A church leader must at least possess conscience and reason, and also understand some truths—only then can they feel a burden. What are the manifestations of feeling a burden? If they see some people being negative, some with distorted comprehension, some wasting the assets of God’s house, some doing their work perfunctorily, some not seeing to proper tasks when they do their duties, some always spouting high-sounding words but not doing real work…, finding that too many problems exist within the church and need to be resolved, seeing so much work undone, this makes them develop a sense of burden. Since becoming a leader, it feels like there’s a fire constantly burning inside them; if they discover a problem and can’t solve it, they become worried and anxious, unable to eat or sleep. During gatherings, when some people report problems in their work that the leader can’t see through and resolve immediately, the leader doesn’t give up; they feel that they must resolve this problem. After praying and seeking, and thinking it over for two days, once they know how to resolve it, they quickly resolve the issue. After resolving the issue, they promptly check other pieces of work and discover another issue with too many people involved in a piece of work that required a reduction in personnel. They then quickly call a gathering, get a clear picture of the situation, reduce personnel, and devise reasonable arrangements, and thus the problem is resolved. No matter which work they are inspecting, leaders who carry a burden will always be able to identify problems. For any problems which have to do with professional knowledge, or which go against principles, they will be able to identify them, inquire about them, and gain an understanding of them, and when they discover a problem, they resolve it promptly. Intelligent leaders and workers only resolve problems to do with the church’s work, professional knowledge, and truth principles. They do not pay small matters in daily life any heed. They look after every facet of the work of spreading the gospel which God commissioned. They ask about and inspect any problems which they are able to perceive or discover. If they are unable to solve the problem themselves at that moment, then they gather with other leaders and workers, fellowship with them, seek the truth principles, and think of ways to resolve it. If they encounter a big problem which they really cannot resolve, then they promptly seek from the Above, and allow the Above to handle it and resolve it. Leaders and workers such as this are people who are principled in their actions. No matter what problems there are, so long as they have seen them, they will not let them go; they insist on fully understanding these problems and then resolving them one by one. Even if they are not resolved thoroughly, it can be assured that these problems will not arise again. This is to do one’s duty with all one’s heart, strength, and mind, fully fulfilling one’s responsibilities. Those false leaders and workers who do not do real work or focus on solving real problems cannot discover problems in their sight and do not know what work should be done. As long as they see that the brothers and sisters are busy doing their duties, they are perfectly content, feeling that this is the result of their real work; they think that all aspects of work are quite good and that there isn’t much for them to personally do or any problems for them to solve, so they then focus on enjoying the benefits of their status. They always want to show off and boast about themselves among the brothers and sisters. Whenever they see the brothers and sisters, they say, “Be a good believer. Do your duty well. Don’t go through the motions. If you’re naughty or cause trouble, I’ll dismiss you!” They only know to assert their status and lecture people. During gatherings they always ask what problems are present in the work and ask if those under them have any difficulties, but when others express their problems and difficulties, they can’t resolve them. Despite this, they’re still happy, and still go about living with a clear conscience. If the brothers and sisters don’t bring up any difficulties or problems, they feel that they are doing their job very well, becoming complacent. They think asking about work is the job they were assigned to do, and when problems arise and the Above traces responsibility back to them, they are stupefied. Others lay out the difficulties and problems of the work before them, yet they still complain about why they don’t seek the truth to resolve them. Not resolving real problems themselves, they pass the buck to the supervisors below them, harshly reprimanding the ones doing the specific tasks. This reprimand helps them relieve their anger, and they even believe with a clear conscience that they are doing real work. They have never felt worried or anxious about not being able to discover or solve problems, nor been unable to eat or sleep well because of this—they have never suffered this kind of hardship.

