Antichrists are arbitrary and dictatorial, never fellowship with others, and must have the final say in all matters—aren’t these problems all clearly visible? Fellowshipping with others and seeking principles is not a formality or a superficial process; what is the aim? (To perform one’s duties with principles, and to have a path in performing them.) That’s right; it is to be able to have principles and a path in performing one’s duties. What are God’s requirements, and what are the regulations of God’s house? It is only by seeking the truth in God’s words and understanding the principles that one can effectively perform their duty. If you fellowship the truth to resolve problems, what approach should be taken? Which people need to be involved? The right individuals should be chosen; you should fellowship mainly with some people of good caliber who can understand the truth, as this will lead to effective results. It is essential. If you select muddleheaded people of poor caliber who lack reason, for whom no amount of discussion will allow them to understand or reach the truth, then even if an abundance of truth is fellowshipped, it will not yield any results. Regardless of the problems that arise in the church, God’s chosen people have the right to be informed and should know the situation of the church’s work and the existing problems. If the leaders and workers deceive those above them and hide the truth from those below them, employing methods meant to confound others, God’s chosen people have the right to expose and report them, or to take the situation to the higher-ups. This is also the duty and obligation of God’s chosen people. Some false leaders act arbitrarily and dictatorially, controlling God’s chosen people in the church. This is resisting and opposing God, it is a consistent practice of antichrists. If God’s chosen people do not expose and report this, and the church’s work is hindered or stagnates, it is not just the leaders and workers who bear responsibility, but also God’s chosen people, because it is God’s chosen people who suffer when false leaders and antichrists wield power in the church, potentially jeopardizing their chance of receiving salvation. Therefore, God’s chosen people have the right and responsibility to report and expose false leaders and antichrists, which is beneficial for the church’s work and the life entry of God’s chosen people. Some leaders and workers say: “You all say I’m arbitrary and dictatorial, right? This time I won’t be like that. I’ll let everyone express their opinions. One day, two days—I’ll wait however long it takes for you to share them.” Sometimes, when facing certain special issues, disputes go on for days without a resolution, and they just keep waiting. They wait until everyone reaches a consensus before proceeding with the work, which can cause significant delays. It hinders work so much; this is clearly a manifestation of irresponsibility. How can a leader or worker effectively manage the church’s work if they cannot make decisions? In the church’s work, while leaders and workers have the authority to make decisions, brothers and sisters have the right to be informed. However, ultimately, it is the leaders and workers who must make the decisions. If a leader or worker is unable to make decisions, then their caliber is too poor, and they are not suitable for leadership roles. Even if they are leaders, they cannot do real work or perform their duties adequately. Some leaders and workers argue over a single issue for a long time, unable to make a decision, and in the end, just go along with whoever they see is more forceful. Is this approach principled? (No.) What kind of leadership is that? That’s just being muddleheaded. If you say, “Antichrists are arbitrary and dictatorial, and I fear becoming one; I don’t wish to walk the path of an antichrist. I’ll wait for everyone to express their opinions, and then I’ll conclude and summarize a moderate approach for the decision”—is that acceptable? (No.) Why not? If the result doesn’t align with the truth principles, even if you proceed in this manner, can it be effective? Will it satisfy God? If it’s not effective and doesn’t satisfy God, then the problem is serious. Not acting according to the truth principles, being irresponsible in performing your duty, being perfunctory, and doing things according to Satan’s philosophy is being disloyal to God. It’s deceiving God! To avoid being suspected or judged as an antichrist, you shirk the responsibilities you ought to fulfill and adopt the “compromising” approach of Satan’s philosophy. As a result, you harm God’s chosen people and affect the work of the church. Isn’t this unprincipled? Isn’t it selfish and despicable? As a leader or worker, you must speak and act with principles, fulfill your duties with results and efficiency. You should act in whichever ways benefit the work of God’s house and align with the truth principles. For example, items for the church must be purchased with a practical result in mind. The items should be reasonably priced and functional. If you spend money recklessly without principles, it can cause a loss to the interests of God’s house and to the offerings of God. How would you handle such a situation? (Seek guidance from the Above.) Seeking guidance from the Above is one way. Additionally, don’t be lazy. Research thoroughly, inquire extensively, ask around more, understand the