Item Five: Maintain an Up-to-date Grasp and Understanding of the Status and Progress of Each Item of Work, and Be Able to Promptly Resolve Problems, Correct Deviations, and Remedy Flaws in the Work So That It Will Progress Smoothly

Today’s fellowship is on the fifth responsibility of leaders and workers: “Maintain an up-to-date grasp and understanding of the status and progress of each item of work, and be able to promptly resolve problems, correct deviations, and remedy flaws in the work so that it will progress smoothly.” We will focus on this responsibility to dissect the various manifestations of false leaders, to see if false leaders fulfill their responsibilities in this work, and whether they hold fast to their duties and carry out work well.

False Leaders Indulge in Comfort and Do Not Engage Deeply With the Grassroots to Understand the Work

The fifth responsibility of leaders and workers first mentions “maintaining an up-to-date grasp and understanding of the status and progress of each item of work.” What does “the status of each item of work” refer to? It refers to how the current state of a certain item of work is. What should leaders and workers understand here? For instance: What specific tasks personnel are doing, what activities they are busy with, whether these activities are necessary, whether they are key and important tasks, how efficient these personnel are, whether the work is progressing smoothly, whether the number of personnel matches the workload, whether everyone has been given ample tasks, whether there are any cases of having too many personnel for a certain task—where there are too many personnel for too little work, and most are people idle—or cases where the workload is too large but personnel too few, and the supervisor fails to direct effectively, leading to low work efficiency and slow progress. These are all situations that leaders and workers should understand. Additionally, while carrying out each item of work, whether anyone is causing disturbances or sabotage, whether anyone is holding back progress or undermining, whether there is any kind of interference or perfunctoriness happening—these are also things that leaders and workers should understand. So how do they gain an understanding of these issues? Some leaders might occasionally make a phone call to ask, “Are you guys busy right now?” Hearing the other party say they’re very busy, they might respond with, “Good, as long as you’re busy, I’m relieved.” What do you think of this way of working? What do you think of this question? Is this a crucial, necessary question to ask? This is characteristic of the work of false leaders—they’re just going through the motions. They are satisfied with doing a bit of superficial work to ease their conscience a bit but do not focus on doing real work, much less do they go to the grassroots, to each team, to understand the current status of the work. For instance, whether the personnel arrangements are suitable, how the work is being done, whether any problems have arisen—these real issues are not inquired into by false leaders, who instead find an unnoticed place to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves without enduring the harshness of wind or sun. They merely send letters or have someone inquire on their behalf every now and then, thinking that this constitutes doing their job. Even more, brothers and sisters might not see them for ten days or a half month. When the brothers and sisters are asked, “What is your leader busy with? Are they doing concrete work? Are they providing you with guidance and solving problems?” they respond, “Don’t even mention it, we haven’t seen our leader for a month. Since the last gathering they held for us, they have never come by again, and now we have many problems with no one to help us resolve them. There’s no other way; the supervisor of our group and our brothers and sisters have to come together to pray and seek principles, to discuss and cooperate together on the work. The leader is not effective here; we are leaderless now.” How well is this leader doing their work? The Above asks this leader, “After the last movie was finished, did you receive any new scripts? What are you filming now? How is the work progressing?” The leader replies, “I don’t know. After the last movie, I had one gathering with them, after which they were all energized, were not negative, and did not have any difficulties. We haven’t met since then. If you want to know their current situation, I can call and ask for you.” “Why didn’t you call to understand the situation earlier?” “Because I’ve been too busy, attending gatherings everywhere. It’s not their turn yet. I will only be able to understand the situation when I gather with them next time.” This is their attitude toward church work. The Above then says, “You aren’t aware of the current situation or the problems that exist in the film production work, so how about the progress of the gospel work? Which country’s gospel work has spread the best, most ideally? Which country’s people have relatively good caliber and comprehend quickly? Which country has better church life?” “Ah, I was only focused on gatherings, I forgot to ask about these things.” “Then, in the gospel team, how many people are able to testify? How many people are being cultivated to testify? Who is responsible for and follows up on the church work and church life in which country? Who waters and shepherds? Have new church members from various countries started living church life? Have their notions and imaginings been completely resolved? How many people have rooted themselves in the true way, no longer being misled by religious people? After believing in God for one or two years, how many can do their duties? Do you understand and grasp these matters? When problems arise in the work, who can solve them? In the gospel team, which group or individuals are responsible for their work and have actual results, do you know?” “I don’t know. If you want to know, I can ask for you. If you’re not in a hurry, I’ll ask when I have time; I’m still busy!” Has this leader done any concrete work? (No.) They say “I don’t know” to everything; they only ask about things at the moment they’re questioned, so what are they busy with? No matter which team they go to for gatherings or to check on the work, they fail to identify the problems in the work and they don’t know how to solve them. If they cannot see through the states and character of various people at once, then shouldn’t they at least follow up on, understand, and grasp the issues that exist in the work, what work is currently being done, and to what stage it has progressed? However, false leaders can’t even do this much; are they not blind? Even if they go to various teams within the church to follow up and check on the work, they don’t understand the actual situation at all, can’t identify key problems, and even if they spot some problems, they cannot solve them.

