Supplement: Additional Truths in Spreading the Gospel

The theme discussed in the previous few gatherings was about performing one’s duties adequately, and we categorized the duties that people should perform as well as the personnel. What are the specific categories? (The first category is the personnel who spread the gospel, the second category includes leaders and workers at various levels in the church, the third category encompasses personnel who perform various special duties, the fourth category consists of those performing ordinary duties, the fifth category involves those who perform duties in their spare time, and the sixth category refers to those who do not perform duties.) In total, there are six categories. Last time, we discussed the first category, which concerns the principles and truths related to the duty of spreading the gospel, involving subject matter from all aspects of gospel spreading, including points for attention, relevant principles and truths, and areas that people should be cautious about, as well as common errors and distortions that occur in the process of performing this duty. After listening to a sermon on a particular theme, can you summarize the main points within it? If you can grasp the key content of a theme, take to heart the related truths, then gradually, over the course of performing your duty, turn them into your own reality, your own life, and your own path of practice, then you have truly absorbed the content I’ve been fellowshipping. If, after fellowshipping about a sermon, you only have a general idea or remember certain events and stories but don’t understand what the underlying truths and principles may be, and why these things were discussed, does that count as having comprehension? Does that count as understanding the truth? (It doesn’t.) It doesn’t count as understanding the truth; that is, you didn’t understand what truths were being conveyed, you didn’t comprehend them, and you didn’t accept them. Then can you do a summary? Can someone tell Me the main points from our last fellowship? (We summarized seven points: first, how to define the personnel who spread the gospel; second, the essence of the duty of spreading the gospel; third, people’s attitudes toward this duty as well as their inner viewpoints; fourth, specific principles of practice for gospel spreading, such as who conforms to the principles for spreading the gospel and who doesn’t; fifth, how to treat those who align with the principles of spreading the gospel; sixth, the consequences when gospel spreading personnel desert their post and flee during the process of performing their duty; seventh, the sacrifice of saints throughout history in spreading the gospel, and how we should treasure the present opportunities to perform our duties and quickly equip ourselves with the truth.) Your summary basically covers the key aspects of our previous fellowship—very good. Did anything get left out? (There’s one more point: changing people’s viewpoints so that they understand that spreading the gospel is not just the duty of gospel personnel but a responsibility that all those who believe in and follow God cannot shirk. This is a truth that God’s chosen people must grasp.) Spreading the gospel is the responsibility and obligation of every individual—this is also one aspect of it. Do you know the purpose of fellowshipping about this truth? It is to address the deviations in people’s comprehension. Do you know in which aspects there are deviations? (I don’t know.) Not knowing proves that you don’t understand this aspect of the truth. So, why did I need to fellowship about this truth? On the positive side, it is one aspect of the truth that people should understand. On the negative side, it is to address the deviations that all people have in their understanding of spreading the gospel.

Many people have deviations in their understanding of this matter of spreading the gospel. Some people think, “I am currently doing a special duty, so spreading the gospel has nothing to do with me. It’s not my concern. Therefore, the truths, principles, and God’s requirements that need to be understood in order to spread the gospel are irrelevant to me. I don’t need to understand these things.” So, when this aspect of the truth about spreading the gospel is being fellowshipped, they are careless, they don’t take any careful consideration, and they don’t pay attention. Even if they listen, they don’t know what was discussed. There are also those who say, “After believing in God, I’ve always been a leader. I have caliber and the ability to work. I was born to be a leader. It appears as though the duty God gave me and my life mission is to be a leader.” Implicitly, they mean that spreading the gospel has nothing to do with them. So, when the truth about spreading the gospel is being fellowshipped, they don’t take it seriously. When asked to summarize what was fellowshipped in the last gathering, some people flip