M. Having a Complicated Background

Let’s take a look at the next manifestation: having a complicated background. What types of people do you think have complicated backgrounds? (Some people are involved in both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles, and their social backgrounds are relatively complicated—do they fall into this category?) When we talk about complicated backgrounds, we’re definitely referring to worldly-wise people. What is the typical manner of worldly-wise people? It’s that they sit down, cross their legs, and start talking non-stop; they ramble on about everything under the sun, and are able to prattle for a while about both domestic and international affairs, but not a single word that they say is true—it’s all big talk that’s either made-up or just imagined. Blowhards aren’t necessarily those who have complicated social backgrounds. Blowhards may simply be loafers, and just ordinary folks—wherever they go, they talk big, speaking about lofty, unrealistic things to mislead people and make others think highly of them, and it doesn’t take long before their reputations are ruined. What kinds of people have complicated backgrounds? For example, some people join a political party in society, but after trying for several years, they don’t gain any status. Then, they join another party, and they finally manage to get a position as a minor leader or minor official. They have particularly complicated social connections. No one can say for sure whether the people they associate with are their friends or enemies—not even their own family knows, only they themselves do. Don’t such people have complicated backgrounds? (Yes.) These people have politically complicated backgrounds. Today they support this party, tomorrow they support that one; today they back one person for election, and tomorrow they back someone else. In short, no one knows what they truly think. They don’t tell regular people exactly whom they support, or what their political stance or political goals are exactly; they are particularly secretive about these things, and regular people—even their own families—don’t know these things about them. However, they are especially passionate about politics, and they have some acquaintances and know some people on the political stage; it’s just that for the time being, they haven’t accomplished their ambitions. After this kind of person enters the church, they see that the brothers and sisters are just ordinary people who don’t understand or engage in politics, and in their hearts, they disdain those who truly believe in God. Nevertheless, they always want to exploit the church’s fame in the religious world and in society or to take advantage of the church’s influence to do what they want, to satisfy their overreaching desires or give full play to their political ambitions—that is, they want to hide within the church, and wait for the right opportunity, so that they can use the church community or certain people, events, and things within the church to fulfill their political goals. Can this kind of person be considered to have a complicated background? (Yes.) The thoughts, principles for handling matters, various tactics, and the strategies and methods for speaking used by those engaged in politics are things that ordinary folks cannot see through. In particular, young people or those without social experience cannot see through them at all. For these people with politically complicated backgrounds, those without political savvy are playthings in their hands, and they absolutely look down upon such people. To give an imprecise example, in the animal kingdom, the most cunning creatures are snakes, foxes, and tigers. From their perspective, animals like sheep, rabbits, deer, and dogs are foolish. People with political backgrounds view most brothers and sisters in the same way that cunning animals, such as foxes and snakes, view guileless animals like sheep, deer, and dogs. They can see the brothers and sisters clearly, but the brothers and sisters cannot see through them. So how can we discern people with politically complicated backgrounds? Those who are involved in politics have their hearts set on politics and power. As long as they like power and being involved in politics, sooner or later they will participate in politics; they cannot remain hidden in the church forever. When they do expose themselves, you will understand: “So, it turns out that they believe in God for political purposes! They have a political background and don’t sincerely believe in God. They have another agenda for believing in God!” When those people first enter the church, they hide themselves especially well, attending gatherings and doing their duty normally. But when the moment is ripe, they will try to use the church to do what they want, and their overreaching desires and true faces will naturally be exposed. Only then will the brothers and sisters be able to see that they are disbelievers. When they are exposed, it becomes very easy to discern them. For example, when a wolf is disguised in sheep’s clothing and mixes with the flock, you might not be able to discern whether it’s a wolf or a sheep, but when it starts eating the sheep, you’ll discern it as a wolf. Those who are involved in politics are all disbelievers who have infiltrated the church. When these people try to mislead and draw the brothers and sisters into joining some political party and participating in politics with them, you’ll see that their belief in God is false, and that their true goal is to engage in politics—no matter how complicated their background is, it will have surfaced and been exposed. At this point, people will be able to discern them. This is one type of person who has a complicated background—those with politically complicated backgrounds.