There was a film production team that was preparing to shoot a very challenging movie of a type which they had never attempted before. Whether they were suitable to take on this movie script, whether the director and the entire crew had the capability to complete this work—their leader was unaware of these situations. They merely said, “You’ve taken on a new script. Go ahead and shoot it, then. I’ll support you and follow up with you. Do your best, and when difficulties arise, pray to God and solve them according to God’s words.” And then they left. This leader couldn’t see or identify any of the existing difficulties; can work be done well like this? After the film production team received this script, the director and team members would often analyze the plot and discuss costumes and framing, but had no idea how to shoot the movie; they were unable to officially start production. Isn’t this the current state? Aren’t these the existing problems? Aren’t these issues that the leader should resolve? The leader spent every day in gatherings, no real problems were solved after many days of gatherings, and filming still could not proceed normally. Did the leader have any effect? (No.) They only shouted slogans to boost morale: “We can’t sit idle, we can’t just freeload off God’s house!” They even lectured people: “You people have no conscience, freeloading off God’s house without any sense of feeling whatsoever—have you no shame?” After they said this, everyone’s conscience felt a bit reproached: “Yeah, the work progresses so slowly, and we still get our three meals a day like this—isn’t this freeloading? We haven’t really done any work. Then, who will solve these problems that arise in the work? We can’t solve them so we ask the leader, but the leader just tells us to pray diligently, read God’s words, and cooperate harmoniously, without fellowshipping how these problems should be solved.” The leader held gatherings on site every day, but these problems just couldn’t be resolved. Over time, some people’s faith grew cold, and their states became despondent because they didn’t see a way forward and didn’t know how to proceed with the filming. They placed their last hope in the leader, hoping they could solve some actual problems, but alas, this leader was as good as blind, neither learning the profession nor fellowshipping, discussing, or seeking with those who understood it. They would frequently hold a book of God’s words and say, “I am reading God’s words for spiritual devotion. I am equipping myself with the truth. Nobody disturb me, I’m busy!” Eventually, more and more problems accumulated, leading to the work being in a semi-paralyzed state, yet the false leader still thought they were doing great work. Why was that? They believed that since they had held gatherings, inquired about the work situation, identified problems, shared God’s words, pointed out people’s states, and everyone had held themselves up for comparison with these states and resolved to do their duty well, then their responsibility as a leader had been fulfilled, and they had done all that could be expected of them—if the specific tasks related to professional aspects couldn’t be managed well, that was not the leader’s concern. What kind of leader is this? The church work had fallen into a semi-paralyzed state, yet they were not anxious or distressed at all. If the Above did not inquire or urge, they would just keep dragging on, never mentioning what was going on beneath them, solving no problems. Had such a leader fulfilled their leadership responsibilities? (No.) So, what did they talk about all day in gatherings? They prattled idly, merely preaching doctrines and shouting slogans. The leader didn’t resolve real problems in the work, didn’t resolve people’s perfunctory and negative states, and didn’t know how to resolve issues in people’s work according to the truth principles. As a result, the entire project ground to a halt and no progress could be seen over a long period. Yet the leader was not at all anxious. Isn’t this a manifestation of false leaders not doing real work? What is the essence of this manifestation of false leaders? Isn’t this a serious dereliction of duty? To be gravely derelict in one’s work, failing to fulfill one’s responsibilities—this is precisely what false leaders do. They stay on site just to go through the motions, not solving real problems. They stay on site only to cheat people; without doing any real work, even if they did stay there all the time, it would accomplish nothing. Various problems arise in the work and among professional aspects, some of which they can solve but don’t—this is already a serious dereliction of duty. Moreover, they are blind both in their eyes and their minds: Sometimes when they do discover problems, they can’t see through to their essence. They can’t resolve them, but they pretend to be able to handle them, barely holding on while flat-out refusing to fellowship or consult with those who do understand the truth, and not reporting to or seeking from the Above either. Why is this? Are they afraid of being pruned? Afraid that the Above will know the truth about them and dismiss them? Isn’t this focusing on status without upholding the work of God’s house in the slightest? With this kind of mentality, how could one do their duty well?

