Excerpt 64

Most people a few years into their faith can talk about a few doctrines, such as “We need to have the right intentions in our faith,” “We need to learn to love God and submit to Him,” “We need to perform our duties loyally; we can’t rebel against God,” or “We must know ourselves.” All these doctrines are right, but you don’t understand the true meaning in the words. You just understand them on the surface; you don’t understand their spiritual meaning or the deeper significance of God’s words, so there is no truth in your hearts. Whatever experience or understanding you have, it’s too superficial. You may be able to speak some doctrine and see some simple things clearly, but you don’t act with the truth principles; you don’t come anywhere near the truth. You may have some knowledge and education, but you don’t understand the truth. Don’t take an understanding of doctrines or words to be an understanding of the truth. Of those who have believed in God for a long time, there are some of good caliber and with a relatively good spiritual understanding who may have some experience of the truth—but still, they can’t be said to understand it. Out of ten sentences of the knowledge you offer, perhaps two contain true knowledge. The others are doctrine. You, however, feel that you’ve understood the truth. You can preach constantly for several days no matter where you go, always having something to say. When you’re done, you want to compile them into a book, a “celebrity biography” to send out to everyone, so that they eat and drink of it, for the common good. This is unbelievably arrogant and unreasonable, isn’t it? People can’t even touch the hems of matters of the truth; at the very most, they may understand some of the words as written. Because they are smart and have a good memory, because they often speak about the truth of these aspects such as God’s work, the significance and mystery of the incarnation, and the ways and steps of God’s work, when they have equipped themselves to a certain degree, they feel that they themselves are in possession of the truth, that they are abundant with it. How unreasonable that is of them; it proves that they don’t understand the truth. People these days only understand a bit of doctrine. They don’t know themselves, much less have reason. They think that they have the truth when they understand a few doctrines, and that they’re no longer ordinary people. They feel they’ve become great and think, “I’ve read God’s words so many times. I’ve even memorized some of them, and they’ve taken root in my heart. Wherever I go, I can preach at several assemblies in a row, and I can give the basics of any chapter of God’s words.” The fact is that no one understands the truth. Why do I say that? For one thing, you can’t solve problems or find their roots, and you can’t see through to their essence. For another, you can only grasp part of whatever a given problem or issue is, your understanding is vague; you can’t link it up with the truth. Even so, you still feel good about yourselves, and you’re arrogant and self-righteous. How foolish and ignorant you are.

How would you explain the words “belief in God”? How do you understand this aspect of the truth? What is the correct view that people should have in their belief in God? What are the incorrect views that are still around? How exactly should people believe in God? Have you given thought to these questions? You all seem to be “giants” of the truth, to understand all of it, so I’ll ask you the simplest question there is: What is belief in God? Have you considered that? What exactly does belief in God refer to? What is it, exactly, that you mean to gain from believing in Him, and what problems do you mean to solve? You need to be clear on these things. You must also be clear on this: What manifestations of belief in God must be present in someone for them to believe in Him sincerely? That is, how must you do your duty for your faith in God to be sincere? What elements does God require of people who believe in Him to prove they are people whose faith is sincere? Are you clear about these questions in your minds? As a matter of fact, you all show some behaviors of disbelievers in your daily lives. Can you clearly state the things you’ve done that are unrelated to your belief in God or to the truth? Do you truly understand what it means to believe in God? What sort of person is it, that has sincere faith and truly believes in God? Do you understand what it means for a created being to believe in God? This touches on one’s views about faith in God. Some people say, “Believing in God is walking the right path and doing good; it’s a big deal in life. To perform some duties for God is how belief in Him practically manifests.” There are also people who say, “Believing in God is about being saved; it’s about satisfying His intentions.” You may say all these things, but do you truly understand them? The fact is that you don’t. True belief in God is not a matter of believing in Him solely in order to be saved, less still of believing in Him solely in order to be a good person. It is also not only a matter of believing in Him to gain a human likeness. The fact is that people’s belief in God shouldn’t be viewed as a mere belief that there is a God, and that He is the truth, the way, the life, and that’s the end of it. It’s not just about acknowledging God, either, and believing that He’s the Sovereign of all things, that He is almighty, that He created the world and all things, that He’s unique, and that He’s supreme. It doesn’t end with having you believe that fact. God’s intention is that your whole being and heart should be given to Him and submit to Him. That is, you should follow God, allow Him to make use of you, and be happy even to render service for Him—whatever you do for Him is what ought to be done. It is not that only those predestined and chosen by God should believe in Him. The fact is that all mankind should worship God, heed Him and submit to Him, because mankind was made by God. If you know that the purpose of believing in God is to achieve salvation and eternal life, but you don’t accept the truth in the slightest and don’t walk the path of pursuing the truth, you’re fooling yourself, aren’t you? If you just understand doctrine but don’t pursue the truth, can you gain the truth? The biggest part of believing in God is pursuing the truth. With every truth, people should seek, ponder, and investigate what its inner meaning is, as well as how to practice and enter into that aspect of the truth. Believers must understand and possess these things. When it comes to the various aspects of the truth one should possess in believing in God, you now understand only the words and doctrines, and external practices; you do not understand the essence of the truth, as you have not experienced it. For example: There is much truth in the realm of performing one’s duty and in the realm of loving God, and if people wish to know themselves, there is also much truth they need to understand. In the significance and mystery of the incarnation, too, there’s much truth that needs to be understood. How people should comport themselves; how they should worship God; how they should submit to God; what they should do to accord with God’s intentions; how they should serve God—all such particulars contain much truth. As to all these truths in various areas, how do you treat them, and how do you experience them? Which aspect of the truth is it most important to go through first? There are a lot of truths people need to understand and enter after they’ve laid down a foundation on the true way. There’s the truth of being an honest person, and in particular, there are the truths that have to do with performing a duty. These all require people to experience and practice them. If you’re always saying those words and doctrines without paying attention to how to practice and experience in order to enter into the truth reality, then you’ll always be living in those words, and you won’t have any real change.