There is another type of person who falls under the category of those who have complicated backgrounds. Some people in society don’t keep to their proper place and live decent lives, but instead like to associate with shady individuals. These individuals include, for example, those who commit forgery and fraud or members of the criminal underworld; those with status, fame, and prestige in society, who are on the surface government officials or businesspeople, but always engage in illegal, criminal activities behind the scenes, colluding with certain officials or members of the criminal underworld to traffic firearms, drugs, or other contraband prohibited by the state; as well as those who have been convicted and imprisoned multiple times and who have done some evil deeds, such as grave robbing, rape, sexual assault, or are even human traffickers or human smugglers. People of this sort who have complicated backgrounds associate with these kinds of individuals, and they moreover have particularly close relationships with them—they call each other “brothers,” and they use one another and do things for each other. On the surface, these people don’t do any obviously evil deeds, and they don’t commit theft, robbery, murder, or arson, but the groups they associate with and the circles they move in are all comprised of these indecent individuals. Isn’t this kind of person also quite frightening? (Yes.) They partner with these individuals to invest in business, and when their partner does something illegal and needs their help, they offer assistance. While they may not be the main culprit, they are an accomplice. You could say that this kind of person frequently skirts the edges of the law. What does it mean to “skirt the edges of the law?” (It means they often engage in activities that could potentially be breaking the law.) That’s one aspect. Additionally, they often exploit legal loopholes, and the things they are involved in are all major matters. If they ever get caught, even as an accomplice, they could be sentenced to 10 or 20 years, or face massive fines. Wouldn’t you say this type of person is troublesome? (Yes.) You’ve never seen them commit an obvious evil deed, and you haven’t seen them kill people, set fires, or cheat or frame anyone, but when those who line their pockets illegally and break the law in both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles engage in unlawful activities to extract huge profits, this kind of person also takes a share of the spoils and gets a piece of the pie. Would you say this kind of person counts as having a complicated background? (Yes.) Would it be a good thing for such people to remain in God’s house? (No.) They associate with both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles, and not only that, they also engage in illegal activities—this is a complicated background. If they associate with some government officials, and they associate and interact with them in a normal manner, that’s acceptable. However, if the people they associate with are negative characters involved in various illegal and criminal activities, then that’s very troublesome, and sooner or later, something will go wrong. This kind of person likes associating with those people; they ride on their coattails too, relying on their influence to make money, get rich, and live a good life. Can they be considered a good person, then? (No.) People often say, “Birds of a feather flock together”—they are able to associate with both members of the criminal underworld and legitimate circles, do you think they are a decent person who keeps to their proper place? (No.) Definitely not. They associate with those individuals, in one respect, because they are perhaps of use to those people—they can handle certain tasks for those they associate with. In another respect, it’s because they like the people they associate with from both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles—those people’s skills, abilities, and influence, and the benefits they bring to them, are all things they need and things they enjoy. So, just what kind of person are they? (They’re not a decent person.) We can only put it this way. They are of the same ilk as those they associate with—they all use each other. In this world, there aren’t many people who can do things for you or completely confide in you and be your friends, but they do exist—there’s no need to associate with those kinds of people. This kind of person associates with them, in one respect, because they get along well together due to their shared vile qualities and are birds of a feather. In another respect, it’s because this person will go to any lengths for the sake of their own interests and their survival in the secular world, and they have no principles at all when it comes to associating with people, nor do they have any principles in anything