details, and prepare adequately; perhaps then a relatively suitable solution can be found. If you don’t do this groundwork and act carelessly without understanding the details, resulting in a waste of a lot of money, what is that called? It’s called being perfunctory. Some people perform their duty in this way, lacking transparency in what they do. They report only half of what they should, hiding the rest because they feel that being completely transparent will bring trouble upon themselves and they will be required to carry out further research and improvements. So, they simply conceal the real situation and details from others, quickly completing the task and then asking God’s house to pay. But upon inspection, the task isn’t up to standard and requires reworking, and even more money is wasted. Isn’t this harming God’s house? Isn’t this the behavior of a Judas? (Yes.) The behavior of a Judas involves specifically betraying the interests of God’s house. When confronted with situations, such a person sides with those outside the church, only considering their own flesh and not thinking about the interests of God’s house at all. Do they have any loyalty to God? (No.) Not a bit of loyalty. They take pleasure in betraying the interests of God’s house and harming the work of the church—this is the behavior of a Judas. There is also another situation: Some duties involve specialized knowledge or expertise in other fields that may be unfamiliar to everyone. In such cases, you mustn’t shy away from the trouble. In this age of abundant information, you should not be lazy but actively search for relevant data and information. Starting with acquiring the most basic information, you gradually gain a basic understanding of the profession or field, and then progressively learn about more aspects within the scope of that field, whether it be data or various professional terms, making yourself basically familiar with it. After reaching this level, isn’t it more beneficial for fulfilling your duties adequately and loyally? (Yes.) So, what is the purpose of all this preparatory work when performing your duty? Researching, understanding details, and then finding feasible solutions through fellowship and discussion are all part of the preparation for adequately fulfilling your duty. Doing these preparations well demonstrates loyalty in performing one’s duty; it also reveals those who are perfunctory. What about the attitude of disbelievers and those who do not genuinely expend themselves for God when they perform their duties? They are entirely perfunctory; no matter what they purchase for the church, they spend money recklessly according to their own whims, without seeking guidance from the Above, thinking they understand everything. As a result, they waste the money of God’s house. Aren’t they wastrels, harbingers of disaster? They cause losses to God’s offerings and don’t even realize they are doing evil and resisting God; their hearts feel no remorse whatsoever. Only when God’s chosen people expose and discern them, and they are voted to be cleared out and expelled, do they gain some awareness and start to regret. They didn’t realize their actions would have such severe consequences—truly, they won’t shed a tear until they see their own coffin! Such people are mostly blockheads who are a few cards short of a full deck, yet they aspire to be leaders and workers and perform tasks for the house of God. They’re like pigs who’ve smeared on some lipstick—utterly shameless. These people are disbelievers; no matter how many years they have believed, they understand no truth. Yet they still always want to be leaders and workers in God’s house, always wanting to wield power and have the final say—aren’t they brazenly shameless? Why are such people considered disbelievers? It’s because despite believing in God for many years and hearing so many sermons, they understand no truths and cannot put any truths into practice, which makes them disbelievers. Do any of you exhibit these behaviors? Those who do, raise your hands. All of you? Then you’re all disbelievers, and that’s a serious problem. Those who sincerely believe in God, if they consistently listen to sermons, will understand some truths and make some progress, becoming more reliable in their speech and actions. If someone listens to sermons for years without any progress, they’re a muddler, a beast, a disbeliever. Some people, within three to five years of believing in God, understand quite a bit and can seek the truth in their speech and actions. If they notice flaws in performing their duty or cause some loss to God’s house, they feel distressed, self-reproachful, and hate themselves; they feel that their momentary mistakes, lack of loyalty, laziness, or indulgence in fleshly comfort led to such significant flaws and caused such great losses, and they hate themselves for this. Such people with remorseful hearts have some humanity and can reach the point of receiving salvation. If someone, after many years of listening to sermons, doesn’t understand any truths, keeps making mistakes in performing their duty, always creates trouble for God’s house and causes losses to the church’s work, and lacks even a remorseful heart, then such a person has no humanity whatsoever, they are worse than pigs and dogs. Could they still perform their duty properly? Even if they do perform duty, it’s perfunctory, and won’t receive God’s approval.