Excerpt 65

Some leaders and workers can’t see practical problems that exist in the church. While at a gathering, they feel like they have nothing worthwhile to say, so they just force themselves to offer up some words and doctrines. They know perfectly well that what they are saying is mere doctrine, but they say it anyway. In the end, even they feel that their words are insipid, and their brothers and sisters don’t find it edifying either. If you’re unaware of this problem, but just stubbornly go on saying such things, then the Holy Spirit isn’t working, and there’s no benefit to people. If you have not experienced the truth, yet you still want to speak about it, then no matter what you say, you will not be able to penetrate through to the truth; anything you say further will just be words and doctrines. You may think that you have received a bit of enlightenment, but it is just doctrines; it is not the truth reality. No matter how hard people try, they will not be able to grasp anything real from listening to you fellowship about it. While listening, they might feel that what you say is quite correct, but afterward, they will forget it completely. If you do not talk about your actual states, then you will not be able to touch people’s hearts, and people won’t remember it after they hear it. It has nothing constructive to offer. When you encounter a situation like this, you should be aware that what you’re saying isn’t practical; it’ll be no good for anyone if you go on talking like that, and it’ll be even more awkward if someone raises a question that you can’t answer. You should stop right away and let other people fellowship—that would be the wise choice. When you’re in an assembly and know something about a particular issue, you can offer some practical stuff about it. It may be a bit superficial, but everyone will understand it. If you always want to speak in a deeper way to impress people and you can never seem to get it across, then you should just drop it. Everything you say from then on will be empty doctrine; you should let someone else continue fellowshipping. If you feel that what you understand is doctrine and saying it won’t be constructive, the Holy Spirit won’t work when you speak in such an instance. If you force yourself to speak, you could end up with absurdities and deviations, and you could lead people astray. Most people have such poor foundations and poor caliber that they can’t take in deeper things in a short time or easily remember them. With things that are distorted, regulatory, and doctrinal, on the other hand, they’re quite quick on the uptake. This is wicked of them, isn’t it? So, you must stick to principles when you fellowship on the truth and speak on whatever you understand. There is vanity in people’s hearts, and sometimes, when their vanity takes the reins, they insist on speaking, even when they know that what they’re saying is doctrine. They think, “My brothers and sisters may not be able to tell. I’m going to ignore all of that for the sake of my reputation. Keeping up appearances is what matters right now.” Isn’t this an attempt to fool people? This is disloyal to God! If it’s someone who has any sense, they’ll feel remorseful and that they should stop speaking. They’ll feel that they should change the subject and fellowship on something they have experience with, or maybe their understanding and knowledge of the truth. However much someone understands, that’s how much they should say. There’s a limit to the practical things someone can say, however much talking they do. Without experience, your imaginings and your thinking are just theory, just things of human notions. Words that are the truth require genuine experience to understand, and no one can completely comprehend the essence of the truth without experience, much less completely explain the state of experiencing a truth. You have to have some experience of the truth to have something practical to say. It doesn’t happen without experience. And even if you have the experience, still, you have it in a limited way. There are certain, limited states you can speak on, but beyond those, you have nothing to offer. Fellowship in an assembly should always revolve around one or two subjects. You’ll have gained quite a lot if you manage to make them clearer in fellowship. Don’t get caught up trying to say more things or grander things—no one can get anything across that way, and there’s no benefit to anyone. Assemblies are about taking turns to speak, and as long as the content is practical, people stand to benefit from it. Stop going around thinking that one person can fellowship all of the truth clearly on their own; that’s impossible. Sometimes you might think that you’re communicating in a very practical manner, but your brothers and sisters still do not really understand. This is because your state is your state, and the states of your brothers and sisters are not necessarily exactly the same as your own. In addition, you might have some experience with this subject, but your brothers and sisters might not, so they feel that what you’re talking about doesn’t apply to them. What should you do when you encounter this sort of situation? You should ask them some questions to get a bearing on their conditions. Ask them what they will do when this subject comes up, and how they should practice in line with the truth. By fellowshipping in this manner for a while, a path forward will open up. In this way, you can lead people onto the proper topic at hand, and if you keep fellowshipping, you will achieve results.

