As for those who are not quite of sufficient intelligence, they also have aspirations to do their duty well and want to defend the interests of God’s house, but they lack wisdom, don’t know how to act according to the principles, and cannot see through any matter. At some point in time, they encounter temptation and fall into it, and as a result, they sell out the interests of the church, sell out the brothers and sisters, and bring harm to the work of God’s house. How should we deal with and treat this kind of people who are blockheads and who are of inadequate intelligence? When it comes to such blockheads who lack spiritual understanding and are of inadequate intelligence, every last one of them should be dismissed and reassigned, and not one can be used. If such people are used, they could bring trouble to the work of God’s house at any time—there are so many lessons like this. Nowadays, there are many people who outwardly have some human likeness, but they cannot fellowship any truth reality. They have believed in God for many years and yet they remain in this state. The root of this problem should be seen clearly; this is a problem of exceedingly poor caliber and a lack of spiritual understanding. Such people will not change no matter how many years they believe in God, and have made no significant progress despite all the sermons they have listened to. They can only be put to one side, to render service in whatever meager way they are able to. Is this a good way of dealing with them or not? (It is good.) Some people with inadequate intelligence and no strength cannot understand God’s words at all even after reading them for several years, and fail to understand sermons despite having listened to them for several years. Is it still useful to issue books of God’s words to such people? (No, it isn’t.) Books of God’s words should not be issued to people with inadequate intelligence, because doing so is futile and tantamount to a waste, and any that has been issued to them should be collected back immediately. This is not to deprive them of the right to read God’s words, but because their intelligence falls short. Even if such people live the church life, they cannot understand the truth, let alone do a duty. Such people are the same as trash, are they not? You ought to know how to handle trash. Some people appear quite guileless on the outside, but their intelligence is so abysmal that they can’t even do any physical chores properly, and they make a hash of everything they do. If they are asked to do a chore, they will certainly damage something, so people like this cannot be used. If you ask them to pick up a bucket of water, they will knock over a bottle of oil. If you ask them to wash a bowl, they will break a plate. If you ask them to cook, they will either cook too much or too little, or it will be too salty or too bland. They do put their heart into it, but they can’t do anything well and don’t even do a good job of performing physical labor. Can such people be used? (No.) So if they can’t be used, what should they be asked to do? Does it mean that they aren’t allowed to believe in God and that God’s house doesn’t want them? No, it doesn’t. Just don’t let them do a duty. If they don’t properly do things that are within the scope of normal human life—including everyday common-sense things and routine matters of daily life—or they are incapable of doing these things, then they are not fit to do a duty in God’s house.

Although some people are not possessed of good humanity or any special talents, let alone can they be cultivated to be leaders, they can still do some physical chores. For instance, feeding chickens and ducks, feeding pigs, and tending sheep are jobs that they can do well. If you give them a simple job, they can do it well as long as they put their heart into it, and thus such people can do a duty in God’s house. Though it is a single, simple chore, they can put their heart into it and fulfill a responsibility, and they can also make demands on themselves according to God’s words and the truth principles. No matter whether the chore is big or small, or the work is important or unimportant, when all is said and done, they can do the single job assigned to them well. Not only can they feed the chickens well so that they lay eggs normally, but they can also protect the chickens from being carried away by wolves. If they hear a wolf howling, they will immediately tell their supervisor, striving to avoid any mishaps in the performance of the job and task entrusted to them by God’s house. If they work like this then they are relatively dedicated, and this counts as being able to fulfill their responsibility and do a job well. With what remains—their personal life, and how they conduct themselves and deal with things—they fall somewhat short; for instance, they don’t know how to interact and chat with others, or how to fellowship on their state with others, and are sometimes petulant. Is this considered a problem? Is it okay not to use them because of these issues? (No, it isn’t.) Some people have poor personal hygiene; they don’t wash their hair for at least ten days and they generally smell bad. Others make loud