Some people always refer to God’s house as “our family” when they speak, constantly bringing up “our family” in conversation. How sweetly they say it! What is this “our family” they speak of? There’s only God’s house, God’s family, the church. Is it appropriate to always say “our family”? It doesn’t feel appropriate to Me. The term “our family” can be used, but it’s only appropriate if what’s said corresponds to reality. If you are not someone who pursues the truth, if you often perform your duties perfunctorily, not upholding the work of the church whatsoever, not taking the church’s work seriously at all, and yet you keep saying “our family,” then that’s inappropriate. It has a hint of falsehood and pretense, causing disgust and revulsion; however, if you are someone who truly possesses the truth reality and upholds the work of the church, then referring to God’s house as “our family” is acceptable. It sounds genuine to others, without falsehood, and they will see you as a brother or sister, liking and admiring you. If you do not love the truth in your heart, nor accept the truth, and are irresponsible in performing your duties, then do not refer to God’s house as “our family.” You should earnestly pursue the truth, fulfill your duties well, and be able to uphold the work of the church so that God’s chosen people feel you are part of God’s house. Then, when you say “our family,” it gives others a sense of closeness, without any feelings of revulsion, because in your heart, you truly consider God’s house as your own home, and in performing your duties, you truly are responsible and uphold the work of the church. When you say “our family,” it sounds fully deserved, with no trace of falseness. If one shows no responsibility toward the work of the church, performs whatever duties they have perfunctorily, doesn’t even bother to pick things up off the ground, clean a dirty room, or clear snow or tidy the yard in winter, appearing not like a member of God’s house but rather an outsider, is such a person qualified to call God’s house “our family”? They are merely service-doers, temporary workers, people without life who belong to Satan, not belonging to God’s house at all. And they still often shamelessly refer to God’s house as “our family,” saying it whenever they open their mouths, saying it with such intimacy, addressing the brothers and sisters with great warmth—but they do not handle any real tasks. When they do undertake tasks, they make mistakes, causing harm to God’s house. Aren’t they just hypocrites? Such people are utterly immoral, lacking any conscience or reason. The most basic qualities one should have as a believer in God are conscience and reason, and they should also be able to accept the truth. If they don’t even possess conscience and reason, and don’t accept the truth at all, do they still deserve to call God’s house “our family”? They are just temporary workers, and service-doers; they belong to Satan and have little to do with God’s house. God does not acknowledge such people; in His eyes, they are evil people. Many people believe in God but do not pursue the truth at all, showing indifference to the affairs of God’s house. They ignore problems they come across, neglect their responsibilities, stay away from the brothers and sisters in difficulty, and show no hatred for those who do bad things and harm the interests of God’s house or ruin the work of the church. They lack awareness in matters of great right and wrong; whatever happens in God’s house is of no concern to them. Do they treat God’s house as their own home? Clearly not. These people are not qualified to call God’s house “our family”; those who do are just hypocrites. Which people are qualified to say “our family”? Recently, I’ve noticed that some people are indeed not bad, though of course they are in the minority. Regardless of how much truth they understand, or the size of their stature or faith, these people truly believe in God, can undertake real tasks, and are genuinely responsible in whatever duties they perform—they have some semblance of humanity. Only such people can truly be considered part of God’s house. When they say “our family,” it feels warm and genuinely heartfelt. For example, the church needed a table, which would cost six or seven hundred dollars if bought. Some brothers and sisters said, “That’s too expensive. We can save a lot of money by buying the wood and making it ourselves. It would work just as well, without any difference.” After hearing this, how did I feel in My heart? I felt somewhat touched: “These people are not bad; they know to save money for God’s house.” Such people are much better compared to those who squander the offerings, at least possessing some conscience and reason, and a bit of human feeling. Some people cause hundreds or thousands of dollars in losses to God’s house without any awareness, even saying it’s not their concern, feeling no reproach in their hearts. On the other