Excerpt 66

Some people have no discernment at all. They follow anyone who leads. They learn good behavior when good people are leading, they learn bad behavior when bad people are leading. They learn from whoever they are following. When they follow nonbelievers, they emulate demons. When they follow those who believe in God, they learn to have some semblance of humanity. They do not pay attention to understanding the truth and practicing the truth, but only follow others and blindly imitate them. They listen to whomever they like. Can such a person understand the truth? Absolutely not. People who do not understand the truth will never have real change. Knowledge and doctrine, human behavior, manner of speaking—these external things can be learned from people. However, the truth and life can only be obtained from God’s words and work, and never from famous or exceptional people. How should believers eat and drink the words of God? This is directly connected to the crucial question of whether or not someone can understand and gain the truth. There must be a correct path to eating and drinking the words of God; in their church life and while performing their duty, believers must eat and drink words of God which target real-life problems, and resolve those problems. This is the only way to understand the truth. However, if they understand the truth but do not practice it, they will be unable to enter into the truth reality. Some people are of good caliber but do not love the truth; although they are able to understand a bit of the truth, they do not practice it. Can such people enter the truth reality? Understanding the truth is not as simple as understanding doctrines. To understand the truth, you must first know how to eat and drink of God’s words. Take the eating and drinking of a passage concerning the truth of love for God, for example. God’s word says: “‘Love,’ as it is called, refers to an affection that is pure and without blemish, where you use your heart to love, to feel, and to be thoughtful. In love there are no conditions, no barriers, and no distance. In love there is no suspicion, no deceit, and no cunning. In love there is no trade and nothing impure” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen). This is how God defines love, and this is the truth. But whom should you love? Should you love your husband? Your wife? Your brothers and sisters at church? No. When God speaks of love, He speaks not of love for your fellow man, but of man’s love of God. If a person has come to truly know God, truly sees that His disposition is righteous and holy, and sees that God’s love for man is the most true and sincere, then the love that person has for God is also true. How does one practice loving God? First of all, they must offer their heart up to God; then their heart can love God. If a person’s heart truly sees how exceedingly lovely God is, then they will not suspect Him, there will be no distance between them and God, and their God-loving heart will be pure and without blemish. “Without blemish” means having no extravagant desires and making no extravagant demands of God, laying no conditions on Him, and not making any excuses. It means He comes first in your heart; it means only His words occupy your heart. This is an affection that is pure and without blemish. This “affection” means that God occupies a certain place in your heart, and that you are always thinking of Him and missing Him, and bring Him to mind at each and every moment. To love means using your heart to love. “Using your heart to love” consists of being considerate, caring and longing. To succeed in loving God with your heart, you first must seek to know God, know His disposition, and know His loveliness. If you do not know God at all, you will not be able to love Him even if you want to. At the present time, you are all willing to strive toward the truth and seek to gain the truth. Although you have no real knowledge of God, you should use your heart to yearn for Him, draw near to Him, submit to Him, be considerate toward Him, share what is on your mind with Him, and pour out the difficulties in your heart to Him. If you do not understand the truth, seek God; look to God and lean on Him when you cannot handle something on your own. When you pray to God in this way, the Holy Spirit will enlighten and guide you. Do not get caught up thinking, “What do I need to do for God? What big things must I do?” These are just empty words and are not practical at all. It is only practical if you put your heart into loving God, and satisfy Him in small matters and duties you are capable of performing. Although you do not say out loud how you must love God, and to what extent, you have God in your heart, and your heart is willing to satisfy Him. No matter what difficulties you have, so long as your heart is willing to satisfy God, and you are able to do some things to satisfy Him, and can withstand some hardship in order to satisfy Him, then you truly love Him. If you understand some of the truth and are principled when handling all matters, then you will be able to feel God’s love, feel that everything God says is the truth, is reality, and helps people at all times, feel that people cannot depart from God’s words and their hearts cannot be without God, feel that without God there is no life, and feel that if you truly did leave God, you simply could not live, which would be excruciating. When you feel all of this, then you have love, you have God in your heart. “Use your heart to love, to feel, and to be thoughtful.” This involves many things. It is the true love that God requires of man; in other words, you must love and be thoughtful of Him with your heart, and always keep Him in mind. This does not mean just voicing the words, nor does it mean intentionally expressing something in front of others; rather, primarily, it means doing things with heart, and letting your heart govern your life and all of your actions, without any motivation, adulteration, or suspicion in your heart; a heart such as this is much purer. If you can understand the truth, it is easy to submit to God. What does a person who always suspects God think? “Is it right for God to do this? Why does God say this? If there’s no reason behind God saying this, I won’t submit to it. If it is not righteous for God to do this, I won’t submit. I’ll drop it for now.” To not harbor suspicion means recognizing that whatever God says and does is right, and with God there is no right or wrong, and that man must submit to God, be considerate toward God, satisfy God, and share in His thoughts and concerns. Regardless of whether or not everything God does seems meaningful to you, whether it is agreeable to man’s notions and imaginings, and regardless of whether it conforms to the doctrines of man, you should always submit and approach these things with a God-fearing heart and a heart of submission to God. Such practice is in conformity with the truth. It is the manifestation and practice of love. Therefore, if you wish to achieve understanding of the truth, it is crucial that you know how to eat and drink God’s words. If you read God’s words too little, don’t read them in earnest, and don’t contemplate them with your heart, then you won’t be able to understand the truth. All you will be able to understand is a little bit of doctrine, and so it will be very difficult for you to understand God’s intentions and God’s purposes in His words. If you do not understand the aims and results that God’s words intend to achieve, if you do not understand what His words seek to accomplish and perfect in man, then it proves that you do not yet comprehend the truth. Why does God say what He says? Why does He speak in that tone? Why is He so earnest and sincere in every word He speaks? Why does He choose to use certain words? Do you know? If you cannot say for sure, it means you do not understand God’s intentions or His purposes. If you do not understand the context behind His words, then how can you understand or practice the truth? To gain the truth, you must first understand what God means in every word that He utters, and after grasping these words put them into practice, causing God’s words to be lived out in you, and to become your reality. By doing so you will enter into the truth reality. Only when you have a thorough understanding of the word of God can you really grasp the truth. After merely coming to understand a few words and doctrines, you think you understand the truth and possess reality. This is self-deception. You don’t even understand why God requires people to practice the truth. This proves that you don’t understand God’s intentions, and that you still don’t understand the truth. In fact, God makes this requirement of people to purify and save them, so that people can cast off their corrupt dispositions, and become ones who submit to and know God. This is the goal God wants to achieve by requiring people to practice the truth.

