God’s disposition or violating His administrative decrees, without committing major transgressions, He grants them this blessing and grace—since the creation of humankind, this is the greatest gift God gives to corrupt humans who have only labored loyally but not attained salvation. They’ve only exerted a bit of effort, and they don’t even accept God’s words—to be able to receive such great blessing is already quite good; this is God’s immense grace. Another category is God’s people, whom we just talked about. The blessings received by God’s people are definitely greater than those received by laborers. So what is the blessing of God’s people? Of course, it’s not as simple as just being able to remain or having the opportunity to see God’s real person. There are far more blessings, but we won’t discuss them here. Talking about that isn’t realistic, and besides, even if I tell you, you won’t understand or attain them right now. God’s people are the ones God intends to save, and among all humankind, they receive the greatest blessings; this is in no way an exaggeration. Why is that? Because, in God’s work, within the work of God’s six-thousand-year management plan to save humankind, God’s people, by being able to accept God’s words, by being able to treat God’s words as the truth and as the principles for their existence, and by making God’s words their life, have cast off Satan’s corrupt disposition and lived out God’s words, bearing strong and resounding testimony for God. They are able to use that which they live out, their life, to strike back at and shame Satan, able to bear witness to God among humankind, thereby bringing glory to God. Therefore, God’s people are the ones God intends to save, and the ones that receive salvation. Some people say, “Since these individuals can make God’s words their life, live out God’s words, and bear witness to God, does that make them God’s beloved sons, those whom God delights in?” You are thinking too much; it’s good enough to be one of God’s people. If God calls you His son, His child, or His beloved son, that is God’s business, but no matter when, you must never claim to be God’s beloved son, God’s son, or God’s darling yourself. Do not make such claims about yourself, and do not regard yourself as such; you are a created being—this is correct. Even if one day you are called among God’s people, or you have already embarked on the path of being saved, you are still just a created being. If you think this way, it proves that the path you are on is the correct one. If you always seek to be God’s beloved son, to be loved by God, to be delighted in by God, then the path you are taking is the wrong one; this path leads nowhere, and you should not engage in such wishful thinking. Regardless of whether God has ever spoken such words, or given such a promise to people, you should not regard yourself in this way; it’s not what you should try to attain. To be one of God’s people is already good enough; God’s people are already up to standard as created beings—it’s just a pity that you are not one yet. So, don’t pursue those vague, illusory, empty things. Being able to pursue being saved is, to a certain extent, already embarking on the path of being saved. The primary characteristics of God’s people are that they are able to accept the truth and they exhibit a love for the truth. In the process of experiencing God’s work and pursuing salvation, their corrupt dispositions, old thoughts, and various negative states and manifestations related to their corrupt dispositions can be resolved, cast off, and changed to different extents. Then, they can live out God’s requirements of being an honest person, a person who understands the truth principles, a person who has loyalty and submission, and a person who can fear God and shun evil. As for how to be an up-to-standard, benchmark person of God, we will not elaborate on that here; that is not the topic of our fellowship today.

III. Hired Workers

Aside from laborers and God’s people, there is another category of individuals, who are the most pitiable among those chosen by God. After hearing the various truths expressed by God and the various words of His exposure to humankind, their behavior, that which they live out, and their pursuits show no change at all. No matter how you fellowship about the truth with them, they remain indifferent: “I don’t want to change. I will live however I want to live, and no one can control me. You do whatever you want, I don’t care! I’m not in a good mood right now, so none of you should provoke me. If you do, I won’t be polite!” They do not regard themselves with the definite attitude or viewpoint of “I have good humanity, I truly believe in God, I can forsake, and am willing to endure hardship and pay a price,” but they exhibit a more definite attitude among the brothers and sisters. What is this attitude? It is, “I will act however I want, do whatever I wish. No one should urge me to accept the truth, no one should try to change me. Anyone who tries to urge me to accept the truth is just asking for trouble, and if anyone tries to prune me, I will fight back with my life!” They have not the slightest interest in any sentence spoken by God, nor in the work God does. Of course, regarding people’s corrupt dispositions and the principles of doing things, as well as the attitude people should have toward God and the principles that should be observed in interpersonal interactions—which the brothers and sisters mention during gatherings or while doing their duty—they regard them with an attitude of disdain. Some individuals do a duty, but they completely ignore the principles required by God’s house, doing things however it is they’ve planned. Right after you finish fellowshipping the principles with them, they agree to your face but then turn around and start acting recklessly and arbitrarily, showing their demonic aspect. There are also individuals who look like decent humans on the outside, but when you talk or chat with them, their views are incorrect, their tone is incorrect, and what’s more critical is that their disposition is incorrect, making it impossible to have a conversation with them. When you ask them, “Does God exist in the world?” they say, “I don’t know.” You say, “This should be done in this way, it’s God’s intention.” They respond, “Do you find me disagreeable? Are you looking to