No matter what important work a leader or worker does, and what the nature of this work is, their number one priority is to understand and grasp how work is going on. They must be there in person to follow up on things and ask questions, getting their information first-hand. They must not simply rely on hearsay or listen to other people’s reports. Instead, they must observe with their own eyes the situation of the personnel and how work is progressing, and understand what difficulties there are, whether any areas are at odds with requirements of the Above, whether there are violations of principles, whether there exist any disturbances or disruptions, whether there is a lack of necessary equipment or related instructional materials regarding professional work—they must stay on top of all of this. No matter how many reports they listen to, or how much they glean from hearsay, neither of these beats paying a personal visit; it is more accurate and reliable for them to see things with their own eyes. Once they are familiar with all aspects of the situation, they will have a good idea of what’s going on. They especially must have a clear and accurate grasp of who is of good caliber and worthy of cultivation, as only this allows them to accurately cultivate and use people, which is crucial if leaders and workers are to do their work well. Leaders and workers should have a path and principles by which to cultivate and train people of good caliber. Furthermore, they should have a grasp and understanding of the various kinds of problems and difficulties that exist in church work, and know how to solve them, and they should also have their own ideas and suggestions for how work is to progress, or its future prospects. If they are able to speak with clarity about such things with their eyes closed, without any doubt or misgivings, then the work will be much easier to carry out. And by working in this way, a leader will be fulfilling their responsibilities, will they not? They must be well aware of how to resolve the abovementioned issues in the work, and they must often ponder these things. When they encounter difficulties, they must fellowship and discuss these things with everyone, seeking the truth in order to resolve the issues. By doing real work with both feet planted firmly on the ground in this way, there will be no difficulties that cannot be solved. Do false leaders know how to do this? (No.) False leaders only know to pretend and cheat people, acting like they understand things they don’t, unable to solve any actual problems and only busying themselves with useless matters. When asked what they have been busy with, they say, “Our living place was lacking a few cushions, and the film production team was short of a piece of fabric for costumes, so I went to buy some. Another time the kitchen ran out of ingredients, and the cook couldn’t leave, so I had to go out and buy some, and I picked up a few bags of flour on the way. All these things I had to do myself.” They really have been quite busy. Are they not neglecting their proper tasks? They don’t care at all or bear a burden at all when it comes to the work that falls within the scope of their responsibilities as leaders, seeking only to muddle through. The problem of their own caliber being quite poor and of them being blind in both eyes and mind is serious enough, yet they also bear no burden and indulge in comfort, frequently spending several days in some cozy spot. When someone has a problem and looks for them for a solution, they are nowhere to be found, and no one knows what they are really up to. They manage their own time. This week, they hold a gathering for one team one morning, take a rest in the afternoon, and then in the evening, they gather the people in charge of general affairs to discuss matters. The next week, they hold a gathering for those in charge of external affairs, casually asking, “Are there any difficulties? Have you read God’s word during this period? Have you been constrained or disturbed in your contacts with nonbelievers?” And after asking these few questions, they call it a wrap. In the blink of an eye, a month passes. What work have they done? Although they held gatherings for each team in turn, they knew nothing about the work situation of any team, nor did they learn or inquire about it, or much less join in the work or direct it in each team. They did not participate in, follow up on, or provide direction regarding the work, but there were a few things they did punctually: eating on time, sleeping on time, and holding gatherings on time. Their life is quite regular, they’re taking good care of themselves, but their work performance is not up to par.