hand, there are others who say, “Even saving ten or eight dollars is worthwhile. We shouldn’t spend money unnecessarily on things we can resolve ourselves. We should save where we can. There’s no need to spend money that doesn’t need to be spent. It’s right for us to endure a bit of hardship and toil.” Only those who can say such things are people with conscience and reason, possessing normal humanity, and are truly aligned with God’s house. These people can rightfully call God’s house “our family” because they consider the interests of God’s house. Some people don’t think at all about the interests of God’s house. Is it that they aren’t capable of these considerations? When it comes to their own life, they are extremely frugal, begrudging every cent, always wanting to buy the cheapest and most practical items, saving wherever they can, even haggling over prices, calculating meticulously, obviously adept at managing their lives. But when it comes to doing things for God’s house, they don’t act this way. They spend extravagantly when using the money of God’s house, spending it however they please, as if not spending it would be a waste. Isn’t this a sign of terrible character? Such people are extremely selfish, not considering God’s house at all, only seeking to satisfy themselves. They hope to worm their way into the kingdom of heaven and gain great blessings at the least cost. Such selfish and despicable people still harbor such grand ambitions and desires; this shows a severe deficiency in their moral character!

Have we now basically fully covered this manifestation of antichrists, that they behave deviously and are arbitrary and dictatorial, in our fellowship? (Yes.) Let’s summarize then. Antichrists doing things deviously, and their being arbitrary and dictatorial, are two distinct but equally significant and concurrent behaviors common among them. This manifestation exposes two of the antichrists’ primary dispositions—wickedness and viciousness; they are both wicked and vicious. Sometimes, you might not see their vicious side, but you can see their wicked side. They might act gently, making it hard to see any of their coercive or barbaric behavior. They don’t appear outwardly fierce, nor do they force you to do anything, but they ensnare you through other wicked means, winding you into their control, making you serve their purposes—and thus you are exploited by them. Unaware, you fall into their trap, willingly submitting to their manipulation and toying. Why can they bring about such consequences? Antichrists often use correct statements and sayings to instruct and influence you, inciting you to do some things, making you feel that everything they say is right, that you should carry it out and you should do it this way, otherwise you will feel like you’re going against the truth, you’ll feel that disobeying them means rebelling against God. In doing so, you willingly obey them. What is the end result of this? Even if people follow their words and practice what they say, do they understand the truth? Is their relationship with God getting increasingly closer or increasingly distant? When faced with situations, people not only fail to come before God and pray to Him, but also don’t know how to seek the truth principles in God’s words, nor how to grasp God’s intentions and requirements. Instead, they make an unbelievable statement: “I have believed in God for so many years, mainly relying on the leaders for support and sustenance. Whatever happens, as long as the leaders give fellowship, there’s a way forward. Without the leaders, it just doesn’t work.” They’ve believed in God for many years and their stature is just this, still unable to function without the leaders. Isn’t that pitiful? What is the implicit meaning here? The implication is that they don’t know how to pray to God, depend on God, look up to God, or eat and drink God’s words. All these things must be supported by the leaders for them to understand; the leader can replace the God they believe in. It can be said that such a person’s belief in God is actually belief in their leaders. They listen to everything the leaders say, and believe whatever they say. Who are they truly believing in, following, and obeying—God or the leaders? Isn’t this just like religious people who nominally believe in the Lord, but in reality believe in, follow, and trust their pastors? Isn’t this being controlled by humans? You worship the leaders, listening to them in all matters. This is believing in and following humans, being constrained and controlled by people. God has spoken so clearly and yet you can’t understand His words, nor do you know how to practice them, but you understand devils and Satans after they speak just a few words? What is it you actually understand? Sometimes you understand a regulation or doctrine—does that count as understanding the truth? (No.) That is not understanding the truth; it is being misled. That’s exactly what it is.