God expresses the truth for people who love the truth, thirst for the truth, and seek the truth. As for those who concern themselves with words and doctrines and like to give lengthy, pompous speeches, they will never gain the truth; they are fooling themselves. Their perspective of the truth and God’s words is wrong, they twist their necks to read that which is upright—their perspective is all wrong. Some people prefer to study God’s words. They always study how God’s words talk about destination or about how to be blessed. They are most interested in these kinds of words. If God’s words do not conform to their notions and do not satisfy their desire for blessings, they will become negative, no longer pursue the truth, and not want to expend themselves for God. This shows that they are not interested in the truth. As a result, they are not earnest toward the truth; they are only capable of accepting the truth that conforms to their notions and imaginings. Although such people are fervent in their belief in God and try every way they can to do some good deeds and present themselves well, they are only doing it in order to have a good destination in the future. Despite the fact that they also engage in church life, eating and drinking God’s words, they will not practice the truth or gain it. There are some people who eat and drink the words of God, but who merely go through the motions; they think they have gained the truth simply by having come to understand a few words and doctrines. What fools they are! The word of God is the truth. However, one will not necessarily understand and gain the truth after they read God’s words. If you fail to gain the truth through eating and drinking the words of God, then what you gain will be words and doctrines. If you do not know how to practice the truth or how to act according to the principles, then you remain without the truth reality. You may read God’s words often, but afterward, you fail to understand God’s intentions, and acquire only some words and doctrines. How to eat and drink God’s words in order to understand the truth? First of all, you should realize that the word of God is not so straightforward; the word of God is utterly profound. Even one sentence of God’s words requires a lifetime to experience. Without several years of experience, how could you possibly understand the word of God? If, when reading God’s words, you do not understand God’s intentions, and do not understand the purposes of His words, their origin, the effect they seek to achieve, or what they seek to accomplish, then does it mean that you understand the truth? You may have read God’s words many times and perhaps you can recite many passages by heart, but you cannot practice the truth and have not changed at all, and your relationship with God is just as distant and estranged as ever. When encountering something that is at odds with your notions, you remain doubtful toward Him, and you do not understand Him, but reason with Him and harbor notions about Him and misunderstandings of Him, resisting Him and even blaspheming Him. What kind of disposition is this? This disposition is one of arrogance, of being averse to the truth. How can people who are so arrogant and so averse to the truth accept or practice it? Such people will absolutely never be able to gain the truth or God. Although everyone has a copy of The Word Appears in the Flesh, and they read God’s words every day, and make notes when they listen to fellowship on the truth, the effect it has on everyone is different. Some people focus on equipping themselves with knowledge and doctrines; some always seek and concern themselves with what good behavior people should exhibit; some are willing to read profound words that disclose mysteries; some are most concerned with words about future destination; some like to study administrative decrees in the Age of Kingdom, and study God’s disposition; some are willing to read words of comfort and exhortation from God to man; some are willing to read prophecies, God’s words of promise and blessings; some are willing to read words the Holy Spirit speaks to all the churches, and are willing to be “His son.” Can they gain the truth by reading God’s words in this way? Are these people who pursue the truth? Can they be saved by believing in God in this way? You must see these things clearly. There are currently some new believers who say, “God’s words of comfort to man are wonderful; He says, ‘My son, My son.’ Who in this world would comfort you like this?” They think they are God’s sons, and do not understand to whom God is speaking these words. There are some who still do not understand it even after believing in God for a couple years; they say things like this shamelessly and do not feel embarrassed or ashamed about it. Do they understand the truth? They do not understand God’s intentions, yet they dare to assume the position of His “son”! What do they understand when they read God’s words? They have entirely misinterpreted them! When people who do not love the truth read God’s words they will not understand them. When you fellowship on the truth with them, they do not place importance on accepting it. By contrast, those who love the truth are moved after reading God’s words. They sense authority and power in God’s words. They are able to examine the true way and accept the truth. People such as this have hope of returning to God and gaining the truth. People who like to study God’s words always concern themselves with the way in which God changes His form, when God will leave this world, and God’s day. They are not concerned with their own life. People are concerning themselves with matters that are God’s own business. If you always ask questions like this, you are interfering with God’s administrative decrees and His management plan. This is unreasonable and offends God’s disposition. If you are particularly keen on asking or knowing, and cannot control yourself, then pray to God and say, “God, these matters concern Your management plan and they are Your own business. I shall not pry into matters that are beyond my reach or which I shouldn’t know. Please keep me from doing unreasonable things.” How can man understand God’s matters? If God has not mentioned or proclaimed certain matters related to His works and management plan, it proves that He does not wish to reveal it to people. Everything God wants people to know is in His words, and all the truth you should understand is in His words. There are so many truths you should understand. You need only look in God’s words; if something cannot be found there, do not push for an answer. If God has not told you, then it is useless to keep on asking and investigating. He has told you everything you should know, and will not tell or reveal to you what you should not know. At the present time, most believers have not yet entered onto the right track; they do not know how to ponder God’s words when they read them, let alone practice or experience them. There are even some who do not do their duty, or who do not engage in proper tasks. It is even more difficult for believers like this to understand the truth. One needs long-term experience to understand the truth. If you do not read God’s words conscientiously, or practice or experience His words, then how will you understand the truth or enter into reality? How will you enter onto the right track of faith if you do not submit to God’s work? And if you do not enter onto the right track of faith, then how will you be saved? True believers must be clear on these matters.

Excerpt 67

What is the truth reality? What does it refer to? It refers to the practicing of the truth. When people understand the truth and can put it into practice, the truth will become their reality, it will become their life. When people live according to the truth, they have the truth reality. People do not have the truth reality if they only speak words and doctrines and cannot put the truth into practice. When they speak words and doctrines, it may seem as though they understand the truth, but they cannot practice it at all, which proves that they do not have the truth reality. So how should people enter the truth reality? They must apply the words of God in their real life, and through the process of experiencing and practicing God’s words they will gain knowledge of the truth—not something perceptual, but rather actual experience and real knowledge—and be able to act according to principles. This means that they have entered the truth reality. So which truths have you experienced and gained real knowledge of? Have you had the feeling that the truth has become your life? When you take a passage of God’s words, no matter which aspect of the truth they address, you can hold yourself up to them for comparison and they coincide perfectly with your states, and you feel extremely moved, as though God’s words have touched the innermost depths of your heart, and you feel that His words are totally correct, and you fully accept them, and not only do you gain knowledge of your own states, but you also know how to practice in accordance with His intentions. By drinking and eating of God’s words in this way, you gain benefits, you become enlightened and illuminated, you gain provision, and your states are turned around. You think that God’s words are great, and are very happy and satisfied, feeling that you have gained knowledge of God’s words, that you understand what this passage of God’s words means, and that you know how to experience them and put them into practice. Do you feel this way often? (Yes.) So once you had this feeling, did you feel that you had gained the truth from this passage of God’s words? (No.) Since you did not, it means that this feeling was only a perceptual response, a temporary stirring of the heart. Gaining some reward and some entry does not represent understanding the truth and entering into the truth reality. It is only an initial experience, only an understanding of the truth’s literal meaning. To go from understanding the truth to entering into the truth reality is a complicated process that takes a considerable amount of time. In going from understanding words and doctrines to truly understanding the truth, it takes more than just one, two, or even a handful of experiences to achieve results. You may gain a little reward from a single experience, but it takes many experiences to reap the true reward, and achieve the result of understanding the truth. It is like reflecting on a problem; reflecting once brings a glimmer of light, but reflecting many times will yield greater rewards, and enable you to see the matter clearly. If you spend a few years reflecting on the problem, then you will fully understand it. So, if you want to gain knowledge of God’s words and understand the truth, it is not as simple as just having several experiences. Have you undergone these kinds of experiences yourselves? Everyone probably has a few times. When people first start to experience God’s words there is a glimmer of light, but their knowledge is still superficial. It is similar to understanding doctrine, only that their knowledge feels a bit more practical, and cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. Their fellowship makes others feel that their knowledge is a bit more practical than words and doctrines. If their experiences become deeper and they can speak about some details, then their knowledge will feel more practical still. If people continue to have experiences after that for a period of time and can speak with true knowledge of God’s words, then their knowledge will be elevated from the perceptual to the rational. This is true understanding of the truth. When people go on to further experience God’s words and put them into practice, they will be able to grasp the principles of the truth, and know how to practice the truth. This is what it means to enter into the truth reality. At this time, when they give experiential testimony, those who listen will feel that it is practical, and they will praise it profusely. When one reaches this level, God’s words will become their life reality, and it is only this kind of person who can be said to have gained the truth. This is the simplified process of experiencing God’s words and gaining the truth, which is something that cannot be achieved without at least several years or even more than 10 years of effort. When one begins to experience and practice God’s words, they imagine that it will be quite simple, but when something befalls them, they do not know how to confront or handle it, and all sorts of difficulties arise. Their notions and imaginings will create obstructions, their corrupt dispositions will create disturbances, and when they encounter setbacks and failures they will stop knowing how to experience. People with corrupt dispositions are especially fragile and easily become negative, and when they are attacked, slandered and judged, it is easy for them to collapse and be unable to get back up. If these problems can be resolved by seeking the truth, if one can rely on God to stand firm, then they can embark on the path of pursuing the truth. If one is not interested in the truth and does not treat the truth as something precious to be experienced and gained, then they do not have strength in their practice of the truth, and they will collapse and become stuck at the first sign of difficulties. This type of person is a coward, and it is not easy for them to gain the truth. God’s words are the truth, a new life that He has gifted to people, and what is the purpose of accepting the truth? It is to gain the truth and life, to experience the truth as if it is one’s own life. Before the truth becomes one’s life, the purpose of accepting the truth is mainly to resolve corrupt dispositions. Which corrupt dispositions can this resolve? It mainly resolves things such as rebelliousness, notions and imaginings, arrogance, conceit, selfishness, despicableness, crookedness, deceitfulness, being perfunctory, and irresponsible, and lacking conscience and reason. And what is the final result that is reached from this? It is that one can be an honest person who submits to God, who honors Him as great, who worships Him, who is loyal to and truly loves Him, and who will submit to Him until death. This kind of person is entirely living out the semblance of a real human, they have become a person who has the truth and humanity. This is the highest realm that one can reach in the pursuit of the truth.

