III. How Leaders and Workers Should Do the Work of Arranging Placements for Personnel

For the living environment of important work personnel, whether it concerns the internal or external environment, leaders and workers should consider all aspects thoroughly. They shouldn’t be simplistic in their thinking, always assuming that if we don’t interact with the outside world, nothing will happen. Today’s society is incredibly complex, full of all kinds of demons, and no matter the place, there are always busybodies watching you, making it impossible to avoid their scrutiny. You might think, “I haven’t broken any laws or done anything wrong by believing in God. I’m simply doing my duty; nothing should happen to me, right?” But the facts are not as simple as you imagine. Why does the CCP expend so much manpower and resources to resist God and suppress God’s church? Can you make sense of this? You will never be able to. How much can you see through to the nature of devils and Satans? You understand far too little about devils and Satans. This society is incredibly complex, and devils and Satans are wretches that commit evil deeds. What they want most is to arrest God’s chosen people and disturb the work of the church. If you always view Satans as just ordinary people, then you are truly ignorant; it shows that you haven’t seen through the evil of this society, and you certainly haven’t seen through the hatefulness of devils and Satans. Therefore, for leaders and workers to do the church’s work well, they must ensure the safety of those doing their duty—this is of utmost importance. In a country under dictatorial rule, where there is no freedom of belief, ensuring the safety of those doing their duty is quite difficult. However, no matter how difficult it is, suitable living locations must be carefully selected; there can be no oversight in this regard. The work arrangements of God’s house have included fellowship on these matters. Leaders and workers must ensure that brothers and sisters can do their duty free from disturbance and free from the interference of the outside world—as long as they put their hearts into it, they can accomplish this. The only concern is when they act perfunctorily and irresponsibly, only looking out for their own safety while disregarding the safety of the brothers and sisters. This makes it impossible to do the church’s work well. If, due to your oversight, lack of earnestness, irresponsibility, or fear of the environment and trouble, you fail to do these things, resulting in the arrest of personnel doing important duties and threatening the lives of the brothers and sisters—which delays church work and brings harm to the brothers and sisters—then, as a leader or worker, you should bear responsibility. This responsibility cannot simply be resolved by spending some money in compensation or by confessing through prayer; it is not that simple. So, what is the nature of this matter? It is an indelible stain, an everlasting transgression—you have been given a demerit. This “demerit” does not indicate just an ordinary mistake; in God’s eyes, it is a transgression. If your transgressions are too many—having committed transgressions in the past, still committing them today, and then committing more in the future—with several major transgressions combined, you will suffer perdition and destruction. God will no longer save you, and your belief in God will have been in vain. Not only will you have no hope of salvation, but you will also face punishment. Therefore, it is crucial that leaders and workers do their work according to principles! Have you memorized this? (Yes.) Leaders and workers should fulfill their responsibilities, and no matter how adverse or dangerous the environment may be, they must do everything possible according to the local conditions to protect the safety of important work personnel and properly arrange placements for them. The goal is to ensure that the church’s work can proceed normally.

In order for leaders and workers to ensure that the places arranged for important work personnel are free from the interference of the outside world, in addition to having requirements and principles for the residence and its environment, there are also requirements and principles for various aspects of the host family’s situation. When leaders and workers find a potential host family, they should first inquire about what the family’s environment and conditions are like, the situation of its members, whether they have any disputes with others, any enemies, any entanglements with the government, whether they are frequently involved in lawsuits, whether they have complicated social relationships, and so on. All these basic situations should be thoroughly inquired and learned about. If the host or their children and other family members have complicated social relationships, and the family is constantly unsettled—frequently being visited by shady individuals who come to look for trouble or to collect debts, or getting threatening letters from bandits or robbers, as well as summonses from the government or the court—these are all very troublesome matters. If you were gathering or doing your duty in this household, wouldn’t these be disturbances? Therefore, when you find this host family, you should first ask questions and learn about their basic situation. It’s best if these issues aren’t present, but if they are and you currently can’t find a more suitable place, then consider whether the host can effectively handle these problems. If the host cannot effectively handle them and cannot get rid of these chaotic issues, then this household is not suitable for hosting the brothers and sisters, as living here would mean they could suffer at any time from the interference of the outside world and outside people, events, and things. These environments are not directly targeting people who believe in God. However, believers are a particularly sensitive group in a country where religion is persecuted, and, moreover, after the government’s exhaustive efforts to spread propaganda, brainwash, fabricate rumors, and defame, nonbelievers not only fail to understand people who believe in God but even come to believe the CCP’s rhetoric, developing a particular hatred and hostility toward believers. Therefore, if they find out that a certain household is hosting believers, it becomes very dangerous both for the host family and for the brothers and sisters. When brothers and sisters live in such an environment, not only do they frequently suffer from interference but also their safety cannot be ensured. So, why continue having them live there? It is clearly a dangerous place, unsuitable for living—they should be quickly relocated. Leaders and workers should not simply arrange placements for the brothers and sisters and then wash their hands of the matter, thinking, “As long as there’s a place for them to eat and sleep, sheltered from the elements, it’s fine. As long as they can do their duty, there’s no problem. Where would we find so many suitable places anyway?” This is highly irresponsible! If no suitable place is available at the time, they can stay there temporarily, but you should immediately seek a suitable location to relocate them to as soon as possible; don’t treat this as a long-term residence.