give me trouble? Are you trying to expel me?” You say, “Acting like this is spreading notions and venting negativity, which could cause some new believers to stumble. We must adhere to the rules of God’s house, and we must be clear about the principles that should be followed in interactions and associations between people. If what is said and done cannot edify or help others, at the very least, it should not negatively impact others. This is the reason that someone with normal humanity should have.” They say, “Talking to me about normal humanity, lecturing me on rules, who do you think you are? What’s wrong with me venting negativity? For every new believer that stumbles, that’s one fewer new believer—saves me the annoyance of having to see them!” Talking rules with them is futile, and so is discussing humanity. What about fellowshipping the truth, fellowshipping God’s words? They don’t listen to fellowship of God’s words either. No one dares to criticize them, no one dares to bother or provoke them. Are there such people in the church? (Yes.) Among those who have been cleared out, there are indeed such individuals. Are these people laborers, God’s people, or what? (They are people who were eliminated.) Why were they eliminated? (For not accepting the truth; for being averse to the truth.) This is the essence of the problem. Why then do they not accept the truth? Why are they averse to the truth? What is the root cause? (The essence of these people is that of disbelievers.) Correct, their essence is that of disbelievers. There are quite a few disbelievers in the church, but are all disbelievers like this? (No.) These individuals, lacking even the most basic human morals and upbringing—are they eliminated just because they are disbelievers? Why are they eliminated? At its root, it’s a problem of humanity; these people have bad, malicious humanity. To put it precisely, they lack humanity. Since they lack humanity, what are they? They’re people of a devilish nature. How do people of a devilish nature compare to beasts? I think they’re even worse than beasts; some beasts can be obedient and avoid wrongdoing. For example, dogs can be quite good; some dogs truly make great pets, getting along exceptionally well with humans! They’re especially obedient and sensible, understanding everything people say, and they’re suitable to be kept indoors. Such dogs are much better than disobedient humans. There are many people who are even worse than good dogs. Then, are they still human? No, they are not human; they are non-human. Many people don’t understand human language; it’s impossible to communicate with them. They do not accept the truth no matter how it’s fellowshipped, they complain when being pruned, and when they get eliminated they fly into a foul-mouthed rage, showing no change at all no matter how many years they have believed. Can such people still be allowed to stay in God’s house? (No.) They cannot be allowed to stay. In what category should such individuals be classified? First of all, should these individuals be categorized among God’s chosen people? (No.) If they are not among God’s chosen ones, into what category should they be placed? To not be among God’s chosen ones—how should this be interpreted? It means that from the perspective of the humanity that they display and live out, it’s not just a simple matter of being disbelievers; their essence is not human. There are many who are disbelievers—are they all as bad and malicious as these individuals? No. Even among nonbelievers, not everyone is that bad; some people possess the most basic moral standards. What about these individuals, then? They lack even the most basic morals and upbringing that nonbelievers have; their revelations and what they live out, to put it accurately, do not meet the standards of human morality. The essence of these people is devilishness. From the perspective of their essence, then, does God save them? (No.) God does not save them. And why is that? Because their humanity is bad and malicious, of a demonic nature, and thus they are averse to the truth and resist it. Actually, putting it this way is elevating them; to be precise, these individuals are averse to and hate positive things, not rising to the level of being averse to the truth and not accepting it. They are averse to, hate, and resist even the most basic positive things; the rules that a person with normal humanity should follow and the upbringing they should have are all things that disgust them. Can they accept the truth? (They fall short of that.) Right, they fall short of that; they are not even laborers. Some people say, “Since they are not even laborers, what are they considered within God’s house? How did they get into God’s house?” If we were to explain them, to put them into a category, speaking precisely, these individuals are like hired workers or temporary workers brought in from among the nonbelievers. Is the meaning of this clear? This is their category, as well as the role they play in God’s house. They are not even laborers; I do not regard them as laborers, they are not worthy! Laborers possess characteristics like having good humanity, truly believing in God, and having the willingness to pay a price, and the ability to endure hardship, and they live out these things. These individuals lack even these qualities, so classifying them as hired workers is already showing them utmost kindness and is very polite. What does it mean to be a hired worker or temporary worker? It means that, due to special needs during particular periods, God’s house recruits some individuals who are irrelevant to being saved to complete certain tasks. After these tasks are completed, these individuals’ true colors are revealed. God’s chosen people have suffered enough from interacting with them, becoming sick of them to an unbearable degree, and have also gained sufficient discernment regarding them. Under such circumstances, these individuals should be cleared out; this is the most appropriate timing for such actions. Was it explained clearly just now how these individuals come about? (Yes.) They are hired workers unrelated to being saved, who are brought in during special periods of church work. After doing odd jobs and rendering service for a while, these individuals commit reckless misdeeds within God’s house, causing numerous disruptions and disturbances. The role they