through their notes for a long time and still don’t know. Why does this happen? Is it due to their poor memory? (No.) Is it because they have too much going on, and their minds are full? (No.) It’s not. This shows that people’s attitude toward the truth is one of being averse to it and not loving the truth. Therefore, I admonish everybody and let everyone know that spreading the gospel is not a special responsibility for a certain type of person or group of people, but the responsibility of every person who follows God. Why must people understand the truth of spreading the gospel? Why do people need to know these truths? As a created being, as one of those who follow God, regardless of age, gender, or how young or old one is, spreading the gospel is a mission and responsibility that everyone must accept. If this mission comes to you and requires you to expend yourself, pay a price, or even lay down your life, what should you do? You should be duty-bound to accept it. This is the truth, it’s what you should understand. This is not a simple doctrine—it is the truth. Why do I say it’s the truth? Because no matter how times change, how the decades go by, or how places and spaces change, spreading the gospel and bearing testimony to God will always be a positive thing. Its meaning and value will never change: It absolutely won’t be influenced by changes in time or geographical location. Spreading the gospel and bearing testimony to God is eternal, and as a created being, you should accept and practice it. This is the eternal truth. Some people say, “Spreading the gospel is not the duty I perform.” However, this truth related to spreading the gospel is something people should understand, because it is a truth related to visions, and those who believe in God should all understand it; it is foundational to faith in God and beneficial to life entry. Furthermore, no matter what duty you perform in the church, you will have opportunities to come into contact with nonbelievers and therefore a responsibility to spread the gospel to them. Once you understand the truth of spreading the gospel, you will know in your heart, “It is my responsibility to proclaim the new work of God, to spread the gospel of God’s work of saving humanity. Regardless of when or where, and no matter what my position or role may be, if I’m serving as an actor, I have an obligation to spread the gospel; and if I am currently a church leader, I also have an obligation to spread the gospel. No matter what duty I’m currently performing, I have an obligation to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. Whenever there’s an opportunity or spare time, I ought to go and spread the gospel. This is a responsibility that I cannot shirk.” Is this how most people think currently? (No.) What do most people think then? “I have a fixed duty right now. I’m studying and delving into a specific profession, a branch of learning, so spreading the gospel has nothing to do with me.” What kind of attitude is this? It’s an attitude of shirking one’s responsibility and mission, a negative attitude. These people are not considerate of God’s intentions, they are rebellious against God. Regardless of who you are, if you have no burden for spreading the gospel, isn’t this a sign that you lack conscience and reason? If you’re not actively and constructively cooperating, taking things on, and submitting, then you’re passively and negatively going through the motions—this attitude is unacceptable. No matter what duty you perform, no matter what profession or branch of learning it involves, one of the primary outcomes you achieve should be your ability to bear testimony to and proclaim the gospel of God’s work in saving humanity. This is the minimum requirement for a created being. If you can’t even meet this minimum requirement, what have you obtained from performing your duty during these years of believing in God? What have you gained? Do you understand God’s intentions? Even though you’ve been performing your duty for many years and have become adept at your profession, if you can’t say anything or fellowship any aspect of the truth when asked to bear testimony to God, what is the problem here? The problem is that you don’t understand the truth. Some people might feel it’s unfair to say they don’t understand the truth. They might think they’ve been effective in performing their duty, but they don’t understand the visions of God’s work and His intention for saving humanity. Does this amount to understanding the truth? At the very least, you haven’t established a foundation in the true way for your belief in God. You bear no burden for proclaiming God’s work and the gospel of His salvation for humanity, and you lack any insight, understanding, or comprehension. Can you then truly be considered someone who follows God? Have you established a normal relationship with God? If you haven’t achieved any of these things, then you don’t possess the truth reality.