Some leaders and workers do not carry out real work. They arrange placements for important work personnel in a certain place, ask how the food and rest conditions are, and ask if any nonbelievers have been keeping an eye on them. Upon hearing that nothing unusual has been noticed for a couple of days, they leave the matter alone, not checking in on them again for half a year or more. They believe that they have arranged placements well and fulfilled their responsibility, considering everything done and fine. As for whether the environment will later suffer from interference or if there are any potential safety risks, they pay no further attention. Is this appropriate? (No.) Why is it not appropriate? (After arranging placements, leaders and workers need to follow up. If they don’t, and the brothers and sisters find themselves in a dangerous situation and are unable to relocate, they could end up being arrested.) But some leaders and workers think, “You’re all adults—do I really need to follow up? Can’t you see if there’s danger? If you can’t, then your brains must not be working! If you notice danger, just relocate yourselves—do I really need to tell you?” They reason in this way. Do you think this reasoning makes sense? (It doesn’t.) Why not? (Because ensuring the safety of those doing important duties is inherently the responsibility of leaders and workers; it is work included in their role that they should carry out.) They don’t see this as part of the work leaders and workers should do; they think it’s simply helping the brothers and sisters, like following Lei Feng’s example of doing good deeds. They also don’t view it as being done to uphold the church’s work, seeing it instead as merely the arrangement of placements for personnel, unrelated to church work. Wouldn’t you say this is foolish? What kind of person would think this way? (A person with no sense of responsibility.) Those lazy, disloyal, irresponsible false leaders think this way. They do not uphold the work of God’s house; after arranging a place for the brothers and sisters, they think, “I arranged placements for you in such a good location—what a huge favor I’ve done for you!” They don’t see this as upholding the church’s work. As leaders and workers, if you do not properly arrange placements for important work personnel and do not effectively ensure their safety, then if they encounter danger and cannot do their duty normally, won’t the church’s work be delayed? You must first properly arrange placements for them so that their safety is ensured, and only then can they proceed to work normally. But those false leaders don’t think that way; they drop these people in a location and then ignore them, and don’t check in on them for a long time. When a dangerous situation arises and they can’t reach their leader, they have no choice but to relocate on their own. By the time their leader finds out and finally goes to check, the people are long gone, and the leader has no idea where they went. What kind of person is this? What kind of leader or worker is this? A false leader. Especially for brothers and sisters who have come from other areas and are unfamiliar with the local environment, leaders and workers even more so need to visit and follow up with them regularly. Leaders and workers shouldn’t assume that just arranging placements for them once solves everything permanently; in actuality, this work is far from complete. They need to visit and follow up with them frequently. If it’s inconvenient for leaders and workers to show their faces at the location, they should assign others to check in. At the very least, they need to follow up on this work—assess the living environment of these important work personnel, checking if there is any danger or anything unusual, or if any special circumstances have occurred, and whether relocation is needed. All of this must be learned about and followed up on. If, in the short term, this place appears to be the most suitable, that’s fine, but after a while, they should go back to check on their environment and safety, and whether they have enough food and supplies—all these details should be inquired about. It’s possible that leaders and workers may not understand the work of important work personnel, in which case they shouldn’t interfere with that aspect, but properly arranging placements for them is a responsibility of leaders and workers—failing to do so is a dereliction of their responsibility and shows they are false leaders who do not do real work. Especially for brothers and sisters coming from other areas, they even more so require extra, close attention and should not be treated carelessly. Leaders and workers should check in with them from time to time, seeing if they have any difficulties that need resolving, and whether there have been any issues or special circumstances in the environment where they are doing their duty during this time, for example, whether there has been any unusual activity involving the local government, neighborhood committee, or police station. Leaders and workers should inquire and ask about these things so they can stay well-informed. Then, leaders and workers should fellowship with the host family on principles and paths of practice for properly hosting and protecting those doing their duty, so that the host family fully understands these principles and paths of practice. This is still not the end of the matter. Leaders and workers must also visit and inquire about the situation of the host family from time to time. Any issues they detect should be resolved promptly to ensure that no problems arise. Only then is the work truly done well. If the host encounters difficulties with hosting, such as financial limitations or a lack of wisdom that makes them unable to respond to or handle situations that arise, then leaders and workers must help resolve these issues. Financial limitations are easy to resolve—God’s house can provide the funds for hosting, while the host family only needs to contribute the manpower. If the host lacks wisdom, this is a significant issue. Leaders and workers must clearly explain the necessary wisdom and a few principles of practice regarding this area. If the host still comes up short, then leaders and workers should find a wise brother or sister nearby to cooperate with the host family in carrying out this work well. If the issue lies with the host themselves—such as being timid or fearful of arrest—then leaders and workers should fellowship on the truth to offer support and help, fellowshipping God’s intentions as well as the value and significance of doing this duty. If it’s an issue with the objective environment, it must not be delayed or merely gone along with, and it definitely must not be treated carelessly; it should be resolved immediately. For example, if people have already taken notice of this place, suspicious strangers frequently come and go in the area, and it’s possible someone is monitoring the location, then this poses a hidden danger. So, relocate the brothers and sisters immediately—waiting until something goes wrong will be too late. If the situation is temporary and it’s just a normal, routine procedure, then it can still just barely be coped with: Have the brothers and sisters temporarily leave to avoid it for a day or two, and they can return later. If people have already taken notice, then staying there is no longer an option, and a permanent relocation is necessary. These are some of the detailed issues that leaders and workers need to handle and resolve in this work. This work is by no means just placing a few people in a location with food and shelter and calling it done; there are many details involved. Especially in a country like China, where the environment is particularly hostile and religious persecution is severe, leaders and workers must even more so be exceptionally attentive to and closely monitor the living environment and safety issues of important work personnel. They cannot be careless. All aspects of the specific work must be done well to ensure that the safety of these important work personnel is guaranteed and they can do their duty with peace of mind. In this way, the work is done well. This is the work that leaders and workers must do regarding host families, and there are quite a few details involved here.