play is that of negative characters. They fully reflect the true face of Satan and devils, disturb the work of the church, and destroy the order of church life. More concretely, it can be said that these individuals significantly harm the interests of God’s house, such as damaging much of the house of God’s equipment, machinery, valuable items, and so on. It can be said that the actions and behaviors of these individuals have provoked widespread anger. Of course, they have also enabled more people to learn lessons and gain discernment, to learn what a devil is and what it means to lack humanity, and to see clearly the true faces of disbelievers; they have enabled people to see, in a clear and more concrete way, what the thoughts and viewpoints of disbelievers are, what they pursue, what they aspire to deep inside their hearts, what attitude they harbor toward God and the truth, and what attitude they harbor toward their duties, and toward positive things, and even the attitudes these individuals harbor toward certain regulations made by God’s house, and so on. When it becomes this specific, how these individuals live out their humanity, their humanity essence, and what they pursue, are all completely exposed. Keeping these individuals in the church then seems redundant; it will cause great harm to God’s chosen people and not benefit them at all. This is the time for them to leave. Then, if we say that God’s house has given them enough time and opportunities to accept the truth and worship God, is this statement correct? (No.) How should it be said then? God’s house has given them ample opportunities and enough time for them to turn around, but the final result reveals a fact: A devil is always a devil at any time and can never change. This is the fact. Is it possible to make the great red dragon acknowledge God’s status and identity? To make these people with demonic nature change and follow some rules—can this be achieved? (No.) They cannot achieve this. Giving them opportunities is not for them to accept the truth, recognize the work done by God, or act according to the truth principles, but to give them chances to turn around. If there were even a slight sign that they’ve turned around, their eventual outcome might change. However, these people do not know what is good for them; their demonic nature will always be just that. No matter how much time or how many opportunities are given to them, what they live out and their essence will not change; this is a fact. Therefore, the ultimate way to handle these people is to relieve them of their duties, make them leave the church, and ensure they have no ties or relationship with God’s house anymore. Are there individuals who will be reluctant to see them go and pity them, saying, “These people are still quite young; given time they would become excellent. They have such good caliber, they are so gifted and talented—how great it would be if they could accept the truth! If God’s house can be more loving and tolerant, and give them more chances to repent, when they get older, perhaps things will end up differently”? What kind of people think this way? (Muddled people, confused people.) Correct. They are all muddled, confused people—just scoundrels! God does not save such people, and God’s house does not allow them to stay—what is there to pity about them? God says He will not save such people, yet you suggest giving them a chance to repent. Can you save people? Isn’t this going against God? Are you trying to make others think you are more loving than God? Do you have the truth reality? Can you see through a person’s essence? Who is it that can save people, God or you? Daring to go against God—this is far too arrogant, self-righteous, and lacking reason, is it not? Is this not a great rebellion? Isn’t this Satan and evil spirits being reincarnated, always delighting in going against God? The disbelievers mentioned just now are less than beasts. However one fellowships the truth to them, it is of no use; even pruning them is futile. It can be said they have the nature of Satan and will never change. If someone wants to give these satanic types a chance to repent, let them provide for such people; we’ll see if they truly have the love. Those disbelievers who do not accept the truth at all are the worst in the church; they are all like beasts, beyond reason and incapable of being saved. Whether in the past or the present, the church’s treatment of them has been most appropriate; the church has shown immense patience and tolerance to them, and given them enough opportunities. But up to now, they have not changed at all, even intensifying in their ways. In the beginning, when these people come to believe in God with their notions, imaginings, and desire for blessings, they are able to be somewhat restrained, doing their duties with some enthusiasm and zeal. However, ultimately, when they see that “believing in God means pursuing the truth, knowing God’s work, and submitting to God, and that’s all there is to it,” their attitude toward God and the truth, as well as their true colors, are thoroughly exposed. What is it that gets exposed? Not only do they lack humanity, conscience, and reason, but they are also extreme vicious, wicked, and brutish. They disdain God and the truth, and even regard the requirements and rules of God’s house—and God’s administrative decrees—with hostility and defiance. These manifestations of theirs have intensified the disgust and repulsion God’s chosen people feel toward them, and also accelerated the pace at which God’s house cleanses them away, ultimately rapidly determining whether they stay or depart, deciding their outcomes and destinies. Their outcomes and destinies were earned by them, they were not brought about because of anyone’s incitation or instigation, or because someone forced or tempted these people, and they certainly were not brought about due to objective circumstances; their outcomes and destinies were self-inflicted, they were brought about because of their own choices, and determined by their nature essence and the paths they have taken. The outcomes and destinies of these people have been set; once they are cleared out from the ranks of those doing their duties, then they are no longer even laborers. You can well imagine what kind of destiny they will have—it is not worth mentioning here, for they are undeserving.