they do. Nonbelievers even say, “A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it in the right way,” and observe this as a minimum standard. Regardless of whether they can live up to this minimum standard or not, in any case, this counts as a relatively noble philosophy for survival among humankind. However, people of this sort who have complicated backgrounds are, for the sake of their own interests and obtaining profit, unscrupulous and indiscriminate when it comes to associating with people—as long as they can obtain benefits from it, they will associate with anyone. What’s more, they take great pride in being able to associate with those people, and think the methods they themselves use in associating with people are great. So, how should we view this kind of person? They’re involved in both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles—this is a complicated background. This sort of person is so frightening! Is the face they show real? No, they are always wearing a mask. You can never see through them or know what they’re thinking inside. They wear a mask when they associate with you, and even lurk among believers in God. It’s just like a devil blending into a crowd of people, or a fox or wolf slipping into a flock of sheep. Does that make you feel safe? (No.) Why do you say that? It’s based on their cunning, vicious, and wicked nature; they are constantly scheming against you—it’s as if there’s always a pair of shifty, wicked eyes behind you, watching your every move—and they are just waiting for the opportunity to destroy and devour you. Isn’t that terrifying? (Yes.) The feeling this kind of person gives you is never one of safety, because their nature and background always make you feel they are a threat to you. What kind of threat? It’s that with them nearby, you constantly feel that they could scheme against you, toy with you, and set traps for you at any time and place, and that you never know when you might be used or harmed by them, and end up dead by their hands or brought to ruin by them. That’s why such people should absolutely not be kept close. Tell Me, isn’t this how things are? (It is.) For example, will putting a wolf into a flock of sheep protect the sheep or bring ruin to them? (It will bring ruin to them.) According to a wolf’s nature, it will never stay by the sheep’s side and protect their safety, because in its mind, sheep are its food, and whenever or wherever it’s hungry, it will eat them; it has no pity for the sheep and it will not spare them. A wolf does not have the faculties of a dog. If a dog grows up with sheep, it considers the sheep something to protect, and when a wolf comes to attack or eat the sheep, the dog will step forward to fight, taking up the responsibility of protecting the sheep as its bounden duty—dogs simply have this innate quality. But wolves are different; it is an innate quality of wolves to want to eat sheep. When a person of this sort who has a complicated background infiltrates the church, it’s the same as a wolf infiltrating a flock of sheep—when the wolf isn’t hungry, it may not pose a danger to the sheep, but when it does get hungry, the sheep are bound to be the food it eats, and no one can change this fact. This is determined by its nature. To solve the problem of the wolf eating the sheep, you must hurry to identify the wolf. Once you identify who the wolf in sheep’s clothing is, you must get rid of it immediately—do not hesitate, and do not show it any mercy. People of this sort who have complicated backgrounds must be treated cautiously. If you discover that they are doing evil and disturbing the church, you absolutely mustn’t show them any courtesy. You must tell them: “You’re a worldly-wise person and you’re not suited to belief in God. You chose the wrong place by coming to God’s house; this place isn’t right for you. You should pursue your own prospects in society. Believers in God only read God’s words, fellowship on the truth, and do their duty to satisfy God; they don’t engage in plots and schemes or participate in politics. Here, you can’t rise up the ranks or get rich, or live a life that’s superior to that of others. No matter how long you hang around here, it will just be wasted time.” In this way, they will be persuaded to leave, right? (Yes.) Some people with complicated social connections aren’t necessarily evil people, nor have they done great evil, but they don’t accept the truth at all and they truly belong to the category of disbelievers. Trying to get such people to genuinely believe in God and pursue the truth is like trying to turn a wolf into a sheep—it’s impossible. No matter how long a wolf wears sheep’s clothing, it remains a wolf; it will never become a sheep. That’s just how things are. So, people like this believing in God is simply a joke; they’re barking up the wrong tree by believing in God!