Every time I visit a farm church, I solve some problems. Each time I go, it’s not because I’ve found some specific issue to address; it’s just having some free time to go around and see how the work of various teams in the church is going, and how the states of the people in each team are. I gather the supervisors for a talk, ask what work they’ve been doing during this period, and what problems there are, let them raise some issues, and then I fellowship with them about how to resolve these. When fellowshipping with them, I can also discover some new problems. One type of problem is those related to how leaders and workers do their work; another is problems in the work within the scope of their responsibilities. Additionally, I also help and guide them on how to do specific work, how to implement work, what work to do, and then follow up next time, asking them how the work assigned last time went. Such supervision, urging, and follow-up is necessary. Although this is not done with a lot of fanfare and shouting, using loudspeakers to make any announcements, these specific jobs and tasks are communicated and implemented through some leaders and workers who can do real work. Thus, the work of each team becomes orderly and progresses, work efficiency is improved, and the results are better. In the end, everyone in each team can hold fast to their own duty, knowing what they should do and how to do it. At the very least, everyone is performing their due duty, they all have tasks at hand, and what they do is done according to the requirements of God’s house and is also able to be done according to principles. Isn’t this achieving some results? Do false leaders know how to work in this way? False leaders would ponder: “So, this is how the Above carries out work: calling some people together for a chat, everyone taking notes in a little book, and after the notes are taken, the work of the Above is finished. If this is how work is carried out by the Above, then we will do it the same way.” Thus, false leaders imitate in this manner. They mimic the appearance, but in the end, they don’t do any real work at all, not implementing any of the tasks they were asked to do, just idling away time talking about nothing. Sometimes, I also go to the vegetable fields and greenhouses to see how the seedlings are growing, or to find out about how many cycles of crops can be grown in the greenhouse during winter, and how often to water them. These tasks, whether big or small, all involve technical issues related to vegetable growing, and as long as one does them diligently, they can accomplish them. Where do false leaders primarily show their falsehood? The most prominent is not doing real work; they just do some tasks that make themselves look good and then consider it done, and then they start to enjoy the benefits of their status. No matter how much of this type of work they do, does it mean they’re carrying out real work? Most false leaders comprehend the truth impurely, only understanding some words and doctrines, which makes it very difficult to do real work well. A portion of false leaders can’t even resolve issues related to general affairs; they clearly have poor caliber and lack spiritual understanding. There is absolutely no value in cultivating them. Some false leaders do have a little caliber, but they do not do real work, and they indulge in fleshly comforts. People who indulge in fleshly comforts are not much different from pigs. Pigs spend their days sleeping and eating. They do nothing. However, after a year of hard work keeping them fed, when the whole family eats their meat at year’s end, they may be said to have been of service. If a false leader is kept like a pig, eating and drinking for free three times each day, growing fat and strong, but they do not do any real work and are a wastrel, has keeping them not been futile? Has it been of any use? They can only serve as a foil and should be eliminated. Really, it is better to keep a pig than a false leader. False leaders may have the title of “leader,” they may occupy this position, eating well three times a day, enjoying many of God’s graces, growing plump and rosy from all the eating by the end of the year—but what about the work? They ought to look at all that has been accomplished in their work this year: Have they had results in any area of work this year? What real work did they do? God’s house does not ask that they do every job perfectly, but they must do the key work well—the work of the gospel, for example, or film production work, text-based work, and so on. These must all be fruitful. Under normal circumstances, most work should produce some results and achievements after three to five months; if there are no achievements after a year, then this is a serious problem. Within the scope of their responsibility, which work has been the most fruitful? Which one have they paid the greatest price and suffered the most for throughout the year? They should present this achievement, and reflect on whether they have made any valuable achievements from their year of enjoying God’s grace; they should have a clear sense of this in their hearts. Just what were they doing while they ate the food of God’s house and enjoyed God’s grace for all this time? Have they achieved anything? If they have achieved nothing, then they are just muddling by; they are veritable false leaders. Should such leaders be dismissed and eliminated? (Yes.) Can you discern such false leaders when you encounter them? Can you see that they are false leaders, just muddling along to get a free meal ticket? They eat until their mouths are greasy but never seem worried or anxious about work, not participating in or inquiring about any specific tasks. Even if they inquire, it’s for a reason; they only do so when the Above pressures them about results and wouldn’t bother otherwise. They are always indulging in enjoyment, often watching movies or TV shows. They delegate work and while everyone else is busy doing their duties, they are resting and enjoying themselves. If there’s a problem and you try to find them to handle it, they are nowhere to be seen, but they’re never late for meals. And after eating, when everyone else gets back to work, they go off to take more time off. If you ask them, “Why don’t you go out and check on the work? Everyone is waiting for your direction, for your arrangements!” they say: “Why wait for me? You all can do it, you all know how to do it—isn’t it the same when I’m not around? Can’t I rest for a while?” “Is that resting? You’re just watching movies!” “I’m learning professional skills, I’m studying how movies are shot.” They even come up with excuses. They watch one movie after another, and when everyone rests at night, they do too. Each day, they just muddle through like this, but to what extent? Everyone finds them disagreeable, they make everyone feel awkward, and eventually, no one pays them any attention. Tell Me, if this leader is not in charge, can the work still progress? Without them, does the earth stop spinning? (It keeps spinning.) Then, they should be exposed so that everyone can see that this person is not attending to proper tasks and that none should be constrained by them. This false leader who does not attend to proper tasks must be exposed and dissected for everyone to discern, and then they should be discharged to stand aside! Can you discern such false leaders when you encounter them? Without false leaders, would you all feel like you’re sailors without a captain? Would you independently complete work and accomplish tasks? If you wouldn’t, then you’re in danger. Facing this kind of false leader, who doesn’t properly do their duty, doesn’t lead by example, and idles away time chatting online—would you have discernment in this sort of situation? Would you be influenced by them to also engage in idle chatter and delay your duties? Can you still follow such false leaders? (No.)