Now, let’s return to the topic we were discussing earlier. Spreading the gospel is the responsibility and obligation of all God’s chosen people. Having discussed this aspect of the truth, what is the one item that everyone should understand? Regardless of whether a person pays a price, forsakes their family and work to expend themselves for God, or even offers up their life, in reality these are all superficial things. What does God ultimately require from people? It’s that as your stature grows and your life matures, as time passes, you gradually start to understand the various truths about God’s work and His intention in saving humanity. Your burden for spreading the gospel and bearing testimony to God becomes increasingly evident, and your determination to bear this duty grows stronger. If a church leader has been working for many years, but as their years of leading the church go by, they feel less of an emotion, are less moved, and have less of a burden for spreading the gospel, how well do they perform their duty? (Not well.) How come? What is the issue that arises? If they develop or live in such a state, at least one thing is certain: This person hasn’t pursued the truth during these years and hasn’t done any actual work. They are like the bureaucratic cadre of the great red dragon. As a result, they have no burden and no insight for proclaiming God’s name and bearing testimony to His work. Isn’t this the outcome? (Yes.) It is an inevitable outcome. No matter how many years this person has been working, even if they think they have a great stature, that they can be considerate of God’s burden, and can serve according to God’s intentions, yet when it comes to spreading the gospel, they step back, they don’t know how to do it. When they encounter people who are eager for God’s appearance and come to seek and investigate the true way, they become tongue-tied. They can’t say a word, and don’t know where to start. What’s the problem here? It’s that they don’t understand the truth and haven’t gained the truth, so they can’t bear testimony to God. Only those who understand the truth can bear testimony to God. Spreading the gospel and bearing testimony to God fall within your range of duties. If you understand the truth, if you’ve gained the truth, why would you have nothing to say when you meet people investigating the true way? Isn’t this a problem? Do you often find yourselves in situations like this? (Yes.) What’s the problem here? You don’t have a burden. Is not having a burden a problem? Can you perform your duty without a burden? Even if you perform your duty, can you do it loyally? Can you do it adequately? While not having a burden might not be a fatal issue, it’s still a serious problem, because it affects how well you perform your duty. Doesn’t this problem need to be resolved? (Yes, it does.) So, how do you resolve this? You have to reverse your erroneous viewpoints about spreading the gospel and understand the truth of it. All the work you are currently engaged in is directly related to that of spreading the gospel and falls within the scope of spreading the gospel. It is aimed at bearing testimony to God, expanding the work of the gospel, testifying about God’s name, and proclaiming this gospel of God’s work in saving humanity, so that more people become aware of it, and more people come before God, accept God’s conquest, receive God’s salvation, and ultimately, if they are fortunate enough to receive God’s perfection of them—that’s even better. What does it mean to have more people come before God, and what is the ultimate outcome this should achieve? (To cause more people to obtain God’s salvation.) Why should this goal be achieved? Because it’s God’s intention. That’s why we tirelessly explain these truths. If it had nothing to do with God’s intention, talking about these things would be useless and empty. Because it is God’s intention, we make it clear and help everyone understand it, so that they know that this is the truth and that everyone should put effort into this truth of spreading the gospel, so that every person has this kind of insight and develops this kind of burden.

The next question is, why should we let more people understand God’s intention so that they are able to spread the gospel and fulfill their duties? Why should this be done? Some may say, “God wants every person to be saved and does not want anyone to suffer perdition, so we should let more people accept God’s work.” This statement is correct, but it isn’t the essential answer to the question. So, what is the essential answer to this question? Do you know? (God wants to gain a group of people who are of one heart and mind with Him.) God wants to gain a group of people who are of one heart and mind with Him, and this must be achieved through the expansion of the gospel. What we are talking about now is widely spreading the gospel. Is there a difference between spreading the gospel widely and gaining a group of people? (Yes.) Then, what is the purpose of spreading the gospel widely? (To save as many people as possible.) To save as many people as possible is a principle of God’s salvation but not the answer to this question. From the time this work began, I have repeatedly talked about how, this time, God has come to do work in order to inaugurate an age, to bring a new age and end the old one—to bring the Age of Kingdom and end the Age of Grace. All those who accept God’s work in the last days have witnessed this fact. God is doing new work, expressing the truth to judge humanity, purifying and saving humanity. The gospel of the kingdom has begun to spread in many countries. This humanity has already emerged from the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. They no longer read the Bible, they no longer live under the cross, and they no longer call on the name of Savior Jesus. Instead, they pray in the name of Almighty God and simultaneously accept God’s present words as the principles, methods, and goals of survival in their lives. In this sense, haven’t these people already entered a new age? (Yes.) They have entered a new age. So, what is the age in which even more people, who haven’t accepted the gospel in the last days and God’s new words, are still living? They are still living in the Age of Grace. Now, what is your responsibility? It is to bring them out of the Age of Grace and into the new age. Can you fulfill God’s commission by just praying to God and calling on His name? Is it enough to just preach a few words of God? It definitely isn’t. This requires all of you to have a burden to take up this commission of spreading the gospel, to broadly disseminate God’s words, to spread God’s words in various