Some leaders and workers, after arranging for certain important work personnel to be placed at suitable host homes, completely ignore them and do not consistently follow up on the situation of the host families. They say, “I am busy with church work every day—how could I have time to visit these people? Besides, there is a lot of other work, and it’s also quite dangerous. Doing our work is not easy!” They continually emphasize objective reasons, yet they do not want to fulfill their own responsibilities. What do you think—does this statement of theirs hold up? (No.) Why not? (In fact, doing this work does not require too much time and energy of leaders and workers. They could visit them in passing while out. And if they don’t have time, they could also arrange for nearby brothers and sisters to go visit.) If leaders and workers want to do this work well, even if their own primary work is keeping them a bit busy, they will still make time to focus on this work. If they don’t have time to go themselves, they can arrange for others to go. Whether they arrange for others or go themselves, ultimately, this work falls within the scope of responsibility for leaders and workers. Doing this work well is an important responsibility for leaders and workers, and it cannot be neglected. If leaders and workers are too busy and have no time themselves, and they also do not arrange for others to go, then no one will attend to this matter. If something goes wrong, this would be a dereliction of responsibility on the part of the leaders and workers. To prevent those who are doing important duties from suffering from the interference of the outside world, leaders and workers must take all aspects of issues into account, guaranteeing to the greatest extent possible that they can do their duties in peace and carry out the work at hand in an orderly manner. If important work personnel are well protected, it is equivalent to protecting the important work itself. When important work personnel can work normally, the important work can also proceed in an orderly manner. Therefore, the purpose of leaders and workers protecting important work personnel is, in fact, to safeguard each important item of work. If some leaders and workers say, “You are doing an important duty and I’m being asked to protect you, but I am in a leadership position, and I am not safe either. I can’t even guarantee my own safety, so how can I protect you?”—is this statement correct? (It is not correct.) What kind of comprehension do such leaders and workers have? (Their comprehension is poor; such people are selfish and prone to distortions.) They are individuals who are prone to distortions. Do individuals who are prone to distortions lack rationality? (Yes.) If these brothers and sisters were not doing their duties in God’s house but were instead working jobs and living their lives in the world, would they still need to be protected? Precisely because they are doing church work and important duties in God’s house, and because if they are arrested they may be sentenced to prison or be beaten to the point of injury or disability, severely impacting the church’s work, important work personnel must be well protected. Only in this way can the church’s work proceed in an orderly manner. If they are in some democratic countries where there is freedom of religious belief and believers in God aren’t persecuted, then this work becomes simple for leaders and workers. They basically just need to find a suitable house and, in accordance with local laws and regulations, properly arrange placements for those doing their duty. At most, they just need to ask how things are going with their daily life recently and whether the living environment violates any government regulations. If there is a violation, it is necessary to clarify what the issue is, as well as how it should be corrected and resolved. If there aren’t any violations, but the government is causing trouble, or evil people or unknown individuals are causing harassment, then it is necessary to consult a lawyer to handle these matters properly. In some free, democratic countries, at most only this kind of work is needed. However, in dictatorships where there is no freedom of religious belief, the requirements for the environment and conditions of host families must be stricter, and more work—as well as more detailed work—needs to be done regarding safety. Of course, the difficulty involved in such work is also greater. For the work of shielding important work personnel from the interference of the outside world, if every aspect of the environment is thoroughly considered, interferences stemming from the environment will be relatively reduced. If both the external environment and the internal environment are fully taken into account, then a realistic and feasible path can be found. This way, the environment can be improved to some degree, and interferences can be reduced. This approach is relatively appropriate.