Some false leaders are gluttonous and lazy, preferring comfort to hard work. They neither want to work nor worry, shirking effort and responsibility, only wanting to indulge in comfort. They like to eat and play, and are especially lazy. There was one false leader who would only get up in the morning after everyone had finished eating, and at night, they would still be watching TV dramas while everyone else was resting. A brother responsible for cooking couldn’t stand it anymore and criticized them. Do you think they would listen to a cook? (No.) Suppose a leader or worker had reprimanded them, saying, “You need to be more diligent; the work that needs to be done must be done. As a leader, you must fulfill your responsibilities no matter what the work is; you must ensure that there are no problems with it. Now that a problem has been found, and you are not present to resolve it, this affects the work. If you consistently work this way, isn’t this delaying the church’s work? Can you bear this responsibility?” Would they listen to this? Not necessarily. For such false leaders, the decision-making group should promptly dismiss them and make other work arrangements for them, letting them do whatever they are capable of doing. If they are good-for-nothings, wanting to freeload wherever they go, unable to do anything, then send them away without letting them do any duty. They are not worthy of doing duty; they are not human, they lack the conscience and reason of normal humanity, they are shameless. For such false leaders, who amount to layabouts, once seen through, they should be directly dismissed; there’s no need to try to exhort them, and they should not be afforded any opportunities to undergo observation, nor is it necessary to fellowship the truth with them. Haven’t they heard enough truths? If they were pruned, could they change? They could not. If someone has poor caliber, sometimes holds absurd views, or fails to see the full picture out of ignorance, but they are diligent, carry a burden, and are not lazy, then such a person, despite deviations in doing their duty, can repent when faced with being pruned. At the very least, they know the responsibilities of a leader and know what they should do, they have a conscience and a sense of responsibility, and they have a heart. However, those who are lazy, prefer comfort over hard work, and are unburdened, cannot change. There’s no burden in their heart; no matter who prunes them, it’s useless. Some people say, “Then, if God’s judgment, chastisement, trials, and refinement came upon them, would it change their issue of being unburdened?” This can’t be changed; it’s determined by one’s nature, like a dog can’t change its habit of eating filth. Whenever you see someone who is lazy and unburdened and also serves as a leader, you can be sure that they are a false leader. Some might say, “How can you call them a false leader? They have good caliber, are shrewd, can see through things, and can concoct plans. In the world, they managed businesses, served as CEOs; they are knowledgeable, experienced, and worldly-wise!” Can these qualities solve their problem of being lazy and lacking a burden? (No.)

What kind of manifestations and characteristics do those who are excessively lazy display? Firstly, in whatever they are doing, they act perfunctorily, dawdle about, go at a leisurely pace, and rest and procrastinate whenever possible. Secondly, they pay no mind to the church’s work. To them, whoever likes worrying about such things may do so. They will not. When they do worry about something, it’s for the sake of their own fame, gain, and status—all that matters for them is that they are able to enjoy the benefits of status. Thirdly, they shy away from hardship in their work; they cannot accept their work being even slightly tiring, becoming very resentful if it is, and they are unable to bear hardship or pay a price. Fourthly, they are unable to persevere in whatever work they do, always giving up halfway and unable to see things through. If they’re momentarily in a good mood, they might do some work for fun, but if something requires long-term commitment, and it keeps them busy, requires a lot of thought, and fatigues their flesh, over time they will begin to grumble. For instance, some leaders are in charge of church work, and they find it new and fresh at first. They are very motivated in their fellowship of the truth and when they see brothers and sisters have problems, they are able to help and resolve them. But, after persisting for a while, they start to find the work of being a leader too exhausting, and they become negative—they wish to switch to an easier job, and are not willing to bear hardship. Such people lack perseverance. Fifthly, another characteristic that distinguishes lazy people is their unwillingness to do real work. As soon as their flesh suffers, they come up with excuses to evade and shirk their work, or pass it off to someone else. And when that person finishes the work, they shamelessly reap the rewards themselves. These are the five major characteristics of lazy people. You should check to see if there are such lazy people among the leaders and workers in the churches. If you find one, they should be dismissed immediately. Can lazy people do good work as leaders? No matter what kind of caliber they have or the quality of their humanity, if they are lazy, they will be unable to do their work well, and they will delay the work and important matters. The church’s work is multifaceted; each aspect of it entails many detailed tasks and requires fellowshipping about the truth to resolve problems in order to be done well. Therefore, leaders and workers must be diligent—they have to do a lot of talking and a lot of work every day to ensure the work’s effectiveness. If they speak or do too little, there will be no results. So, if a leader or worker is a lazy person, they are certainly a false leader and are incapable of doing real work. Lazy people do not do real work, much less go themselves to work sites, and they are not willing to resolve problems or involve themselves in any specific work. They do not have the slightest understanding or grasp of the problems in any work. They only have a superficial, vague idea in their heads from listening to what others have said, and they muddle through by just preaching a bit of doctrine. Are you able to discern this kind of leader? Are you able to tell that they are false leaders? (To a degree.) Lazy people are perfunctory in whatever duty they do. No matter the duty, they lack perseverance, work in fits and starts, and complain whenever they suffer some hardships, pouring out unending grievances. They hurl abuse at whoever criticizes or prunes them, like a shrew insulting people in the streets, always wanting to vent their anger at others, and not wanting to do their duty. What does it show that they do not want to do their duty? It shows that they do not bear a burden, are unwilling to take on responsibility, and are lazy people. They do not want to suffer hardships or pay the price. This especially applies to leaders and workers: If they do not bear a burden, can they fulfill the responsibilities of leaders and workers? Absolutely not.