ways, and to proclaim and expand the gospel of the kingdom. What does it mean to expand? It means to convey God’s words to those who haven’t accepted God’s work in the last days, to let more people know that God is doing new work, and then to testify about God’s words to them, to use your experiences to testify about God’s work, and bring them also into the new age—this way they will enter into the new age just like you. God’s intention is clear. It is not only for you who have heard His words, accepted them, and followed Him, to enter into the new age, but He will lead all of humanity into this new age. This is God’s intention, and it is a truth that every person now following God should understand. God is not leading a group of people, a small faction, or a small ethnic group into the new age; rather, He intends to lead all of humanity into the new age. How can this goal be achieved? (By widely spreading the gospel.) Indeed, it must be achieved by spreading the gospel widely, using various methods and avenues to widely convey the gospel. Speaking about spreading the gospel widely is easy, but how should it specifically be done? (It requires human cooperation.) Exactly, this requires human cooperation. If people always cling to some old things in their hearts, always harboring certain distorted elements, holding onto old regulations and practices, but do not take the gospel work seriously, and do not accept God’s commission, treating gospel work as irrelevant to themselves, can such people be promoted and used by God? Can they have the qualifications to live before God? Can they obtain God’s approval? Absolutely not. Therefore, I must work on your thoughts, taking note of any elements that you do not understand, and tirelessly explain the relevant truths until you grasp them. Regardless of how numb and dull-witted you may be, I have to keep speaking to you and make you understand that this is God’s intention, this is the duty you must perform, and it is your mission and obligation in this lifetime. If you don’t pay attention to what I say or don’t understand it, I have to continue speaking. Even if you’re fed up with it, I have to go on speaking until you understand the truth. What is the truth? The truth is what God expresses; it is God’s intentions, God’s requirements for humanity, and the truth reality that people in the new age must possess. How should people treat God’s intentions? They should unreservedly and absolutely accept them, then submit themselves and cooperate, thereby satisfying God’s intentions. This is a person’s obligation. Do you understand when I say it like this? Some might say, “Oh dear, God requires people to accept His commission, but what does that have to do with us insignificant individuals?” Do you think it has anything to do with them? (Yes, it does.) What does it have to do with them? Let Me explain. God is the Creator, and humans are His created beings. What is the relationship between “create” and “created”? It is the relationship between acting and being acted upon, between creating and being created. Since the Creator’s intentions have been made known to you, with what attitude should you respond? (Accept them and cooperate with all my might.) Exactly, you should submit to them and accept them, cooperating with all your might, no matter the cost. Does this cooperation include seeking the truth? Does it include understanding the truth? It includes both. Since you understand God’s requirements and commission, these are related to your mission, they are your duty—since you know this, you should accept it. This is what someone with a conscience and reason ought to do. If you know God’s requirements and commission but cannot accept them, then you are devoid of both conscience and reason, and you don’t deserve to be called a human being. Some people might still not understand, thinking, “What do God’s intentions have to do with us?” If God’s intentions have nothing to do with you, then you are not a follower of God or member of God’s house. For example, your parents have given birth to you and raised you for many years; you’ve eaten their food, lived in their house, and spent their money. But when there’s a problem at home, and you say it has nothing to do with you, you ignore it and just run away, what kind of wretch is this? To say you are an outsider sounds pleasant; in reality, you’re a rebellious wretch, a brute in human clothing, lower than a beast. God’s intention has been made clear to you, and God says, “You have accepted this stage of work, and I have already given you these words first, so that you may hear them first, and you have heard them, understood them, and comprehended them. Now, I will also tell you My intention and My requirement for you. You should proclaim My work, My words, and the things I am going to accomplish in order to allow the whole of humanity to hear My voice; you should expand My gospel of the kingdom to allow all of humanity to quickly accept God’s work and enter into the Age of Kingdom. This is God’s intention and requirement.” How should you reflect upon hearing this? What kind of attitude should you have? How should you choose? How should you fulfill the duty that a created being should fulfill? Some people might feel that the burden is heavy, but feeling is not enough by itself; you need action and genuine understanding. You should pray to God like this: “Oh God, You have entrusted me with the responsibility of spreading the gospel—this is Your exaltation. Although I understand too little of the truth, I am willing to do my utmost to fulfill this commission. I have heard so many sermons and have understood some truths—all this is Your blessing, and I now have this responsibility to bear testimony to God’s words and work, in order to fulfill this commission.” That is correct; when people have a heart of submission to God, He guides them. God has clearly told people already and said that spreading God’s gospel is an obligation and a responsibility that no one can shirk. It is a lifelong duty, that of every created being. Do these words contain a command from God? Do they contain His exhortation? (Yes, they do.) Do they contain God’s intention? (Yes.) Do they contain truths that people should understand? (Yes.) Are there principles and paths of practice here that one can follow? (Yes.) How many points did I mention in total? (Four points: The first is God’s command and exhortation. The second is God’s intention. The third is truths that we should understand. The fourth is principles and paths of practice that one should follow.) That’s right; I’ve mentioned these four points in total. Next, let’s fellowship the specific content of each one.