Some leaders don’t fulfill the responsibilities of leaders and workers whatsoever, not doing the essential work of the church but instead focusing solely on some insignificant general affairs. They specialize in managing the kitchen, always asking, “What are we eating today? Do we have any eggs? How much meat is left? If we’re out, I’ll go buy some.” They consider the kitchen work extremely important, wandering into the kitchen for no reason, always thinking about eating more fish, more meat, enjoying more, eating food without any qualms whatsoever. While people in each team are busy working, focusing on doing their duties well, these leaders only focus on eating well, living a quite comfortable life. Since becoming a leader, not only have they been unconcerned with the church’s work and avoided any hard effort, but they have also taken care to keep themselves plump and rosy-cheeked. What is it they do every day? They are busy with some general affairs work, some trivial matters, not having done any real work well or solved any real problems. Yet they feel no remorse in their heart. All false leaders do not do the key work of the church, nor do they solve any real problems. Ever since becoming a leader, they think, “I just need to find a few people to do the specific work, and then I don’t need to do it myself.” They believe that once they’ve arranged supervisors for each item of work, they themselves have nothing left to do. They believe this is doing the work of being a leader, and they are then entitled to enjoy the benefits of their status. They do not participate in any real work, do not follow up or provide direction, and they do not conduct investigations or research to resolve problems. Do they fulfill the responsibilities of a leader? Can the church work be done well this way? When the Above asks them about how the work is going, they say, “The church work is all normal. Each item of work has a supervisor handling it.” If further questioned about whether there are any problems in the work, they respond, “I don’t know. There probably aren’t any problems!” This is the attitude of a false leader toward their work. As a leader, they show complete irresponsibility for the work assigned to them; it’s all delegated to others, with no follow-up, inquiries, or assistance in solving problems from their end—they just sit there like a hands-off taskmaster. Aren’t they being derelict in their duty? Aren’t they acting like an official? Not doing any specific work, not following up on the work, not solving real problems—isn’t this leader merely a piece of decoration? Aren’t they a false leader? This is the epitome of a false leader. A false leader’s work is just flapping their lips and issuing orders without actually participating in or following up on the work, nor seeking out or identifying problems within the work. Even when problems are identified, they don’t resolve them. They merely act as a hands-off taskmaster, thinking that constitutes doing work. And yet leading this way does nothing to disturb their peace of mind; they live comfortably every day, and are cheerful at all times. How is it that they are still able to wear a smile? I’ve discovered a fact: Such people are utterly shameless. They do no actual work as a leader, they just arrange a few people to do tasks and consider it done. You never see them at the workplace; they have no clue about the progress or the results of the church’s work, yet they still think they are competent and up to standard as leaders. This is the epitome of a false leader, doing no actual work whatsoever. False leaders have no burden for the church’s work, they don’t get worried or anxious no matter how many problems arise; they are satisfied with just doing some general affairs and then they think they have done actual work. No matter how the Above exposes false leaders, they don’t feel bad inside, nor do they see themselves in the exposure; they don’t have any self-reflection or repentance. Aren’t such people devoid of conscience and reason? Can someone who truly has conscience and reason treat church work this way? Most assuredly not.

Generally, people with even a bit of conscience and reason, upon hearing the exposure of the various manifestations of false leaders and holding themselves up for comparison with these descriptions, will be able to see, to a greater or lesser extent, that there is something of themselves in these descriptions. Their faces will flush, they will become restless, their hearts will be uneasy, feeling indebted to God, and they will secretly resolve: “Previously, I indulged in the comforts of the flesh, didn’t do my work well, didn’t fulfill my responsibilities, didn’t do real work, was ignorant when questioned, always wanted to shirk, and always pretended, fearing that once others saw what was really going on with me, my reputation and status would be lost, and the position as a leader which I held could not be maintained. Only now do I see that such behavior is shameful and cannot continue. I must be a bit more earnest in taking action, and put in the effort. If I carry on failing to do well, that would be inexcusable—my conscience would accuse me!” False leaders like this still possess some humanity and conscience; at the very least, their conscience is aware. After hearing My exposure, they see themselves in these words and feel troubled; they reflect: “I really haven’t done any real work, or solved any real problems. I don’t deserve God’s commission or the title of leader. What should I do, then? I must make amends; from now on, I must knuckle down and resolve real problems, participate in every specific task, avoid shirking, avoid pretending, and do things to the full extent