So how can people eat, drink and experience the words of God in order to resolve their corrupt dispositions? This is not a simple matter. Corrupt dispositions are a problem that truly exists, and they are often naturally revealed in people’s real lives. No matter what befalls people, and no matter what they do, their corrupt dispositions will always be revealed. For example, no matter what people say or do, most of the time they have certain intentions and aims. Those with discerning eyes can sense whether the way that people speak and act is true or false, as well as the things that are concealed within their words and actions, and the traps that lie within them. So are these things revealed naturally? Can people keep them hidden? Even if people do not say or do anything, when something befalls them, they still have a reaction. These things are revealed firstly from their expression, and then even more so through their words and actions. Those with discerning eyes will always notice, and only fools and idiots cannot distinguish it. It could be said that it is normal for people to reveal their corruption, that this is a real problem that exists for everyone. What is the purpose of God expressing so many truths in His work during the last days? He expresses these truths to resolve people’s corrupt dispositions and the root causes of their sins, to save people from Satan’s corruption, to help people attain salvation and break away from Satan’s influence, and especially to bestow people with the life, the truth, and the way. If people believe in God but do not accept the truth, they cannot be cleansed of their corrupt disposition, and thus cannot attain salvation. So, those who truly believe in God will put effort into practicing and experiencing His words, will self-reflect and try to know themselves when their corrupt disposition is revealed, and will seek the truth of God’s words to resolve this corrupt disposition. Those who love the truth focus on self-reflection and trying to know themselves in their reading of God’s words, and they feel that His words are just like a mirror that reveals their own corruption and ugliness. This way, through God’s words they come to accept His judgment and chastisement, and they gradually resolve their corrupt disposition. When they see that their corrupt disposition is revealed less, when they truly submit to God, they will feel that practicing the truth is much easier, and there are no more difficulties. At this time, they will see a true change in themselves, and true praise for God will develop in their heart: “Almighty God has saved me from the bondage and constraints of my corrupt disposition and saved me from Satan’s influence.” This is the result that is achieved from experiencing the judgment and chastisement in God’s words. If people cannot experience the judgment and chastisement in God’s words, they cannot be cleansed of their corrupt dispositions or break away from Satan’s influence. There are many people who do not love the truth, and even though they read God’s words and listen to sermons, afterward they speak only words and doctrines, and as a result they do not resolve any of their corrupt dispositions despite believing in God for many years. These people are still the same old Satans and devils that they always have been. They thought that as long as they spread God’s words, they would resolve their corrupt dispositions; as long as they recited a few of God’s words and fellowshipped with others on His words, they would resolve their corrupt dispositions; as long as they could speak many words and doctrines, they would resolve their corrupt dispositions; and as long as they could understand doctrine and learn self-control, they would resolve their corrupt dispositions. As a result, after believing in God for many years there is still no change at all in their life dispositions, they cannot speak about experiential testimony and so they are dumbfounded. After many years of believing in God they are empty-handed and have not gained any truth, having lived in vain and wasted time for all these years. Now there are many false leaders and workers who are like this, only focusing on doing work and giving sermons rather than putting effort into practicing and experiencing God’s words. So are they on the path of pursuing the truth? Absolutely not.