There is another type of person who has a complicated background. Although they believe in God, they have close relationships with some of the religious leaders, officials, or people with status from different denominations. They like associating with these people and often attend the religious activities of various denominations; they build connections and friendships with these people, and they use one another and do things for each other. From time to time, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they even disclose certain general affairs work or personnel work internal to the church to these individuals. This is a very troublesome issue. If you merely interact with people in religion or find it impossible to divorce yourself from those religious venues, and you also like participating in various religious festival activities and various religious ceremonies, that is acceptable. However, you should not disclose the church’s work or information about the brothers and sisters in these settings. For example, you should not disclose matters such as a certain person accepting “Eastern Lightning,” what duty they do in The Church of Almighty God, where they live, and whom they usually associate with—if you disclose these things, it shows that you are very immoral. If someone reports this information to the government, the consequences will be unimaginable. If you are very close to people in religion, or have some entwined interests with them or have exchanged favors with them, then at most, this can be considered as you having a complicated background. However, if you secretly do some other things, such as disclosing the work arrangements of God’s house, or disclosing the internal affairs of God’s house or the personal information of the brothers and sisters, then the nature of this becomes one of betrayal, and it is condemned. In particular, some brothers and sisters do not want others to know their situation or to have it disclosed, because they’ve been arrested before or are currently on a wanted list, yet this sort of person with a complicated background views this information as something to exchange for certain benefits or simply views it as unimportant, and they disclose it, causing trouble for those brothers and sisters. If God’s house discovers such matters, it absolutely will not let that person off lightly; such people should be cleansed away immediately. In the social context where people are persecuted for believing in God, it’s difficult for believers to even get the opportunity to do a duty, and each person really treasures it. No one wants potential risks to be brought to their performance of their duty because of others or because of their own foolishness. Therefore, if anyone brings potential risks to the brothers’ and sisters’ performance of their duties or personal safety, or if anyone sets obstacles on others’ path of believing in God, God’s house will not let them off lightly. Once God’s house discovers them, it will clear them out or expel them immediately, it absolutely will not hold back! If they defend themselves, creating justifications and excuses by saying, “It was just a momentary slip of the tongue because I wasn’t paying attention,” you absolutely must not believe this—such excuses do not hold water. Why didn’t they tell people about their own family matters? Why did they instead talk about the brothers’ and sisters’ affairs? They clearly harbor bad intentions. They disclosed church work and information about the brothers and sisters; if this brings trouble to the brothers and sisters, then they should be cursed! Shouldn’t people like this be cursed? (Yes.) In the course of the church spreading its gospel work, it is inevitable that some people like this will join the church. They have no scruples about selling out the church, selling out the brothers and sisters, and even betraying the interests of God’s house. They associate with all sorts of people in private, and their purpose in associating with them is not pure. When interacting with those people, they even shoot their mouths off, telling them all the internal church information they know, leaving nothing unsaid, and this ultimately brings trouble to the brothers and sisters and to the church. The blame for this should rest upon these people who shoot their mouths off. Some of them might say they didn’t do this intentionally, but even if it wasn’t intentional, that doesn’t make it acceptable. If it wasn’t intentional, then why didn’t you harm yourself instead? Why did you exclusively harm others? You have brought trouble to the church and to the brothers and sisters, this is an established fact. Therefore, the blame should rest upon you. If you killed someone and then said, “I didn’t do it intentionally; I never intended to kill them—I had no such thought in my mind,” would the law find you innocent because of that statement? (No.) Even if you were telling the truth, it would be useless. The fact is that you killed someone, and legally, there’s conclusive evidence of this, so you must be declared guilty based on the facts. You committed the crime of murder, so you are a murderer, and no amount of self-justification will help you. Some people frequently bring trouble to the church through their actions, and at times this trouble is significant, not only resulting in the arrest and imprisonment of brothers and sisters, but also seriously impacting the church’s work. God’s house will absolutely not let such people off the hook; it will expel every one that it catches, and it will curse them—God’s house will not hold back at all! If these things had happened in the Age of Law, the evildoers would have been dragged out and beaten to death with rods or stoned to death; that was how such cases had to be handled. Now, since this is not part of the administrative decrees of God’s house, they will be expelled, and the brothers and sisters will collectively curse them. There’s no chance of them receiving blessings or salvation—they must be sent to hell and punished!