noises eating and drinking while those around them are resting, and are loud at other times too, such as when walking, closing doors, and talking—they are uneducated and have no manners. How should such people be treated? Everyone must be understanding, help and support them with a loving heart, fellowship with them about what normal humanity is, and allow them to change little by little. Since you’re all together, you have to learn to rub along. Such people can be used as long as they are able to do their job properly, and undertake the job, and don’t do anything that causes disruption and disturbance. Some people are clever, have good caliber, and work diligently, and they can fulfill their responsibilities and do well in the jobs assigned to them, so they can be cultivated and used. But some people are of such exceedingly poor caliber that they can’t even do single jobs well; they can just about cope with feeding chickens, but if they also have to feed ducks and geese, they will get overwhelmed and won’t know how to do it. It’s not that they don’t want to do it well, but their caliber is too poor. Their brain has its limitations, they only know how to do one task, and if they are given one more to do, they’re out of their depth. They don’t know how to plan, so they just mess things up. Such people are only fit for doing one job at a time. Don’t give them multiple jobs, because they will be incapable of undertaking them. Don’t think that if they can do one chore well, they can surely do two or three chores; this isn’t necessarily the case, and it depends on their caliber. Let them try doing two chores first. If they have good caliber and can undertake it, then you can arrange for them this way. If they can’t simultaneously do two chores well, and mess up, it means it is beyond their caliber, so you must take away their second chore immediately. This is because through observation and probation, you have discovered that they are only fit for doing one job at a time, rather than doing multiple complex jobs, and that they don’t have the caliber for this. Some people are relatively clever and of relatively good caliber, and if you give them several jobs to do, they can do them well. For example, if you ask them to cook meals, feed the chicks, and manage the vegetable garden, they are able to prepare the meals on time every day while managing the vegetable garden in their spare moments, promptly watering and weeding the garden, and feeding the chicks on time. Some people may say, “Since they have this caliber, let them also take over the church’s work and be a church leader.” Would that be okay? Although they are capable of undertaking some physical tasks and everyday chores, when it comes to being a church leader, that requires a separate appraisal; it’s not something that can be measured based on their doing these simple, external chores. That’s because being a church leader isn’t a physical chore, it must be measured by the principles of leadership. However, if this person possesses the caliber and talent to be a church leader, and their humanity is fairly good, it would be inappropriate for you to assign them to do external chores; that is called using people inappropriately. At most, church leaders can do one more part-time chore that relates to everyday life, and concern themselves with it a bit more whenever they are not busy—this will not tire them out. When it comes to trivial, routine matters and these physical tasks, people can do as many of them as they are able. Is there anyone who can take on all of them? Is there anyone with such caliber? (No.) It may be that their caliber and ability are sufficient, but there is one thing that they won’t have enough of, and that’s energy. People are mortal, their energy is limited, and the number of jobs they can undertake is also limited. People with high energy may be able to work up to 12 hours a day, whereas people with average energy can normally work for eight hours, and people with low energy can work for just four or five hours. Therefore, whether you use a person to do physical chores, church leadership work, or work that involves professional skills, you must consider what they are most suited to, and after assigning them the most suitable work, if they can’t do it, assign them something else. If you don’t assign them work according to what they are most suited to doing, this is a mistake in the way you use people. For those people who cannot be prioritized for promotion, cultivation, and use, even if they are asked to do physical chores, they must be assigned to these chores based on their caliber and abilities. If, at the same time as doing their one appointed job well, they are still able to do other jobs, then they can be asked to do a few other physical chores on a part-time basis, as long as it doesn’t impact their main job. Some people are physically strong and can do three chores one after the other; after finishing one chore, they still have energy to spare, and they are free most of the time. But false leaders are blind and don’t know how to allocate work, and haven’t realized that this is a problem, so they only assign those people to do one chore, which is a mistake.