What is the most important reality for those who believe in God? It is practicing the truth. What is the most important part of practicing the truth? Is it not that one must first have a grasp of the principles? What, then, are principles? They are the practical side of the truth, the standard that can guarantee results. Principles are as simple as this. When taken literally, you think that every sentence of God’s words is the truth, but you don’t know how to practice the truth, it is because you don’t understand the principles of the truth. You think that God’s words are totally correct, that they are the truth, but you don’t know what the practical side of the truth is, or the states that it targets, what the principles are here, and what the path to practice is—you cannot grasp or understand this. It proves that you only understand doctrine and not the truth. If you can truly sense that you only understand doctrine, then what should you do? You must seek the truth. First, get an accurate feel for the practical side of truth, see which aspects of the reality stand out the most, and how you should practice in order to enter this reality. By seeking and probing in this way you will find the path. Once you have a hold of the principles and are living out this reality, you will have gained the truth, which is the achievement that comes from pursuing the truth. If you can grasp the principles of many truths and put some of them into practice, then you have the truth reality, and you have gained the life. No matter what aspect of the truth you seek, once you have grasped where the reality of the truth in God’s words lies and what His requirements are, once you truly understand, and can pay the price and put it into practice, then you have gained this truth. While you are gaining this truth, your corrupt disposition will be resolved little by little, and this truth will work its way inside you. If you can put the reality of the truth into practice, and perform your duty and every action and comport yourself according to the principles of practice of this truth, then doesn’t that mean you have changed? What kind of person have you become? You have become someone who has the truth reality. Is someone who has the truth reality someone whose actions are principled? Has someone whose actions are principled gained the truth? Is someone who has gained the truth living out normal humanity? Does someone who is living out normal humanity have the truth and have humanity? People who have the truth and have humanity are in accordance with God’s intentions, and people who are in accordance with God’s intentions are the type of people whom He wants to gain. This is the experience of believing in and being gained by God, and this is also the process of gaining the truth by starting from eating and drinking His words, as well as the process of attaining salvation. This path is the path of pursuing the truth, and the path of being made perfect by God.

Excerpt 68

Do you now understand what obtaining the truth and entering into the truth reality depend on? They depend on seeking the truth and practicing the truth—just those two things, simple as that. Although the truth expressed by God is recorded in written form, the reality of truth is not in writing, much less understandable or comprehensible to man from its written words. So, what must be done to understand the truth? Understanding and gaining the truth is mainly done through practicing and experiencing God’s words, experiencing His work, through seeking the truth, and through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The reality of the truth is realized through people practicing and undergoing the truth; it is something that comes from experience, something man lives out. The truth is not an empty theory, nor a simple, pleasant phrase. It is language rich with life power; it is eternal maxims of life; it is the most practical, precious thing that can accompany one in life, for one’s entire lifetime. What is the truth? The truth is the foundation of existence in man’s life, the principles of practice in conducting oneself and dealing with things. The truth gives one direction and purpose in life; it enables one to live out the likeness of a genuine person, and to live before God in submission and worship of Him. That is why people can’t live without the truth. So, what do you now rely on to live? Which thoughts and viewpoints do you have? What is your direction and purpose in doing things? If you have the truth reality, your life has principles, direction, and purpose. If you do not, your life has no principles, direction, or purpose. You are undoubtedly living by Satan’s philosophy, by those things of traditional culture. That is how the nonbelievers live. Can you see through this matter? To resolve this problem, one must seek and accept the truth. Is it easy to obtain the truth? (It is, if we rely on God.) While relying on God, one must also rely on oneself. You must have this confidence, this will, and this requirement in your heart, saying, “I don’t want to live amid corrupt satanic dispositions. I don’t want to be controlled and duped by them, and thereby be made into a complete fool, making God loathe me. That way I would be unworthy to live before God.” You must have this feeling in your heart. Then, when things happen to you, if you apply the truths that you can understand and are within your grasp to your real life, and are able to put it into practice in every matter, will the truth not thus become your reality? And when the truth has become your reality, will you still worry that your life will not grow? How can you determine whether a person possesses the truth reality? It can be seen from what they say. A person who only speaks words and doctrines does not possess the truth reality, and certainly will not practice the truth, so what they say is empty and unrealistic. The words of someone with the truth reality can solve people’s problems. They can see clearly the essence of problems. With just a few simple words, a problem that has been bothering you for many years can be solved; you will understand the truth and God’s intentions, things will no longer be difficult for you, you will no longer feel bound and constrained, and you will gain freedom and release. Is what such a person says the truth reality? It is the truth reality. If you don’t understand your problem no matter what a person says, and nothing they say solves the root cause of it, then what they say is words and doctrines. Can words and doctrines supply and help people? Words and doctrines cannot supply or help people and cannot solve people’s actual difficulties. The more words and doctrines are spoken, the more they annoy the listener. People who understand the truth speak differently. With a few words, they can point out the root cause of the problem or the origin of the sickness. Even a single sentence can awaken people and locate the key issues. This is using words that possess the truth realities to solve people’s difficulties and point out the path of practice.