There is another type of person with a complicated background; they come to the church with special missions to carry out. Some individuals of this sort are sent by governments, while others are assigned missions by certain religious or social groups. For example, these missions may include monitoring the brothers and sisters, monitoring the church, or prying into the church’s various items of work and its work arrangements from different periods. Regardless of what their mission is, in any case, from our perspective this sort of person has a complicated background. The majority of these people with complicated backgrounds are disbelievers; they are those who do not accept the truth at all. They are different from those with little faith, poor caliber, or lots of notions—those people genuinely believe, whereas there’s a serious problem with these people who have complicated backgrounds. First, let’s consider: What kind of humanity do such people have? (They have bad humanity, they’re wicked, and they are members of Satan’s gang.) So, what kind of people are they? (They are devils.) That’s right, you’ve hit the nail on the head—they are devils who infiltrate the church. They are people who infiltrate the church and live in the shadows while harboring various schemes and purposes. Such people are devils. From the start when these people enter the church they do not harbor good intentions. Regardless of who commissioned them—some may be commissioned by governments or certain groups, while others may not be commissioned by anyone at all and simply wish to infiltrate the church on their own—such people are purely worldly-wise individuals. They associate with a wide range of people, and they have complex interpersonal relationships and social connections—they have complicated backgrounds. “Complicated backgrounds” means that their social connections, interpersonal relationships, and living environments are especially impure and far from simple; they aren’t like ordinary folks who are just trying to earn money and live a good life. The roles these people play in society are those of standouts, leaders, or relatively exceptional figures within various circles and groups—they’re the kinds of people nonbelievers refer to as “capable individuals” or “gurus.” Wherever they are, they are not people who keep to their proper place, and they are not decent people. Whether they seek opportunities to secure personal gain, or power, or control over others within various groups and circles, it is their purpose, and it is the aim of their existence. Regardless of what church they are in, their mindset is like that of a devil, always itching to make a move, wanting to control situations, control people, control money, wield influence, and wield power. These are the manifestations of this kind of person. Therefore, regardless of whether such people have a mission, or whether they are commissioned by the government or any social group, they cannot possibly keep to their proper place after coming to the church. Even if they have no mission, and even if the church or the brothers and sisters are not targets of their exploitation, they are not people who genuinely want to believe in God, and they certainly are not people who believe in the existence of God. Their purpose in joining the church is not pure at all—at the very least, one thing is very realistic to them, which is “riding on the coattails of the church” and waiting for the opportunity to carry out their own agendas. If they fail to achieve their goals and their desires are dashed, they are likely to leave the church at any time. They look for opportunities by waiting for the opportune moment to strike—if there is someone they can exploit or a suitable moment that could allow them to realize their goals, ambitions, or aspirations, they absolutely will not let that person or that moment go. If they continually fail to find an opportunity, they become discouraged and disappointed, and they want to leave the church. Therefore, this sort of person is also a type of dangerous individual within the church, and they must be discerned and kept at a distance. Another more important principle is that if you are unsure about what a person’s background is, or you vaguely sense that their background is very complicated, then, as a leader or worker, you should at least know that this person cannot be assigned to important positions, or be allowed to have status or power, or be allowed to perform any important work within the church. If you cannot see through them, then you can observe them, but you absolutely must not act rashly or prematurely. If you give them status or even make them responsible for an important piece of work before you’ve seen through them, then you are being extremely foolish! The less you can see through them, the less you should entrust them with important work, the more cautious you should be, and the more you should keep a close watch on them and rigorously monitor them. In fact, regardless of whether or not they have a mission, people of this sort who have complicated backgrounds ultimately don’t stay long in the church. This is because, in their hearts, these disbelievers are repelled by matters of faith. Atheists do not believe God exists, and they are uninterested in anything related to God, God’s work, or God’s expression of the truth. They are constantly investigating: “Is there profit to be had in believing in god? Can I make big money and get rich from it? Can I use my schemes and tricks here like I do in the world?” Seeing that God’s house doesn’t promote these things, but instead always talks about being an honest person, and that anyone who is perfunctory or half-hearted in doing their duty often gets pruned, they feel repelled, and they feel unhappy and unfree in God’s house, and they always want to find an opportunity to leave. If someone is truly one of God’s sheep, one of those chosen by God, then they won’t tire of listening to the truths that are frequently discussed in the course of believing in God even if they are discussed for 20 or 30 years; they could listen to them their whole life and still find them fresh. The more they listen, the clearer