The first item is God’s command. What is God’s command? (To proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.) It is to spread the gospel of the kingdom widely. The second item is God’s intention. What is God’s intention? It is to let more people know that God has already come, that He is doing new work, that God intends to change the age, to end the old age, and to lead humanity into a new age. This is God’s intention, isn’t it? Can one say that God’s intention is expanding the gospel? It’s not that simple. Expanding the gospel has an ultimate purpose and result—what should that be? (To let more people know that God has come, He is doing new work, and He intends to end the old age, and lead all of humanity into a new age.) That’s correct, to lead all of humanity into a new age. What impact does this have on humanity? Humanity enters a new age; this age is transformed. So, what is God’s intention? Please repeat it. (God intends to change the age, to end the old age and lead humanity into a new age.) You can’t leave anything out—have you noted it all down? (Yes.) The third item is the truth that people should understand. What should this truth be? (Spreading the gospel is the duty and responsibility of every created being.) That is the truth. Within this truth, what people should do is to accept the duty of spreading the gospel and then find the principles and paths of practice within this statement. This statement is the truth for people. What is the statement? (Spreading the gospel is the duty and responsibility of every created being.) It should be the duty and mission. How do you understand duty and mission? Duty is the responsibility that one should fulfill, and the responsibility one should fulfill is also their duty. But mission is different; mission is greater, more fitting, with a deeper meaning and greater weight than responsibility. Have you noted this down? (Yes.) Now, I’ve noticed something; all these contents we are discussing need to be recorded in writing before you have an idea of them. If you don’t note them down, just listening like this, it doesn’t even leave an impression. What does this indicate? It shows that people don’t understand the truth; they only grasp a bit of doctrine and know the definition, concept, and outline of certain truths. When it comes to the specific details of these truths, how to practice them and apply them, they’re clueless, aren’t they? For most of you, talking about doctrine for two or three hours is not difficult, but when it comes to applying the truth to resolve situations, using the principles and paths of practice that you have experienced and understood—that’s difficult. What’s the problem here? Not understanding the truth, isn’t that right? Now, let’s proceed to the fourth item. What is the fourth item? (The principles and paths of practice that one ought to follow.) How are these principles and paths determined? They are determined based on two things: One is God’s intention, and the other is the truth. These two things are what people must understand. For example, if you are reluctant to spread the gospel when you are asked to do so, but God says spreading the gospel is His intention, what should you do? What should your principles of practice be? What should your attitude be? You should submit to and accept it wholly, without declining, without analysis or scrutiny, without asking the reason. This is true submission. It is an important principle that must be followed in practicing the truth. When we talk about God’s intention in a defining manner, what does it typically refer to? God’s intention is essentially God’s desire, the purpose, source, and starting point for His actions. In spiritual terms, it’s referred to as His “intention” or the “vision.” When God reveals His intention to you, He gives you a general direction, letting you know what He intends to do. However, if God doesn’t provide the specifics or principles, do you know the exact path and direction to practice? You won’t. That’s why when I tell people to do something, those who have a head on their shoulders, who have a heart and a spirit, will immediately seek the details and how specifically to do it after accepting it. Those without a head on their shoulders, without a heart and a spirit, might think that it’s easy and rush into action without waiting for further details. This is what it means not to have a head on one’s shoulders and to do a task blindly. When you receive a commission from God and aim to fulfill your duty and complete your mission, you must first understand God’s intention. You need to know that this commission comes from God, that it’s His intention, and you should accept it, be considerate of it, and, more importantly, submit to it. Secondly, you should seek out which truths you need to understand to perform this duty, which principles you should follow, and how to practice in a way that benefits God’s chosen people and the work of God’s house. These are the principles of practice. After understanding God’s intention, you should promptly seek and understand the truths related to performing this duty and, after understanding the truth, ascertain the principles and path of practicing these truths. What do “principles” refer to? Specifically, a principle refers to something upon which achieving a target or producing results must be based when practicing the