I was talking just now about people with inadequate intelligence who have no special skills and are only capable of physical exertion. There are also people who have some ailment and are incapable even of physical exertion, and who get a headache, stomachache, or backache whenever they do anything that is the slightest bit physical. What should be done about assigning duties to people of this kind, if they are suited to doing a duty? One must look at various aspects, such as their state of health and also their humanity and caliber, to ascertain what duties they are fit to do in God’s house. If their health is so bad that they can’t do any chores, and have to take a break after working for a while, and also need someone to attend to them, if they can’t do a duty properly on their own and must be paired up with someone who can look after them, then that’s not worth it at all. Such people are not fit to do a duty, so let them go home and recuperate. Whatever you do, don’t use anyone who is so seriously ill that a gust of wind will likely blow them down. If their health is not too poor and it’s just that they suffer from stomachache if they eat the wrong thing, or they get a headache if they use their brain too much, so they can only manage to work three or four hours less than a normal person, or do half of the work of a normal person, then such people can still be used as long as they meet the other criteria. Unless they bring it up themselves and say, “My health is too poor to put up with this hardship. I want to go home to recuperate. When I recover, I’ll come back and do my duty,” then agree to that without delay and do not try to counsel them on their way of thinking; it won’t have any effect even if you do it. There’s a saying that goes, “Something done grudgingly will not produce satisfactory results”; everyone’s faith, aspirations, and pursuits are different. Some people may say: “Isn’t it merely that they sometimes feel a little out of sorts and a bit low on energy? People might feel out of sorts if they eat the wrong things, but after a couple of days they will be fine; is there any need for them to go home and recuperate? Won’t their headache and dizziness go away after a good night’s sleep? Can they not work normally then? Is it such a big deal?” It may not be a big deal to you, but some people are different from others in terms of the degree to which they cherish their flesh, and some people indeed have health troubles. In such cases, if they put in a request to return home to rest and recuperate, the church should quickly agree, not make demands on them, not make things hard for them, and especially not try to counsel them on their way of thinking. Some false leaders constantly work on such people, by saying: “Look at the extent that God’s work has reached now. Disasters are getting bigger and bigger, the four blood moons have appeared, and now the pandemic is so widespread that nonbelievers have no way of surviving! You are in God’s house, doing your duties and enjoying God’s grace—you won’t be exposed to danger and you can also gain truth and life—what a great blessing that is! This minor trouble you have is nothing. You have to overcome it and pray to God. God will definitely heal you. Just read God’s words, learn a few more hymns, and your ailment will naturally get better if you keep your mind off it. Don’t God’s words say, ‘To dwell in sickness is to be sick’? You are dwelling in sickness right now. If you keep thinking about being sick, then the sickness will become serious. If you don’t think about it, then your ailment will disappear, won’t it? That way, you will grow in faith and you won’t want to go home to rest. You going home to rest is called coveting the comforts of the flesh.” Don’t try to counsel them on their way of thinking, it’s foolish to do that. They can’t even persevere through a little temporary discomfort and just want to go home to rest, and can’t even get over a minor difficulty, which proves that they aren’t doing their duty sincerely. In all actuality, this kind of people have no intention of doing their duty in the long run, they don’t do it with any sincerity, are unwilling to pay a price, and now they have finally found an opportunity and an excuse to make a complete getaway. In their heart, they are rejoicing that they are so smart and that this illness has come at just the right time. So whatever you do, don’t urge them to stay. They will hate anyone who tries to urge them to stay, and they will curse anyone who tries to counsel them on their way of thinking. Don’t you understand this? Of course, some people really are ill, and have been for a long time, and are afraid that if they persist any longer, their life will be in danger. They don’t want to bring any trouble to God’s house, or impact on other people’s performance of their duty. They feel that once their health fails them, they will have to rely on the brothers and sisters to take care of them, and they feel bad about making God’s house take care of them, so they wisely take the initiative to ask for leave. How should this situation be dealt with? Likewise, by letting them go home and rest without further ado. God’s house isn’t afraid of trouble, it just doesn’t want to force things on people against their will. In addition, people all have some personal and real difficulties. People living in the flesh all get sick, and illnesses of the flesh are a problem that exists in reality—we respect the facts. Some people genuinely are unable to do their duties due to being in seriously ill health, and if they need God’s house to provide them with conveniences, or they need the brothers and sisters to provide remedies or offer some treatment suggestions, God’s house will be happy to provide these things. If they don’t want to inconvenience God’s house and they have the money, means, and wherewithal to go and get their illness treated, that’s fine too. In summary, if it’s because their health doesn’t allow them to continue doing their duties in God’s house or to continue being cultivated by God’s house, then they can justifiably put in a request, and God’s house will immediately agree to it. No one should counsel them on their way of thinking, or impose demands, as that would be inappropriate and devoid of rationality. These are the arrangements that are made for this kind of people.