Keeping Important Work Personnel Safe

I. How to Ensure the Safety of God’s Chosen People in Countries Where Faith Is Persecuted

The fifteenth responsibility of leaders and workers is, first of all, to protect important work personnel by shielding them from the interference of the outside world; additionally, leaders and workers must also keep these people safe. The requirements for keeping them safe are even stricter. Let’s first look at which aspects involve safety—what safety-related issues can you think of? To ensure the safety of those doing important duties, it is essential first to guarantee that they are not affected by the interference of the outside world—this is the minimum that must be achieved, and only on this foundation can their safety ultimately be ensured. The safety we’re talking about here simply means being able to guarantee that those doing their duties are not disturbed or arrested and can do their duties normally. It’s as simple as that. If leaders and workers cannot guarantee that those doing their duties will be shielded from interference and arrest, then there is no way for their safety to be ensured. Think about it—what should leaders and workers pay attention to in order to ensure the safety of important work personnel? First, they must arrange for important work personnel to be placed in a suitable location. What does a suitable location mean? It must meet at least two conditions. First, this location must be free from any interference from the environment. Second, it must not attract attention; only a few local brothers and sisters know that this family believes in God and hosts others, while no one else is aware. Only such a place is suitable for hosting those doing important duties. After these important work personnel move in, personal information such as each person’s name and place of origin, as well as specific situations such as the type of church work they engage in and whether they have been arrested before or are wanted by the government, should not be casually disclosed to others. The fewer people who know, the better. Because people’s stature is too small and it’s uncertain whether they could stand firm if they were arrested and imprisoned, they should have self-awareness and refrain from casually inquiring about the personal information of brothers and sisters, to avoid bringing future trouble upon themselves. The principles and wisdom in this regard should be frequently fellowshipped so that everyone understands them. This is not only beneficial to the work of God’s house but also beneficial to each individual. Therefore, leaders and workers should instruct the brothers and sisters of host families to guard their tongues and not disclose the personal information of those doing important duties to other brothers and sisters or to their nonbelieving family members. Is it necessary to do this work? (It is.) Some brothers and sisters of host families are unable to guard their tongues. For example, someone hosted a few leaders and workers, and they became familiar with these people’s personal situations, family backgrounds, and the duties they were doing. Then, they said to their children, “Look, he’s the same age as you. He has believed in God for ten years and even quit his job to do his duty. He used to work in a government department in such-and-such city, with an annual income of tens of thousands of yuan!” You see, as if they were just chatting idly, they disclosed the situation of these people doing important duties to their nonbelieving family members. There are even some who, when hosting brothers and sisters who have previously been arrested and imprisoned, tell their family members, “Look, they were in prison for years and never turned Judas. After being released, they continue to do their duty. Now the government wants to arrest them again, so they can’t go home to reunite with their families, yet they are not negative. See how great their faith is? Why can’t you believe properly?” In this way, they casually disclose important information about the brothers and sisters via the method of instructing their children. Could this lead to future troubles? (Yes.) Is this a problem? (It is.) If nothing happens because of this, fine; but once the great red dragon carries out arrests, their nonbelieving family members are the first to come out and report the brothers and sisters: “Officer! So-and-so is a leader—they’re the one you want.” The person betrayed is then arrested