truth. For instance, if you’re tasked with purchasing an item, what are the specific principles of practice? Firstly, you need to understand the specifications and model of the item to be purchased, the quality standards it must meet, and whether the price is suitable. In the process of seeking, you’ll gain clarity on the specific principles of practice. These principles provide you with a scale and a range—you’ll be fine as long as you stay within this range. Once you’ve understood the basic principles regarding the specifications, quality, and price of the item, it shows you’ve grasped the required standards for this task. It means you’ve essentially learned how to practice. One must grasp the principles in order to practice the truth: Principles are the key, the most basic element. Once you’ve grasped the fundamental principles of performing your duty, it shows that you understand the required standards for performing that duty. Mastering these principles is equivalent to knowing how to practice the truth. So, on what basis is this ability to practice established? It is on the foundation of understanding God’s intention and the truth. Is it considered understanding the truth if you only know a sentence of what God requires? No, it isn’t. What standards must be met to be considered understanding the truth? You must understand the meaning and value of performing your duty and, once you have been clear about these two aspects, you have understood the truth of performing your duty. Furthermore, after understanding the truth, you must also grasp the principles of performing your duty and the paths of practice. Once you can grasp and apply the principles of performing your duty, and sometimes apply a little wisdom, you can ensure the effectiveness of performing your duty. By grasping these principles and acting according to them, you can be up to practicing the truth. If you perform your duty without mingling any human intentions, if it is done by absolutely submitting to God’s requirements and according to the work arrangements of God’s house, fully aligning with God’s words, then you have fulfilled your duty in a fully qualified manner, and even if there might be some discrepancies in the results compared to God’s requirements, this still counts as achieving God’s requirements. If you perform your duty fully in accordance with the principles, if you are loyal, all to the best of your ability, then your performance of duty completely aligns with God’s intention. You have fulfilled your duty as a created being with all your heart, mind, and strength, which is the result achieved by practicing the truth. Now, to grasp the principles and paths of practice, what should you understand first in order to achieve this result? (Firstly, we should understand God’s intention, and then accept and submit to it wholly and without declining.) This is what people should possess in terms of practice and attitude. What should be understood next? You should understand the truth, and the details within the truth constitute the principles and paths. To grasp the principles and paths of practice you should follow, the first thing you must understand is God’s intention, followed by the truth. These are the two main points, and everything else consists of detailed content contained within these.

The first category concerning those who perform their duty in spreading the gospel will be temporarily concluded here. Today, I added a bit more as a supplement to serve as a prompt for the main subject matter discussed last time. At the same time, it serves as a warning to make everyone recognize the importance of this truth, so that every task you are currently engaged in and every duty you perform are oriented toward this direction and goal and carried out on this foundation—all related to spreading the gospel. Although you are not on the frontlines interacting with potential gospel recipients, all of the duties you are currently performing can be said to relate to the work of the gospel. On this basis, shouldn’t everyone have a clearer and more illuminated understanding of the truth related to spreading the gospel? (Yes.) By way of today’s supplement, have you gained a clear view of the weight and importance of the duty of spreading the gospel? (Yes.) Now then, what is the most suitable and appropriate attitude to have toward this truth in the future? Expanding the gospel is God’s intention. God intends to bring an end to this old age, and lead more people before Him, out of the old age and into the new one. This is God’s intention, and it is something that everyone should understand. Some may say, “I understand, but I can’t muster the zeal needed to spread the gospel, and I don’t have the heart for cooperation.” What’s the issue here? (Lack of humanity.) Exactly. You acknowledge yourself as a created being and a follower of God, but when it comes to God’s intention that He often admonishes everyone about, His urgent intention explained clearly to all people, if you pay no attention and give no heed, what kind of person does that make you? It’s a manifestation of lacking humanity. You want to honor God as great and say that He is your God and your Lord, but when it comes to God’s intention, you show not a single regard, no consideration whatsoever. This is a lack of humanity, and such a person is heartless. This topic concludes here.