In the manifestation of antichrists behaving deviously and being arbitrary and dictatorial, their primary dispositions are wickedness and viciousness. Where does their wickedness manifest? It manifests in their devious behavior. And where does their viciousness manifest? (In being arbitrary and dictatorial.) It primarily manifests in their being arbitrary and dictatorial, and in forcing others to obey them; their compulsion conveys a vicious disposition. God requires people to submit to Him and the truth. What is God’s way of working? After God expresses His words, He tells people that the most important thing in believing in God is that they should submit to the truth and God’s words. You know this truth, know that this phrase is right, but regarding whether you submit and how you submit, what is God’s attitude? You have free will, the right to choose. If you want to submit, you submit; if you don’t want to submit, you don’t have to. However, what consequences might not submitting bring? What does God scrutinize in people, and what are His conclusions about them? In these matters, God doesn’t do anything extra. He doesn’t warn you, threaten you, or force you, making you pay the price or punish you for it. God doesn’t act that way. During the period when God is saving people, when He is expressing words to provide for humans, God allows people to make mistakes, to take the wrong path, and allows people to rebel against Him and do foolish things. But through His words and some of His working methods, God gradually lets people understand what His requirements are, what the truth is, and what is right and what is wrong—for instance, through pruning, chastening, and disciplining, and also through exhortations. Sometimes, He gives you some grace, moves you internally, or gives you some illumination and enlightenment, letting you know what is right and what is wrong, what God’s requirements really are, what position humans should assume, and what people should practice. While making you understand, He also gives you a choice. If you say, “I will be rebellious, I will be willful, I don’t want to choose what’s right, I don’t want to be loyal, I just want to act this way!” then ultimately, you are responsible for your own destination and outcome. You have to take responsibility for your actions and pay the price; God does not do anything in this regard. God is fair and righteous. If you act according to His requirements and are a person who submits to God, or, if conversely you do not act according to God’s requirements and are not a person who submits to God, then, in both cases, wherever your destination will be, God has determined it far in advance. God doesn’t have to do anything extra. It’s not like if you don’t act according to God’s requirements today, He will discipline, chasten, or punish you, bringing disasters upon you—God doesn’t work like that. With God, He requires people to submit simply to let them understand the truth about submission; there is no element of “compulsion.” God does not force people to submit or to practice this aspect of truth. Therefore, in God’s way, whether He orchestrates people, rules over their fate, leads them, or provides them with the truth, the premise of these actions is not based on compulsion, nor is it necessity. If you act according to God’s words, you will gradually understand the truth more and more, and your condition before God will continue to improve—you will maintain a good condition, and God will also enlighten you in aspects of daily life that you do not understand. However, if you do not practice the truth, do not submit to God, and are unwilling to pursue the truth, what you gain will be very limited. This is the stark difference between these two. God does not show partiality; He is fair to everyone. Some people say: “Wouldn’t I practice if God just forced me?” God does not force people; that is what Satan does. God doesn’t work that way. If you can only submit to God when forced, what does that make you? Are you really submitting to God? That is not the kind of submission God desires. The submission God speaks of is where, based on understanding the truth, a person willingly practices God’s words out of conscience and reason. This is the inherent meaning of submission. It does not involve compulsion, restriction, threats, or any form of binding or control. Therefore, when you feel particularly bound or constrained in a matter, it is certainly not the work of God. In one regard, it might stem from human thoughts or a distorted comprehension and self-imposed constraints. In another, it could be someone else trying to constrain you, using regulations or some correct-sounding argument or theory to constrain you, leading you to develop some distortions in your thinking. This indicates a problem with your understanding. If you feel willingly and happily submissive to God, this comes from the work of the Holy Spirit and also from genuine humanity, from conscience and reason.