of my capabilities. God scrutinizes people’s hearts and innermost thoughts, God knows everyone’s true measure; regardless of whether I do things well or poorly, doing it wholeheartedly is most important. If I cannot even do this, can I still be called human?” Being able to reflect on oneself in this manner is called having a conscience. People without a conscience, no matter how you expose them, do not go red in the face or feel their heart racing; they just continue doing whatever they want. Even if they see themselves in what God has exposed, they feel indifferent about it: “It’s not like I was mentioned by name,” they think. “Why should I be afraid? My caliber is good, I’m talented; God’s house can’t do without me! So what that I don’t do any real work? I don’t do it myself, but I get someone else to, so it gets done nonetheless, doesn’t it? At any rate, every task that you ask me to do, I get it done for you, no matter who I arrange to do it. My caliber is good, so I work smart. In the future, I will keep on muddling through and enjoying life as I wish.” No matter how I dissect or expose false leaders for not doing real work, the people in question remain the same, completely oblivious: “Let others think what they want, and see me as they want to see me—I just won’t do it!” Do such false leaders have a conscience? (No.) This is the fourth time we have fellowshipped on exposing the various manifestations of false leaders, and each time I expose such individuals, those with even a bit of conscience feel as if they’re sitting on pins and needles, feeling insecure for not doing their work well, and secretly resolve to quickly repent and make a turnaround. Meanwhile, those without a conscience are exceptionally shameless; they feel nothing whatsoever. Regardless of how I fellowship, they just go on living their days as usual, enjoying life as they wish. When you ask them, “Some people are responsible for gospel work, some for translation work, and others for film production work—what specific work are you responsible for?” they say: “Although I haven’t done any specific work, I oversee everything. I hold gatherings for them.” If you then ask them, “How many gatherings do you hold in a month?” they will reply: “At the very least, one large gathering a month, and a small one every fortnight.” And when you ask them, “Besides holding gatherings, what specific work have you done?” they will reply: “With gatherings keeping me so busy, what specific work can I do? Besides, the scope I manage is so broad, I have no time for specific work.” These false leaders feel that they are fully in the right—they make very steady and stable leaders! No matter how they are exposed and pruned, they are not upset about it in the slightest. If I were made to do a specific task, like cooking for five people, but I had only made enough food for four, I would feel uncomfortable about not having made enough, and I would feel guilty for not feeding everyone well. I would then think about how to make up for it, ensuring to calculate correctly next time so that everyone gets enough to eat. And if someone said the food was too salty, I would feel bad too. I would ask which dish was too salty, then ask others whether the seasoning was appropriate. Although it’s hard to please everyone, I must still try every means possible to do My part well. This is called fulfilling one’s responsibilities; this is the reason that people ought to possess. You always have to fulfill your responsibilities; no matter what the task is, you must participate in it yourself. If anyone offers a different opinion—regardless of who they are—and you realize you are in the wrong and feel bad after hearing it, then you must make corrections and put your heart into what you do in future, doing well even if it means enduring some hardship. False leaders don’t have this feeling, so they don’t endure any hardship at all. After hearing these facts about the exposure of false leaders, they feel nothing whatsoever, still enjoying their food, sleeping soundly, and living it up, with the same happy mood every day, and without the feeling of carrying a heavy burden on their shoulders, or the pang of guilt in their heart. What kind of people are these? Such people have a problem with their character: They lack conscience, they are devoid of reason, and they are of lowly character. Despite having exposed the various manifestations of false leaders for so long—both from a positive perspective, providing and fellowshipping, and from a negative perspective, exposing and dissecting them—a portion of false leaders still cannot recognize their own issues, nor do they ever intend to reflect and repent. If there weren’t any supervision and urging from the Above, they would still muddle along with their work as much as they could, without changing course at all. No matter how I expose them, they still sit there unruffled and completely oblivious. Aren’t they far too shameless? People of this type are not fit to be leaders or workers; they are of such lowly character that they know no shame! For normal people, even just hearing someone mention their shortcomings, flaws, or anything inappropriate or against principles regarding what they have done—never mind being specifically exposed—would be hard for them to bear, and they would feel upset and mortified, and would think about how to change and correct themselves. Meanwhile, these false leaders make a complete mess of their work and still live with a clear conscience, not feeling worried or anxious, and remaining completely oblivious no matter how they are exposed—they even find places to hide away and seek leisure, and are always nowhere to be seen. They truly know no shame!