by the great red dragon and beaten half to death, leaving questions about whether they’ll be able to continue doing their duty or live a normal life. This is the consequence of betrayal. Isn’t this caused by the casual speech of the host? (Yes.) If important work personnel are exposed to such safety risks, doesn’t that mean leaders and workers have not done their jobs thoroughly? (Yes.) The host thinks, “Our family members are all good people; they won’t sell you out. They support belief in God—they even buy vegetables and meat when you come!” They treat their nonbelieving family members as if they were brothers and sisters, unable to clearly see what their family is capable of doing or how severe the consequences could be if they were to sell the brothers and sisters out. They are also very inquisitive about the situations of the brothers and sisters, asking, “How many years have you been doing this duty? Have you ever done any dangerous duties? Are you well-known locally as a believer in God? Have you ever been arrested?” Especially when it comes to those who are wanted or have a police record due to their belief in God and are preaching the gospel in another region or country, the host always inquires about their information, asking, “You’re wanted? Is it a local warrant, a provincial warrant, or a national warrant?” “You have a record—how many times have you been arrested? For how many years were you sentenced to prison?” They ask about these matters in extreme detail. The brothers and sisters staying in their home see that they are quite enthusiastic in hosting and that they aren’t bad people. If they don’t share this information, they feel it might seem impolite, which puts them in a difficult position. Some people feel compelled to say a few things, and after speaking, it sometimes inevitably leads to serious consequences. Therefore, leaders and workers should directly instruct the host: “There are a few rules you must follow when hosting brothers and sisters. Do not heedlessly inquire or ask questions—knowing too much about them won’t benefit you. If something happens and you can’t withstand the torment of torture, you may end up turning Judas. In that case, the information you’ve learned and grasped essentially paves the way for you to become a Judas. If that happens, it would leave you with lifelong regret, and you would ultimately face punishment. If you don’t know these details, you won’t become a Judas. So, you absolutely mustn’t inquire or try to learn about these matters. Not knowing protects you and doesn’t affect your hosting or your attainment of the truth in your belief in God. It’s best if you don’t know. You are clear that these brothers and sisters are here to do their duty and that they are not bad people or evil people, so there’s no need to inquire any further. Fulfilling your duty to host them is what’s most important, and guaranteeing their safety is enough.” This is an item of work that leaders and workers must do. Additionally, those local believers who lack a foundation in their faith and are believers in name only, those who are loose-tongued and prone to making inquiries, those who maintain close contact with government personnel, and those who immediately hide away like turtles tucking their heads into their shells when trouble arises—and who might even sell out the church and turn Judas—must absolutely not be allowed to know that host families host brothers and sisters. If some brothers and sisters are needed to help with the work of hosting important work personnel, then only those with a foundation in their belief in God and who possess wisdom should be selected to cooperate. Those without a foundation or wisdom are absolutely not suitable. So how exactly should assistance be rendered? The brothers and sisters of the host families focus on hosting at their homes, while local brothers and sisters with wisdom and faith assist from the outside by providing cover and safeguarding the environment. They should associate with influential people, stay up to date about government policies, trends, and potential operations, and promptly inform the brothers and sisters of the host families. This way, if the government initiates any arrest operations, preventive measures can be made promptly, and there will still be time for evacuation and relocation, or concealment, thus avoiding any danger. Only in this way can the safety of those doing important duties be basically ensured. In short, it isn’t okay for leaders and workers to approach this work with a simplistic mindset; thinking complexly in this regard is always better than thinking simply, because safety issues cannot be ignored—if something goes wrong, it will not be a minor issue!