Some people have passable humanity, they have strengths and a bright mind, they speak normally, they are usually very optimistic, and they are very proactive in doing their duty, but they have one flaw, which is that they are very sentimental. While following God and doing their duty in the church, they constantly miss their family and relatives, or they constantly think about eating nice food back in their hometown, and not being able to eat it pains them, which in turn affects their performance of their duty. There is another kind of person, who likes to live alone in one place, with their own private space. When they are with the brothers and sisters, they feel that the pace of work is too fast and that they have no private living space. They constantly feel under pressure, and always feel restrained and uncomfortable living with the brothers and sisters. They always want to do whatever they please and be free to indulge themselves. They don’t want to do their duty together with everyone else, and they constantly think about returning home. They always find doing their duty in God’s house unpleasant. Although the brothers and sisters are easy to get along with and no one bullies them in God’s house, they struggle somewhat to stick to the work and rest schedule—after everyone gets up in the morning, they want to sleep in, but they feel embarrassed to do so, and when everyone else is already resting at night, they don’t want to go to bed and always want to do something that interests them. Sometimes there’s something in particular that they really want to eat, but it’s not available in the canteen, and they are too embarrassed to request it. Sometimes they want to go for a stroll, but no one else asks to do this, so they don’t dare to indulge themselves. They are always careful and cautious, and afraid of being laughed at, looked down upon, or called childish. If they don’t do their duty well, they sometimes end up being pruned. They feel like every day they’re on tenterhooks, like they’re treading on thin ice, and they are quite unhappy. They think, “I remember that when I was at home, I was the little baby of the family, free and unrestrained, like a little angel. How happy I was! I am doing my duty in God’s house now, how come the traces of my former self have vanished? I can no longer do whatever I want, like I used to do,” and so they do not want to live this kind of life. But they dare not mention this to their leader, and they constantly pass on these thoughts to the people around them, they are always homesick, and secretly cry in bed at night. What should be done about this kind of people? Anyone who is aware of the matter should report it without delay, the leader should immediately ascertain whether the report is true or not, and if it is, that person can be allowed to return home. They are enjoying the food, drink, and hospitality of God’s house, but they are still unwilling to do their duty and always in a mood, feeling aggrieved and unhappy, so send them on their way as soon as possible. People of this sort don’t have these moods temporarily, and then resolve them by thinking things over—that’s not their situation. Some people’s subjective will is to steadfastly do their duty, and although they miss home, they know what sort of problem this is, and they are able to seek the truth and resolve it. In the case of these people, there is no need to let them go or worry about them. The situation we are talking about is when people in their 30s still act like children, without ever growing up, and always remain unstable. They only do whatever they are asked to do, and when they have nothing to do, they think about having fun and chatting about irrelevant topics, and never want to attend to their proper work. Nonbelievers talk about being established at the age of 30. Being established means attending to one’s proper work, being able to take on a job and provide for oneself, knowing to attend to one’s proper business, spending less time having fun, and not delaying one’s proper work. What does “acting like children” mean? It means being incapable of undertaking any proper work, always wanting to let their mind wander, and constantly wanting to go for a stroll, wander about, goof around, eat snacks, watch dramas, chat about irrelevant things, play games, and trawl the internet for strange occurrences and unusual stories. It means never being inclined to attend gatherings, always wanting to sleep whenever gatherings are held, wanting to sleep as soon as they feel drowsy, and wanting to eat as soon as they feel hungry, being willful and not attending to their proper work. People like this cannot be said to have bad humanity, it’s just that they never grow up and always remain immature. They are like this at the age of 30, and they are still like this at 40; they are incapable of changing. If they request to leave and no longer want to do their duty, how should this be handled? God’s house doesn’t urge them to stay. You should respond to them right away—let them leave immediately and return among the nonbelievers, and tell them absolutely not to say that they believe in God. Can people who don’t attend to their proper work obtain the truth? If you expect them to mature in terms of their humanity and come to attend to their proper work through doing a duty in God’s house, to be capable of shouldering an important item of work, and to then understand and practice the truth and live out human likeness, you absolutely should not count on it. You will find people like this in any group. Nonbelievers have a nickname for this sort of people: “big kids.” Such people can reach the age of 60 without ever having attended to their proper work. They talk and handle things improperly, they are always laughing, joking, and bouncing around, they don’t do anything in a serious manner, and they are particularly intent on having fun. God’s house cannot make use of such people.