these truths become to them; the more they listen, the more their hearts are nourished; the more they listen, the more they long for the truth. Even if they were to listen to these words every day, they would be willing to do so. In particular, when they hear experiential testimonies that are helpful to them, they feel as blissful and fulfilled as if they’d enjoyed a great feast—happier than if they’d picked up a piece of gold. As for these disbelievers, these devils—especially these people with complicated backgrounds—the more they hear fellowship on the truth, the more annoyed they feel; the more they listen, the more agitated and repelled they feel inside. When they hear these words, they find them boring, dull, and tedious. If you have them sit and listen to sermons, it feels to them like being put through torture. They say, “How is it that you all enjoy hearing these words so much, as if you’ve eaten a great feast? Why do I feel so repelled when I hear them?” After listening for a long time, they become unable to sit still. If they cannot be a leader, they are unwilling to do their duty or endure hardship, and over time, they find it all pointless; thoughts of giving up their faith begin to surface. This is how disbelievers are revealed. As for these people with complicated backgrounds, if during your observation of them you discover they have dubious origins and complicated backgrounds, then try every possible means to find an opportunity to persuade them to leave. For such people who do not accept the truth at all, it’s necessary to exercise some wisdom. You can tell them, “You want to get rich, and you dream of becoming an official—you would really be losing out if you went your whole life without becoming an official! You should become one, get rich, and pursue the world—that’s where the tangible benefits are. You have a mind for business and you’re cut out for being an official—if you pursue the world you can surely get rich and become one.” When they hear this, they will think they’ve found a kindred spirit and say: “You’re absolutely right! I’ve been feeling like there’s no point in believing in god—what you said really speaks to me. Faith actually only has a psychological effect; it doesn’t really matter if you have it or not. Life is short—just a few decades that pass in the blink of an eye. Always wasting my time around here with people who believe in god hasn’t gotten me anything, and I always feel dissatisfied. Aren’t I just wronging myself by doing this? Going out to make big money is what really matters!” They will agree with what you said. Once they agree, perhaps one day they’ll simply leave on their own because they feel that staying in the church is pointless, and because, on top of that, some things go wrong for them, or they experience some failures and setbacks, and some pruning. Isn’t that great? (Yes. This is a wise approach.) It’s easy to get devils to leave the church: Once you’ve figured out their mindset, if there’s something that they want, then encourage them to pursue it. In this way, you can persuade them to leave. Work with the current to guide them out. This is how to handle this kind of disbeliever.

If such people with complicated backgrounds are found in the church, they should be persuaded to leave or cleared out promptly; do not try to urge them to stay. Why not? For one thing, they serve no good role in the church; for another, they are absolutely not among those chosen by God. Furthermore, even if they remain in the church, in the end, it will still be impossible for them to accept God’s words, God’s work, or God’s chastisement and judgment to attain salvation. If they remain in the church, it will be detrimental to the church’s work, and they may mislead and influence some brothers and sisters of small stature. People in God’s house find them displeasing, and they, in turn, view the brothers and sisters in God’s house with equal displeasure. In their hearts, they always regard God’s house, the church, and the brothers and sisters with hostility. So tell Me, if there’s such an enemy, such an adversary, in the church, would you feel disturbed? (Yes.) Therefore, it’s best to not urge such people to stay. Once they are discovered, immediately persuade them to leave, clear them out, or expel them. How should such people be handled if encountered during the process of preaching the gospel? (Simply stay away from and ignore them.) When you encounter this type of person, you shouldn’t preach the gospel to them. They speak in such an extravagant, baseless way and are quite talkative, but they actually have no talent at all. God’s house does not need people of this sort who have complicated backgrounds; they are not among those chosen by God. Even if they are converted now, sooner or later, they will still need to be cleansed away. Therefore, when those preaching the gospel encounter such people, they should simply give up on them. God’s house neither wants nor welcomes such people. This is the way to handle people with complicated backgrounds, and this is the principle. Of course, in handling this issue, there’s no need to blow things out of proportion; you must understand clearly whether a person falls under the category of people with complicated backgrounds. If their manifestations match those of this type of person, then they should be placed within this group’s ranks. However, if someone only occasionally boasts or talks nonsense and because of their excessive boasting they are mistakenly seen as having a complicated background, but in actuality, their belief in God is genuine and they don’t belong to this category, then this situation requires different treatment to avoid wrongly accusing a good person.

III. Based on the Attitude One Has While Performing Their Duty

We have more or less finished fellowshipping on the criterion of discerning people based on their humanity. There is another criterion—discerning people based on the attitude they have while performing their duties. We have talked quite a lot about this criterion in previous sermons, so it’s not necessary to say anything more about it.

Very well. That concludes our fellowship for today. Goodbye!

July 6, 2024