There are also specific situations to pay attention to in the work of ensuring the safety of important work personnel. Some people take on risky duties, such as transporting books of God’s words, or delivering work instructions or handling the aftermath in compromised areas. Those doing such dangerous work must never live with those doing important duties, nor should they know where those individuals live or which family is hosting them. This is because those doing dangerous work are at risk of being tracked and arrested at any time. If they are caught and subjected to torture, they may betray the church, which would in turn implicate those doing important duties and the host families. Doesn’t this involve the issue of safety? If some personnel doing important duties go out to handle matters and have agreed to return in three days, but they have not returned after three days, would you say this situation is dangerous? Should the other personnel doing their duties evacuate? (Yes.) In such cases, immediate evacuation is necessary; there must be no delay and no risk taken—they can’t have a mindset of relying on luck. Some people are lazy, feel it’s troublesome, and are reluctant to evacuate, saying, “What’s the harm in waiting one more day? Maybe they were just delayed by some special situation.” Waiting one more day only increases the danger. If you evacuate and nothing happens, you can always return, and that would be no mistake. But if you don’t evacuate and wait one more day, an incident could occur, and by the time it does, it will be too late for regret. Therefore, if the brothers and sisters who went out to handle matters do not return within the agreed time, it’s possible that something went wrong. To guard against any eventuality, the related brothers and sisters should immediately evacuate and relocate to a relatively safe place. Once a suitable location is found, they can resume doing their duties normally, without it being too late. Another situation is when the person in the local church who is responsible for the work of arranging placements for brothers and sisters doing their duty is arrested by the great red dragon. What should be done in such cases? (Immediately relocate the important work personnel.) The first priority for leaders and workers is to immediately relocate these important work personnel to a relatively safe place. Above all else, their safety must be guaranteed. They should not be exposed to any risk. After relocating them, subsequent work can then be carried out. Some muddleheaded people always have a mindset of relying on luck: “So-and-so was arrested, but it’s fine; their faith is quite strong, and they’ve always been especially strong in adverse circumstances. They would absolutely never engage in betrayal. So, I can guarantee there’s absolutely no danger—there’s no need for anyone to relocate.” Are these words correct? (No.) There are also people who say, “Even if they do engage in betrayal, they will be selective about it—they’ll only betray information about unimportant matters, which definitely won’t impact your safety.” Are these words correct? (No.) These words don’t hold up! Can people see other people clearly? Even if the person in question has stature, we should avoid speaking too confidently, as no one can bear the consequences if something does go wrong. What other work is needed to protect the safety of personnel doing important duties? When they begin their duties, leaders and workers should clearly fellowship the truth principles related to doing their duty, as well as which principles and wisdom to apply when situations arise. Additionally, when they go out to do their duties, leaders and workers should assign one or two people with societal experience and wisdom to cooperate with them. Only this approach is safe and reliable. Practicing in this way can, for one thing, protect their personal safety. For another, it can help them resolve some issues they cannot resolve on their own. This will prevent certain troubles and guarantee that those going out to do their duties can carry out their work normally. For leaders and workers, guaranteeing the safety of those doing their duties is a very important item of work, especially in countries without freedom of belief. To do the church’s work well, the first priority is to guarantee the safety of personnel doing their duties, regardless of whether they are doing their duties locally or going out to do them. Only leaders and workers who can handle safety work well are fit for God’s use. Those who cannot do this work are people whose humanity is immature, and who lack insight and wisdom. It will be difficult for them to become fit for God’s use.