In the last days, God incarnate has come. What is it that man ought most to gain, given that they believe in the practical God? It is the truth, the life; nothing besides this is significant. When Christ came, what He brought was the truth, the life; He came to provide people with life. So, how does one go about believing in the practical God? What must one do to obtain the truth and life? God has expressed so many truths. All those who hunger and thirst for righteousness should eat and drink their fill of the words of God. All God’s words are the truth, and His words are rich and abundant; there are precious things everywhere and treasures all around. Enjoying the abundance of the beautiful land of Canaan, those who love the truth are abloom with joy at heart. There is truth and light in every sentence of God’s words of which they eat and drink, they are all precious. People who do not love the truth frown from woe; they sit at a feast and suffer from famine, showing their piteousness. The gains of those who are able to seek the truth will keep growing, and those who cannot do so will come to a dead end. What is now of greatest concern is learning to seek the truth in everything, to reach an understanding of the truth, to practice the truth, and to be able to truly submit to God. That’s what it is to believe in God. To believe in the practical God is to obtain the truth and the life. What is the truth used for? Is it used to enrich people’s spiritual world? Is it meant to give people a good education? (No.) So, what problem of man’s does the truth resolve? The truth is there to resolve man’s corrupt disposition, to resolve man’s sinful nature, to make people live before God, and to have them live out a normal humanity. Some people do not understand what the truth is. They always feel that the truth is profound and abstract, and that the truth is a mystery. They do not understand that the truth is something for people to practice, something for people to apply. Some people have believed in God for ten or twenty years and still do not understand exactly what the truth is. Has this kind of person obtained the truth? (No.) Aren’t those who have not obtained the truth pitiful? Very much so—just as sung in that hymn, they’re “sitting at a feast and suffering from famine.” Gaining the truth is not difficult, nor is entering into the truth reality, but if people are always averse to the truth, are they able to gain it? They cannot. So you must always come in front of God, examine your internal states of being averse to the truth, see what displays of being averse to the truth you have, and what ways of doing things are being averse to the truth, and in which things you have an attitude of being averse to the truth—you must often examine these things. For instance, someone admonishes you by saying, “You can’t do your duty just by relying on your own will—you should reflect on and know yourself,” and you get angry and retort, “How I do my duty is no good, but how you do yours is fine? What’s wrong with how I do my duty? God knows my heart!” What kind of attitude is this? One of accepting the truth? (No.) One must first have an attitude of accepting the truth when things happen to them. Not having this kind of attitude is like not having a vessel to receive a treasure, thus leaving you unable to obtain the truth. If a person can’t obtain the truth, their belief in God is in vain! The purpose of believing in God is to obtain the truth. If one cannot obtain the truth, then their belief in God has failed. What is it to obtain the truth? It is when the truth becomes your reality, when it has become your life. That’s what it is to obtain the truth—that’s what it means to believe in God! What does God say His words for? What does God express those truths for? So that people may accept the truth, such that corruption is made pure; so that people may obtain the truth, such that the truth becomes their life. Why would God express so many truths otherwise? In order to compete with the Bible? In order to establish a “University of the Truth” and train a group of people? No to both. It is meant instead to save mankind completely, to have people understand the truth and ultimately obtain it. You understand now, don’t you? What is most important in believing in God? (Obtaining the truth and entering into the truth reality.) From here, it comes down to how you enter into the truth reality, and whether or not you can.

Excerpt 69

As for the words “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom,” how do you usually practice and experience them? (By submitting to all of God’s words and work.) This is a broad statement, a doctrine. It sounds right, but it’s a little empty. What will you do if you face something that goes against your notions, and you can’t submit? This is a realistic challenge. When this happens, how can these words achieve results and have an effect upon you, restraining your behavior and changing the principles and direction of your actions? For example, say that your stomach hurts and someone says, “Taking painkillers will stop the pain.” You know that this statement is correct, but how do you accept it and put it into practice? Do you take painkillers when your stomach hurts? When do you take them? Is it before or after meals? How many times a day do you take them? How many do you take at a time to stop the pain, and how many days should you take them to get results? Do you know these details? You can only understand these details through applying the statement “taking painkillers will stop the pain” to real life. If you don’t apply it, then no matter how you acknowledge, accept, or approve of this statement, it will only be a phrase of doctrine to you. But if you apply this statement to your real life, treat your ailment, and benefit from it, it will no longer be just an empty statement when you say it, but a practical one. When someone else faces a similar situation, you will be able to use your practical experience to help them. We just mentioned “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom.” The phrase “the fear of Jehovah” is something that people must put into practice, and “the beginning of wisdom” is the result they gain by practicing the fear of Jehovah. That is, it is only when you’ve practiced the phrase “the fear of Jehovah” and applied it to your real life, and this phrase has helped you, and you’ve benefited from it, that you’ll be able to obtain the result of wisdom. Let’s talk first about how to practice this phrase “the fear of Jehovah.” This phrase touches on all the problems people face in their actual lives, such as their thoughts, ideas, and states, the difficulties they encounter, their notions and imaginings, their misconceptions about God, their suspicions and speculations about Him, as well as the perfunctoriness, trickery, self-righteousness, being a law unto themselves, that people often display in the process of doing their duties, and so on. So, how can you apply the phrase “the fear of God” so that you may change the principles of your actions and comportment? If you go through, experience, and know all of the details of this phrase, it will be a truth to you. If you’ve never gone through these details, and you only know and have heard of the phrase, then it will always be a doctrine to you. It will be a statement in a book, mere words, and not a truth. Why do I say that? It’s because this statement has never changed any of your intentions, your ideas, or your thoughts and views. It has never changed the principles you deal with the world and comport yourself by. It hasn’t changed the attitude you have when you do things or perform your duty, and it hasn’t reversed your state. You haven’t benefited in any way from it. You know all these famous sayings and you can say them, but you only understand the surface of them, and you have no practical experience of them. How is this different from the hypocritical Pharisees? Those pastors and elders of the religious world all focus on reciting and explaining famous chapters and passages of the Bible. Whoever recites the most is the most spiritual, the most admired by all, and the most prestigious and the highest of status. In their real lives, they actually see the world, mankind, and all kinds of humans the same way that worldly people do, and their views haven’t changed at all. This proves something: Those sections of the Bible that they recite haven’t become their lives in any way, they’re plainly just theories and religious doctrines to them, and haven’t changed their lives. If the path that you walk is the same as that of religious people, then you believe in Christianity and not God, and you aren’t experiencing God’s work. Some people who have believed in God for a short time admire those long-term believers who can speak about a lot of spiritual doctrines. When they see those long-term believers sitting down and speaking for two or three hours straight without issue, they start learning from them. They learn those spiritual terms and expressions, and they learn those long-term believers’ ways of speaking and behaving, and then they memorize some classic words of God. They keep this up until one day they finally think that they have something. When it comes time to gather, they start to drone on and on about high-sounding ideas, but if you listen closely, it’s all a lot of nonsense, empty talk, and words and doctrines. It’s clear that they are religious frauds who’ve deceived themselves and others. How tragic this is! Don’t go down that path. As soon as you embark upon it, you will be thoroughly destroyed, and then it’ll be hard to turn back, even if you wish to! If you treat those words and doctrines like they’re treasures and life, and you flaunt them wherever you go, then on top of your corrupt, satanic dispositions, you possess some spiritual theories and some hypocritical things. This isn’t just false, it’s absolutely disgusting. It’s shameless, and it is nauseating and horrible to look at. Right now, we refer to the denominations that followers of the Lord Jesus believe in as Christianity, classifying them as a religion and a religious group. This is because those people believe in God but don’t accept the truth, and they do not practice or experience God’s words, and instead they only hold to religious rituals and formalities, without changing their life dispositions at all. They aren’t people who pursue the truth, and they don’t pursue the truth, the way, and the life that come from God, instead they pursue biblical knowledge, they emulate the Pharisees, and they are hostile toward God. Consequently, this group of people is classified as Christianity. These people who believe in the Lord are all adherents of religion. They do not belong to God’s church, and they are not His sheep. Where does the term “Christianity” come from? It comes from the fact that its adherents pretend to be believers in Christ, they pretend to be spiritual, and they pretend that they’re following God, while they deny all the truths that Christ has expressed, they deny the work of the Holy Spirit, and they deny all of the positive things that come from God. They arm, package, and disguise themselves with things that God has said in the past. They use these things as capital, and employ them at every turn so that they can cheat their way into a meal ticket. Under the guise of believing in God, they dupe people at every turn, they contend with others over how well they can interpret the Bible and over their biblical knowledge, treating these things like glory and capital. They even want to obtain God’s blessings and rewards through trickery. This is the path of antichrists they walk that denies and condemns God incarnate, and it’s precisely because of the path that this group walks that it is classified in the end as Christianity and a religion. Let’s look at the term “Christianity” now—is this a good or a bad title? We can most certainly say that it’s not a good title. It’s a mark of shame and it’s not something proud or glorious.