In God’s house, there are some people who do not submit to the truth, do not submit to the work arrangements of God’s house, and do not submit to the arrangements of the church. How does God’s house handle this? Are there any methods of forced implementation used to resolve this? For example, if a leader does not do real work, does not work according to the work arrangements, and does not practice the truth, or cannot do real work, how does God’s house handle it? (God’s house replaces them.) They are directly replaced, but are they expelled? (No.) Those who haven’t committed evil are not expelled. Regarding ordinary brothers and sisters, if they are arranged to perform a certain duty and they refuse, does this count as not submitting? If they don’t go, someone else can be found; would anyone be forced to perform a duty? (No.) There is no coercion. If, through fellowshipping the truth, they are willing to accept and submit, then that’s fine. This is not considered coercion; it is arranging them to perform this duty under the condition of their personal consent and willingness. For instance, some people like cooking, but are arranged to do cleaning, and they say, “If I am asked to clean, then I will clean. I submit to the arrangements of God’s house.” Is there any coercion here? Is there any forcing against someone’s will? (No.) This is arranged under their willingness and submission, without putting anyone in a difficult situation or forcing anyone to carry something out. There might also be cases where, for a certain duty, no one can be found temporarily, and you are arranged to provisionally fill in; you personally may not be willing, but this is a necessity for the work, it is a special case. You are a member of God’s house, you partake of the food from God’s house and perform your duties there—since you acknowledge yourself as someone who believes in and follows God, can’t you rebel against your flesh in this small matter? This doesn’t even really count as submission or hardship; it is only temporary, it’s not asking you to perform this duty long-term. Some people complain that the work they are asked to do is dirty and tiring, and they are unwilling to do it. If they bring it up, they should be promptly reassigned. However, if they are only verbally expressing this but actually are willing to submit and willing to suffer, then they should continue performing their duty. Is this approach appropriate? (Yes.) Is this principle correct? (Yes.) God’s house absolutely does not force people against their will. There is another situation where some people, no matter what duty they perform, are lazy, irresponsible, and lack loyalty. Sometimes, they even secretly do bad things. When they do not perform their duty well, they make excuses, claiming that the duty is not suitable for them, not their strong suit, or they don’t understand the field involved. But in reality, everyone sees clearly that their failure to perform well is not for these reasons. How should such people be handled? If they request to perform a duty elsewhere, should this be agreed to? (No.) Then what should be done? Such people are not suitable for performing duties; they do it reluctantly and without a proper attitude, so they should be sent away. There’s another kind of person who becomes difficult and resistant as soon as they’re told to perform a duty. They are extremely unwilling and reluctant, barely managing to suppress their discontent, thinking, “I’ll just lay low here and scrape by for a few years, who knows where I’ll end up after that!” People with such intentions should not be allowed to perform duties, and even if they want to perform other duties, it’s not allowed. Such cases must be handled forcefully. Why is this? Because their essence is seen through—those who understand them say they are disbelievers; people around them also say they are not suitable for performing duties. Such people are nonbelievers, and they must be cleansed away. If not, they can only cause disturbances, commit misdeeds, and harm God’s chosen people inside the church, which is absolutely unacceptable. Such cases should be handled according to the principles for how to treat those performing duties in the church; their unwillingness is not a factor. Is this coercion? This is not coercion; this is acting according to principles, upholding the interests and work of God’s house. It’s about cleansing away the disbelievers and those who are just there to freeload in God’s house. If you want to freeload, do it somewhere else, not here. God’s house is not a retirement home; it doesn’t support loafers. Understand?