Do you think these “big kids” are bad? Are they evil people? (No.) Some of them aren’t evil people, they are quite simple, and not bad. Some of them are quite kind-hearted and willing to help others. But they all have one flaw—they are willful, fun-loving, and don’t attend to their proper work. For example, say that after a woman gets married, she doesn’t learn to do any housework. She cooks meals only when she is happy, but not when she is unhappy—she has to be coaxed all the time. If someone wants her to do something, they have to negotiate it with her, and she has to be watched over. She always likes to dress up nicely so that she can go out shopping, buying clothes and cosmetics, and getting beauty treatments done. When she returns home, she doesn’t do a single chore, and just wants to play cards and mahjong. If you ask her how much a pound of cabbage costs, she doesn’t know; if you ask her what she’s going to eat tomorrow, she doesn’t know that either; and if you ask her to cook something up, she makes a hash of it. So, what is she most proficient at? She is most proficient at things like knowing which restaurant serves the best food, which store stocks the most fashionable clothes, and which store sells affordable and effective cosmetics, but she doesn’t understand or learn other things like how to pass her days, or the skills that are required in normal human life. Does she not learn these things because she is of insufficient caliber? No, that’s not it. Judging from the things she is proficient in, she has caliber, but she doesn’t attend to her proper work. As long as she has money to spend, she will go out to eat in restaurants and buy makeup and clothes. If there’s a shortage of pots and pans at home and she’s asked to buy some, she will say, “There’s delicious food for sale outside, what do I need to buy all that for?” If the vacuum cleaner at home is broken, and she’s asked to buy one less item of clothing in order to save money to buy a new one, she will say, “When I’m earning money in the future, I’ll just hire a housekeeper to clean the house, so there’s no need to buy a vacuum cleaner.” Usually, if she’s not playing games or mahjong, then she’s buying trendy clothes, and she never cleans the house. This is not attending to one’s proper work, isn’t it? Then there are some men who, as soon as they make some money, buy a car with it or gamble it away. If something is broken at home, they don’t repair it. They don’t pass their days in a proper way. In their home, their refrigerator doesn’t work, and neither does their washing machine, the drains are blocked, and the roof leaks when it rains, and they don’t repair these things for a very long time. What do you think of such men? They don’t attend to their proper work. Be they men or women, God’s house cannot use the types of people who are overly willful and don’t attend to their proper work.

Some people don’t attend to their proper work as parents, and they fail to take proper care of their children. As a result, their children end up being scalded by boiling water or suffering some knocks and scrapes; some children end up breaking their noses, others burn their bottoms on the stove, and others scald their throats after drinking boiling water. People of this sort aren’t attentive in anything they do, and they are incapable of doing anything properly. They don’t attend to their proper work, they fool around, they are willful and fun-loving, and they are incapable of shouldering the responsibilities that a person should bear. As parents, they are unable to fulfill their responsibilities and they are inattentive. So, can such people shoulder the responsibilities that normal people should bear when doing a duty in God’s house? No, absolutely not. People who don’t attend to their proper work cannot be used. If they say they don’t want to do their duty anymore and ask to return home, then just let them go right away. No one should push or urge them to stay, because this is a problem to do with their nature, it’s not an occasional, fleeting manifestation. These people were full of delusions when they came into God’s house to do their duty; they thought that doing a duty and following God would be like coming to the Garden of Eden, like being in the good land of Canaan. The life they imagined was wonderful, with lovely things to eat and drink all day long, liberty and no restraints, and no work to be done at all. They wanted to live a carefree life of leisure, but it turned out to be completely different from what they imagined. These people have experienced enough, and they feel that it is boring and dull here, and want to leave, so let them go without delay, God’s house does not urge these people to stay. God’s house does not push people, and you shouldn’t do this either; this is practicing the truth and acting in accordance with the principles. You must do things that are in line with the truth principles, you must be a person who understands God’s intentions, a wise person—don’t be a muddleheaded person, or an indiscriminate people pleaser. Handle the kind of people who don’t attend to their proper work in this way—can this be considered unloving or not giving people the chance to repent? (No, it can’t.) God is fair to everyone, and God’s house has the right to promote, cultivate, and use you. If you are unwilling to do your duty, and you ask to leave the church, that is your free choice, so the church should agree to your request, it absolutely will not force you. This is in keeping with morality, in keeping with humanity, and of course, it is especially in keeping with the truth principles. This is a very appropriate course of action! If anyone does their duty for a period of time, and finds it tiring and difficult, and isn’t happy to do it anymore, and consequently wants to give up their duty and stop believing in God, I will give you a definite response to this today, which is that God’s house will agree to this, and it will never force you to stay, or make things difficult for you. There is no dilemma to this, and you do not need to feel like you’re in a quandary, or that you have lost face. Much less is it an issue for God’s house, and God’s house does not place any demands on you either. What’s more, if you want to leave, then God’s house will not condemn you or stand in your way, because this is the path you have chosen, and God’s house can only meet your demands. Is this an appropriate course of action? (Yes.)

I have just listed several situations in which people don’t attend to their proper work. God’s house will not push these people; if they are unwilling to do their duty or have some personal difficulties and request to no longer do a duty, then God’s house will agree. It will not use them anymore, and it won’t let them do a duty. This is how such people are handled, and it is a completely appropriate course of action.