What’s the main thing you should understand when you pursue life entry? You ought to find what God’s requirements of people are, and how people should experience His work, within all the words that God has spoken—no matter what topic they are on. You should compare your conduct and your ways of handling things, your thoughts and views, and the different states and manifestations you possess when things befall you in your life against God’s words of exposure and judgment. More importantly, you should reflect on yourself and understand yourself, and seek the truth to ascertain the principles of practice. You should find the path of practice through this, learn how to satisfy God’s intentions while doing your duty, comport yourself wholly according to His requirements, and be an honest person, and a person who practices the truth. Don’t do things like tricking people by speaking about words and doctrines and religious theories. Don’t pose as a spiritual person, and don’t be a hypocrite. You must focus on accepting and practicing the truth, and on using God’s words to compare your states and examine them, and then change the erroneous viewpoints and attitudes with which you treat every sort of situation. Ultimately, you must come to possess a God-fearing heart in every situation, and no longer act rashly, follow your own ideas, do things according to your desires, or live within corrupt dispositions. Instead, all your actions and words must be based on God’s words and on the truth. In this way, you will gradually develop a God-fearing heart. A God-fearing heart arises while one is pursuing the truth; it does not come from restraint. All restraint gives rise to is a kind of behavior; it is a sort of surface-level limitation. A true God-fearing heart is achieved by constantly accepting the judgment and chastisement of God’s words and accepting being pruned while experiencing His work. When people see the true face of their own corruption, they will know the preciousness of the truth, and they will be able to strive toward the truth. The revelations of their corrupt dispositions will grow fewer and fewer, and they’ll be able to live before God normally, eating and drinking of God’s words every day, and doing their duties as created beings. A God-fearing heart and a heart of submission to God arise through this process. All who constantly seek the truth to resolve problems while doing their duties are those with God-fearing hearts. All who have received discipline and experienced being pruned a lot know what it is to fear God. When their corruption is revealed, they not only feel trepidation and dread in their hearts, they can also feel God’s wrath and His majesty. In this situation, fear naturally arises from their hearts. Do you all have any experiential understanding of these things now? (A little.) This needs to deepen gradually. Don’t be satisfied with only a little experiential understanding. You’re in a suitable environment right now, you are listening to a lot of sermons, going to a lot of gatherings, reading a lot of God’s words, and you possess an environment in which to do your duty and all other sorts of conditions. You think that you have fear for God, so your faith has grown, but if you were put into a different environment, would you be able to keep up your current state? Can the truths that you understand now change your perspective on things or your outlook on life and values? If the truths that you understand can’t accomplish these things, then you don’t truly understand the truth. When God’s words become the truths that you understand and your life, then you will have life entry, and you will have entered into the truth reality. This means that practicing the truth will become something you do on your own initiative, you’ll feel that you should innately do things like this. Doing things according to the truth will become natural for you; it will become regular, like a natural revelation. This means that God’s words will have become your life. If you always take the wrong path when you’re faced with something and you always have to self-reflect and have someone help and support you in order for you to get on the right path, then this doesn’t even come close, and you have no stature at all. If no one is there to help and support you, there’s no telling how far you’ll fall as soon as your surrounding environment changes drastically. You may come to deny and betray God in a single night, you may leave God and return back to Satan’s arms overnight. In other words, before you obtain the truth, and before the truth becomes your life, you’re still in danger! It’s not like possessing a bit of faith, being willing to expend yourself, and having a bit of resolve or good aspirations right now prove that you have life. These things are just surface phenomena; this is just wishful thinking. Before your relationship with God improves, you must equip yourself with the truth. You must be able to experience God’s work and some trials and refinement. When true faith in God arises within you, you’ll have true prayer and true fellowship with Him. You’ll be able to tell God what’s in your heart, and when you face something, you’ll feel that you can rely on Him alone and that no one else will do. This is when your relationship with God will be normal. When you have true faith in God, no matter where He puts you, and even if you can’t attend a gathering for several years, your faith in God will remain completely unchanged, just like Job’s. Even though you won’t be attending gatherings and there’ll be no one to preach you sermons, God’s way and God’s words will be in your heart. You won’t leave God, and you’ll be clear about how He leads you each day. You won’t deny God when you encounter His trials, and you’ll even see His deeds in them. At that time, you will be able to be independent. You’re not there yet, you still have many notions and imaginings and adulterations. There are still some disguised things within your actions and the performance of your duty. There’s too much of your own will. You’re still in a period of pretending, you’re still striving to be a spiritual person, to preach spiritual doctrines, and to equip yourselves more with spiritual phrases, terms, and theories. You’re still striving to be a Pharisee and a falsely spiritual person. You’re still seeking to walk down this kind of path and you’re still on this kind of wrong track. This is so far from a person who truly fears God and shuns evil! So then, you must do your best to pursue the truth and experience more judgment, chastisement, trials, and refinement. Only then can these shams, disguises, and abnormal mentalities be completely removed. When these corruptions are cleansed, the relationship between you and God naturally becomes normal.